[timjahn]

If the Basecamp homepage did a very poor job of communicating what it is, I find it hard to believe it would yield the best conversion.

[raylu]

You find it hard to believe that people would pay for things without understanding what they are? I don't understand your premise.

Do you honestly think the Basecamp homepage communicates what it is? As stated earlier, the description could apply just as well to Dropbox, MediaWiki, or Eventbrite.