3 ms·

That certainly was an option, to wait. But since it is just the two of us, and I'm the only one who can work on backend code, Joelle has some open time. She is

That certainly was an option, to wait. But since it is just the two of us, and I'm the only one who can work on backend code, Joelle has some open time. She is doing much of the early work on the book while I push product (currently focusing more on Minimalytics to get the first beta open). As for waiting to see if the signups convert to users...I think that has more to do with the traffic sources versus the techniques being taught in the book. I wouldn't want to wait months when the inspiration has already struck and is fresh :-)

codex 13y ago
Why do you consider collecting 1,100 email addresses to be particularly noteworthy? I see inane YouTube videos of the worst possible quality getting orders of magnitude more views. And how many of these email addresses are bots?
- goldvine 13y ago
  Based on the emails and avatars tied to them, very few (if any) are bots. We've of course had a random a@a.com and a this.site.is@gay.com but beyond that most are legitimate. And re: YouTube...I watch plenty of YouTube videos by people I would never give my email address to. I also give my email to alot of people I would never buy from. It's a numbers game. And 1,100 email addresses is a huge number for us, and for many people who have fewer than that on their list. We spent years wondering how to build a list of engaged folks, so when we hit on something that resonated...we knew it was a big deal :-)
- aculver 13y ago
  Unlike a viewer on YouTube, when someone hands over their email address, you have the ability to follow-up with them, to continue building the relationship and (when the time is right) ask for the sale. It's also a lot of validation that the core concept he communicated is worth pursuing. If he put up a landing page, promoted it, and got no email addresses, that would be a signal in the other direction. 1,100 email addresses from people to volunteered them in response to your idea is nothing to shake a stick at, especially in such a short period of time.

codex 13y ago

Why do you consider collecting 1,100 email addresses to be particularly noteworthy? I see inane YouTube videos of the worst possible quality getting orders of magnitude more views. And how many of these email addresses are bots?

goldvine 13y ago
Based on the emails and avatars tied to them, very few (if any) are bots. We've of course had a random a@a.com and a this.site.is@gay.com but beyond that most are legitimate. And re: YouTube...I watch plenty of YouTube videos by people I would never give my email address to. I also give my email to alot of people I would never buy from. It's a numbers game. And 1,100 email addresses is a huge number for us, and for many people who have fewer than that on their list. We spent years wondering how to build a list of engaged folks, so when we hit on something that resonated...we knew it was a big deal :-)
aculver 13y ago
Unlike a viewer on YouTube, when someone hands over their email address, you have the ability to follow-up with them, to continue building the relationship and (when the time is right) ask for the sale. It's also a lot of validation that the core concept he communicated is worth pursuing. If he put up a landing page, promoted it, and got no email addresses, that would be a signal in the other direction. 1,100 email addresses from people to volunteered them in response to your idea is nothing to shake a stick at, especially in such a short period of time.