Ameelio.org
Web and SaaS
prison communication
SHOW HN2020
How HN took it
17 positive, 24 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 10 critical, out of 53 comments about the project. Thread score +0.11.
Idea: 6 for, 3 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Mission is meaningful and worthwhile
From 3 comments
This project makes my heart so full. Thanks for your team‘s hard work, meaningful and necessary work. Y’all need to apply for YC’s non profit program (edit: I see you’re already…
toomuchtodo on HNThis is truly an amazing cause! Incarcerated people and their families deserve better, and Ameelio's organization and outreach is going to provide an incredible impact. I cannot…
zachiemills on HNThis is a really wonderful thing you're doing. Thank you.
_jal on HN
Objections
Naming and branding concerns, such as the headline wording and the name resembling a Latino name
From 3 comments
This is a good cause, but the headline given to this post threw me. Clearly, it's meant as "make communication between prisoners and their loved ones outside of prison free of…
catlas3r on HNAwesome mission, wishing you guys all the best. But Ameelio sounds like Emilio. Using latino men's names is probably not the most appropriate idea for this
throwaway13239 on HNJust a tip upon first glance... You might want to make the homepage a bit more politically correct by changing up the first (and only?) two incarcerated ethnicities from being…
flyGuyOnTheSly on HN
Privacy concerns about Zoom ties and use of machine learning
From 2 comments
This is just Zoom. The partners and sponsors almost all conspicuously mention Zoom meetings and Zoom Celebrations on their websites. Especially because of the major WSJ story…
rshnotsecure on HNSeems like a worthy goal. Hoping for your success. Some sour negativity for good balance, from someone unfamiliar with criminal systems : Are there mechanisms in place for…
downshun on HN
Requests
Volunteer developers and contributors
From 2 comments
We could use all the help we can get. If you'd like, just reach out to our email with what you're interested in helping with or any skills you may have. I'm sure we can figure…
jessehorne on HNI'm really glad you asked. Initially, the plan was to open source all of our tools. However, we decided to hold off on that until we pick an appropriate license for each project…
jessehorne on HN
Open source the tools
From 1 comment
Are your products open source so volunteers can contribute?
freedomben on HN
Questions
Whether sender verification and misuse safeguards exist
From 1 comment
Seems like a worthy goal. Hoping for your success. Some sour negativity for good balance, from someone unfamiliar with criminal systems : Are there mechanisms in place for…
downshun on HN
Sources for the cost statistics
From 1 comment
> Nearly one in two Americans has a family member who is either currently or formerly incarcerated. > 34% of families with a loved one in prison are sent into debt by the cost of…
dudul on HN
Alternatives named
Global Tel Link and Securus
From 1 comment
First I'd like to thank you for the comment. You made me realize a mistake I made in mentioning JPay and Securus when I meant to say Global Tel Link and Securus. As far as…
jessehorne on HN
JPay
From 1 comment
They use jPay and similar because it's faster. Typically in the incarcerated person's hand in a day or two. USPS takes longer, then the prison contraband checking process, etc.
tyingq on HN
jmail.cc
From 1 comment
There is already a similar service but it costs (very little) money called jmail.cc that I've been using that prints out letters and photos and mail them for you. As an ex US…
hackermailman on HN
Flikshop
From 1 comment
Are you all working with https://www.flikshop.com/ ? If not, I’m happy to put you in contact. Do you have any (formerly?) incarcerated members on your leadership team?
sanj on HN