TLDR; Bookmark is now in open beta, and I (finally) built a proper landing page! 🎉

For those of you who are new, welcome! This biweekly newsletter covers the latest updates on my journey building Bookmark, including new features, a preview of what’s coming next, and more. You can check out the new landing page I published earlier this week for an overview of the product.

Before I dive into this week’s updates, I’d like to share more about what inspired me to build Bookmark.

Over the last seventeen months, I’ve been a Product Marketing Manager (PMM) at Bubble, the leading platform in no-code app development. In this role, I’ve had the opportunity to spearhead major launches including a version control feature, new usage-based pricing plans, and Bubble’s first official enterprise offering.

In my day-to-day work on cross-functional projects, I engage with cloud-based files and tools scattered across dozens of SaaS applications used by different teams at Bubble. After digging through a Slack channel for the hundredth time in search of a Figma file, it dawned on me that it’s harder than it should be to find what I need, when I need it.

This challenge is not unique to my role and not unique to Bubble. The average number of SaaS apps used by organizations worldwide has increased from 8 to 130 from 2015 to 2022. With all these cloud-based files floating around, what’s missing is a home for all the links that matter.

Those of you who know me well know that I’m passionate about problem-solving, ideating, and creating. Since existing solutions weren’t cutting it for me, I set out to build the next evolution of bookmarks. 🙌

What’s New ✨

I’m thrilled to share that Bookmark is now in open beta! Anyone can create an account and download the Chrome extension to start bookmarking.

The transition from a closed beta to an open one was an exercise of balancing speed and quality and being disciplined about my priorities. Learning from experience, I’ve decided not to let perfect be the enemy of good in the hopes of getting feedback early and often. All this to say, if something looks funky, please submit a bug report. 🐛

• Chrome extension UI refresh: This little glow-up aimed to make the UI more intuitive for new users and implement consistent branding across all product surfaces.

  • Auto-fill link name: When you click on the extension, the Custom name field is automatically populated with the tab’s default title to give you a kickstart. Paired with the Quick save button, you can get links into Bookmark faster (and assign them to projects later in your Unassigned links inbox).

• Sublinks nested under parent links: If I had to pick a favorite feature in the Bookmark web app, it would be sublinks. Sublinks give you the flexibility to add more dimension to your Bookmark projects by defining relationships between links. For example, a single deliverable might have multiple inputs you want to nest under it. Or you may want to nest past versions of a file under the final version. The use cases are endless, and I’m excited to see how you structure your projects!

• Add projects and links directly from the web app: If you’re copying URLs from emails or Slack messages, you can skip the Chrome extension and head straight to the Bookmark web app to create a new project and paste in the link directly. A current limitation is that you can only add URLs with certain domains. If something’s missing that you need, please let me know. I’ll try to prioritize a more scalable solution soon.

• New link fields: Previously, you could see the date and time a link was added and who it was added by. Now you’ll see three new fields: Status, Owner, and Contributors. I’m on a mission to discover what’s most useful and would love your feedback!

• Google signup/login integration: New users can now sign up and log in to Bookmark with Google authentication. Is it just me, or does this integration make the signup page look way more legit? 👀

• Newsletter automated welcome email: The Bookmark newsletter has grown to 80+ subscribers, so I set up an automated welcome email for newcomers!

  • Fun fact: The first newsletter email on February 2 had an open rate of 93%. It turns out the secret sauce is to add your friends. 😉

What’s Cooking 🍳

One delightful surprise during the closed beta was to see people using the product in ways I didn’t originally intend. Now that Bookmark is in open beta, I’m knee-deep in the nebulous process of “finding product-market fit.”

• User research: Though my hope is for Bookmark to be a versatile tool that everyone can use, I want to create focus in the early stages. Trying to build something for everyone can result in building something that doesn’t serve anyone particularly well. My hypothesis right now is that Product Marketing Managers and Product Managers would make for great early adopters. In upcoming user interviews, I’m excited to get to know their needs, challenges, pain points, and existing workflows.

  • Side note: I’ve been listening to a podcast called Marketing Against The Grain to make running on the treadmill more bearable, and this episode I listened to last night touches on the importance of building for a specific persona.

• Security enhancements: Bookmark’s database is hosted on Bubble, a platform that upholds industry-recognized security standards and protects user data with password hashing, encryption, and more. (Plus, Bubble’s servers are hosted on AWS — the gold standard in cloud security.) My top priority is to take full advantage of Bubble’s out-of-the-box security features, starting with stricter privacy rules. If you have any security concerns, please reach out. I’m always happy to discuss the details!

• More powerful search functionality: To make it easier to retrieve files, I’m thinking about building a global search bar that will allow you to search for links across all your projects. Did someone say AI-powered search? 🤖

• Slack integration: I laid the groundwork for this feature, but I’m pausing development until I get more user feedback. Stay tuned!

User feedback is at the heart of everything I do, so please keep the ideas and requests coming. Feedback is a gift, and I always love hearing from you! 🎁

This Week’s Ask 🙏

Do you see any use cases for Bookmark at your workplace? Do you know any PMMs or PMs who might enjoy chatting with me? Warm intros are incredibly helpful as I work towards conducting ten more interviews by the end of this month. Please shoot me a text or reply to this email if you have anyone in mind!

That’s it for now. In case you missed it, you can catch up on the February 2 update here. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

Nicole

Made with ❤️ from NYC. Shout-out to Brian Y., Lorae S., and Will C. for reviewing my drafts!