Digital Mines – Easy Management For Cloud Computing

12 thoughts on “Digital Mines – Easy Management For Cloud Computing”

1. 
   Feedback sought:
   
    
   Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?
   The value proposition seems fairly reasonable. The free plan allows a person/company to try out your service up to a certain capacity.
   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?
   Yes. Did sign up.
   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?
   Possibly, please see my suggestions section.
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?
   I think your product/service is presently moderately well, but I have some observations in the final comments section.
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?
   Comments/Observations:
   When browsing your site, I like the buttons (example: the box with a tag on it, and the magic hat and wand above the “create your cloud” on the signup page).
   Glitches/Errors: The Digital Mines “Control Panel” on the /signup page – The actual words control panel are almost invisible because it is a white on a gray and the font is so small I would miss it if I wasn’t looking hard at it.
   On the Internet Explorer browser, it reads “European Cloud Computing” Why is this only for Europeans? If you have a website on the internet, it is reachable to every nation. It doesn’t make sense why it is only targeting Europeans. Actionable suggestion: If this is a great product and service, I think you should market it to the US as well. You know if you were to accept payments via Paypal, they would even do the exchange rate for you too. If you consider this strategy, you would also need a 1 800 number as well.
   Suggestion: Your Call to Action is how potential visitors will react (and hopefully use your service) to your website. Basically, how many visitors will buy your service based on the look of your site.  If you tried using a “heat map” service to see where visitors are looking when they first reach your website. I think you need to see where your visitors are looking when they first get on your site. My eyes bounce back and forth from right to left. The words are on the left, but the video is on the right. I think you need to have a plan of attack for what you want people to see first, second and third, and so forth. Literally, make a list, then come up with a realistic visual plan so people see it in the correct order.
   Immediate actions to take: There are three buttons on your homepage that need something done ASAP. “Get Started for Free”, “Bring Your Own Cloud”, and “Customize a Solution” all have small black font text over a professional looking button. These ill-placed words detract from the professional-ality of the site. It makes it look less credible to me, and would deter from me using your product over a more professional looking site. Remember people are more willing to pay for something that appears to be more premium, and that includes crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. Also, your buttons appear to have a tile feature that is making the picture start over before your button borders end. I would really fix this two immediate issues because they are on your home page and are the first things people see.
   Actionable suggestion: Under the heading “Cloud Services” on the right hand side on your homepage, there is a list of items that are non-clickable (they are not links). They are your services: Scaler, notifications, links, monitoring, billing, backup, support, and administrator. Something about this list gives me the feel that your homepage is more of a spam-like page with services that less credible – rather than giving me a warm-fuzzy feeling of wanting to pay you for professional services. I really recommend either making these actual links with more content to back them up, or remove the list or present it in a less threatening way. It is like you are telling me something but I don’t have to additional content pages to back it up.
   I really hope you find my above comments helpful and that it will assist you on your path to success.

2. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense? Yes.  I think it’s presented well and that it makes sense.
   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not? Yes, I would sign up to receive the free server as a trial.  I feel that’s a valuable service to entice a potential customer.
   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel? Yes, I would not hesitate.
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently? The product is explained well, but I think there needs to be some tweaking to the website.  I would like to see the “Cloud Services” displayed as tabs at the top of the website instead of at the bottom right corner.  I think that would make them stand out more and capture attention.  I would also suggest a FAQ tab, just to answer any quick questions.
   I also noticed a couple of things on the landing page that might need some adjusting:   Under “Customize a Solution”, I think it would look  more professional if the word organisation were spelled as organization instead.  I would also suggest that under 5 More Reasons to Sign Up, that the complete words be spelled out instead of Sys Admins.
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier? Myself, I would probably not consider it as a supplier.  When I look into the pricing, it is not listed with the American Dollar sign, that to me, would make it look like these services are not available to me, as an American.
    

3. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?
   Yes and yes. It seems clear that this is cloud management software.
    
   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?
   Yes, definitely.  One year is a long free trial period.  I would certainly want to take advantage of that if I used cloud computing.  I think it’s a very good deal.
    
   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?
   Yes, sure.  Again, you can’t beat a free trial.
    
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?
   I think the homepage is basically well done.  It’s no-frills and easy to understand.  That said, if I were you, I would relocate Cloud Services.  It really gets lost down in the bottom right corner.  You might consider turning these into tabs along the top or running down the left margin of the page.  Further, I’d consider making the Quick Tour video and maybe the tagline smaller so that you can move the three main buttons–Get Started for Free, Bring Your Own Cloud, and Customize a Solution–up above the fold.  My eyes naturally gravitated to these three main choices, and I wish they were located higher up the page because they present your three major services in a glance and really invite the user to dive right in.
   I watched your Quick Tour video but found it too fast to follow.  The narrator’s accent was strong, and it didn’t help that he spoke very quickly and softly.  I also have to say that the echo effect came across as unprofessional, as though the audio were put together in someone’s basement.  I’d recommend that you hire a professional voice talent and go through the steps SLOWLY.  It would’ve been nice if it had opened in a separate window, too.
   Next, I clicked on the Tour page.  Hmmm.  Here’s all the information I’d like to have about your site in one convenient location.  BUT…it’s sort of poorly organized.  The placement of each selling point on the page seems kind of random, and there’s no identifiable organization or hierarchy to this list of benefits.  What I would do is start by creating a hierarchical list of benefits with the most important selling points first.  Then, group those benefits into categories.  For instance, you might have one category called “Convenient Pricing” and list under it as selling points 1) Predictable Utility Pricing and 2) No Contract–Unless You Want One.  I’d also make sure that all graphics are either on the left or right (preferably flush left) and that all copy is aligned.  The random indentations all over the place are hard to follow.
   By the way, it was only once I got to this page that I realized that you’re mainly targeting Europe.  If this is a big selling point for you, then you should make this clear right on the homepage.  For example, you could change your tagline to read, “Simple and Powerful Management for European Cloud Computing.”
   Finally, I visited Pricing & Sign Up.  I’m more accustomed to seeing sign-up registration on the homepage, and I’d recommend you try that, as well.  The remainder of the Sign Up page is a little visually confusing.  Although I like that you have the two main options–Bring Your Own Cloud and Create Your Cloud–front and center, I’m not so crazy about the visual conflict between the step-by-step arrows, which point to the right, and the blue sign-up arrow, which points to the left.  It’s kind of jarring.  Again, I’d suggest just moving the sign-up off this page entirely and over to the homepage.  Or, instead, a registration page could appear when the user clicks on Bring Your Own Cloud or Create Your Cloud.  Also, I don’t love the placement of the pricing plans so far down the page.  Instead of trying to squeeze all this stuff onto one page, I’d suggest that you turn the registration process into a series of step-by-step pages.  So, on this first page, the user would select Bring Your Own Cloud or Create Your Cloud, then a registration page would appear, and finally, the user would be taken to a page with various pricing plans to choose from.
   Ok, one more thing: As I often recommend to start-ups, please have a professional proofreader whose native language is English go over the site once more and check for grammatical errors.  I found some.
    
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?
   If I lived in Europe, yes, I would, largely because of the free trial.  But the speedy Quick Tour video is kind of a turn-off.  I’d be more comfortable if I saw some kind of user guide or other step-by-step written instructions on the site.
    

4. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense? The value of the proposition is well presented; I especially liked the video tour and layout of advantageous reasons for utilizing Digital Mines.
   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not? I would sign up for a free account; it’s free of cost and would add to my site’s bottom line.
   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel? Because Digital Mine would be privy to such valuable information, I would enter my AWS credentials only after contacting customer support to ensure my information will be kept confidential and to confirm that the website is indeed secure (I see a notice of no obligation in the Legal section).
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently? I think the product is well explained; I had no questions after leaving the site.  The presentation layout is precise and clear of unnecessary icons and text.
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier? Yes; the alternatives, costs, and availability of customer service would inspire me to consider Digital Mines as a supplier.

5.  
   
   Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?
   
   Yes and yes. You clearly express what your company does, what your company is about and provide an informative video within the first half of the pages site. Then you take it a step further and do a 3 box break down of your services and provide the user with more reasons to sign up. The layout and information of the page was executed very well. I also like how big the font is. So many times people smash so much in the page I feel like I can hardly see but you made it simple and visually eye catching.
   　
   
   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?
   
   I would sign up for free account with your company. It cost nothing to sign up and I get a free server, tech support and a one year trial period that’s a no brainer. It’s nice to see that your company offers something that is of value to a customer for free.
   　
   
   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?
   
   I would like to see somewhere on you site that shows that me as user is protected, being that you are asking for such personal information. I did not see any such details and that would be key to someone trusting that their information would not be corrupted in any fashion. That being said, yes I would use the free trial period.
   　
   
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?
   
   You did a very good job presnting your website. It was easy to follow, featured nice colors, creative artistry and an easy to watch video.
   　
   
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?
   
   Yes. You really take the guess work out for people to say no to. Again you customize, manage and provide free startup. You also provide great freebies for your customers.

6. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?

   Yes I feel you present it very well.  It’s easy to understand and it makes sense.  You provide cloud management software.  The “Quick Tour” provides a lot of information and gives a better understanding.

   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?

   Yes I would.  You provide a year of free service.  You provide basic support.  You provide easy to use web-based control panel.  This is a great deal!!

   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?

   Yes but I would look into it a little more first.  I would have to make sure that my information is secure and safe.

   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?

   I think overall it is presented and explained well.  I like the layout and I really like the fact that the font is large and easy to read. 

   One thing that caught my attention is when it states packages and prices, the prices are not stated in American money, so therefore if I wanted to upgrade, I have no idea what the cost is in American money.  I don’t even know if Americans are able to use your service.  It doesn’t state either way.  If Americans are able to use your service, then I think you should have the prices stated in American money too. 

   It would help if you include a “FaQ” tab or link.  The “FaQ” answers the most common questions that most people have. 

   One thing that you should include is comments made by your clients stating something such as “I enjoy this product” or “This product has made things easier for me”, etc.  It helps possible future clients to see what clients think about the product.

   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?

   I’m not sure, only because I am confused about the whole American thing.  The site doesn’t state if this is a worldwide service or what areas it covers.  If I am able to use the product then yes I would consider Digital Mines as an supplier.

   Promoting your service:

   If you are looking to promote your service or product, I have two suggestions for you:

   You should get a “facebook” and “twitter” account and post the links on your site.  I understand that “facebook” and “twitter” are social sites but they are the most used sites and are good for promoting businesses and services.  There is no better way for promoting than taking your business to the most used sites. 

   My other suggestion is finding a site that is like yours but doesn’t provide the same services, and team up with them.  Have them put a link of your site on their website and in return you do the same with their link on your site.  This will bring in new clients. 

7. First of all, I have to say it’s a great pleasure to review an European StartUp, specially from Dublin, where I am currently living 🙂

   Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?

   I have to disagree with the rest of the reviewers, I think you have a very good value proposition – easy to use cloud computing services, but it should be quicker to grasp the concept. When you say you are simple and powerful, what do you mean by that? [rhectorical question imitating the mind of the viewer] What makes you simple and powerful?
   After watching the video, I got it. You do have a very good product. but you have to make sure that you don’t loose the potential customer on his first seconds of the page.

   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?

   I think this is one of your best polished parts of the concept – pricing. Freemium has proven to be the right way to go for our era, and, moreover, everyone is already acquainted to it. Well done.

   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?

   Some companies might be resistant to this, it can be a pain point for you to convince they can trust you. It helps a lot to have such a nicely designed website. But you could add a list of clients that you already have, or but some badges of certifications of some sort.

   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?

   I would divide the video in 4 sections [2 minutes is too long for the YouTube mindset], so each would have only 30 seconds. Plus I would add a background music, and more text.
   Remember, you should have two types of videos:
   one for the new user, which is essentially a showcase, to demonstrate the capabilities of your company.
   Another for the registered user, which is a tutorial-like video.
   Define clearly which you are doing, I think that on your video you overlap these two target audiences.

   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?

   I think that part of the answer was given on providing the AWS credentials. As a big plus, when I was browsing through the website I felt that it was very personal, that I would have a very good support if it was needed. That side being well done, I would focus on providing a very solid corporate image. I have also noticed some typos on the website.

   Thanks for your time in reading my feedback, best of luck!

8. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense? Overall i can understand what u trying to explain. In the beginning, it’s abit confusing. First, the voice is abit unclear. i couldn’t really listen clearly what it talks about until i have to turn speaker louder and focus on it. Second, the beginning is abit confusing because i don’t really know what you trying to do and whats all the amount about. you should explain clearly what u going to do before u do it. Your video is short, which is good. People doesn’t really have patient to watch a long video. So, the short video u provide is good. But make sure explain it clearly. Yes, it’s make sense. But i don’t really have confidence on it or trust it. u got to prove something to us. Example like how does it really working. What system u use to run it. Show it to people so we can more understand and have confidence on it.

   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not? Definitely yes. If it’s free y not?! People like to try before buy. Thats the market concept.

   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?
   No, because i don’t feel enough secure on it. U have to make people trust u, confidence on it and make people feel secure. People wouldn’t simply give private informations. So, in order to make people trust ur site. u can actually receive some feedback from ur members and reveal it to the public. So that we ur members happy with ur service or not. It’s important to let people trust on ur site.
   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?
   With the video, i can understand. But it still can be improved. I like the way u present it. It’s simple and easy to understand in ur main page. But the explanation is abit too simple. U can add a longer explanation. Too simple make me think that this site doesn’t really give me a professional thought. You got to make people feel that u are professional in ur business. The cloud services that u listed in ur main page. U should add some explanation for each of the service. It might attract people interest when they read on it. You can also list the problem that usually people face. It’s might make some visitors feel that i having this situation. Catch their attention. The 5 reasons why i should sign up is not attract people enough. When i read it, i does not feel like i need it. Change the keywords.It might change some people minds.
   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?
   No, it’s more like a service provider.

   Hope this its helps.

9. Do we present the value proposition well enough? Do you think it makes sense?
   Yes, I think you present what you are tying to do well. I understand what you are are trying to accomplish with this site. I also think it makes sense.

   Would you signup for a free account with a free server? If not, why not?
   Yes, I would sign up for a free account with a free server. It would make it easier to decide if you want to go bigger or if you even like the service. I think this is a great way to get your name out there and get people to try your services.

   Would you enter your AWS credentials and use a free trial of the control panel?
   No, I don’t think I would. That number if supposed to be for you and AWS. If I were to give out that information, I would have to be sure that it is a trusted site. I have never heard of this site of this company so I would not give it out. You need to get your name out there and reassure people that you are trustworthy.

   Do you think the product is presented and explained well, or could this be done differently?
   I think it is present well but I don’t think it is explained very well. This site does not go into depth and does not explain a lot. I think there needs to be a FAQ section. This will help clear up any questions people have and might be able to explain your services better.

   If you were buying Cloud Infrastructure, having looked at the site, would you consider Digital Mines as an supplier?
   Yes, I would consider this site. I am not sure I would go with this site but I would consider it and look more into it. I would contact this company to ask any unanswered questions.

10. $5 awarded to zeke2100.

11. $5 awarded to jdcaraujo.

12. $5 awarded to greatfeedback4u.

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