HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

parkern

173 karma · joined May 15, 2009

submissionscomments
parkern··on Tell HN: I want to teach you web development. In 8 weeks. For free (sort of)
I'm not in the Bay Area, but would be interested if this if it were online based!
parkern··on Show HN: My startup: code4cheap.com, a code marketplace
Cool idea! Sometimes I wish Stackoverflow had a similar functionality, where rather than getting help, I could literally offer a cash bounty for the solution. I realize the focus of SO is for education, but would be a nice option, particularly since it already has a very active community.

Hopefully this site will too!

parkern··on Ask HN: I'm giving away my startup taketake.com for free - who wants it?
Is it possible to get a user login to see what functionality has already been established?
parkern··on inDinero (YC S10) launches Mint.com for Businesses
This looks so awesome, but I'm just so paranoid about entering in my bank account/Paypal info. Anyone else feel similar?
parkern··on Ask HN: Geo Tracking in offline products?
A football is a bad example. Say you wanted to track a toy. And allow for check in's or have your movements tracked?
parkern··on Ask HN: Let's Revive PG's /ideas.html discussion
I will start it off...

2) I personally admire email campaign sites like campaignmonitor.com and mailchimp.com. They have created great businesses centered around a very simple product. It also has a wide enough audience and viral loop.

parkern··on Ask HN: Cheaper alternative to Yodlee api?
Thanks!
parkern··on Ask HN: Lets talk about Etsy
Hey Josh,

I have kinda asked this to the group, but thought I would direct it at you. Do you think other sub-markets of eBay could flourish as a separate entity? Or was Etsy just able to find a really good balance of a good market with a good audience?

parkern··on Ask HN: Lets talk about Etsy
I think these guys have also done a great job in showing how to chip away at eBay. Do you see any potential markets/customers/products that could also benefit from a dedicated site?
parkern··on Ask HN: Lets talk about Etsy
How does Etsy determine what people can sell and can't sell on the site? I know its all hand made, but how do they draw the line?
parkern··on Ask HN: Lets talk about Etsy
Do you think when they made those initials pitches investors had a hard time seeing the market potential for hand made items?
parkern··on Ask HN: Review my startup: Weddingjojo.com
Just to touch base on why we went with the monthly fee. A majority of other wedding sites offer both a flat fee and monthly. The monthly is nice because that way people don't feel committed. You also have to keep in mind that average engagement lasts 8 months and some brides might choose to keep their sites up after the wedding.

There are tons of other monetization ways - but right now we are trying to focus on the main revenue model.

Another question I wanted to bring up: What are options for ways to construct a SaaS business model?

1) 37 signals approach - which is a very limited hidden free plan and then numerous other paid options.

2) Squarespace approach - 15 day free trial, with no credit card required. If you don't upgrade then your account is canceled

3) Carbonmade approach - funnel everyone into the site via a free plan and then once registered try to get them to upgrade

4) And then another pretty common one is - credit card down on sign up with a 15 day free trial, which rolls into a paid plan if you don't cancel.

Can you guys think of other options?

parkern··on YC: Help, I quit my job, now I cannot get Apple to pay me out for iPhone Apps
I've found the small team in charge of the app store/itunes connect customer support to be very helpful. You mention that you emailed them. What did they say when you called?
parkern··on App Store Heresies: Higher Price, Better Ratings. Don’t Discount Your App.
I think this really touches on something that Marco had mentioned in his blog as well about the dichotomy of the app store. We all know people who have Iphones and literally refuse to buy any apps that cost money, even ones that are a dollar. Usually they are less savy users with far different expectations. Pick any app in the top 25 that is under a dollar and you'll surely see a bunch of oddly worded reviews, mostly hyper-critical and complaining about what a waste of money it is.

Raising your app price will undoubtedly weed out these users and, while sales will be lower, it will be a more quality, educated user. JMO

parkern··on Ask HN: Have web apps been commoditized?
You make a interesting observation. I think the reason it seems so popular right now is because every web app created these days caters to creatives/freelancers/webmasters. So they circulate in this area a lot. I mean I can name 20 different time tracking, invoicing, and project collaboration apps.

I see less "web apps" and more "consumer applications" in the next few years. Online software that is set out to meet a certain need in our lives.

parkern··on How to contact Ron Conway?
any idea how to contact Brian Pokorny? You would think Baseline would have a website.