Zugg Software :: View topic

Beginner Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 17

Just wanted to point out that you aren't the first to offer this, so you don't need to worry about people copying your idea since others have already implemented it.

The real issue, as you've pointed out, is marketing the service. Finding such a service on google is quite difficult because the keywords people search for are quite common. Anyway, at least one of your competitors is:

http://www.mylastemail.com/index.asp

It launched in 2003 with a little bit of fanfare such as this article in Wired: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/11/61181

That article point out two other services that started even earlier during the .com boom

Site Admin Joined: 29 Sep 2000 Posts: 389 Location: USA

Thanks for posting those links.
I'd seen mylastemail.com, but since the site is last copyrighted 2006, I can't tell if it is still viable. Also, the pricing page they refer to in the FAQ doesn't seem to exist.

The other links seem to still be valid, but they all really focus on leaving last messages after death, and many of them offer data storage for important documents. Those are all important services, but they don't offer the simple contact interface that we've set up and they don't offer options for things that aren't death but might need multiple notification.

We shall see.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:25 pm

Yeah, thanks for the links. We knew about mylastemail but not the earlier attempts. I think all of those attempts show that it's important to keep prices really low. As far as I can tell, mylastemail currently charges 5 (u.k. pounds) per year. I think *any* recurring subscription like this is a very bad idea for this service. I certainly wouldn't pay for a service that I needed to renew every year to use.

Also, there web site is just horribly hard to use. It's even hard to learn how much it costs. Definitely not the user-friendly site we have.

Anyway, nice job researching. It's not easy to find those links. The fact that nobody knows about those other services shows what a marketing challenge this really is. Hopefully we can do better.

Edited: The 5 pound a month service was something else. Chiara is correct that mylastemail doesn't seem to have pricing info. And it's more of an obituary service.

As anyone who has run a small business knows, it's *very* important to understand your product and market and to STAY FOCUSED. Our service is email notification. That's it. We aren't going to do online obituaries, or memorial services, or any of that other stuff. Those "competitors" didn't seem to have a clear idea exactly what they were offering.

In any case, I certainly wouldn't sign up for a service that hides its prices, has an out-dated copyright, with no indication whether they are still in business or not. I'm hoping the fact that Zuggsoft has been around for a *long* time will help build the trust that is needed for people to sign up.

Magician Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 459 Location: USA

Psst, Zugg... the copyright at the bottom of this page is still 2007 ;)

Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:45 am

*blush*

where? I don't see it? (yeah, I just changed it...at least SlightlyMorbid said 2008)