Unintended Consequences, and How Not to Ask for Help
As many of you know, Cookie Assassin is the download du jour at MacAppADay. John Gruber at DaringFireball thinks software giveaways are bad idea. But I signed up with MacAppADay for a lot of reasons, and none of them was to “appeal to cheapskates.”
Mostly, I wanted to use a software giveaway as an opportunity to spread the name of FoggyNoggin Software, and to give exposure to Cookie Assassin as well as my other applications. Since I do this full time, exposure is always a good thing. And I still think it was a great idea to promote myself in this way. Somehow, though the reasons were different, I think Gruber might have been at least a little bit right.
Last night, MacAppADay released the hounds, so to speak, and put Cookie Assassin on its free download page. I knew this was coming, of course. The friendly folks at MacAppADay even suggested I speak with my ISP to let them know my bandwidth usage was going to spike.
Still, though, my server got absolutely clobbered. When a couple of thousand people, seemingly all at once, request from the server licenses that are generated on the fly, things can get a little sticky. And that’s exactly what happened. So I woke up to a limping server and a mailbox full of hate.
Here’s an example:
You guys suck, your web link doesn’t link, I guess due to overload. Get it together before doing something like this again. I feel very ripped off. Free licence[sic] my ass. If i[sic] dont[sic] get one I will just crack this app and post it on a torrent site for all to use.
Excuse me? I mean, Excuse me!?
Is this really the way to ask for help? Do people actually expect someone to take time out of their day to assist someone who sends an email like this? And how, exactly, can you feel “ripped off” when being given something for free?
Not all of the emails were bad. In fact, some of them were refreshingly pleasant.
I know you have been slammed and you are really super busy, so I don’t mind if I don’t get a response for a while. I just wanted to make sure I got a license for your great app!
Now, which email do you think I responded to, and which do you think ended up getting ignored? Vinegar and honey, look up the cliché.
I think MacAppADay, for many software developers, is a good thing. If you’re a small developer trying to break out, it’s a good vehicle for getting some exposure. But for me, it did have some unintended consequences.
First, the experience left a sour taste in the mouth of those who didn’t get their license in a reasonable amount of time. This, for me, was the hardest part, because it’s exactly the opposite of what I was trying to achieve.
Second, it really showed me the full range of people who use a site like MacAppADay. Some are the “cheapskates” the John refers to. You can never make these people happy, even when something is flat-out given to them. Free simply isn’t good enough. I’ll bet that if I paid them to download the software, they’d still complain. Others, though, are exactly the kind of customer I’m looking for: thoughtful, considerate, and simply looking for a bargain. Nothing wrong there, everyone wants a good deal.
I suppose it’s sort of like what US retailers go through on the day after Thanksgiving: masses of people crowding into stores looking for the best deal possible. But among those simply shopping for a deal, you still find pickpockets and, as Fake Steve might say, frigtards.
To those who got server errors, timeouts, and garbled licenses, I sincerely apologize. I’ve sent many of you (at least the ones who weren’t idiotically rude) emails with instructions on how to get your license.
To those other aforementioned idiots, I suggest an etiquette lesson and lifetime of decaffeinated beverages.
In the end, I’m still extremely glad I signed on with MacAppADay. They’re good folks trying to do some interesting things. I got exposure to much wider audience than I had before, and I’m certain that some of those free downloads will turn into paying customers.
But the next time I do something like this (and there will be a next time), I’ll take a different approach, and I’ll be much more ready for the onward press of the masses.
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December 3rd, 2006 at 2:00 pm
I am very sorry to hear this reaction from the idiots. I downloaded my copy first thing this morning and have been trying on and off all day to get a license. Ok so the server was obviously struggling, but it finally worked. Even if I didn’t get the license, I would hardly complain at a free gift. Some people! Anyhow many thanks for joining in the MacAppADay experience.
December 3rd, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for giving us this great software, and I apologize for the inconsiderate people. This is a great piece of software and software I had not heard of until today, and the server app looks great as well. Keep up the great work!
December 4th, 2006 at 3:49 am
As a very small cog in one of the world’s biggest software corporations, I admire anyone who’s: a) brave enough to to try and make a living as an ISV, and b) willing to give away free samples of their livelihood.
My hat’s off to you. I have no need for your app, being a Firefox + extensions lover, but I’ll keep an eye out for other future products from you.
I appreciate your willingness to give something back to the ever-generous Mac community. Keep the faith: don’t let a few bad apples (pun intended) spoil your idealism and perceptions of the community at large.
Regards,
Steven
December 5th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Thanks for the kind words, guys!
Other than the incidents I mentioned in the blog post, I’m very happy with my decision. Since the post, I’ve also gotten some very nice emails from people thanking me for the free software. Believe it or not, that kind of thing really makes your day.
And on the business side of things, I also had a number of people buy Server Siren (one of my other apps) because they had found out about it by coming here from MacAppADay.
So I’m marking the day up to a success, albeit with a few bumps and bruises.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:15 am
I have to chime in with my really bigTHANK YOU! for taking part in MacAppADay. I think I may be one of those cheapskates mentioned, but that’s all completely relative:
While sites like MAAd and MacZot do serve to give me apps at reduced price, I find myself buying much more than I would if I never knew about these sites — which I didn’t five months ago. Given the good growth in Mac sales, I assume there are a large population of folks like me who wouldn’t know about the software of the many independent developers if weren’t for these sites.
It’s nearly impossible to eradicate bad behavior like that you described — we can find it absolutely everywhere. Cookie Assassin, Yummy FTP, and MAilSteward all fared far better than TuneX or Shoebox - people are absolutely mean and derogatory towards these apps and their developers.
Back to Cookie Assasin: I LOVE IT! I do ahve some ideas, after using it for awhile, on some features that would make an essntial part of anyone’s internet toolkit.
It could be not only essential to ‘Net Identity, a la http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2006/12/05/on-the-net-i-am-in-control/ but one of those “How did I live without it?” apps. I’ll try to get my thoughts into words to you in an email later…
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
December 8th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
I just wanted to add my THANKS for offering your software through MacAppADay! Unfortunately there are a lot of slugs out there that have apparently either been brought up monkeys or just choose to believe the world revolves around them and feel there’s no need to be polite or considerate. Just like in most sales/retail type of businesses they tend to generate the most “heat”. Ask any auto salesman. They are generally NOT representative of the majority (the exception being when they are the majority in their own little worlds).
Folks like myself don’t always have time to scour the internet for utilities and software that may help us in someway further enjoy our Mac experiences and appreciate sites like MacAppADay and MacHeiste, et al, because we can stop at the sites, download if we choose AND we get to enjoy the experience at the same time. What’s so wrong with that? Seems like a win-win proposition for me.
December 20th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
As a mother and grandmother I say: Nobody should talk to anybody like that. If you can’t say anything nice - don’t say anything at all. (And thanks for the free software - love it!!!!)
April 18th, 2007 at 3:24 am
Thank You