The PeepleTalk Build Begins: This is a Call to Arms!

Newsletter #002, Jan 28 2025
Contents:

• Updates

• UX Researchers & Designers

• User Research Participants

• Developers

• Other ways to get involved

• Timeline for the build

• New here? Let’s get you up to speed

Updates: Moving Fast

Hey Peeps,

We’re moving quickly, and it’s all thanks to the power of the People:

👉 Ally has put together the tech stack and project scope.

👉 Wayne offered up his base code, which he started building before connecting with us. The dev team is reviewing it now—parts of the app may already be built! Timeline TBD.

👉 Kasey and Katie are organizing designers and researchers for UX research and design sprints.

👉 Katie took a first swing at our competitor comparables analysis and KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK (there are some question marks and unknowns still, so if you have the answers, please comment on the doc).

👉 Last night, we kicked off with a small team to get organized, and the devs agreed: we need more hands on deck for development. We’re even considering tackling this hackathon-style—stay tuned!

So if you’ve been itching to get involved, we’re now starting to tag peeps in based on skillset.

Call to Arms!

UX Researchers & Designers

Kasey is leading UX research, and Katie is organizing the designers and sprints.

If this is your wheelhouse, submit intake form here.

User Research Participants

We’re also going to pull 10+ people from a range of backgrounds/walks of life to provide insight and feedback. Anyone can apply for this. Looking for folks who are reliable, and can turnaround feedback within ~2 days. If you this is you, submit here.

Developers

Be sure you’ve taken a look at the tech stack and are comfortable with the tools/build. If you’re still eager to participate, submit here.

Other ways to get involved

We’ll have open calls as new needs arise, and I’m actively:

• Sifting through my inboxes

• Connecting with many of you on LinkedIn

• Monitoring Reddit for potential fits

We’re also surfacing people for steering committees in marketing, governance, and other areas. Hang out in our ecosystem, contribute on the Reddit, and connect on LinkedIn to help us find you.

What’s the timeline looking like?

We haven’t nailed down a precise timeline yet, but here’s what we can say for sure:

👉 The UX research process is kicking off with a two-week sprint, while the dev team works on the basics in parallel.

👉 The full timeline depends on what we uncover during user research and the talent we attract to this build. Momentum is already strong, and as more of you join, we’ll move even faster.

Why not just release the existing code ASAP?

We get it: speed is exciting. But expectations have changed. People have less tolerance for clunky early-stage products than they used to—especially with an audience of 15,000 and growing.

We’re aiming for something between an MVP (minimum viable product) and an MLP (minimum lovable product). An MVP gets the job done, but an MLP ensures the product is polished and delivers a better user experience out of the gate.

New Here? Let’s Get You Up to Speed

Welcome aboard! We’re glad you’re here. (And I’m continually humbled and grateful that I managed to say enough of the right things to attract people like you to this project.)

So, here’s everything you need to catch up:

🎥 10-Minute Overview Video: A quick explanation of the project up to date 1/28/2025 and how you can get involved

📰 First Newsletter: Our kickoff announcement, outlining the project’s vision and early progress. Newsletters with be only the high-level items like you see in this email.

✍️ Substack: Deep dives and behind-the-scenes, if you want to be more involved or immersed. Again, we’re doing all of this publicly and transparently.

🎥 Youtube: Video updates. Weekly from me, soon to be more often from our growing team.

📱 Telegram: Quick updates as the project unfolds.

❓ Q&A: Got questions? Find answers to the most common ones here.

👾 Reddit: Community discussions, feedback threads, and brainstorming sessions. Note: We’re setting up more moderators to manage growing activity.

🛠 Discord (coming soon): A hub for in-depth collaboration and communication as we grow.

e pluribus unum,
Chiara (a steward)