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I think it looks like a marvelous idea, but the question is, how do you intend to afford to run this with all this promises of zero advertising, never selling o
by jonathanstrange 10y ago
I think it looks like a marvelous idea, but the question is, how do you intend to afford to run this with all this promises of zero advertising, never selling out to investors, and remaining nonprofit forever?
Please don't misunderstand me, Wikipedia is also nonprofit and seems to work quite well, and it's a noble goal. I just happen to also remember my "eternal, irrevocable and always free" name@usa.com email address. They went bankrupt pretty rapidly. (I'm pretty sure that was the domain then, now it seems to be owned by some guide to US states and cities.)
- nine_k 10y agoI don't see why being a non-profit means being also a no-revenue. Add a paid layer, with premium features. Make premium features a gift option to other accounts, so that it could be a token of appreciation. Add a paid layer with the only paid feature being a "proud supporter" badge. Surprisingly many people take pride in that when it costs them a $5. Add a donation button, run donation campaigns. It works for Wikipedia :) There's no need to avoid being paid.
- highway_to_hell 10y agoThanks for your comments! We simply charge £2.99 per year. We won't block any features from unpaid users unless we're running at a loss.
- nine_k 10y agoI would try adding a "peace of mind" option: a 10-year subscription for e.g. £25. Another idea would be to somehow help me keep the important people on the service by paying for me and for them in one go, but I can't readily come up with something that sounds enticing.
- dullroar 10y agoYeah, I was thinking that, too. At the current price point I would gladly pay for about 10 people to get those important to me over to the service without having to count on them paying for it. That seems like one way to help build up the "network effect" yet get past the cheapskates among friends and family. :)
- fusion_cow 10y agoThat's an absolutely brilliant idea and we wish we could hire you right now to come up with more of them! >.< (Team member here)
- nine_k 10y agoSorry, good ideas are rare, and past achievements are not a guarantee of future performance :) If you actually used the idea, I'd be thoroughly flattered.
- finid 10y agoIf you're look to hire an ideas person, may I apply?
- lyra_comms 10y agoHello! We're not hiring anyone for the near future, but please drop your CV to contact@hellolyra.com and we will hold on to it.
- highway_to_hell 10y agoThanks! Mr Norrell here from the Lyra team. A subscription to Lyra costs £2.99 (about $3.70) per year. That's cheaper than a shit coffee. (Member of the team here)
- al_chemist 10y ago"Our product - cheaper than a shit coffee" That's a hell of a marketing slogan.
- fusion_cow 10y agoI'm not sure whether you're being ironic, but I'd prefer something a little more positive in terms of a slogan ;)
- webnrrd2k 10y agoOur product - worth more than a good cup of coffee, and costs less!
- lyra_comms 10y agoNow that is much better :)
- josepi_ 10y agoI'm curious what you think is so marvelous about it. What sets this apart from, say, Reddit or HN? The idea seems to be displaying "conversations" as a tree. You don't need a new platform to do that.
- fusion_cow 10y agoHello! Hope you don't mind if I refer you to this page: https://www.hellolyra.com/about?page=how-lyra-works https://www.hellolyra.com/about?page=how-lyra-works And this one: https://www.hellolyra.com/about?page=how-lyra-compares https://www.hellolyra.com/about?page=how-lyra-compares The points which are most blindingly marvellous are a) control over your audiences and your news feed and b) a respect for language and words, which comes across in lots of different places in the interface.
- kej 10y agoTypo on the how-lyra-works page, first paragraph in profiles section, dlick -> click Seems like a neat project, though.
- UhUhUhUh 10y agoI remember coming across a site a few years ago, whose owner would kick out anyone who posted without proper grammar or spelling. To preserve the word I think there also needs to be some form of enforcement.
- lyra_comms 10y agoThe tools you use affect the way you think. You can do a lot with positive reinforcement as opposed to enforcement!
- brokenmachine 10y agoWhat positive reinforcement does Lyra offer?