Comments for Recurly Blog http://blog.recurly.com Super Simple Subscriptions Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:31:27 -0800 hourly 1 Comment on Merchant Account Headaches- and how to avoid them by Bryan Johnson http://blog.recurly.com/2010/03/merchant-account-headaches-and-how-to-avoid-them/comment-page-1/#comment-190 Bryan Johnson Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:31:27 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=177#comment-190 Thanks for the mention Tim. There's no question, online payment processing is very complex, especially for new merchants. We put together some information that may be helpful in getting new merchants up to speed: http://www.braintreepaymentsolutions.com/services/new-to-payments Bryan Johnson Braintree Thanks for the mention Tim. There’s no question, online payment processing is very complex, especially for new merchants. We put together some information that may be helpful in getting new merchants up to speed: http://www.braintreepaymentsolutions.com/services/new-to-payments

Bryan Johnson
Braintree

]]> Comment on Fixing our email issues by Isaac Hall http://blog.recurly.com/2010/02/fixing-our-email-issues-with-sendgrid/comment-page-1/#comment-180 Isaac Hall Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:10:19 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=132#comment-180 Dan, thanks for letting us know. We do not enable link-tracking in our customer emails. Dan, thanks for letting us know. We do not enable link-tracking in our customer emails.

]]> Comment on Fixing our email issues by Dan Grossman http://blog.recurly.com/2010/02/fixing-our-email-issues-with-sendgrid/comment-page-1/#comment-177 Dan Grossman Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:33:06 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=132#comment-177 Right now all sendgrid.com links (meaning all links in all e-mails they send on behalf of all clients using link tracking) are blocked for Firefox and Chrome users because sendgrid is listed as a phishing site by Google's malware blacklist. Maybe not such a good idea after all. Right now all sendgrid.com links (meaning all links in all e-mails they send on behalf of all clients using link tracking) are blocked for Firefox and Chrome users because sendgrid is listed as a phishing site by Google’s malware blacklist. Maybe not such a good idea after all.

]]> Comment on Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model by Flow » Blog Archive » Daily Digest for February 24th - The zeitgeist daily http://blog.recurly.com/2009/10/planning-a-freemium-revenue-model/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Flow » Blog Archive » Daily Digest for February 24th - The zeitgeist daily Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:46:04 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=24#comment-171 [...] Shared How to Plan a “Freemium” Revenue Model. [...] [...] Shared How to Plan a “Freemium” Revenue Model. [...]

]]> Comment on Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model by startupbug.com http://blog.recurly.com/2009/10/planning-a-freemium-revenue-model/comment-page-1/#comment-170 startupbug.com Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:59:14 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=24#comment-170 <strong>Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model...</strong> I’ve been talking to a lot of people about the future of social gaming lately. The perspectives I’ve been gathering are pretty interesting. A repeating theme is the question of what the future looks like. Is it going to look like console games? Wha... Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model…

I’ve been talking to a lot of people about the future of social gaming lately. The perspectives I’ve been gathering are pretty interesting. A repeating theme is the question of what the future looks like. Is it going to look like console games? Wha…

]]> Comment on Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model by Dave Rodenbaugh http://blog.recurly.com/2009/10/planning-a-freemium-revenue-model/comment-page-1/#comment-168 Dave Rodenbaugh Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:20:40 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=24#comment-168 "The hook for offering the initial 2gb of storage it build buzz or “virality”- which drives new customer signups. With a free to paid conversion rate remaining constant, more free users means more paid users. To help decide how to best price your product, construct cost models that can demonstrate where your break even point occurs. This will help guide you in putting together pricing plans that can easily fit into a freemium model." You've distilled freemium a little too narrowly: 1) Create a product 2) Divide into free/paid, make sure free is the right balance of usability/restriction 3) Go viral 4) Profit! You need to make a compelling product that has clear market need, if you're expecting virality, that market had better be BIG, and the free product should be not so usable as to keep users in the free plan forever. And as far as conversion rates being constant, if you go viral, that's actually wrong. Your conversion rates may increase because of the virality...And even worse, if you fail to strike the balance right initially, you'll either make the free users mad when you take away features to make them upgrade, or you'll make a free product so compelling they never want or need to upgrade. And if your competition offers the same for free, well, you're screwed. This is tricky stuff...not as easy as you say. “The hook for offering the initial 2gb of storage it build buzz or “virality”- which drives new customer signups. With a free to paid conversion rate remaining constant, more free users means more paid users. To help decide how to best price your product, construct cost models that can demonstrate where your break even point occurs. This will help guide you in putting together pricing plans that can easily fit into a freemium model.”

You’ve distilled freemium a little too narrowly:
1) Create a product
2) Divide into free/paid, make sure free is the right balance of usability/restriction
3) Go viral
4) Profit!

You need to make a compelling product that has clear market need, if you’re expecting virality, that market had better be BIG, and the free product should be not so usable as to keep users in the free plan forever.

And as far as conversion rates being constant, if you go viral, that’s actually wrong. Your conversion rates may increase because of the virality…And even worse, if you fail to strike the balance right initially, you’ll either make the free users mad when you take away features to make them upgrade, or you’ll make a free product so compelling they never want or need to upgrade. And if your competition offers the same for free, well, you’re screwed.

This is tricky stuff…not as easy as you say.

]]> Comment on Planning a “Freemium” Revenue Model by Guy At HockeyBias dot com http://blog.recurly.com/2009/10/planning-a-freemium-revenue-model/comment-page-1/#comment-166 Guy At HockeyBias dot com Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:33:49 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=24#comment-166 Well put! Well put!

]]> Comment on Lessons learned in online subscription billing by david spellenberg http://blog.recurly.com/2010/01/lessons-learned-in-online-subscription-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-138 david spellenberg Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:45:39 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=89#comment-138 would like to get started in on line billing would like to get started in on line billing

]]> Comment on Lessons learned in online subscription billing by Guillaume Fradin http://blog.recurly.com/2010/01/lessons-learned-in-online-subscription-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Guillaume Fradin Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:56:08 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=89#comment-88 Hello, Thanks a lot for this post, I find it extremely interesting. But why do you discourage paypal for a non-side projects? I find difficult to find relevant informations to compare merchant accounts/gateways. Is it just that they apply higher transaction fees? or is there something else? Also, being in France, I feel that my options are quite limited if I want to use your service. What other choice than paypal could I have? Best, Guillaume Hello,
Thanks a lot for this post, I find it extremely interesting.
But why do you discourage paypal for a non-side projects? I find difficult to find relevant informations to compare merchant accounts/gateways. Is it just that they apply higher transaction fees? or is there something else?

Also, being in France, I feel that my options are quite limited if I want to use your service. What other choice than paypal could I have?

Best,
Guillaume

]]> Comment on Fixing our email issues by Rob Shedd http://blog.recurly.com/2010/02/fixing-our-email-issues-with-sendgrid/comment-page-1/#comment-71 Rob Shedd Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:38:36 +0000 http://blog.recurly.com/?p=132#comment-71 SendGrid has worked extremely well for us over at FanGamb (http://www.fangamb.com). Very few delivery issues and they make it extremely easy to dig into why any errors are occurring. Plus, their customer service is fantastic. SendGrid has worked extremely well for us over at FanGamb (http://www.fangamb.com). Very few delivery issues and they make it extremely easy to dig into why any errors are occurring. Plus, their customer service is fantastic.

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