An old idea I would love to see live
Some time ago, during several deep conversations with team members, an idea came to mind.
We often hear two recurring requests from the community:
- More tutorials on the YouTube channel.
- Deeper and more frequent communication about what’s actually happening behind the scenes.
These topics came up especially during the FluentCart launch: a period where the team was working day and night.
Yet, only a small part of the user base was truly aware of it.
- Publicly: there was little to no information. And claims for info were everywhere.
- Privately: the team was delivering at full speed, under real pressure, doing an incredible amount of work.
And as the saying goes on social media: if you don’t post it, it doesn’t exist.
It was a pity to see all the hardwork being taken for granted because there was no public info or picture of the situation.
Back then, I suggested something simple but powerful:
a recurring “office vlog” format: This week in the office or This month at Fluent.
This format is widely used by large companies, not only to show what’s cooking in the kitchen, but also to:
- humanize the team,
- show real work in progress,
- and improve trust and alignment with users.
Seeing many team members now sharing Authlab Connect 2025 brought that idea back to my mind.
More and more users are asking for visibility:
what is being worked on, what the timelines look like, what’s coming next.
A monthly wrap-up or similar format could help enormously.
It creates perspective, lowers anxiety, and improves the overall communication climate.
Think about a restaurant or a train station:
waiting is frustrating when there’s silence.
But when you can see the kitchen working, or the operators actively solving an issue, the experience changes completely: even if the wait remains the same.
And finally, to be completely honest:
we’ve become extremely spoiled with the ninjas. Receiving updates every 15 days is not normal: it’s exceptional. We’ve simply internalized it as the standard.
Your fault mates! 🥷🤣
That said, since the focus has always been customer-oriented, I believe it’s worth bringing this idea back to the table.
I love how positively you frame your suggestions for improvement, but frankly I view this issue more like a dysfunctional relationship. I feel like even though I've spent thousands of dollars on WPMN software I'm still treated like a peasant. It's hit and miss whether or not there's even a response to legitimate complaints, not just for me but for everyone in the community. A lot of the communication would be unnecessary if there was better use of roadmaps, which is a better way and a better place to communicate the progress of bug fixes and feature requests. Communication from the ninjas should be more consistent. There is an opportunity to reduce support requests by regularly addressing issues in the community and helping each other out. This should be a positive place. My two cents for what it's worth. For now I'm just gonna try to be the change I wanna see in the world with my community and my plug-in business.
Jeff I’m a bit conflicted here.
On one hand, many user requests do get accepted and implemented over time: often without explicit mention or attribution. And that matters. Work is being done.
On the other hand, there’s a recurring pattern that’s hard to ignore: some requests simply disappear. No feedback. No rejection. No “not now.” Just silence. And months (or even years later), you find yourself asking for the exact same thing again… alongside many other users doing the same.
That’s where frustration builds.
About roadmaps: honestly, I’d even say that once the Boards add-on was released, roadmaps stopped being truly used: at least by users that have been around for a long time.
Not because people don’t care, but because they don’t work as a reliable signal. Expectations die fast when roadmaps don’t move or don’t communicate outcomes.
I know comparisons can be uncomfortable, but given how close this ecosystem is to the Ninjas, it’s worth saying it plainly: one thing tools like SureCart or OttoKit do exceptionally well is active roadmaps.
Users upvote → features ship → users get notified. That loop alone massively increases perceived progress and trust.
I've seen request being implemented in hours. Things like "Please add this to the checkout field". Or allow this on the API output.
It’s a simple practice, but incredibly powerful for customer satisfaction.
We all borrow ideas from companies we admire. I know I do. And adopting that kind of transparent feedback loop has helped us a lot in improving both processes and brand perception.
And what you’re saying, Jeff, is exactly the point: right now everything feels fragmented.
Some things live in the community (with inconsistent replies), others in half-alive roadmaps that (let’s be honest) most users don’t use anymore with real expectations. Especially when there are only two active roadmaps for Community and Boards.
There’s a big opportunity here.
Not just to communicate more, but to communicate better, in one place, with closure.
--
And to be fair, there are things SureCart and its ecosystem do well: and others they don’t. One thing I genuinely respect about the Ninjas is that they’re bold enough not to delete uncomfortable conversations. This community itself is proof of that: it’s full of diverse, sometimes critical opinions, and they’re allowed to exist. On the flip side, I’ve seen the SureCart ecosystem handle serious issues by not approving community posts at all, or even removing comments and threads without explanation. I’ve witnessed this happen in cases that were genuinely severe.
So no one is perfect. That said, there’s clearly enough consistent feedback across users to justify meaningful improvements here.
Jorge de los Reyes I hope what I said previously doesn't come across as too resentful because I love the ninjas, I love this community, and you are definitely my favorite member of the community. I have learned so much from you and truly grateful for the way you contribute here in this community! The ninjas and others would do well to pay close attention to the advice you give. I know I do!
Jeff Thanks a lot, Jeff: I genuinely appreciate that.
And honestly, I didn’t read your message as resentful at all. I read it as care. People only get frustrated with things they actually value. If you didn’t care about the Ninjas or this community, you wouldn’t even bother writing that.
The feeling you describe is shared by many, even if not everyone articulates it the same way. And the fact that we can have this kind of open, respectful conversation here is still a big positive.
I’m really glad if anything I share here is useful. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to build better tools, better businesses, and better communities, and that only happens when feedback is honest, even when it’s uncomfortable!
Jorge de los Reyes you just reminded me of another principal that I have to try to remember to do is before I offer criticism, list some of the good qualities and traits first, and then your criticisms tend to be received better. So for the record one of the things that I really admire and respect about the ninjas, is that I've seen no shortage of criticisms leveled towards the software and the developers, and I have kept my eye on some of these just to see if they might be deleted or disappear and they never do. It seems like, we do have the freedom to express our views even when they're negative, which in the world we live in should not be taken lightly, that we truly have freedom of speech in this community and I admire and respect the leaders of the community for that.
In contrast, I have noticed a lot of YouTube channels that have nothing but comments from "fanboys" because anything else gets promptly deleted. It has to be tempting to operate a community that way but it's certainly not honest
Jorge de los Reyes I agree with pretty much everything you said. I hope they appoint someone to Chief Client Happiness Officer and implement some easy solutions that will go A VERY LONG way to help keep a mostly happy customer base happy.
Jeff YESSSS to the freedom of speech!