Software Project Update & Release Dates
I have mentioned the software project occasionally in the odd post here and there but I haven’t written a proper update since August! So I thought it was time I did…
What Software Am I Developing?
The aim of this project is to build a paid membership site that provides tools for Internet marketers. Specially the tools will be designed to automatically build backlinks to your websites. Over time, a comprehensive and integrated suite of tools will be developed but I am starting with a single tool to automate social bookmarking. I have at least a dozen tools planned but will not be announcing details until nearer their release.
When Will The Tools Be Ready?
As any true software developer will tell you, it will be ready when it’s ready :-) However I have started to work more closely to a schedule in recent weeks and I think it’s about time I made myself accountable and gave some time estimates. The software will be released in phases. Each release will contain new tools, enhancements to earlier tools and a price increase! However, the very first thing I am doing is releasing a free version which I am calling Release #0. My plan for the first couple of releases is as follows:
- December ‘09 – Release #0 (FREE): Social bookmarking tool
- March ‘10 – Release #1: (~$25/mo): Enhanced bookmarker + 2 new tools
Beta Testing
Even though I have been developing software for 12 years, this is the first time I have developed a web application and it’s quite different to what I have done in the past. All software has bugs but I am expecting to hit some unforeseen problems initially because that’s just the way things work. One thing I never want to do, is provide buggy software to paying members – that is of course a big no-no.
Therefore from Release #1 onwards, all new features will first of all be released to the free members for a trial period. This gives me two distinct advantages. From a software testing point of view, it gives me a chance to have the software used by real people. In order to encourage the free members to test the software thoroughly for me I shall offer an incentive for those who report new bugs to me – this will be free access to the paid version for some period of time. I’ll work out the details later.
Another advantage of course is that this strategy works as a marketing tool. By giving free members access to the full version for some time, they may like the paid features and decide to upgrade.
Restricting Members
Despite my testing strategy outlined above, I am still concerned about the initial free launch in particular. As much as I want to eventually bring in as many members (free as well as paid) as possible, I don’t want to suddenly have thousands of people descending on my brand new software the first week of it’s launch! If I got any problems I could be overwhelmed with bug reports.
So ideally, I want to restrict memberships though at this time I am not entirely sure how I am going to manage that. I am using aMember to manage the actual memberships but as far as I can see it doesn’t have a built it mechanism to restrict members so I think this is something I will need to code myself into my backend software.
The long term aim is to open up the memberships slowly at first to allow me find find and fix initial teething problems quickly and then gradually open it up to more and more members until it is stable and I can lift all restrictions. At this time, I’m still a little hazy on the details. However one thing I will say is that I am likely to invite initial members from a list of those who have explicitly shown an interest in the software and not from my general blog readership. I have been building a prospects quietly for some time now. If you’d like to be added to the list, fill out the form below:
Development Progress
Up until around the time I went to Florida, I had been really struggling with development. I first announced the project almost a year ago and I spent the first few months faffing around with learning PHP and trying to figure out a lot of the basics such as what PHP framework I should use, how my code would be integrated, how I would manage members and so on. This stuff took way longer than I expected!
When I finally got around to starting actual development work I still encountered a lot of problems and for the longest time it felt like all I did was hit problem after problem after problem. It felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all which is why I didn’t really have very much to say in the way of updates. Over the last couple of months since I’ve been back from holiday I seem to have managed to get over that hump and things are progressing much more smoothly now so I am hopeful that I will actual hit my target dates hence why I have finally felt brave enough to mention them!
If you have any questions about the project feel free to ask in the comments :-)
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Diogo Slov
November 7, 2009
Hello Caroline. Good to know that everything is coming along!
For me, the perfect backlinking service would include:
- blog backlinks (in the post, not blogrolls),
- rss feed submissions spread over time (blog and categories; if static niche site, the service would include some sort of “feed maker” as well and the user only has to upload the XML file to his/her server),
- automated social bookmarking from multiple accounts spread over time,
- article directory backlinks,
- and directory backlinks as well, just for variety sake.
Everything coordinated at one place:
- the pages/sites I’m promoting,
- the keywords I’m targeting,
- a spinning tool for descriptions, tags and social bookmarking reviews,
- the number of backlinks each campaign has already given me pulling data from Yahoo,
- the position of my website in the major 3 search engines for my targeted keywords.
Now, I know this might be a bit too much. But anyways, you asked for feedback and this is my dream setup. :-)
Right now I do all that using separate programs:
- BlogBot, DirectoryBot and RSSBot from IncanSoft (one-time fees);
- TheLinkJuicer.com ($37/month);
- and another small membership site which gives me 450 backlinks a month for $30/month.
This comment is already too long, but I’d be willing to give you more feedback if you’re interested. I’m also interested in joining your service as a beta tester when it’s ready.
Best,
Diogo
Diogo Slov´s last blog ..Chasing Long Tails