10 ms·

From Basecamp to Blimp in three clicks

25 points by jpadilla_ 14y ago

elbuo8 14y ago
Got to love Blimp.
thoughtcriminal 14y ago
I'll check it out, but then again, I'm a bit of a floozy when it comes to productivity software.
bryanlarsen 14y ago
Got anything for those of us who use GitHub Issues for project planning? For us, the benefits of a single tool for everything outweigh the benefits of using anything else...
- flexterra 14y ago
  (Co-founder here) on older projects use github issues to track bugs, so we are definitely looking for a good way to integrate without losing simplicity. BTW: we have an API so maybe someone can try to integrate github before we do. http://blog.getblimp.com/2013/01/announcing-blimps-project-management-api/ http://blog.getblimp.com/2013/01/announcing-blimps-project-m...
byamit 14y ago
It's an aside, but can product blogs please include links to their actual product? It's minor annoyance but still frustrating.
- PawelDecowski 14y ago
  It’s my pet peeve. It seems there actually is a link to the product but it’s mislabeled as “About”.
martingordon 14y ago
I was glad to see that there is some mention of pricing on the page, but it's not until the bottom and it's extremely vague ("we have plans for companies of all sizes starting at $12/month"). The product looks pretty cool, but not having a detailed pricing/features page might be a showstopper for a company that is genuinely interested.
- flexterra 14y ago
  We know and we are fixing it. In a few days we are launching a website re-design that includes the pricing information. For now here's a link to the pricing info we currently have on the site after you sign in. Plans and pricing: http://bit.ly/VLzg3v http://bit.ly/VLzg3v
  - jkonowitch 14y ago
    This is minor, but I don't think the umbrella icon makes sense for the "Small" plan given the constellation of craft that you use to illustrate the growing size of the larger plans. Perhaps a bicycle or a small compact car icon would do better?
    - jordo37 14y ago
      I actually liked it - suggesting each one gives you a bit of lift, not speed. Unless you are Mary Poppins umbrellas won't get you very far.
    - eddieroger 14y ago
      Agreed. It doesn't fit in with the metaphor of the flying apparatuses (unless you are expecting Mary Poppins to sign up). I think a paper airplane would be a better placeholder, but that's the two cents of a non-designer.
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
      - robertrichard 14y ago
ericcholis 14y ago
UX annoyance that I've seen persist with many products' blogs. Clicking on the Blimp icon should take me to the product, not back to the blog. Clicking "About" takes me to the product, but the link text isn't very indicative of this.
- flexterra 14y ago
  We are trying to come up with a new name for the "About" link. Any recommendations?
  - scottmagdalein 14y ago
    Is that really a group decision?
    - ryanglasgow 14y ago
      No need to be snarky. The team is based on Puerto Rico where Spanish is the primary language -- let's give them a break.
      - danneu 14y ago
        That shouldn't even be relevant. People shouldn't be punished for asking for feedback no matter how trivial, especially if it's in the pursuit of clarity to the end user, especially on HN.
  - hisyam 14y ago
    Use "Blog" for blog. Use "Blimp" for your main website. It's not that hard.
justjimmy 14y ago
For some reason, I read the url as getLIMP…uh…interesting name. Look forward to the pricing plans - it'll affect if I will try it or even switch over from Basecamp.
- flexterra 14y ago
  Plans and pricing here: http://bit.ly/VLzg3v http://bit.ly/VLzg3v
  - justjimmy 14y ago
    Thanks. The ratio going from Small > Medium seems strange. Twice the space, but more than twice the cost. Yet, Medium > Large follows the more conventional pricing method, where you pay twice the amount but get more than twice the benefits. Intended?
OliverD 14y ago
I just created my first project on blimp and I really like it. It seems to be very easy to use and has almost every feature I need. You could add a messaging feature for the users that are involved in the project. Just one feed with the face the time and the message for discussing new ideas. I will definitely recommend it. Good luck with it.
- lux 14y ago
  I'd like to second this suggestion. The app seems very intuitive and pain-free to use, but in past projects I've found teams often rely heavily on Basecamp's messages for keeping track of ideas and debating/hashing out features, and it's important to be able to track those discussions with the rest of the project data.
MarlonPro 14y ago
So why "use" basecamp to market your product? I'm hoping for a legit product story.

25 points by jpadilla_ 14y ago

elbuo8 14y ago

Got to love Blimp.

thoughtcriminal 14y ago

I'll check it out, but then again, I'm a bit of a floozy when it comes to productivity software.

bryanlarsen 14y ago

Got anything for those of us who use GitHub Issues for project planning? For us, the benefits of a single tool for everything outweigh the benefits of using anything else...

flexterra 14y ago
(Co-founder here) on older projects use github issues to track bugs, so we are definitely looking for a good way to integrate without losing simplicity. BTW: we have an API so maybe someone can try to integrate github before we do. http://blog.getblimp.com/2013/01/announcing-blimps-project-management-api/ http://blog.getblimp.com/2013/01/announcing-blimps-project-m...

byamit 14y ago

It's an aside, but can product blogs please include links to their actual product? It's minor annoyance but still frustrating.

PawelDecowski 14y ago
It’s my pet peeve. It seems there actually is a link to the product but it’s mislabeled as “About”.

martingordon 14y ago

I was glad to see that there is some mention of pricing on the page, but it's not until the bottom and it's extremely vague ("we have plans for companies of all sizes starting at $12/month"). The product looks pretty cool, but not having a detailed pricing/features page might be a showstopper for a company that is genuinely interested.

flexterra 14y ago
We know and we are fixing it. In a few days we are launching a website re-design that includes the pricing information. For now here's a link to the pricing info we currently have on the site after you sign in. Plans and pricing: http://bit.ly/VLzg3v http://bit.ly/VLzg3v
- jkonowitch 14y ago
  This is minor, but I don't think the umbrella icon makes sense for the "Small" plan given the constellation of craft that you use to illustrate the growing size of the larger plans. Perhaps a bicycle or a small compact car icon would do better?
  - jordo37 14y ago
    I actually liked it - suggesting each one gives you a bit of lift, not speed. Unless you are Mary Poppins umbrellas won't get you very far.
  - eddieroger 14y ago
    Agreed. It doesn't fit in with the metaphor of the flying apparatuses (unless you are expecting Mary Poppins to sign up). I think a paper airplane would be a better placeholder, but that's the two cents of a non-designer.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - robertrichard 14y ago

ericcholis 14y ago

UX annoyance that I've seen persist with many products' blogs. Clicking on the Blimp icon should take me to the product, not back to the blog. Clicking "About" takes me to the product, but the link text isn't very indicative of this.

flexterra 14y ago
We are trying to come up with a new name for the "About" link. Any recommendations?
- scottmagdalein 14y ago
  Is that really a group decision?
  - ryanglasgow 14y ago
    No need to be snarky. The team is based on Puerto Rico where Spanish is the primary language -- let's give them a break.
    - danneu 14y ago
      That shouldn't even be relevant. People shouldn't be punished for asking for feedback no matter how trivial, especially if it's in the pursuit of clarity to the end user, especially on HN.
- hisyam 14y ago
  Use "Blog" for blog. Use "Blimp" for your main website. It's not that hard.

justjimmy 14y ago

For some reason, I read the url as getLIMP…uh…interesting name. Look forward to the pricing plans - it'll affect if I will try it or even switch over from Basecamp.

flexterra 14y ago
Plans and pricing here: http://bit.ly/VLzg3v http://bit.ly/VLzg3v
- justjimmy 14y ago
  Thanks. The ratio going from Small > Medium seems strange. Twice the space, but more than twice the cost. Yet, Medium > Large follows the more conventional pricing method, where you pay twice the amount but get more than twice the benefits. Intended?

OliverD 14y ago

I just created my first project on blimp and I really like it. It seems to be very easy to use and has almost every feature I need. You could add a messaging feature for the users that are involved in the project. Just one feed with the face the time and the message for discussing new ideas. I will definitely recommend it. Good luck with it.

lux 14y ago
I'd like to second this suggestion. The app seems very intuitive and pain-free to use, but in past projects I've found teams often rely heavily on Basecamp's messages for keeping track of ideas and debating/hashing out features, and it's important to be able to track those discussions with the rest of the project data.

MarlonPro 14y ago

So why "use" basecamp to market your product? I'm hoping for a legit product story.