[epub] Re: Saving money on list servers

["Clay Ver Valen" <clayv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul,

As a former software developer for Microsoft and now as a founder/developer
of a email list service called EmailXtreme, I feel very comfortable saying
that there is no way you will get the software features you've outlined
below for $3,000.  Consider as an example what just the licensing cost is
for just Lyris MailEngine 20,000 messages/hour software - $500.  Keep in
mind this is just a license fee for a fast SMTP server - doesn't include the
source code and has far less functionality than you've scoped out below.

Any decent contract programmer goes for at least $50/hour, at least for
short term contracts, at $3,000 your talking only 60 hours of development
time.  One could easily spend 60 hours just sketching out the user interface
for a product with this feature set.  Additionally, who will manage the
project, serve as the contact person for the co-ops feedback, and then
distill this feedback into a form usable by the developer? That alone will
almost be a full time job, not to mention how bug fixes and future feature
additions and improvements would be handled.

I don't mean to sound too harsh but I believe that this thing could wind up
becoming an incredible burden and perhaps a legal liability should you
collect money from people and the programmer fail to deliver.

- Clay


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Easton" <paule@ihug.co.nz>
To: <epub@list-universe.com>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 1:08 PM
Subject: [epub] Saving money on list servers


> Hi,
> I would like to run an idea past you to save money on running a good list
> server for your ezine
>
> By now, most of you would have seen the need to email addresses at you
> site, after all it is the only tool that all online marketing experts
agree
> on. Tracking advertising for visitors/sales is also in the "must have"
> tools area.
>
> What I propose is to provide you with both these tools at a fraction of
> their normal cost. Let me explain. I have been looking for a full featured
> opt in email manager for a long time. Sure there are some free services
> around, but these put you at the mercy of the company that runs them and
> some have already admitted that they make "mistakes" with email lists-
very
> scary. Plus they have a tendency to become paid services, which mean you
> have to pay or have to move your list.
>
> For what I wanted was a full-featured tool, something that would automate
> as much as possible and would give me full control of my lists. I could
> never find it, so I when to a programmer to give me a quote- over $3000
was
> his estimate- out of my budget.
>
> Here are the features I wanted
>
> -Automatically handle all subscribes/un subscribes and bounces
> -Multiple email follow up on new subscribers
> -Optional "no input" subscribe-uses ok button only
> -Tracking of IP address to protect again spam complains
> -Sends html and text-Auto detect if user cannot receive html
>
> -Use on unlimited domains
> -Templates for quick formatting of ezines
> -Unlimited personalized lists, each with their own customizable web pages,
> followups, and users.
> -Unlimited users, there are no limits to the amount of email you can send.
> -Mail to all lists- with no duplication of email addresses
> -Unlimited follow up personalized Autoresponders
>
> -Link Checker with self send tester
> -Full featured Ad tracker with Real time pay per click per sale analysis
> - Storage of campaigns for easy insert into next ads
> -Option to self email tracking stats, on demand or at a set time period
> -Set user accounts for advertisers to track there own promotions
>
> -Presentation Tester- Use One Url and rotate through a number of different
> sets of web site copy- tracking results.
> -ASC- Automatic Subscriber count- Real time subscriber count for your
site.
> -Easy form creation, for visitor surveys or contact linked to
> autoresponders for follow up
> -Timed sending- send in advance
> -Easy submission and storage or articles ready for publishing
>
> So I would like to offer a Co-op of sort. I know that this server based
> software would be useful to others,  so I want to put together a members
> only team who wants a copy of the completed project, a full working
version
> of a $3000 project but it will only cost $50 per Co-op member.
>
> Once we have 60 members signed up, production the software will start and
> all members will be see the working version while its being built. Also
> giving feedback and making suggestions for other features, layout, design
etc
>
> Once the software is fully completed and tested, then all members receive
a
> full working version, with guidance on installation, both to do it
yourself
> and recommended trusted experts.
>
> Plus for those selling to the Business on-line market, a limited number of
> resell licenses will be available at a estimated cost of $500, rights to a
> product that could be easily sold for $150.00 each, maybe more with the
> right bonus products.
>
> Now you won't see this plan anywhere else, first its going to the epub
List
> before the web site is up, so you can't spend anything yet, just let me
> know if you are interested.
>
> Contact me, Paul Easton
> mailto:paule@ihug.co.nz
>
> Paul Easton


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