Week 8 - Summary

Formulating ideas and concepts have never been my strong-suit, and maybe this project re-enforced that. Yet, I think what I've devised is a very rough (emphasize on rough) start to something that can become very useful and potentially profitable, if left in the  hands of someone who has the intuitive tools to develop such an 'endeavor.' In the end, I think my idea boiled down to ease of use rather than originality. I wanted to take an app already in existence, a mobile app that doles out restaurant reviews, in order to make is aesthetically clean and professionally moderated.

I think this is more easily said than done. There is a lot of competition out there already, think urban spoon, yelp, any website that offers reviews, coupons and GPS navigation. But reading user reviews is like sifting through an unreliable bargain bin of poorly devised opinions. I've read reviews of restaurant's where people based it off of what a friend said, without ever visiting! At the same token, who is going to sit down with a dozen newspaper prints (a dying medium) and sieve through all those clunky pages. My idea is like taking a professional restaurant review's and making them digital. Then taking those reviews and putting them in one place. It's streamlining.

I think the most useful thing from lecture I was able to relate to this was from the RFID/QR code lectures. I like the idea of seeing a restaurant and being able to scan a code on their window with a smart phone, and instantly seeing what a professional has to say, rather than hemming and hawing over a menu. In summary, if someone took the time to set in motion my idea, I would certainly download from the app store, and I think others would too.

Blogs I commented on:

http://sarahbrandt123.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-assignment-1-my-project-idea.html?showComment=1319650814141#c2945159914416983437

http://beautyisonlyhairdeep.blogspot.com/2011/09/entrepreneurial-idea.html?showComment=1319651043917#c7601464589909121598

http://thcockrellist195.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-one.html?showComment=1319651189554#c3164176958129618500

Week 7 - The Internet

This week's lectures directed my thoughts out of the mobile realm, and into the possibility of extending my application, into a website. Not everyone has a smart phone, all though an increasing number of people do. And sometimes, it's nice to view things off of a 3" mobile screen, and on the nice glossy display of a macbook.

The first step of the process would be establishing some kind of hub of where I can connect to the internet. In order to do this, I need an IP address, and in order to establish an IP address...I need a router. I don't think I'd need a DHCP server because this business needs very limited man power and can really be done thru one or two computers.

The next step would be coming up with a name for my website, using an unrestricted domain name. I'd want to pick something with brand recognition. Something like resturant-reviews.com. I could use just a standard HTTP protocol because there isn't really any secure information flowing thru the site.

Week 6: Color/OS

I'll start with discussing color first. Because the app is intended for the web, RGB color will be used. It's very important to have accurate, bright, and highly saturated color and photo quality on the photos, in order to most accurately display what the food looks like. With professional reviews, comes professional photos. They should be large enough and clear enough to be viewed on full screen mode on a mobile device/tablet screen without becoming pixelated and distorted.

In order for my app to get out there, it needs to be placed on a mobile market. The two main markets we discussed in class were the Android and Apple markets. Being an iphone user, and possibly a little bias towards apple products, I'd most likely chose to place my App in their market.

As we went over in class, I can be sure that there market is reviewed and secured. Also, the apple market is the most popular one, with the most mobile apps available. I think my app will be able to reach a broader span of consumers. As for making my app open-sourced, I personally wouldn't think it's worth it because it wouldn't be particularly involved, I can't see the fiscal advantage to doing this.

Week 5 - Review of Professional Blog

I chose Gizmodo.com as the blog I wanted review because it has reputation among the technological water-cooler and is comprised of articles written by various well-known bloggers. What first attracted me to this blog was the wide spectrum of products covered from iPad apps to adobe photo shop. They are famous for leaking information about anticipated releases and very good about building popularity and visitors.

What I think this site and its bloggers due well is cover a wide array of information in a very succinct way, in clear terms. For example, I clicked an article about Blackberry's Tag technology. I had no idea what this was, but within a few short paragraphs (and very few frills) I understood what Tag technology was and why I should I care about it. They also entries that were more fun and lighthearted in nature. I read article about a small robot that sits as decoration in a cup of tea and a clever article poking fun at some of the pitfalls of skype messenger.

The issues I have with this blog is I found it hard to navigate. There was no continuous stream of articles. I had to keep clicking around on seemingly random links, and I felt like I was going in circles. Also, I wished some of the articles had more content to them. They seemed too short, and didn't get into some of the more nitty gritty details.

http://gizmodo.com/

Week 4 -RFID/QR

     Bringing together the use of the application and the physical experience of dining itself can be a valuable coupling that enhances the benefits you can get out of the application. Let''s say you are walking down the street and you come across a restaurant that you are unfamiliar with. A restaurant can physically post a menu outside but that alone may not be enough to attract new customers. Now, put a QR code next to that menu, that anyone passing by with a smartphone can scan. And when they do, a comprehensive and professional's review pops up.

     Suddenly, the attractiveness and accessibility of the restaurant has grown and made the business look more legitimate. We can also use a similar type of interaction with coupons and discounts, assuming that more services akin to google wallet catches on.

    Now, at the end of the email, instead of having to have printed out the coupon in advance, a patron can simply present their virtual coupon to an RFID scanner that the waiter can carry in his pocket. Again, this kind of ease makes people more eager to participate in a very modern and versatile business.

Week 3 -Safety

When considered an application, such as the one I've proposed, safety of information should be of concern.  This app has the ability to recognize a user's location and sensitive information (such as email addresses and names) are being collected and used. The place where all this information is stored must be very secure. In the event I decide that I know longer want to continue providing this service, all components that store data must be manually destroyed (ie: melted).

When considering the computer I would use to store all the information on, it's most important asset would be having enough permanent storage on the hardrive. Something mobile like flash memory would be a good option as I can upload the information wherever I am and work from where ever needed.

My idea is relatively mobile and does not store extremely susceptible material, so these were more difficult topics to write on.

Week 2 -Security/Excel

       This week's lecture focused primarily on privacy/social security, and excel. While I struggle to find a relatable use for my entrepreneurial  idea in terms of excel, a place that I can expand on is security.

       My idea consisted of being able to detect where you are, in order to narrow it's suggestions to fit one's needs. Then, that person was able to enclose feedback of the professional's review to their twitter/facebook/etc. The issue with this is one may not want to reveal their whereabouts to everyone in their virtual circle. Therefore, in order not to compromise one's privacy, there would have to be tools that allowed one to choose whether or not they wanted to use the function. And if so, to whom they want to be keen to this information. It can be as simple as a check box indicating whether a user wants to post certain data. That way, they can customize their account to fit their preferences.

      A possible use for excel is for a developer to track positive and negative feedback on reviews in an easy to read format. For example, if people consistently give one review 5 stars, that information can go into a spreadsheet and indicate the quantity of people who found a review helpful. The same can be done for negative reviews. A developer can look at this information, and choose to eliminate certain authors from the database if they consistently produce poor feedback.

Week 1 -Into/Social Media

          My entrepreneurial project isn't so much of a new concept as it is a supplementary idea that merges together certain services which are already in existence. For people who do a lot of traveling, finding decent restaurants in a foreign place can be a cumbersome process. There are so many sites out there that offer reviews, directions, coupons and what have you, but they involve browsing and time wasted on dead-end research. My idea is a mobile app that detects your location and gives you professional (ie: zaggot, nytimes)  reviews and turn by turn direction (as opposed to just a map), in addition to any deals that the location may be running.


        This can be related to last week's lecture on twitter, because as I learned, twitter is not just for individuals, but also a powerful marketing and advertising tool. This mobile app could possibly search twitter feeds of companies/professionals that have a concentrated focus on rating and reviewing restaurants. Another possibility is that users of the app can submit feedback (via their twitter accounts) in concern to a review they read. If someone found a review to be helpful, they can re-tweet it, and it would be shown under article on the app.


       I realize there are applications and websites out there that provide similar services. Even though user feedback is handy instrument, my focus is directed more towards eloquent, articulate, and adept reviews from industry experts who really know what they are talking about. This coupled with ease of navigation and lure of discounts can prove to be something that travelers and even locals may find useful