Other BeerSmith Products You Would Like to See?

[BeerSmith]

In addition to the next version of BeerSmith software (2.0) which we're working very hard on, I'm thinking of branching out into other areas such as a weekly show/podcast, a book consisting of a compilation from our blog, or one or more DVDs on brewing.  

I would appreciate your thoughts on these projects as well as any other ideas you may have!

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Smurfe]

First and foremost, a Mac version.  ;D Yeah, it's me again. Of the other things you listed it all depends on your talent and skills. A book would be nice but there are tons of them out there now. I guess another wouldn't be a bad idea. Your articles and blog are very informative. For Podcasts I would find it hard to compete with The Brewing Network. I try to listen to other podcasts but normally bore quickly. About the only other I listen to is Basic Brewing which leads me to DVD's. Jim has some pretty good DVD's on brewing. There aren't many QUALITY videos out there. If you have the talent, equipment and editing and production skills, a video series at a resonable price would be something to look in to. Of course with all the cheap brewers out there, you would have to compete with all the You Tube videos.

 

[BeerSmith]

You will be happy to know that V2.0 will be Mac!

 

[Smurfe]

I am salivating and waiting.

 

[stadelman]

A regular podcast would be great. 

Iphone/Ipod touch is hot right now.  The current selection of apps isn't great.  This seems to be an underserved market to me and a natural space for you to expand into.

You should make an iphone version of Beersmith.  This will be a great tool for iphone users and push people toward your full desktop version.

 

[MaltLicker]

A regular podcast would be great.  Iphone/Ipod touch is hot right now.  The current selection of apps isn't great.  This seems to be an underserved market to me and a natural space for you to expand into.

You should make an iphone version of Beersmith.  This will be a great tool for iphone users and push people toward your full desktop version.

About the only other I listen to is Basic Brewing which leads me to DVD's. Jim has some pretty good DVD's on brewing. There aren't many QUALITY videos out there. If you have the talent, equipment and editing and production skills, a video series at a resonable price would be something to look in to. Of course with all the cheap brewers out there, you would have to compete with all the You Tube videos.

IMO, everything is going or will go web by the time you produced it, so DVDs might be dated?  And iPhones don't have a DVD slot yet. 

If most of the YouTube content is poorly done, then quality on that "channel" may stand out.  Perhaps video there could be the teaser or lead to the full-version audio podcast?

Google has some outstanding 4-minute videos explaining how to use some of their features.  BeerSmith could use a handful of those.......how to: set up equipment, set up mash profiles, create recipe, dupe recipe, create a custom report, etc.  All the common questions........

As great as BSmith is, people still balk at buying it for $21 if they think a new version is imminent.  Do you think of these other products as freebies to drive BS sales, or additional revenue streams?  I personally think the better path is free, but with goal of making BSmith the premier software with the best learning tools, hand-holding, quickest learning curve, yada yada.  People are just hesitant to pay for stuff.  I suppose it's possible you could have a "premium" version or separate key that unlocks all the help videos.

 

[BeerSmith]

MaltLicker,
  I actually do have a set of BeerSmith tutorial videos now and they are free - you can reach them from the main BeerSmith.com site - I did most of them last Christmas.

  The videos got me interested in media since I ended up purchasing most of the audio equipment needed for a podcast or videocast for the screencast work.  I may explore a podcast a more a bit later this summer once I have a few other projects off my plate.

  If I do a DVD, I might have the videos online as well so one could purchase once and access either.  Perhaps a downloadable iPod version as well.

  I'm certainly not discarding BeerSmith or slowing work on BS 2.0 - but I am thinking of what people might like to see once I start to wrap up the main BS 2.0 effort.  We've had very good success with the blog with a large following, so I am exploring what other efforts I might be able to spin off.  A book/kindle book, for example, is not hard to do as I have most of the material already created as a series of articles on the blog.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Wastegate]

I like the E-Book idea! I have been requesting this for a while now. It would be a great thing to have more brewing books in this format.

Cheers
Preston

 

[cellarman]

I'd like to see another podcast but only if the audio is high-quality. There are a lot of podcasts out there but I can only listen to the BN and BBR. The others often have good info (and local to my area) but the audio is poor and I can't listen to them. I turn it off and read a book or check the web for the same information.

 

[MaltLicker]

Indeed, there they are.  So, eleven videos already exist on BeerSmith and YouTube. 

There are ~2870 members here, and unknown number of users.  Some of the YT videos had low number of views...........are the vids more watched from the BS site? 

I am not a user of YT, and I already know the software, but I'm wondering if new or prospective users use the vids to decide?  YT would seem to have as much reach into the general brewing population as any site online. 

 

[BeerSmith]

Thanks,
  If we do a podcast, audio will be high quality.  I have a near-pro audio setup with the ability to record/edit every voice channel separately which is the problem on most podcasts.  I even have some video capability, though I would need more bandwidth into the house to make streaming video feasible.  I am thinking of a round-table format for a show.

  The ebook is a real possibility.  I have a substantial number of articles to draw from, though some editing is always required.

  Finally youtube is a great site, but yes we get considerably more views on our own site.  I have not pushed the youtube videos much since the ones on the BeerSmith site are higher quality.  Perhaps if I do some regular video work youtube would be a good avenue to push.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Canadian Brewer]

Brad,

i have been using your software for over two years.  My wife recently thought it would be a great idea to change from a PC to a MAC.  So, you can imagine my anticipation for the launch of the next version.  Any idea when it would be available?  Otherwise, I'm brewing using pen and paper for the foreseeable future. :-[

 

[BeerSmith]

I'm shooting for late this fall.  In fact I'm taking time off specifically to make the push late this summer to clean it up and get it ready for release.

 

[keithds]

Long time Mac user here and I've got a jones for your upcoming release. Do you need an alpha/beta tester for the Mac version? I'm happy to help out.

Also, your chief competitor on the Mac platform has an iPhone version that syncs with the desktop version. Something to think about.

 

[BeerSmith]

I'm still looking at a late fall release.  In a few weeks I'm clearing the docket to work on it just about full time.

Brad

 

[robtotten]

A podcast would be great!

 

[t2000kw]

First and foremost, a Mac version.

Since version 2 will have a MAC version, this may not be needed if you're patient. But Codeweavers has an application that will allow you to run Windows software on a MAC.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/

I use the Linux version to run a few Windows programs under Linux. It does a decent job, not perfect, but other than some superficial stuff, the programs run as well as they do in Windows.

Whether or not you like Windows (I think the MAC has had a better OS since day one), it does serve a useful purpose for MAC owners--it helps keep the price down on the MAC since it's not the only kid on the block. If it were, you can be sure Apple would have much higher prices.

I only wish that Apple had better marketing in the beginning so that there would be more selection in software packages. Since it doesn't have the lion's share of market penetration compared to Windows, it isn't where most programmers want to put their efforts into.

I also think their hardware is of a higher quality than most of the PC brands that some with Windows installed. I don't think it is fairly priced for the extra quality, but it is very well made. I think that, if the prices on MACs came down to where the equivalent high-quality Windows PC or laptop was priced, we would see Apple's sales double or triple. At least wishes are free.

Donald

 

[Canadian Brewer]

So, I purchased Beer Tools for my Mac.  Its ok, but I still have BeerSmith etched in my brain from the time I had a PC.  Beer Tools is not as user friendly as Beer Smith.  I am still waiting for the Mac version so I can switch back.  :-\

 

[BeerSmith]

Its moving along well - about to release the alpha version to a few select testers.

Brad

 

[keithds]

I'd be happy to be a tester. My brew partners are running BeerSmith on their PCs and I'm using a Mac program. If we were all running the same app I could help you see how the two versions work together.