I’ve Finally Caught a Clue

01.28.07 | Yasu

I’m happy to report that I’ve finally automated the registration email process for Yasu. Up until yesterday, I was manually processing payments by downloading data from Paypal and importing it into a customized FileMaker database I created for parsing and sending registrations.

The biggest problem using this method was if I needed to be away from my machine for an extended amount of time (like going to the day job), users had to wait until I returned for their code to be sent to them. That always bothered me.

Now, users should get their codes within 15 minutes of their payment clearing Paypal, which means I can just sit back and watch the bucks roll in. Just kidding. What it really means though is I won’t be as tethered to the old iBook as I have been for the past four months — diligently checking several times a day for registrations to roll in. I may actually be able to take a weekend trip with the family and not worry about coming home to a “Where’s my code!” message in my inbox anymore.

I’ve also (finally) opted to remove the “hard and fast” dollar amount of $3.50 from the Paypal donation form, leaving the amount open to the user. I’ve had several people recommend I do this over the past few months, and I kind of feel silly for not doing it sooner, since it’s already paid off huge.

Of the eight donations received over the last two days, only 2 users chose to stick to the recommended $3.50 amount. The other six amounts ranged anywhere from $5 to $20. A huge thanks goes out to those who feel Yasu is worth a little (lot) more than the price tag I put on it.

So there you have it. A couple of changes to make users lives–and my own life–just a little bit easier.