1 year ago1 point(+0/-0/+1Score on mirror)2 children
Sort of. We need to add a root certificate to do our filtering, and that's hard to add on iPhones or Android. I am cautiously optimistic for an android app, however I need to see if I can get more users with just a windows app to validate the idea. It could easily take 3-4 months of work to get an android app out and approved, and I can't spend that much time building an android app while the service is still losing money every month. I'd need to get it profitable first (and preferably profitable enough I can bring on another engineer).
One other thing I've thought about is a linux app. I could have that done in a month or two, and they have lots of linux tablets, however I'm concerned it's too technical for parents.
It's pretty small. I'm the only person full-time, so I've been doing almost all the coding and all of the marketing/etc. The next person I'm going to bring on will almost certainly be an engineer though.
There's definitely something here; like even random parents from my city will get really excited when you tell them they can block xx influencer or community they're afraid of, however now that I actually have a product I've found it's harder to get conversions than I'd hoped lol. I've had the best engagement running ads on twitter, but I can't really dump too much money into it because that'll shorten our runway. I do appreciate any thoughts you have on the matter though because I'm struggling to get the early growth I'd hoped for.
And to address the javascript problem I just used a custom solution for different social media feeds/search results. So I'll run the site through mitmproxy, see what format the content comes in as (usually html or json), and then I parse that file. So we've covered a lot of the major sites (google, reddit, etc) but something like scored.co wouldn't receive custom filtering, the parent would basically decide whether or not to block it based on which filter they select.
Okay, that makes sense regarding the JavaScript content.
I would look into ads on Google search, too. That’s how I found a good kid’s math tutoring program. Unfortunately, they’re not at an age where they need your product yet.
I would also try to connect with moms groups on Facebook, especially conservative ones. Maybe offer a discount or free trial to some members to get word of mouth going.
I've actually been hearing about the need for free trials from other people too, so I just added one yesterday.
Do you mind if I ask what age you'd plan on getting an internet filter for your kid (if you plan on getting one), and what price you think you could pay? I don't mean to pressuring you into buying this (certainly if you don't want it, don't get it) but I've exhausted every parent I know with these question and I'm always looking for more insights.
Edit: I want to add that part of why I like twitter ads is because the product has a political angle to it, so the ads will get retweeted which leads to a lot more engagement than on google or other ad sites. That said, I don't have nearly enough signups to make any sort of numbers based decision
One other thing I've thought about is a linux app. I could have that done in a month or two, and they have lots of linux tablets, however I'm concerned it's too technical for parents.
Also, how you block content that is served by JavaScript and doesn’t appear in the html itself?
There's definitely something here; like even random parents from my city will get really excited when you tell them they can block xx influencer or community they're afraid of, however now that I actually have a product I've found it's harder to get conversions than I'd hoped lol. I've had the best engagement running ads on twitter, but I can't really dump too much money into it because that'll shorten our runway. I do appreciate any thoughts you have on the matter though because I'm struggling to get the early growth I'd hoped for.
And to address the javascript problem I just used a custom solution for different social media feeds/search results. So I'll run the site through mitmproxy, see what format the content comes in as (usually html or json), and then I parse that file. So we've covered a lot of the major sites (google, reddit, etc) but something like scored.co wouldn't receive custom filtering, the parent would basically decide whether or not to block it based on which filter they select.
I would look into ads on Google search, too. That’s how I found a good kid’s math tutoring program. Unfortunately, they’re not at an age where they need your product yet.
I would also try to connect with moms groups on Facebook, especially conservative ones. Maybe offer a discount or free trial to some members to get word of mouth going.
Do you mind if I ask what age you'd plan on getting an internet filter for your kid (if you plan on getting one), and what price you think you could pay? I don't mean to pressuring you into buying this (certainly if you don't want it, don't get it) but I've exhausted every parent I know with these question and I'm always looking for more insights.
Edit: I want to add that part of why I like twitter ads is because the product has a political angle to it, so the ads will get retweeted which leads to a lot more engagement than on google or other ad sites. That said, I don't have nearly enough signups to make any sort of numbers based decision