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But I get asked several times a month to recommend solutions and though I've personally never used more than the free version of Basecamp I've probably sold a dozen subscriptions for them. By targetting the readers of HN they're really just going after the influencers.
It's misleading to focus only on the direct benefits. The benefits of PR are always mostly indirect. For example, Y Combinator makes zero direct revenue from hosting HN. But I would feel pretty dishonest if I were to claim on that account that it has no effect on our bottom line.
> During that period, there were 24,826 first time visitors to any of our sites who we could identify as having first gotten to us via Hacker News (in all, we received more like 105,000 unique visitors from Hacker News, but many of those were repeat visitors). 97 of those visitors signed up, with more than 85% of them electing the free plan. Left unsaid: how many of the 105,000 unique HN visitors are customers? Also…
They talk about word of mouth and the benefit of all the extra links. And then they discount the value in the next thought. Word of mouth = great links = great hackernews popularity = no value That's a pretty big hole in their logic.
My supposition; but really, what ethical difference does it make? If the HN community likes to read the 37Signals viral marketing material then I suppose we all gain, right?
This is the first time a post on 37signals has me a little put off. It seems unnecessary and slightly childish. It wasn't meant to show how posts on HN can contribute to their business but to shove it in people's faces. You would hope that smart people like them can figure out that a few people do not speak for an entire community.
That means I'm not statistically popular! Nooooooo!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>They created ruby on rails, which a few people use A few people? Really? Now that's just petty.
Compared to java, javascript, c, php etc?
http://trends.builtwith.com/framework/Ruby-on-Rails
You're entitled to not like 37 Signals or think they give poor advice, but you shouldn't downplay their contribution so much.
Upvote us, downvote us, ignore us – I don’t care I think this is a good attitude to have, but I have to point out that obviously it matters a little. Otherwise, this post wouldn't exist.
Personally I like their posts, and it certainly doesn't bother me when they reach the front page of HN. The only thing I'm tired of is all the predictable hate that goes their way. In fact, I find it a little petty and embarrassing for HN.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally I like their posts, and it certainly doesn't bother me when they reach the front page of HN. The only thing I'm tired of is all the predictable hate that goes their way. In fact, I find it a little petty and embarrassing for HN.
I think the dislike is warranted personally. The amount of exposure they get is extremely out of proportion to what they are and do. They do have it down to a fine art. Even this blog post is designed to get people talking about them - which it's succeeded in doing. They created ruby on rails, which a few people use, and they make a few webapps. They're not a startup. They give (IMHO) fairly poor startup advice, most…
I believe you mean:
The amount of exposure HNers give them by submitting and upvoting their posts, and then the endless hours HNers spend debating them…
37S doesn't ask to be on the front page of HN. They don't even appear to submit their own posts. Certainly they don't have a secret vote-sharing group, because HN now has features to discount those.
So personally, I find it pretty hilarious that there's so much sturm und drang about what 37s "gets". Everything they "get" from HN, HNers give them, all on their own initiative.
It's misleading to focus only on the direct benefits. The benefits of PR are always mostly indirect. For example, Y Combinator makes zero direct revenue from hosting HN. But I would feel pretty dishonest if I were to claim on that account that it has no effect on our bottom line.