The site can now modestly boast 10 active groups and 21 active members!
And the first user-requested enhancement has just been made - now when you submit a request to join an existing group, that group's coordinator will receive an email prompting them to log on and approve (or reject) the membership request.
Thanks for your suggestion Jenny!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Enhancement Request #1
A request for enhancement from Jenny: "...would it be possible to be sent an email when someone requests to join the group so I know to go online and accept them. I check my email quite regularly and this would be easier than logging on to the website to check."
Great feedback, thanks!
I had to check...as I was sure the site already did this - but no, it doesn't. I'll work on this as a priority. I'll also add a post in the next month or so with a list of possible enhancements and look to you, the users, for feedback on which ones you want most (via this blog).
Watch this space...
Great feedback, thanks!
I had to check...as I was sure the site already did this - but no, it doesn't. I'll work on this as a priority. I'll also add a post in the next month or so with a list of possible enhancements and look to you, the users, for feedback on which ones you want most (via this blog).
Watch this space...
Saturday, February 9, 2008
The Last Three Months
Since my last post I've realised my expectation that word of the website would spread by "viral marketing" (VM) was naive.
I thought that a great idea, a website that implements it well and a topic that is discussed by the members of the target audience with other members of the same audience almost everytime they go out together (babysitting) - the site's popularity would feed itself. But...no...and it's obvious to me now...marketing was never my strong point.
The Babysitting Club website is a great service that will be popular - so I have one of the vital ingredients for VM to work. But no one has ever successfully created the rolling snowball (the one that grows in size as it rolls down the hill) without first forming the nucleus of crushed snow themselves.
I realised I need to create a critical mass, a nucleus of people who use and believe in the website before the VM factor might kick in. But my marketing budget was $zero - so I fished around for some free coverage. I was surprised how many options were available to me but also quite surprised at how many options (that I thought would be free) were not free.
Little Treasures Magazine picked up my story and were very encouraging of the idea. They ran a small item about the site in their Feb/Mar 08 issue (see page 59). Full credit to Little Treasures for being supportive and generous in running the story for me. The hits on the site have picked up greatly as a result!
The site can now modestly boast 5 active groups and 13 active members!
One group has been particularly active with 6 sitting events at a total of 27.75 sitting hours. That's what I like to see - parents getting out more!
The group and member numbers are small, but it's a start...now back to my nucleus-forming marketing activities...
I thought that a great idea, a website that implements it well and a topic that is discussed by the members of the target audience with other members of the same audience almost everytime they go out together (babysitting) - the site's popularity would feed itself. But...no...and it's obvious to me now...marketing was never my strong point.
The Babysitting Club website is a great service that will be popular - so I have one of the vital ingredients for VM to work. But no one has ever successfully created the rolling snowball (the one that grows in size as it rolls down the hill) without first forming the nucleus of crushed snow themselves.
I realised I need to create a critical mass, a nucleus of people who use and believe in the website before the VM factor might kick in. But my marketing budget was $zero - so I fished around for some free coverage. I was surprised how many options were available to me but also quite surprised at how many options (that I thought would be free) were not free.
Little Treasures Magazine picked up my story and were very encouraging of the idea. They ran a small item about the site in their Feb/Mar 08 issue (see page 59). Full credit to Little Treasures for being supportive and generous in running the story for me. The hits on the site have picked up greatly as a result!
The site can now modestly boast 5 active groups and 13 active members!
One group has been particularly active with 6 sitting events at a total of 27.75 sitting hours. That's what I like to see - parents getting out more!
The group and member numbers are small, but it's a start...now back to my nucleus-forming marketing activities...
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