Contemplating making Mimi Uploader a free app, supported with ads. I would only do this in a way that those who bought it never see ads. All new users would see ads. I may still keep the Tip Jar. What do you think of this potential change? Would love to hear from people who use it and t... samgrover.com: samgrover.micro.blog
@samgrover I’ve bought the app, and use it occassionally. My initial reaction is that the audience I see of micro.blog are not the audience to be appreciative of ads in an app. But I also appreciate how setting a price at download is an impediment to triallers. I would rather you implement a free app with IAP after 7 days or something like that.
@canion Thanks for the feedback. The plan is that audience that finds it useful enough to have bought will never see ads. And it will open up to everyone else at the price of ads. I’m personally not a fan of ads in apps but the fact is that most people don’t mind them. So if they can get a utility by paying the price they’re comfortable with then I see it as a win-win. Free with ads and IAP to remove ads is also an option. But free trial with payment required is not appropriate for an app that I expect most people use occasionally.
@samgrover @canion I don’t use your app yet, but should you decide to add ads in the future - hope that you don’t use one that tracks users. @vincent’s Sublime Ads might be a good fit. :)
@samgrover I am with @canion here, thinking the MB audience isn’t fond of ads. I purchased the app and would be less likely to use it with ads as the only option. Free with ads and a IAP to remove them would be my preference, if you want to go “free” somehow. Side note, I would love to see Snap.as/Write.as support in the app as well.
@samgrover I think you also can have the IAP be several tiers of supporters, so that the value you see in getting rid of the ads (hopefully non-tracking) are reflected in your chosen tier. (I’m almost sure I’ve seen this in an app). You could keep the tip-jar for extra support, I guess.
@samgrover I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using ads at all. Some people might think it’s at odds with Micro.blog but I think that involves a very narrow view of the platform. Whilst I’m sure we all wished we lived in a world in which we didn’t need ad-supported business models, the fact remains that wishing does not make it so and as you have already said the vast majority of people are comfortable with ads in software.
@samgrover I think ads are fine, but because the Micro.blog user base is still pretty small, I wouldn’t expect ad revenue to be very high right now. But as people use the app regularly and the community grows, maybe it works out. I’d love for more people to use Mimi Uploader.
@mcg I can see that ads being the only option is probably not ideal. Thanks for the feedback. Oh, and I had not heard of those services. Will take a look but so far I’ve consciously avoided making Micro.blog a multi platform app.
@odd Do you mean have several tiers but the benefit for each of them is the removal of ads? Kinda like a pay-what-you-like approach? I had not considered that at all. Thanks!
@simonwoods Thanks for the fedback. Yea, I’m more inclined towards that kind of a model as I’ve noticed that I’m in a bubble of people that dislike ads. I am one of those people.
@manton Yea, I’m not sure how much that would bring in so it’s useful to hear that from you. Basically, I want people to get the utility I get from it and if someone is being stopped from that because of the price, I would like to give them an option. Thanks for the feedback!
@samgrover Mimi Uploader has become a bigger part of my workflow than I expected. I have used it I think since its initial release and given the other software that I use, I have found it invaluable and opening up possibilities that would be more involved without Mimi. If the app solely offered ads, I would feel very conflicted about using it (personally not liking ads). So while I can see the benefits for people to get a taste for the app, I would want some way to remove them.
@crossingthethreshold Thanks for the feedback. To be clear, I would only do this if the people who had bought the app never see ads. I think that is technically feasible.
@samgrover I have no problem with ads in a free app so long as ads don’t cover the screen and they go away with a one-time purchase. I haven’t tried Mimi yet because I didn’t see Alt Text listed as a feature. Good luck!
@Cheri Thanks for the feedback! Can you elaborate what you would like in an Alt Text feature? However, please note that Mimi has no text editing and no plans to add it. It simply uploads and gives URLs. All text editing is expected to happen in the user’s favorite blog editor.
@samgrover Gotchya. I currently “tap” each photo in the MB app to add alt-text for blind people using screen readers. If I’m bulk uploading photos, and I have to go fiddle with alt-text manually in the HTML of a post instead of handling it during upload, it would slow me down quite a bit.
@Cheri I see. Thanks for illustrating that. That seems like a reasonable feature to have in an uploader. I will look into it.
@samgrover Yes, I believe I’ve seen that in…was it maybe that weather app…the one with the snarky comments(?)
@odd @samgrover Yes, Carrot. It’s a good model, though it looks like a fair bit of work.
Also, Sam, I’m in the anti-ad bubble for sure. It’s one of those facts of which I have to remind myself; most people are not. I’d love to see tastefully-done, privacy-preserving advertising make a comeback – for example, Vincent’s Sublime Ads – even if it takes a while to fight off the FB+G behemoth.