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aleding |
Posted Oct 17, 2018 in: New subscription prices - what do you think?
Score: 5
Posted by aaron.c.salls:
Thanks for the feedback, and I appreciate folks keeping this constructive. You all raise some great points. Indeed, this was not an easy decision to make. We believe this is a necessary step in positioning Toodledo in the market and sustaining the business. We decided to share this because historically, it was focused investment in Tasks that made Toodledo valuable to you, and that investment had waned over time. No more. We are getting back to the core of what makes Toodledo great and refocusing our efforts around task management. We believe there’s plenty we can do to improve the ease-of-use, much smart multi-select and batch editing, more search parameters, and bringing our mobile app development in-house to ensure a much more consistent experience across platforms. There are product design problems we can solve, and looking through forums shows plenty of feedback and bug reports that we want to be more responsive to. Some folks have already made up their minds, but the reason we shared this now is because it provides transparency and holds us accountable. You'll have a chance to see for yourself over the coming weeks if our momentum earns your support going into 2019. My Dad had a great saying when I was growing up that seems quite appropo for this situation... "Well son, you got the talkin' part done..." Thereby more than implying that I needed to get to work fulfilling the expectations I already set... You guys have shared a lot of rhetoric and produced a new front page - again, that is a zero value add. And now you have thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak, in terms of value. No more words can justify this pricing so you now need to just knuckle up and produce... My judgement remains reserved and my fingers remain crossed..let's see what you guys can do... |
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aleding |
Posted Oct 17, 2018 in: New subscription prices - what do you think?
Score: 2
Posted by pawelkaleta:
...it looks like they changed the plan a bit after I had received my mail and now they included Task notes in the Free plan. Could someone else confirm? I can confirm that "Task Notes" is included in the free option in the the email I received... This message was edited Oct 17, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted Oct 17, 2018 in: New subscription prices - what do you think?
Score: 1
Or the lazy version...
The new cost is a > 200% increase (i.e. 3x) for the same existing feature set and quantity\storage allotments... This message was edited Oct 17, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted Oct 17, 2018 in: New subscription prices - what do you think?
Score: 0
Posted by MM1772:
Someone suggested letting current subscribers renew at the old rate. I don't see how Toodledo could do that indefinitely, but maybe they could give tiered discounts for existing customers. For example, if you've been a customer for 1-5 years, you get x% discount, 6-10 years, a higher discount, 10+ a higher discount. Or instead of increasing the amount of discount, they could increase the number of years you'd get a set discount. Totally agree re: some of the discount ideas you mention for existing subs but given what I've seen from the new team thus far coupled with how this was done, I don't see any such treatment of existing subs on our horizon. The new team seems primarily concerned with getting $$$ - not building on an already awesome albeit neglected platform... Again, I hope my perception is wrong...time will tell... This message was edited Oct 17, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted Oct 17, 2018 in: New subscription prices - what do you think?
Score: 3
I think it shows incredibly bad business sense to send out increased pricing in advance of any added features. Couple this with the decreased value many will experience due to either less features for a given cost point or static features at a higher cost point - it all equals poor decision making.
As to what I personally will do, already been checking out alternatives and based on what the new team offers us in terms of value, I may switch. That said, it does leave an overall bad taste in one's mouth as we subscribers are not a VC nor investors but having the new team present the higher costs as required to fund new features makes it seem like we are. And yeah, I know - some of us are "grandfathered"...but actually, we're not. The new folks are simply honoring the existing contracts already in place and which pricing expires at the end of the existing term. That's not grandfathering - as I said that's called honoring a contract. To not do so would be a breach and possibly lead to litigation. Fingers crossed that I'm wrong on the overall perception here but I haven't seen much from the new folks except for a new front page (why - nowhere near a priority) and a new pricing announcement...No new value there at all... I know Jake has said a few times post-sale that he trusts the new team...for me the jury is still out... This message was edited Oct 17, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted by Jim_Lewis:
...They feel that Windows 10 in its latest version is Microsoft's best OS, ever. And so do I. That's why they're called opinions...hence my constant use of "IMO". If there's one thing I've learned in my many years in tech, there is no universal "good" or "best"...and this is most true re: software as nicely illustrated with this thread... :=) |
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aleding |
@sunboxtv:
I so incredibly agree re: WinXP - while I am now on linux\macos, I did actually love WinXP (and still use it in select cases). IMO, it was the last good\great OS out of Microsoft. Win7 hangs in ok but still not as solid - again, MHO... I say the above only to reiterate your comparison to Toodledo...very much agreed there as well... This message was edited Jul 13, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted by GSP1963:
Toodledo Solo An application like the Toodledo we all know and love, that maintains the extensive customizability that those of us with OCD can't get enough of. Long-standing user requests, such as the ability to change completion dates, are addressed. Also, the application has been given a freshened-up UI that makes more use of color. Custom searches remain an integral part of the app. Users can pick and choose what fields they want, how they're displayed, and can more or less build the app they want, for exactly their own idiosyncratic needs. Toodledo Team An application designed for team collaboration that has the same UI as Toodledo Solo, but some of the ability to pick and choose fields and reorder their display has been curtailed. Users don't have quite as much leeway with the data (for example, completion dates cannot be changed). The app has a slightly more generic feel to it by design; if you go from one project to another, you can be sure Toodledo Team looks familiar. Custom searches are supplanted by predesigned searches. Both great app descriptions...If they did that, it's hard to imagine very many complaints... ...this castle in the air I'm building could get out of hand. :) Totally understand where you're comin' from... :=) |
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aleding |
Posted by GSP1963:
I wasn't playing a card, nor did I intend to offend you. No offense really - your or my resume doesn't really matter to me in the context of these message boards. But if someone brings it up, then I often mention mine for parity purposes in the off-chance others consider that when reading the posts...other than that - I was pitching deh-fo... :=) If you think the new owners of Toodledo ought to do that and might do that, fine. I don't think they should, nor do I think they will. We'll have to agree to disagree here. I'm not making any declarations as to what the new owners' should or should not do. I know what I would like them to do but I can't even really offer an opinion as to what they should consider because I do not have the requisite data to do so. All I'm doing is countering the assertion that having more than one Toodledo flavor is a horrible idea. Of course I agree that the goals and economics must favor 2-apps but I presumed this bit was self-evident... |
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aleding |
@Jim_Lewis
Many of the "problems" you mention I did touch on at a very high level in a very speculative fashion in an earlier post. Regardless, I never said the new owners will do multiple versions nor even want to..nor that it even made good business sense vis-a-vis their goals\economics. What I did do, aside from speculate as to the new owners' motivations and goals, was to pushback against unsubstantiated statements that assert multiple versions is a bad idea. Aside from Jake, Sam, Anant, & Ramon, I don't think anyone on these threads has requisite intel (i.e. the economics before the ownership change, what the new owners' goals are, what their economics and\or funding looks like, etc.) to make any assertions - if someone, including you, does happen to have that intel, then please feel free to share. It would be most helpful;... Anywho...If you've been in tech for any appreciable amount of time, I suspect you'll agree with me when I say folks often like to summarily tear down suggestions\ideas\etc. without really having good data to rely upon. I think it's good to counter that when possible... In any event, you and others have your view, I and others have mine...there is some delta which is completely fine. Fortunately, I think most of us do agree that we like\love Toodledo and hope it stays in the game. Personally, my fingers remain crossed but as I said in an earlier post, I think the worst case is that we still have Excel and of course, we can always build anew...hopefully it won't come down to that... :=) |
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aleding |
@Jim_Lewis: Everything you mentioned is basically what I summarized in a previous post as "...more focussed on enterprise..." and without knowing the new folks goals and intentions, everything is open to speculation.
So those who say, "Don't change ToodleDo one iota," are behind the times and are pronouncing its death sentence. This simply isn't a forgone conclusion. Could it be? Of course. Must it be? Of course not. Is it likely? Again, it comes down to what the new owners' goals are. And I don't really think people truly mean don't change it one iota - I think they don't want to lose something that they have found to be incredibly beneficial to their workflow. This story has been played literally dozens if not hundreds of times before: app exists - many users are happy...this leads to acquisition and promises to do no harm and to only "improve" on the good - i.e. to the "next level" (never a more amorphous term has there been)...app changes dramatically and old users are left out in the cold. I didn't write this story but I've certainly seen it a few times...it just is what it is. And strangely, far too many people think that change is universally a good thing but in reality, it's not. Change is good only when change is required and if users are happy with the app in it's current state, then from their perspective, it does not require change. People expressing that sentiment aren't necessarily behind the times - they just want to protect something valuable to them. But all that said, I do agree re: a push into enterprise. I do think the new guys are looking to make some dinero by hitting an underserved market with a highly malleable application leveraging GTD+...esque methodology with collaboration\mobility being key. And I think they saw Toodledo as a springboard to launch from due to it's maturity, flexibility, and design. Why build new when you have this killer platform already out there that can be modified in some pretty compelling ways...AND it's been field tested for a decade plus!!! Makes sense to me if I'm thinking like I believe they are... This message was edited Jul 10, 2018. |
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aleding |
@GSP1963: Yeah - pick any mainstream app or OS running today. Do you think they kill the current version when the new one is released? Of course not - that would be incredibly shortsighted and lame which is why it's not done. In terms of active dev and being available...again, different versions - For example, MS-Office for both Mac and Windows...
And, come on man - the "I'm an IT vet" card? OK, while I really hate to use my resume to justify my assertions, I too am an "IT vet" - been doing this since 1988 - all walks including app dev, LAN sysadmin (started w/ NetWare), BRAS support & dev engineer, WAN network infrastructure engineer, CMTS\DOCSIS software engineering at Cisco for 7+ years, etc...the list goes on. So while I really don't think any of that is relevant to this (or most) thread, let's just agree we both profess to know a thing... This message was edited Jul 10, 2018. |
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aleding |
I held off as long as I could but I gotta push back a bit...
There is absolutely no proof supporting the statements that having both the legacy and "new" iterations is not possible nor a bad idea. Of course it's possible - software companies literally do this every single day via different versions, major releases, etc. So let's please understand - this is definitely doable. Yeah, I know - it's cost...but that is also fairly easily mitigated (not eliminated - mitigated) by using a common code base as much as possible, increasing the paid subscriber base, and possibly (though not really desired) paid support. Given the app's apparently good design coupled with it's extensibility, I think the common base is likely going to happen. As to more subs - I'm talking about maybe adding a tier that would be like what the free is now and make the free plan more pared down. Finally, paid support - not ideal but definitely an option - at least for a while. And if these guys do go after more enterprise and succeed, then the revenue will eventually be able to probably enable free support for most non-enterprise users. This evolutionary model is not unheard of - Apple did this with several of their apps and OS revs. Glass half-full folks and yes, while still being a realist... This message was edited Jul 10, 2018. |
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aleding |
Re-posting the LinkedIn and interview links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramon-van-meer-a19a01144/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/parrsam/ Ramon interview on cheddar.com SoapHub - one of Ramon's media sites This message was edited Jul 10, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted by stateoftheart:
It's official: toodledo as we know and love is dead in less than a year. Well, after reading the LinkedIn bios, watching the interview, and digesting many of these comments, I think we will see ToodleDo move much more into an enterprise focussed direction. This may or may not be good for the more individual user but key will be how well the new folks understand the delta between those two usergroups and want to try and preserve what matters to the little guy. But if $$$ really is king to the new team, then enterprise will without a doubt be the #1 priority... For your reference: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramon-van-meer-a19a01144/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/parrsam/ Ramon interview on cheddar.com SoapHub - one of Ramon's media sites This message was edited Jul 10, 2018. |
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aleding |
Posted by ishayahu:
Also many features requests are in support tickets. At least by me. And it would be cool to have a roadmap of that featuers Exactly - if the new folks really want to know what users want, then the best place to start is the feature request and trouble ticket system. How much they rely on that existing data set will speak volumes in terms of the new owners' goals and intentions... |
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aleding |
My .02...
Yes - I am worried as well - only natural for we are collectively in fear of the unknown future for a tool we all love and rely on heavily. But...that worry is truly not of any benefit for it can't be mitigated until that future becomes present at which point things will either be good or bad... Advice Point #1: To the new guys - SNAPSHOT ToodleDo as it is right now. For many (me included), what exists at present is definitely not broken and therefore, need not be tweaked...at least not much. So, snapshot this incredibly functional "known-good" and if things do get screwed, you know which home to run back to. Advice Point #2: The new guys again - As quick as possible, allay some of the fears we have and put a stake in the ground re: your intentions, how important is revenue\profitability, do you plan on a price increase - if so when and how much, what do you see wrong with ToodleDo (if anything), are any other players involved now or plan to be involved, etc. All of these things - and more - should have been known before you purchased...Ignorance is only cured thorough enlightenment - so then, do us the honor... Advice Point #3: To the users - hey folks, it is what it is...not to be terribly flip but if they break it, they do own it. And of course, we can then opt to move on. I personally need to believe, for right now at least, that aside from $$$, they wanna do good things for lots of good users. But again, if not, then we can always fire up a new app and call it "TooldePip", "MyToodle"...I dunno...in any event, let's hope that doesn't come to pass. Remember, worst case...we still have Excel... :-) |
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aleding |
Posted Jun 24, 2016 in: Parent tasks to show total sub-task time
Score: 1
Are there any plans to have TD automatically generate a total of the rolled-up sub-task times and have this value populated in the parent task's "Length" field?
Thanks. |
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aleding |
Awesome - thx again Jake.
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aleding |
Thx Jake - and this may go without saying but just to confirm, I presume any valid entry manually typed in will stay there - correct?
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