Launch Effect
November 4, 2011 in 4 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Analytics, Free, Landing PagesWhat is it?
Launch Effect: A free WordPress theme anyone can use to quickly create a professional looking, virally inclined pre-launch page for your upcoming product website, app, service, etc.).
Who makes it?
Barrel LLC
Why is it the killerest?
First let me state that I'm saving you some trouble, because I did this the hard way first. For my latest venture I started by building a pre-launch site from scratch. It's a couple pages, right? How hard can it be? Well - to do well, actually - kinda hard. Or, time consuming anyway. Consuming of time you should be spending building your New Thing.
1. It's very easy to set up - virtually anyone can do it.
I'm no WordPress guru, but I went from nothing to a fully launched site in just a few hours. First, I fired up a super cheap hosting account with my registrar NameCheap. Once my account was set up, I logged in, installed WordPress (literally a few mouse clicks), then downloaded the Launch Effect theme, uploaded and installed it in my WordPress, made a few tweaks, and my site was ready to go.
2. It's got built in social-sharing tools and viral spreading motivation
This is perhaps the nicest feature and something you likely wouldn't have time to build yourself. And it's all baked in, and very easy to configure.
How it works: After someone gives you their email address, they're presented with a thank you message, and a panel of social icons they can click to share.
Subscribers are also given a unique tracking link. When they use that link (or any of the icons) to share, you and they will both be able to see how many folks they've sent to the site, and how many signed up themselves.
Additionally, you can give them an incentive to share. On mine, I'm giving away a free lifetime account to someone who shares and leads someone else to sign up.
3. It's got great built in tracking
As mentioned above, each person who signs up will show up in your admin panel, along with the number of clicks they've sent you, and how many of those have also signed up (plus conversion rate). Both you, and they can see these stats at any time.
What could be improved?
Tracking your referrals is too confusing for visitors.
When a visitor shares, they have access to their referral, and conversion stats, but in order to see that information, they have to re-submit their email address into the signup form. Clever - but how on earth are they supposed to know that? There's really no good way to communicate that to them at this point.
It needs to integrate with MailChimp and/or Campaign Monitor.
First, it's very easy to export your signups in a CSV and import them into MailChimp - which, if you're only going to do that once, is no big deal. But ideally, you'd like to get an auto-response email to your signups. This would allow you to tell them about the referral stuff noted in my last complaint, as well as a few other bells and whistles that MailChimp offers.
It's a bit hard to fully customize without touching the code.
Out of the box, it probably does most everything you need, and you can certainly make a perfectly good-enough site without customization. But if what you want to do isn't exactly what the theme expects you to do, you'll need to dive into the css and/or php files. This is a minor niggle though, it has very solid customization constructs.
It has only a small subset of the available Google Fonts to work with.
That said, they do natively support TypeKit and MonoType.
And I note, they're working improving it. This roadmap looks great.
How much does it cost?
Nothing (it's free)
Rating?
Reviewed by Carson McComas
p.s. Here's the one I set up. If you make one, please share it in the comments below.
Balsamiq
May 8, 2009 in 4 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Productivity, Software Development Balsamiq: It's a tool that anyone can use for making web page mockups. In the early stages of creating a web site, or specifically a web application, there's a period of time when you need to wireframe, or sketch out rough ideas for page construction and layout, without necessarily worrying about the precise design of the pages (i.e. colors, fonts, exact shapes, etc). Balsamiq is a tool designed to help you do that. It has various "elements" or building blocks that you can drop on your page to construct your mockup. Balsamiq Studios LLC In mocking up the screens for my current hair-brained idea, I decided to take Balsamiq for a spin. What I found was a tool that was delightfully easy to use, and rich enough to make me feel like I didn't have to compromise on what I wanted to do in order to use the tool. The unexpected bonus was that in perusing some of the element options it sparked some creative ideas for approaching my user interface. Tip: on the free web version, when you’re done with a layout, you can export it as an image (PNG) and you can also export some code which you can paste into a text editor, then re-import next time you return to the site and resume working. It’s a poor-man’s “save.” I assume this is just a limitation of the free web-based version that I used, but I’d like to be able to have multiple pages I can work on at the same time - and a generic template I can use as the starting point for subsequent pages. There are workaround for this (export/import and delete elements you don’t want) but it’s a bit clumsy. Also, on the free web-hosted version, you get a nag screen every 5 minutes. If you are moving an element at the exact moment the nag screen pops up, the element becomes stuck, and you can't select, edit, or move it. (Note: to work around this, I found refreshing the page to work - but do that with caution, you could lose everything, so do an export first). Free for web version, $79 for desktop version Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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Macrium Reflect
February 18, 2009 in 5 out of 5 stars, A piece of software Macrium Reflect: Disk imaging software. Sound complicated? It's not - put simply, you use it to take a “snapshot” of your hard drive, then if your drive ever fails, you can quickly restore that snapshot. Paramount Software UK Ltd Because using this software, you can backup a complete "image" of your hard drive, and restore it if you should ever suffer a hard drive failure, or just a catastrophic data loss or other meltdown. And you don't need to be a computer genius to use it. You create a disk image, back it up to an external hard drive or other medium. Macrium also helps you create a “boot CD.” In the event of failure, you use the boot CD on the failed machine, point it toward the image you made, and a few minutes later you are back up and running. It’s really that simple. Example: I have a colleague who kicked over his new computer tower, blew out the hard drive. I had helped him make an image of his hard drive about a week earlier. He bought a new drive, restored the image, 15 minutes later he was back up and running. Free version does everything I need, power users and corporate users can pay a measly $40 for the full version. Crazy value for the money. Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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Microsoft BizSpark Program
February 9, 2009 in 5 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Productivity, Software Development, Virtualization, Web/Tech Biz Spark: Virtually free* access to all current Microsoft software, plus some additional support from peers and other Microsoft partners, if you care to get involved in the social side of it. Microsoft One of the biggest and most painful expenses for a startup can be software. Windows and Office primarily, but if you're a Microsoft developer – this is an outrageous deal because it includes everything you get in an MSDN subscription (note: it is an MSDN subscription). If you're a startup, three years old or less, and make under $1 million per year, you're eligible. This is basically all Microsoft software. Signup was pretty simple. There are a few hoops they want you to jump through to verify that you qualify, but they're tame. The big hurdle was getting a sponsor. I emailed this guy, explained my qualifications, and he hooked me up a couple days later. Twitter friend Geoffrey had good luck with this guy. This is worth tens of thousands of dollars and can be a real boost when you're boostrapping. Well, obviously this is for Windows users only. Hey Adobe, the web startup community would kill for an offering like this from you. *Free to enroll, you agree to pay $100 when you exit. Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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FogBugz
June 11, 2008 in 5 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Hosted software, Issue trackers, Project managementFogBugz: They say it's project management software, which it is — but its real strength (and reputation) is issue/bug tracking. They have hosted, and installable versions of the software. I use their hosted version (dubbed FogBugz on Demand). Fog Creek Software I like and use Basecamp, but on a current large project I found myself heavily using Basecamp's ToDo lists for issue tracking, and they weren't sufficient.
So several months ago I signed up for FogBugz. FogBugz didn't give me that instant love-at-first-site experience I've had with other software. But as I've begun to use it heavily, I have grown to adore this software, and I now completely rely on it to manage my projects. Its genius is in its maturity. It is mature, seasoned, and polished software that makes tracking multiple issues with difficult sticky elements not just easy, but enjoyable. You know software is great if you still love it, and use it heavily after several months. Now I can't live without it. It allows me to constantly keep on top of the hundreds of issues currently at play with my project, tracking them by sub-project, by team member, priority, and time. I have to say, it has also trained me to work more efficiently in managing my projects. Because it is easy to use, we use it comprehensively, and because of that, it has helped us improve the quality of our software. There are only four of us on our team, I'm sure it would really come into its own with much larger teams, and still be helpful for even smaller teams. My only real complaint is that it's packed with additional features, but they aren't real approachable. The usability, once you get the hang of the features you need, is solid, and even claravoiyant, but beyond that, the other features and capabilities of the software requires some hunting, digging and experimenting to get rolling. Hosted: free for 2 users, or $25/user, per month Installed: $199/user or less Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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Altiris Software Virtualization Solution
October 9, 2007 in 5 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Free, Productivity, VirtualizationAltiris Software Virtualization Solution: A software prophylactic that any PC user can easily use. It's software that allows you to install most any piece of software on a virtualized "layer." Then at any time you can remove the layer or deactivate the layer and it's like it never existed on your system at all. Altiris First of all, it's very easy to use. It sounds intimidating, but it's not, give it a try. I have a client who needed me to rip some video off the web. It was streaming video and there was no easy way to do it, but there were several spooky looking software programs that claimed to be able to do it for me. I didn't want any of those vile characters with their spyware diseases and other incendiary cargo gumming up my system. Furthermore, after the first program didn't work, I didn't want it fighting with the second one I installed (and 3rd and 4th and 12th). It was a dirty, filthy job and when it was done my system needed a long hot shower. Enter SVS. Because I had installed each piece of software on its own layer, when I was all done, I deleted all the layers, and my machine never knew we'd visited the red light district. This software can also be used in an enterprise setting to deliver "software packages" (or layers) out to other computers. Additionally, you can even find pre-virtualized software packages available for download now. Install, test and play with confidence. It's PC only. It doesn't work with some software. (Software that sinks deep hooks into the system. But this is rare.) Free for personal use, $29-$55 for multiple node settings. Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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ThinkFree Portable Office for U3
September 20, 2007 in 4 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Hosted "Office"ThinkFree Portable Office for U3: A portable, zero-footprint, Microsoft Office compatible office suite you can cart around with you on a U3 USB drive. It includes Write (MS Word clone), Calc (Excel), and Show (PowerPoint). ThinkFree, Corp. The U3 technology is nifty and this is a perfect use for it. It's like having your own private mini-computer with an Office suite that you bolt onto any computer you travel to. It has strong compatibility with MS Office, a beautiful clean user interface. 1/10th the price of MS Office. Surprisingly lightweight. Secure. Theoretically leaves behind no trace on the computer you hook into (which is usually true as long as you remove the U3 drive properly). They've got versions that'll work with your iPod. Plus the obligatory hosted version, and even a server version, and a desktop version. There are a few UI differences in the Office software that take some getting used to. As a company, ThinkFree is going in so many directions their marketing is confusing. Windows Only (because of the U3) but they have other versions (non U3) that are compatible with PC/Mac/Linux.
$50 Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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Hamachi
July 20, 2006 in 5 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, TechnologyHamachi: It's a zero-configuration virtual private networking (VPN) application. It essentially gives you a LAN over the Internet. (Warning: This is a more technical one, but for you entrepreneurs with remote associates this is solid gold). Applied Networking Inc. Hamachi is to VPN what Skype is to VOIP. It's a simple, clean, VPN application, that just works. Astounding really especially when you compare it to the horrible commercial VPN alternatives out there. Solid support for Windows, passable versions for Linux and Mac (OS X). Best of all - Hamachi is free. In the vast majority of cases this does indeed work (worked perfectly for me) but the support forums do have some pleas for help. With 3,000,000 users though - that's to be expected. (Incidentally, the support forums really do appear to be helpful.) Mac version doesn't have a GUI (yet). Astoundingly Free Reviewed by Carson McComasWhat is it?
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Foobar
January 4, 2006 in 3 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, Productivityfoobar: it is a taskbar that can be placed anywhere on your desktop that will keep track of all your contacts, stickynotes, passwords, to do list and much more. The function that I find most valuable as a freelancer is the time tracker. It keeps track of the time spent on a project and how much to charge. Matrix Software It combines many resources that are needed for a small business in one small place. Aesthetically, it's not the bomb. Shareware, free without nags but they ask you to pay $29.95 after you've used it for 30 days. Reviewed by Stephanie MartindaleWhat is it?
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KeePass Password Safe
December 9, 2005 in 4 out of 5 stars, A piece of software, FreeKeePass Password Safe is a free, open-source Windows application that stores your passwords in a strongly encrypted database (only a single file). Translations are available for at least 30 languages, and you can import your passwords from many other password management applications. Screenshots are available here. Dominik Reichl It has a very intuitive user interface, as well as many advanced features, including a very good random password generator, a password quality tester, and the ability to write plug-ins to extend the application's features. You can include attachments with your password record, and it will even remind you when your password should be changed. It supports two-factor authentication (password plus a token that is stored on a disk, pen-drive, or other medium). For the crypto-people in the audience, it uses SHA-256 hashes and AES encryption.
It is completely free and open-source, and is being updated regularly.
I've been using this product since around 2003, and I haven't had a single problem with it. I store my passwords on a pen-drive so that I can always have access to them, yet not be worried in case I lose it. KeePass was designed only for Windows. FREE Reviewed by Michael ScovettaWhat is it?
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