The blogs don't seem to have an RSS feed. I might be old-fashioned but I think that's one of the first requirements of a blog platform no?
Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
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Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#12The blogs don't seem to have an RSS feed. I might be old-fashioned but I think that's one of the first requirements of a blog platform no?
I didn't get around to RSS for the MVP, but it's definitely going in–I want it for my personal blog. Consider me old-fashioned too.
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks! Individual blogs for now. I'd like to focus on making a great blogging/writing experience first.
I actually hope you don't go the route of Medium! Good luck, I'll show this to a few of my friends who have been looking for a new blogging platform.
Much appreciated!
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#14How does it work with SEO? Can you still show up in google if you target a specific topic?
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#15Looks similar to https://write.as/ , which was featured on HN many moons ago. I'm left to wonder if the mass exodus from Medium will spawn more of these types of smaller platforms.
And, IMO, yet another blogging platform (similar to write.as) that charges quite a lot for paid subscriptions. I can't get why personal blogs that need custom domains and a few different flairs need such a service that costs a lot more than most email services cost (I know write.as has a basic plan at $1 per month, but it seems limited).
Customers find these services valuable enough to pay their prices, and services optimize for that audience. But what would be your ideal price for a personal blog?
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#16Can I host it myself? I'd pay a few bucks for that.
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
And, IMO, yet another blogging platform (similar to write.as) that charges quite a lot for paid subscriptions. I can't get why personal blogs that need custom domains and a few different flairs need such a service that costs a lot more than most email services cost (I know write.as has a basic plan at $1 per month, but it seems limited).
Customers find these services valuable enough to pay their prices, and services optimize for that audience. But what would be your ideal price for a personal blog?
Most personal blogs don’t usually have a lot of content on a continuous basis. People starts blogs with enthusiasm, then life catches up (or writer’s block or distractions). They usually don’t get a lot of traffic either (including from search engines). Of course, there are many personal blogs where people put a lot of effort to write often and grow the audience. But that’s a minuscule percentage. With that perspective, and considering that most personal blogs are primarily text and don’t use too many large images or embedded videos (storage is not a big concern), I’d say that $10 or €10 a year would be sort of ok. I’m just throwing this pseudorandom figure to get it close to what some of the cheapest domains cost and how much some of the cheapest paid email services cost. This is not intended to be a (de)valuation of the software behind the platform and the effort to maintain the platform.
WordPress (wordpress.com) provides a custom domain and an ad free blog for less than $20 (AFAIK) a year.
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Customers find these services valuable enough to pay their prices, and services optimize for that audience. But what would be your ideal price for a personal blog?
Most personal blogs don’t usually have a lot of content on a continuous basis. People starts blogs with enthusiasm, then life catches up (or writer’s block or distractions). They usually don’t get a lot of traffic either (including from search engines). Of course, there are many personal blogs where people put a lot of effort to write often and grow the audience. But that’s a minuscule percentage. With that perspecti…
> This is not intended to be a (de)valuation of the software behind the platform and the effort to maintain the platform.
That's the rub. If you were running the service, just speaking practically, how many customers would you need at $10 / €10 per year to pay for the servers? How about to pay your salary? What if you wanted to hire one additional employee?
(Also, WordPress.com shows you ads unless you pay at least $36 / year -- and they're large enough that they could reduce the price to whatever they want, unlike a bootstrapped service starting from $0.)
But there's also the valid point you mention, which is that many people have no more than a passing interest in blogging, and thus might not value a blogging platform at more than the price you suggested. We see this happen with Write.as. But then it might actually make more sense for platforms to charge more -- think about if you were just starting out a workout routine. Would you be more willing to go to the gym regularly if you were paying just $1 per month for a membership, or $40 per month? An investment in the tool helps you invest in the habit.
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#19How is this different from blogger?
Or Ghost?
This looks more modern than blogger
Re: Show HN: Proseful – A simple blogging platform
#20How is this different from blogger?
Or Ghost? This looks more modern than blogger
Versus Ghost: Over time, I think Proseful will steadily set itself apart due to different ideas, opinions and target audience. Since I've kept it basic for the MVP, there's not much at the moment. Open-source Ghost is targeting a much different type of user, as is hosted Ghost with a price point starting at $29-36/month.