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by redthrowaway 5205 days ago
How do I know it's high quality, though? $400 is a significant amount of money. Without user testimonials or reviews, am I supposed to take it on blind faith that it will be worth my $$?

I'm not slagging you, by the way. Just offering my initial reaction as someone who would be interested in such a class, who is doing a CS degree at a traditional university, and who would like to see someone disrupt the higher education model.
1 comments
padwiki 5205 days ago
As soon as we have users, we'll have user testimonials and reviews. It's part chicken and egg, I know, but it's the same problem any new product has. Someone has to be the first.

Other than user reviews (and the free preview and money back guarantee), what could we do to convince you (or other prospective students in your position) that it's worth the risk? Would a google hangout with Dr. Ostrowski (something we have been talking about) make a difference ?

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redthrowaway 5205 days ago
>free preview and money back guarantee

Make this more prominent; I didn't see any mention of it. Just "Give us $400 for our awesome class".

>Would a google hangout with Dr. Ostrowski make a difference ?

Absolutely. An AMA wouldn't hurt, either. Also, sign me up for your newsletter. Email's in my profile.

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padwiki 5205 days ago
Thanks for the advice, We'll definitely work on making our guarantee more prominent.

I've been considering an AMA on Reddit, even though I actually had to quit the site three months ago to get to where we are. AMAs on HN are a little tricky as the commenting system is so...unique.

Either way, I'll add your email and keep you updated.

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redthrowaway 5205 days ago
HN AMAs unfortunately seem to be a non-starter. I can definitely sympathize with blocking reddit for productivity reasons, but it's a connection with your target market that shouldn't be ignored.

I like your idea, and I love your goal, but it's going to take more than that to make me a customer who forks over hundreds of dollars. You've got the attention of the technorati; I'd first focus on how you can convert them to paying customers, then deal with the plebs later.

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