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As an end-user - make it cheap and as frictionless as possible (and to providers, my take would to be sacrifice pretty much anything on this altar). I'm not a

by goldcd 8y ago

As an end-user - make it cheap and as frictionless as possible (and to providers, my take would to be sacrifice pretty much anything on this altar). I'm not a provider, so can only provide anecdotal advise. 1) Google Drive. I started out (along with I suspect most people on Drop Box). DB blew my mind - it was novel. Then google rocked up and did the same thing. Then I got more capacity for stuff like "doing a security checkup", "integrated with gmail" then "free uncompressed 4k off your new Pixel phone" - and now I pay them cold, hard, money each month. Drop Box just sat there doing little in the meantime apart from asking me for money. Think it all boiled down to me considering them all the same, but google kept me engaged, gave me more every so often - so when I needed it, they were what I was using day to day. 2) Plex. Liked the free version and started using it. More importantly started finding free version kept on creeping into my stack-solutions I was building. "Free really good, but would really find that 'premium version' useful" Then bit the bullet on a "discounted unlimited version for life". Know for a fact there are 4/5 people out there that did the same based on my recommendation/server, and presume it's organically growing on from there. 3) Feedly. Switched to it as a replacement for Google/RSS Reader. I love it to bits and use it daily. Never given them a cent. There is a premium version for $5 a month, which has features I don't need. Seemingly no way to give them beer-tokens, a dollar a month. THE most frustrating use-case. All I can do is recommend them to others, and hope one of them pays (and T&C change doesn't leave me moving on and regretting my recommendation. 4) Spotify. I just paid from the start. Never even tried the free version. I'm 'happy paying'. Maybe similar to Netflix. I'll hand over an extra few dollars for a family plan or a 4k one - but I'm in. Please don't screw me, as the pain of moving isn't something I'm planning for my next month. 5) Patreon. I'm pretty sure I dislike everything about them - but they do provide a very easy/universal way to send a single dollar a month to somebody I admire. I pretty much loathe the politics associated (I'm a defend free-speech even though I detest it) sort of a person. BUT no better option yet (wanky youtube $5 a month for an icon in chat, is not what I'm looking for).

chdaniel 8y ago
Two of your examples are tightly correlated to some other articles of mine. The Google Drive example — I said this: "If you’re in a monopolistic environment and you’re successful, others will come. You can start building the experience right now in order to widen the gap between the next newcomer and you." https://chagency.co.uk/blog/experiences/what-makes-or-breaks-the-long-term-status-of-a-company/ https://chagency.co.uk/blog/experiences/what-makes-or-breaks... Dropbox was in a monopolistic environment, you called it as well saying it was novel. In the meantime, GD came and ate them. Instead of "staying there doing nothing and asking for money", they had time to widen the gap between them and others. Where are they nowadays? They're doing good but they had to remarket themselves towards artists and creatives. I'm not sure where they would have been today had it not been for Apple, Amazon and Google coming up but that's the situation. > 5) Patreon. I'm pretty sure I dislike everything about them - but they do provide a very easy/universal way to send a single dollar a month to somebody I admire. I pretty much loathe the politics associated (I'm a defend free-speech even though I detest it) sort of a person. BUT no better option yet (wanky youtube $5 a month for an icon in chat, is not what I'm looking for). I've only briefly read about the controversies with them and I know Jordan Peterson is looking to create his own Patreon-like platform. Which leads to my (so far two-part) posts around "Don't hold your user hostages" https://chagency.co.uk/blog/increasing-user-retention/dont-take-your-customers-hostages-facilitate-their-exit/ https://chagency.co.uk/blog/increasing-user-retention/dont-t... In this case, Patreon holds their users hostages — just like you said, you dislike everything about them but it's the only far ———— so far. As a consequence of the controversy (i.e. we, Patreon, do this), at least one more platform will come out. And the guy has some following. Thx for the comment!

by goldcd 8y ago

chdaniel 8y ago

Two of your examples are tightly correlated to some other articles of mine. The Google Drive example — I said this: "If you’re in a monopolistic environment and you’re successful, others will come. You can start building the experience right now in order to widen the gap between the next newcomer and you." https://chagency.co.uk/blog/experiences/what-makes-or-breaks-the-long-term-status-of-a-company/ https://chagency.co.uk/blog/experiences/what-makes-or-breaks... Dropbox was in a monopolistic environment, you called it as well saying it was novel. In the meantime, GD came and ate them. Instead of "staying there doing nothing and asking for money", they had time to widen the gap between them and others. Where are they nowadays? They're doing good but they had to remarket themselves towards artists and creatives. I'm not sure where they would have been today had it not been for Apple, Amazon and Google coming up but that's the situation. > 5) Patreon. I'm pretty sure I dislike everything about them - but they do provide a very easy/universal way to send a single dollar a month to somebody I admire. I pretty much loathe the politics associated (I'm a defend free-speech even though I detest it) sort of a person. BUT no better option yet (wanky youtube $5 a month for an icon in chat, is not what I'm looking for). I've only briefly read about the controversies with them and I know Jordan Peterson is looking to create his own Patreon-like platform. Which leads to my (so far two-part) posts around "Don't hold your user hostages" https://chagency.co.uk/blog/increasing-user-retention/dont-take-your-customers-hostages-facilitate-their-exit/ https://chagency.co.uk/blog/increasing-user-retention/dont-t... In this case, Patreon holds their users hostages — just like you said, you dislike everything about them but it's the only far ———— so far. As a consequence of the controversy (i.e. we, Patreon, do this), at least one more platform will come out. And the guy has some following. Thx for the comment!