My friend Antone Roundy talks about what’s right … and wrong … with Aweber in this post.
Let me add one to it: Aweber needs an API.
(an API – or application programmiong interface – is a way for programmers to write software that talks to each other.)
Not only don’t they have one, but they shut people down for “scripting” the form.
Yes, they need the users IP address, but they can get that when they click on the confirm link … like the rest of their competitors do.
Most other autoresponders out there make integration easy with simple API capability: GetResponse, iContact, even MailChimp.
Their alternative “email parser” works – usually. But it’s a pain to setup and seems flaky, not always processing the messages sent to it.
A simple API to add subscribers would sure make things a LOT easier to integrate.
That said, I do have a whole series of Aweber based solutions – mostly for Joomla, but some training videos as well – on the Intellispire site.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, it is very disappointing to see a “premiere” autoreponder contininue suffer in such an obvious area?
Simply having the system be able to POST contact information (even if that did require a a seperate confirmation) would allow many apps to use AWeber that currently either can’t or get hung up in the complexity of the “email parser”.
iContact’s email system is very robust, and their API is sweet … though setting up apps is very complicated, and the inability to change the confirmation link URL is a serious problem – but the API is sound enough that you can write your own app, if necessary.
I’m thinking about putting together an API document that would outline each function I want the API to have, what it does, and how it responds.
I think the nicest thing about Aweber is it’s simplicity. Clients can catch on to how it works pretty quickly, compared to iContact or MailChimp.
I think instead of asking “where’s the API”, documenting the features that you specifically want. (saying ‘everything’ is generally not helpful to programming folk) and sending it into Aweber might get results.
This thread is quite old now, and Justin from aweber said over 18 months ago they were considering an api. How long does this take? I spoke to aweber support and they said there still was no api, but that we might see one by the end of this year (2010). Any progress? As for what we want to see. That is easy. Basically everything you can do via the aweber UI.
Liz
Can anyone help me with info on how to design a nice looking aweber opt in form for a squeeze page? In other words, I don’t want the kind I’ve seen that had no graphic design to them.
Thanks.
Andy,
Aweber does have a way to “post” variables to the thank you page, which is probably what you are referring to.
And that can work if your designing a system from scratch, and if you are willing to make the auto-responder signup the most important (first piece) of the process.
For most systems … I develop for Joomla, Wordpress and a few other CMS’s, that’s just impractical to do.
Not to mention making your customers leave your sight during the signup process, even if it’s only for a moment.
Aweber does not, to the best of my knowledge, have a callback function similar to Paypal [IPN]. The downside of a systems is that the customer / potential customer must go all the way through the process before you are notified: in many cases, what you actually want, is their contact information _before_ they start checkout, so that you can contact them and “save the sale” if they drop out partway through.
Both GetResponse and iContact have elegent, API-based solutions to this problem. Aweber just seems to be falling behind.
Although not quite the same, and more complicated to implement if you already have something done for other platforms, a “push” system such as implemented by Clickbank, where they send data back to a form on your own site is a workable alternative.
George: thanks for the comment. As soon as I get systems for the rest of the AR’s in place (1SC / CommerceStore.com, etc) I do plan on supporting other CMS’s.
Nico: Yes, a lot of integrations would be possible of Aweber would just allow a form POST to their signup forms, or have a alternate (lighter weight) API for signing people up. As it is now, your only option is the email parser, which seems to be stable over the last few weeks, anyway, but is always at the mercy of filters and email deliverability issues from your ISP (which is why most people use aweber in the first place!)
Integrating aweber with highrise would be great, and very easy with an API
Would be nice if you ported your nice apps over to wordpress, I would certainly be interested in them. Keep up the good work, atb George
API availability is not the only shortcoming of aweber. getresponse is implementing a pricing structer that TRUMPS aweber. 500 subscribers for 20$ a month with AWeber versus 10,000 subscribers for 20$ a month with GetResponse.
i smell the death of aweber.
Hey Justin – Thanks for the reply.
Simply being able to have a function call (form post) that ads a user to a list (with related meta data) would solve 90% of the integration issues. Beyond that, there’s a LOT more you could do …
The email parser “does this”, but it’s been my experience it is unreliable. That’s because it relies on email, and the whole point of using an outsourced autoresponder service is that email from most hosting accounts is unreliable, we can never be sure the registration request gets to the aweber system.
The parser setup also causes me the most customer support tickets, bar none.
Hi Nick,
An API is an idea we’ve considered and may add at some point.
What would you like to see in an API?
Shoot me an email with details on what you want to be able to do via API so that if we decide to add one, I can include your feedback in the discussion.
Thanks, and thanks for suggesting the API!