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Project Description
This project will develop software
for community-based, collaborative web sites providing on-demand
publishing tools to create, publish and sell photos, eCards, albums,
calendars, book, music, and more. Innovation Tools will help content
producers develop their content into other products.
There are other on-demand publishing systems on the internet. What makes this
project different is something I call "Innovation Tools"
Those are tools that help people develop ideas and
produce products. These tools would include such things as
brainstorm tools and product wizards.
Let me give a few imagined examples
from the user's perspective.
Let’s imagine you are a
photographer with a collection of photos. You register for your free
account, configure your webstore, upload your photo collection, and
perform any image reformatting you might require. Your collection is
automatically available in a browsable album in your webstore. You
decide you would like to use your photos as material for eCards, but you
need a "starter-set" of eCard titles and messages. You go to one of
the writer’s forums and post a request for written material. Writer A,
who is quick with intriguing titles and snappy one-liners, browses your
album, selects a set of photos, then uses the eCard Wizard to create
some interesting draft eCards. She sends you a message with a link to
her work. You have a look and like what you see. The two of you agree on
a payment arrangement, and you both register your agreement in your
webstore administration form.
Customers browse your webstore and
purchase some of your eCards. They may choose to use the pre-supplied
text, but they can also supply their own titles and messages, and can
additionally agree that their ideas will go into the eCard Idea Pool.
People can then browse the Idea Pool and select titles and messages from
that repository, if they desire. Over time the Idea Pool items are rank
ordered based on selection popularity, so that the most popular items
float to the top. A customer emails her eCard to a recipient who
receives notification. That recipient can then go to your webstore to
pick up his eCard, and potentially browse your other offerings.
Another example. Let’s say Writer
B wants to use your photos as the basis of a short story. He uses the
Story Wizard, writes the text to flow around his selected photos,
notifies you, makes an agreement, and you and the writer work out a
split-commission arrangement.
The third example. A customer
selects a collection of 12 photos and moves over to the Calendar wizard.
He selects a template, arranges the photos by month, and purchases his
customized calendar, which is printed and mailed. Your commission is
added to your account.
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