https://valentinewatkins.com Essays and notes by Valentine Watkins about product language, content design, technology, reading and assorted curiosities. https://valentinewatkins.com/favicon-128x128.png https://valentinewatkins.com 128 128 https://valentinewatkins.com/software-is-now-user-generated-content/ https://valentinewatkins.com/software-is-now-user-generated-content/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Let’s all watch the big bang of a new content category together, and wonder about its consequences. https://valentinewatkins.com/distinction-without-a-difference/ https://valentinewatkins.com/distinction-without-a-difference/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT When different product choices look or sound the same, better words might not be enough. https://valentinewatkins.com/instagram-commenters-are-content-designers-now/ https://valentinewatkins.com/instagram-commenters-are-content-designers-now/ Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT IG commenters are repurposing the Like button and I am extremely here for it https://valentinewatkins.com/content-to-capital-pipeline/ https://valentinewatkins.com/content-to-capital-pipeline/ Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT How online writers turn audiences into investment capital—and why media and VC have more in common than either side admits. https://valentinewatkins.com/when-payments-become-content/ https://valentinewatkins.com/when-payments-become-content/ Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT How Venmo, Patreon, Kickstarter and other payments companies use social features and storytelling to become something more. https://valentinewatkins.com/stripe-is-a-content-company/ https://valentinewatkins.com/stripe-is-a-content-company/ Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT Stripe shows that company docs can be a marketable product—and that a tech company can use publishing as a genuine competitive advantage.