Virtual Mechanics is currently negotiating discounts on products and services from 3rd parties that would be made available to registered users of SiteSpinner and Web Engine. Examples would be discounts on webhosting, or graphics libraries, etc.

What type of discounts on 3rd party products and services would you like to see (that would be a nice fit with our products)?

Layouts... especially css layouts. I am not really interested in graphics (as I make my own), but layouts would save me a lot of time, especially if they were extremely customizable.

Also, I like ihost, but if there was more competition, I am sure I would like a lower price as well. The more the better- as long as you all check them out and make sure they are legit and provide great service... that would be a horrible way for you all to lose respect, if you recommend someone who does not do a good job hosting.

I also think that if you enlisted some of the users (such as Bruceee and others) as certified trainers and plugged them on your site (not everyone who buys the product uses the forum) that would be thinking outside the box (good for your company) and beneficial to those who provide the service (small fee) and to those who need it. I have some more thoughts on this, but I am sure your team, if they want to utilize it, can shape it how it best fits your company.

My 2 cents.

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

I agree 100% with j razz
Discounts on web hosting packages would be a natural follow on from your excellent products.
Maybe a link to Bruceee's invaluable website on your homepage would show prospective customers how committed your users are.
Any discounts on audio, video and flash programs would, I am sure be welcomed by both new and existing users.

I was thinking some more about this and I think some tutorials would be great. Now, I understand they may not be third party and they may not involve partnerships, but take a look at this: http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/support/trainingvids.asp?prod=cinescore

This would be something that I think would be invaluable in selling your product. If you can make vidoes such as this with appropriate voiceovers showing how easy your product is (or explaining why there are so many editors and how to utilize each ), it would be very beneficial for potential customers as well as those who already have it and don't fully utilize it b/c they don't know that there are other methods that can be utilized that will make things go much quicker/easier.

I own several Sony Madison Software products and wasn't interested in Cinescore until I saw the tut's I linked to above. It is an invaluable piece of software that makes my work a lot easier and the time it takes to make an appropriate soundtrack for a video has been slashed. I don't have to find a local orchestra to score it or I don't have to piece together the music I want in Acid- I can get something that sounds great out of a few clicks and adjustments as necessary.

Anyways, I would have never bought it without watching the tutorials. I think your product would see a sell boost if you implemented something similar to this on your main page and I also think that your customers who already own it would benefit from quarterly "did you know" tutorials that explain features that may be a little more in depth for those who are not starting out, but have been using your product for a while. I also think it would be beneficial to give a walk through of new features when you upgrade a product and how they are intended to be utilized. Man, you guys should hire me on as a consultant

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

Derry,

As far as I am concerned you have hit the nail on the head, so to speak, in terms of what I would like discounts on. Unfortunately I am not as good as j razz at graphics (so plenty of good quality pictures, gif's etc would be nice). I also like to use photo's to try and make my pages look more professional but some of the stock photo libraries on the web charge extortionate prices.
Good webhosting would also be another item on my wish list too.
Plus one thing you didn't mention, cheap domain names.
The million dollar question though is what sort of discount? As an example my current web host is only $1.99 a month and I am paying $8.88 a year for my domain name. Although I am not 100% certain of their reliability (have not had any problems yet) they are far cheaper than ihostvm. As a Sitespinner "novice" I don't really want to have to pay high prices for webhosting and domains that I don't feel I am fully able to utilise at the moment.

Thanks.

Derry,
Do you have anything you can share as to what your company is looking into or is that still under wraps? Also, when can we expect to see these collaborations? Thanks buddy,

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

I'll have something to report on this within the next few day

I am with j razz on the training issue!

Sometime back I suggested the possibility of WebEx based training and was met with a fairly cool response. Many of us do not have the time, technical knowledge or even have the skill set to know what we are looking for that would imoprove our sight. Working for a large software development company myself I feel that the success and future of our software depends on the ability of our users not to just use the base package but to utilize other features to exploit the true power of the software. No one will use all the features but if you review the sampling of user websites under "Gallery" if is obvious that the vast majpirty of users are probably usding less then 25% of the programs features and functions. Why continue to develop the solution further if less then 10% of the users are even using what they already own?

I know, without question, our site could be greatly improved with more intense training from VM or selected users such as Bruceee, jrazz, and others. It should greatly improve the sales and marketing efforts of VM by listing much more advanced websites under "Gallery" then is listed today.

Whatever the method of delivery I feel strongly that the users and VM would greatly benefit from formal training.

www.azballbusters.com

Support Arizona Paintball

Hi skydad,

I think users of SiteSpinner probably use more than 25% of the functionality. However, users of Web Engine probably use less. In any event, I am sure everyone could do with more 'how to' knowledge. As we get close to the Web Engine release, this is something that becomes more critical, and we are looking at different ways to help users make the most out of the products.

Here is the first offer.

Derry,

I think this will be good for some. Is there a contract or anything? If you use it for one year does it automatically renew and then you pay or does it just cancel unless you subscribe to their services?

Also, what does this mean for ihost?

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

We have posted an FAQ on the Jumpline offer.

From the FAQ:
What happens after the free offer expires?
If you chose to remain a customer after the free offer expires, Jumpline.com will bill you the published rate associated with your plan. You have the option to cancel the free offer at anytime and you will not be billed after the free offer expires. You also have the ability to pick your billing frequency (monthly or annual) if you choose to continue using the service after the free offer expires.

ihostVM is not going anywhere. It is another option available to VMI customers. New registrations with ihostVM get a free domain name, and the ihostVM Publisher is still integrated into the SiteSpinner and WebDwarf Publishers.

Derry, any hints on "the second offer"?

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

quote:

Originally posted by Derry:
Virtual Mechanics is currently negotiating discounts on products and services from 3rd parties that would be made available to registered users of SiteSpinner and Web Engine. Examples would be discounts on webhosting, or graphics libraries, etc.

What type of discounts on 3rd party products and services would you like to see (that would be a nice fit with our products)?

I like WebHost4life myself. A great web hosting company. Great help system.

With Verizon FIOS $34.95 a month, you can operate a remote SMPT mail server.

They let you change settings on the server, they will even let you experiment. Or better put experiment with you.

They offer unlimited band width.


Sincerely,

William McCormick

We are talking to a couple of companies, though I can't comment on anything just yet...

Derry, here is another thing that I don't know why I didn't list to begin with: Databases. Is there some way to integrate a "wizard" of some sort to populate databases with the content that needs to be there? I don't know if this could be a third party plug or a direct patch, but I know it would be invaluable for me in what I do for other companies, etc.

Thanks for listening,

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

Yes, databases. Always on our minds

this is off topic but i would really like if site spinner would give us 30 days instead of 15 it would be better so we can at lest fishing our web site or give us an extend 15 more days

Mariac221,

The purpose of a trial is so that you can test out the features, see if it is compatible with your system and to give you time to see if you like it. The purpose is not to allow you to build and maintain a detailed site. If that is what it was intended for, it would be free. I read your situation on a previous post and I know that VM was offering half off through the holidays- maybe email them and see if they will extend that discount to you. They appear to be a good company with good people working for them (as far as I can tell with Derry and Harpo for examples).

15 days is a good trial time of course 30 is better, but with the simplicity of sitespinner 15 days is sufficient to decide whether or not you want to buy it.

I look foward to seeing you around the forum and I look foward to seeing your completed site!

j razz
www.jrazzcreations.com

Just to add my bit, (late, very late, I accept)some sort of discount on a search engine optimisation package would be appreciated.

SEO appears to be a bit a flavour of the month at the moment.

Or as an alternative, given the quality and knowledge of people involved in VM, a webinar on practical SEO techniques or other related web issues, would be of value to the less technically minded (pointing towards myself).

Any way just a thought, I would find value in either option.