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Ask YC: Are you more likely to use an online service if sign up is optional?

4 points by mellow ↗ HN
If I had two versions of an online service - one with limited features that doesn't require signing up and one with slightly more features but requiring a sign up, which are you likely to opt for? The no-sign up service could be completed in under 30 seconds. With sign-up you are looking at the first transaction taking ~ 5 minutes with email confirmation etc

5 comments

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apgwoz
Since I like to try out a ton of different services, I normally end up with a bunch of accounts and a bunch of passwords. I don't exactly like this. I'd much rather be able to try out the app and then decide later if I want to sign up. (This is one great advantage of OpenID, but you still have to leave information on the service)

This does two things in my opinion. It would save me from having to worry about information leaking (email address, etc) to services that I'm actually not interested in using. Two, it potentially saves the product developers from getting their hopes up when they see tons of users signing up at launch, only to realize that most of them never come back.

I really like the way jaanix.com takes care of this, or rather used to take care of this. They gave you an account like guestXXXX or something strange, that could then be converted into your real account, when you actually sign up.

owkaye
Posterous does this and I think it's great.
apgwoz
The way posterous handles signups is indeed great. Actually, posterous as a product is pretty great, I don't know why I don't actually use it.
gamache
No signup wins by a mile. Having to create accounts on every two-bit website is annoying, and I usually just go somewhere else.
srn
Almost certainly the no-sign up. Why go to the hassle if I'm not even sure I want to use it yet?