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Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

nationbuilder.com

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Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#71

Post by specialist »

You asked for feedback, so here it is.

Have you worked on any political campaigns? Candidates, issues, activism, anything? I have. Your NationBuilder is not yet a full product.

Pitch your product to local campaign managers. That's the fastest way for you to get your course correction.

Campaigns do need better tools. So I encourage you to keep at it.

(If you're wondering why I just don't tell you what you need, I'm working on a business plan for something very similar. Also, I'd rather you earned the domain knowledge firsthand.)

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#72

Post by jacques_chester »

bdclimber14 wrote: post #38

I think you'll find the size of the market, measured by number of customers, to be much smaller than you think. I say this because your pricing seems very low. This is obviously a very comprehensive solution and complex software. The individual components from 3rd parties would be much more expensive if they were used separately, (e.g. MailChimp, CRM, etc.) so I think you should price based on what the cost of all th…

> I think you'll find the size of the market, measured by number of customers, to be much smaller than you think.

I worked for a politician for a while and considered writing a desktop application to do some of this -- basically CRM for electorate offices. At one point I dug up the figure that there are approximately 600,000 elected positions in the USA. The market is largish for an SME.

The pricing seems suitable for a bottom-up disruption strategy, but I'm not sure whether it would produce enough cashflow to sustain that approach. Maybe tiered pricing based on the election should be introduced.

Eg:

    Tier 1: National (President, Congress) -- $5,000/mth
    Tier 2: State (Governor, State Congress) -- $2,000/mth
    Tier 3: Local (City Council, Mayor) -- $500/mth
    Tier 4: Grassroots (School boards, fire chiefs, sheriffs) -- $100/mth

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#73

Post by jessriedel »

jgilliam wrote: post #22
spking wrote: post #3

Feedback: It wasn't immediately clear to me who this is for. A big headline telling me "Online Campaign Management for Civic Leaders and Candidates" would be helpful.

Thanks for the feedback. We definitely struggled with the overall positioning at launch. Our initial target is political campaigns and non-profits, mostly because they know they need this kind of a tool, and the current options are ridiculously expensive. For them, it's all about coordinating volunteers and engaging people in every channel possible. But we also think, based on our background using political organizin…

OK, but you still need to make it clear on the homepage that it's a tool for organizing and expanding a group of people, using social media, around a cause. From the homepage I thought it was just another company trying to bundle all my personal social media together. I shouldn't have to go to the faq.

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#74

Post by ddkrone »

mattdeboard wrote: post #65
ddkrone wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how many people still use FriendFeed? It is now overrun by auto quote bots and viagra spam. Also, I don't see how facebook approving of something makes the idea any less idiotic.

See, here's the thing -- thinking the idea of feed aggregators is a dumb one, and a net negative to society is one thing. But shitting all over a guy's work by calling it a prank or a joke in a venue that is predicated on the value of small-time entrepreneurs taking gambles on their ideas... How do you think that is ok? Just to be clear, this guy didn't invent feed aggregators. There are a bajillion of them. You've g…

I have nothing against society but I do have something against the OP. Clearly he and his friends have the technical expertise to make something but instead of doing something worthwhile they have created another weapon for the spin doctors. And yes he will make millions because campaign managers these days manage more money than some hedge fund managers but the rest of us won't be better off because of it.

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#75

Post by nigelsampson »

reso wrote: post #62
jgilliam wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the feedback. We definitely struggled with the overall positioning at launch. Our initial target is political campaigns and non-profits, mostly because they know they need this kind of a tool, and the current options are ridiculously expensive. For them, it's all about coordinating volunteers and engaging people in every channel possible. But we also think, based on our background using political organizin…

I would second that feedback. I eventually figured out what you were talking about, but for the first minute or so I had no clue. I actually thought you might be a simulation game for a second! I know you don't want to pigeon-hole yourself into being "just" a tool for political organizations, but you really should get some sort of descriptive text up there.

Agreed, my initial thought was this was a sim-nation style game.

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#76

Post by StavrosK »

jgilliam wrote: post #22
spking wrote: post #3

Feedback: It wasn't immediately clear to me who this is for. A big headline telling me "Online Campaign Management for Civic Leaders and Candidates" would be helpful.

Thanks for the feedback. We definitely struggled with the overall positioning at launch. Our initial target is political campaigns and non-profits, mostly because they know they need this kind of a tool, and the current options are ridiculously expensive. For them, it's all about coordinating volunteers and engaging people in every channel possible. But we also think, based on our background using political organizin…

Okay, I have no idea what the site is about, but it's beautiful. Who designed it?

Re: Show HN: NationBuilder, my startup just launched

#77

Post by prawn »

nigelsampson wrote: post #75
reso wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would second that feedback. I eventually figured out what you were talking about, but for the first minute or so I had no clue. I actually thought you might be a simulation game for a second! I know you don't want to pigeon-hole yourself into being "just" a tool for political organizations, but you really should get some sort of descriptive text up there.

Agreed, my initial thought was this was a sim-nation style game.

The design (while nice) and fake example data hardly discourage that impression.

Could be geared around a planning desk or war room theme (without connotations of violence)?

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