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Comment by cpcarey | Hacker News Reader

Thanks for the feedback, you're absolutely right and I'll make it more clear on the landing page. There might be some new functionality in the future that would make up a paid service, but all of the current functionality is meant to be free.

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I agree with the commenter above me. I stopped at the sign up form because I couldn't tell if it was a paid or free service and had assumed I would start getting emails to upgrade as soon as I signed up. The "get started" copy used is a signal to me that I may be able to get started when I sign up but to "finish" I will have to pay. I think you'll get more sign ups if you're more explicit with your language that it is, in fact, free.

I agree, I'll revise the language. Any suggestions for an alternative to "Get Started"? Thanks for the help!

"Get Started - it's 100% free!" ??

"Free forever or pay for extra features"

It's always annoying when you signup for free stuff and then a year later they remove free completely, basically a bait and switch.

I hate that too. I wouldn't remove the free and put the current functionality behind a paywall, but I'd still want to leave open the possibility of new functionality as paid add-ons if I go that route (like premium themes as previously suggested). What kind of language might be able to support that without being deceitful or vague?

Just add a section under "Is Creddle Right for me?" with "Short and long-term goals for this project." Then write a paragraph or two on why you're doing it, who you are, where you're going, etc. If you're hoping to make it your startup, that's cool. If you're hoping to advertise your design skills, that's cool too.

I'd also put that information on your "about" page. (Only on the about page, if you want to keep it off the front page.)

That's a really great suggestion. I'll be able to clear up as much vagueness as I can regarding the future of the project.

In my eyes MS did it with their Live domains, while Google Apps is still going well.

One thing you might consider in the future if you're interested in monetizing is going the Wordpress route and offering the option of premium themes/templates. Have some solid core designs, but also offer some additional options as well.

It's certainly something that occurred to me looking through the options.

Yeah! I do have some ideas for more themes and customization options that could fit under a premium one-time purchase model.

You could probably set up a reseller account with someone, and offer to host people's resumes on custom domains for $x/month.

I never thought of this. I'll look into it, I think it's a pretty good idea!

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