Why Whybasecampsux.org Sucks

My company uses Basecamp, the project management app from 37signals. There are things about it we don’t like, and there are things we’d like to add to it. In fact, we’re evaluating alternatives to Basecamp at the moment. I wouldn’t say Basecamp sucks, but it certainly isn’t for everyone.

Someone out there has gone to a lot of trouble to say that Basecamp does suck. I’ll use the male pronoun because odds are it is a man, but it could be a martian for all I know. The anonymous guy behind Whybasecampsux.org raises some good (if debatable) points about 37signals and Basecamp.

Yes, Jason Fried has an inflexible philosophy of software development. Yes, 37signals is very careful about adding even oft-requested features. Yes, they’ve made some missteps in communicating with customers.

Here’s one thing 37signals has always done: Every time they communicate with customers and the public at large, they put their individual names on their messages. They engage with people. They make mistakes, but they don’t hide behind a faux corporate veneer.

What’s the early 21st Century equivalent of the faux corporate veneer? The nameless sharpshooter. The guy, like Mr. Whybasecampsux.org, who engages his opponent at stand-off range. Fried and company may know who is behind Whybasecampsux.org, but if they do they haven’t outed him. But if they don’t know who he is, it must be more than a bit annoying to be taking shots from someone who is completely covered and concealed.

Why should I trust Mr. Whybasecampsux.org? He hasn’t told me who he is. Does he work for a competitor? Is he a disgruntled former friend of 37signals? How does he stand to benefit when 37signals customers visit his site?

Wait, I know the answer to that last question. He stands to benefit because he’s advertising on his site. That’s right! You can advertise for $100/mo. (cheaper if you order several months at a time), and several Basecamp competitors have taken him up on his offer. He tells us “at first this was just a bitch page,” but now “I think it’s fair for me to monetize this site a bit.” Monetize is a weasel word for make money.

I don’t have a problem with Mr. Whybasecampsux.org making money. Hey, I try to make money too. But I don’t do it under a .org domain. If Whybasecampsux.org were being run by a company, the first thing I would want to do is try to determine who the people are behind the facade. Who is running the show? Can I trust them? What’s their agenda? What’s their background? Would I do business with a company that cloaks itself in secrecy and makes money by sharpshooting someone else’s product?

According to a blog post comment, the reason for Mr. Whybasecampsux.org’s anonymity is simple:

More importantly I’m relatively well-known in certain web designer/developer circles and that’s why the site is anonymous. I badly wanted to legitimately vent my disgust but didn’t want to create enemies among all the 37 Signals and Rails fan-boys.

In other words, “I wanted to take potshots at people without having to face them.”

Sure, the Internet gives us the ability to say whatever we want anonymously, which can be a very good thing. But when you’re making money by attacking someone else’s livelihood from cover of darkness, you don’t exactly come off looking like a knight in shining armor.

P.S. – Yes, I know this post boost the visibility of Whybasecampsux.org.