For production apps, 2 dynos is the least you need not only because of sleep, but also because of redundancy. So there's no way of downgrading to the Hobby tier for lots of us.
Running 2 web dynos is the leanest recommended setting for production apps (obvious reason...). This means, in my case, a steep 45% increase for those small apps [from $34.50 to $50].
Every bit of technology provides benefits and threats. URL shorteners are no exception: they definitely add value (and I don't mean just from the sender's perspective, but also on the recipient's end, eg. by allowing you to customize web addresses making it easier for people to remember them) but can also lead to harm (obfuscating links to malware).
It's like saying a hammer is a useless tool because it can bust your thumb.
http://aherk.com - A "goal-oriented self-blackmailing service" that got a lot of press, including mentions on Lifehacker, The Next Web, Forbes, Washington Post, NY Daily News, etc.
Just a heads up, maybe you could rename twitter-hogan to something else. I'm getting ´ReferenceError: Hogan is not defined´ and a blank page because "twitter" is blocked on my corporate network. (http://f.cl.ly/items/2o2p3c2X173Z3u2t1F2j/bug.jpg)
I reckon some integration with social networks could be a good way for you to gain some leverage. People would be able to tag the friends they'd like to bang and see who would bang them back. I think curiosity would send some traffic your way, especially because there's a natural virality to your app if you approach it that way.
The best of luck, and please keep us updated on how things develop!
I cant thank you enough! It's great to talk to someone who had the same experience. Now The Next Web has also done a piece on us too and things are moving.
You point to something that sounds obvious, but truth is I have barely interacted with my users so far. Need to start doing this in a hurry.
I think I also need to improve my sign up process, making it happen on a pop up window through Facebook JS SDK.
Thanks! I'm trying to give a boost to my quasi non-existent social efforts and I think this is helping! :) I have to let go of my wallet too and pay for some extra server power. I have to admit the site is too slow...
For 2 dynos the price increase is 44,9%!