Maintainers Anonymous

Why would you choose to leave the public internet on your own terms? Philip Gee joins Henry (for the 2nd time) to chat about his recent choice to make a minimal public web presence after being on the web for many years. We discuss the logistics of removing social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), moving to longer forms of media (podcasts, essays, books), making introductory content, recognizing different stages of your career, being out of touch, freeing your mind for the next thing, not being ashamed of previous work, taking time to reflect, and friction. (recorded in May) Transcript: https://maintainersanonymous.com/unlisting.

Show Notes

Why would you choose to leave the public internet on your own terms? Philip Gee joins Henry (for the 2nd time) to chat about his recent choice to make a minimal public web presence after being on the web for many years. We discuss the logistics of removing social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), moving to longer forms of media (podcasts, essays, books), making introductory content, recognizing different stages of your career, being out of touch, freeing your mind for the next thing, not being ashamed of previous work, taking time to reflect, and friction. (recorded in May) Transcript: https://maintainersanonymous.com/unlisting.

Previous Episode: https://maintainersanonymous.com/growing-old
Henry: https://twitter.com/left_pad

Headings:
  • "He took everything down!"
  • A Long Time Coming
  • Erasure: a minimal public web presence
  • Unlisting Yourself
  • When I was young, I was in a rock band
  • Naturally Transitioning Out
  • Tenure as a forcing function
  • High School Debut
  • Out of Touch
  • Ownership Over Our (Digital) Selves
  • Posting about Quitting
  • No One's Going to Cry
  • Making Introductory Content
  • More Beginners in a Growing Field
  • The Business of Patrons
  • Doing the Work vs. Funding It
  • Staying or Stepping Away
  • Seinfeld and Ending at the Top
  • Freeing Your Mind for the Next Thing
  • "It's all I've Known"
  • Graceful Degradation
  • A Time to Reflect
  • Acting on Our Beliefs
  • Quitting Should be Boring
  • Intentionality
  • We Are As Athletes
  • Adding Friction
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What is Maintainers Anonymous?

How can we work together to achieve a common goal: whether in our code, cities, or infrastructure? Henry Zhu chats with fellow maintainers across all disciplines of life on their process, motivations, and struggles as they learn in public.