5 ms·

Show HN: OS Pre-Launch Page with Heroku and Campaign Monitor

5 points by maxdemarzi 16y ago

While procrastinating doing the ironing today I whipped up a Sinatra/Heroku/Campaing Monitor application for a Pre-Launch Page. If you're following MVP/Lean Startup principles or preparing for launch, you should start gathering interest for your application. In 5 minutes or less your new idea can start collecting e-mails (assuming you promote it). Easy to follow directions are included. http://vouched.heroku.com <-- Example (actually this is mine. Vouched: Recruitment with Social Proof). On github: https://github.com/maxdemarzi/Camel

craigkerstiens 16y ago
Nice example, very quick and simple and well worth people setting up while they're still prelaunch. I'd also recommend starting to add in your meta tags and ensure you're submitted to search engines, meanwhile tracking with some more generic web analytics tool such as google analytics. Campaign monitor is great, but even on your landing page it can be worth while to measure conversion.
iworkforthem 16y ago
easy to click: http://vouched.heroku.com http://vouched.heroku.com
bmelton 16y ago
It's an attractive page, but I'd venture to say it's either not very usable, or there's a formatting issue on Chrome 9 with Vista. On the page I see, there's the header, and a rocket that takes up the entire page. The signup form itself is actually below the fold, and has no margin below it, so it appears to be absolutely positioned with bottom: 0; This makes it easy to overlook which, arguably, is the number 1 point of the site -- to harvest emails. If you put the signup form, perhaps with a translucent background (and of course rounded corners) sitting about halfway down the rocket, I think it would look even more appealing than it does now, and be TONS more usable. Here's the screen as I see it on my computer: http://twitpic.com/46zq4o http://twitpic.com/46zq4o
- maxdemarzi 16y ago
  The dangers of big monitors. I made the rocket smaller.
  - bmelton 16y ago
    Much better, thanks. I should probably have mentioned that I was using my laptop, and hence, the widescreen monitor. If it were me, I'd still move the contact info higher up on the page. Perhaps if that were floated left (or right) and sat next to the rocket, or even if it hovered over it; Really though, I'm just picking nits.

5 points by maxdemarzi 16y ago

craigkerstiens 16y ago

Nice example, very quick and simple and well worth people setting up while they're still prelaunch. I'd also recommend starting to add in your meta tags and ensure you're submitted to search engines, meanwhile tracking with some more generic web analytics tool such as google analytics. Campaign monitor is great, but even on your landing page it can be worth while to measure conversion.

iworkforthem 16y ago

easy to click: http://vouched.heroku.com http://vouched.heroku.com

bmelton 16y ago

It's an attractive page, but I'd venture to say it's either not very usable, or there's a formatting issue on Chrome 9 with Vista. On the page I see, there's the header, and a rocket that takes up the entire page. The signup form itself is actually below the fold, and has no margin below it, so it appears to be absolutely positioned with bottom: 0; This makes it easy to overlook which, arguably, is the number 1 point of the site -- to harvest emails. If you put the signup form, perhaps with a translucent background (and of course rounded corners) sitting about halfway down the rocket, I think it would look even more appealing than it does now, and be TONS more usable. Here's the screen as I see it on my computer: http://twitpic.com/46zq4o http://twitpic.com/46zq4o

maxdemarzi 16y ago
The dangers of big monitors. I made the rocket smaller.
- bmelton 16y ago
  Much better, thanks. I should probably have mentioned that I was using my laptop, and hence, the widescreen monitor. If it were me, I'd still move the contact info higher up on the page. Perhaps if that were floated left (or right) and sat next to the rocket, or even if it hovered over it; Really though, I'm just picking nits.