Monday, October 31, 2011

Summary of My Entrepreneurship Idea

This project has come to develop my idea and the comments and feedback have really helped me improve the concept of my idea. At first, I knew I wanted to start a snow day website and application but I did not think of all the aspects that I can add to the idea. KnowYourSnow started out as a snow day notification system for students, but then I added more and more and my idea has developed into a weather site, social networking site, notification center, and teacher communication service.  I began to incorporate the lecture lessons and feedback from peers and my TA and realized how innovative the KnowYourSnow idea is and how popular it really could be. I utilized all aspects of technology and updated the concept when necessary.
I learned a lot about blogs, entrepreneurship and the importance of technology from doing this project and really enjoyed thinking of how I can make my idea grow and develop.

The three students blogs I commented on were:
Zachary Hess: http://lostyourremote.blogspot.com/
Michael Gelsinger: http://where-u-at.blogspot.com/
Aaron Goldsmith: http://momshangoverhelper.blogspot.com/

Tech Crunch Blog Review

A powerful and successful blog utilizes all its resources to engage its users and provide them with up to date information on the subject. Many followers take into consideration the reliability of the information, the design and functionality of the blog, and how up to date the information is. As I was researching popular blogs one blog really appealed to each of these categories. The blog is named TechCrunch and reviews new technology, video games, and other technology aspects.
I really enjoyed reading the TechCrunch blog, especially since I am very interested in Apple technology. They have detailed reviews on all aspects of the iPhone 4s including battery life, Siri, iOS 5 and much more. Also, you can choose to see blog posts about Gadgets, Mobile, Social, StartUps, TCTV and many other subjects. I liked how each blog post is interesting and informative and there are many pictures and videos to explain each subject.
http://techcrunch.com/

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Week 7

KnowYourSnow can really be a popular and successful business, but we must make sure that the company is well-organized and easily manageable. In order to do this we will most likely use a database. The database will allow us to manage vast amounts of information, perform quick queries, and make quick decisions about information, which is necessary in order to provide our service. We will use tables with attributes consisting of the users name, address, school, etc. and it will be simple to keep track of every users information. Also, we will need to buy the domain name KnowYourSnow.com in order for users to simply visit our site.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Week 6

KnowYourSnow can be an incredibly innovative and popular weather and entertainment source, however, we must capitalize on all aspects of technology and keep up with the ever-changing internet fads. One aspect that is very important now-a-days is social networking and I believe that KnowYourSnow can definitely use it as an advantage. As our company grows and becomes more popular, we will add a feature that will allow users to create their own profile and interact with other users. They will have the capability to post statuses, interact with friends, and comment on whether or not school is closed. I see on Facebook whenever there is a snow day, everyone puts it as their status. This will allow users to do the same only on an easier and more specific interface. Also, users find pleasure in creating a profile with a picture and information about them, this will keep users entertained while on the site.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Week 5

The idea and concept of KnowYourSnow is different and I believe it can be extremely successful, but the meeting I had on Friday made me realize that it has to be more developed. For example, the aspect of KnowYourSnow that seems most appealing to others is the fact that it will predict the chances of a snow day. Most of the appeal of snow for young children is staying up late watching the weather making predictions on whether or not school will be closed. This website will not only make this much easier for children to do, but it will enhance the experience with fun graphics and effects. Children will put in there school district and click "calculate my chance of a snow day". Next, a meter will appear on the screen that will show the percentage of having a snow day and rate it on a scale of "bring out the sleighs" to "dress warm and set the alarm". This section of the website or application will have many colors and cool fonts as it is directed at a younger age group.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Week 4: Privacy and Computer Forensics

The internet is an amazing information source, yet it can be very dangerous. Many people do not realize that the information they post on the internet is accessible to everyone and is never deleted. Users need to become more cautious of what they are posting and websites must be able to better protect the users.
KnowYourSnow must be aware of this and aim to protect the users private information. Especially due to the fact that users must enter their hometown, school district and other personal information. Also, since the application and website is aimed towards younger children in grade school, it must guarantee their safety.
We will insure that their information is kept for our use only, not given out to anyone, even to advertisers. Also, since we do not charge users any fee to use our services, there will be no need to enter credit card information. Our database will be well protected and our employees will be background checked regularly to ensure the safety of young ones.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Week 3: Hardware/Software

Creating a well organized, well working, user friendly application and website like KnowYourSnow is an incredibly complicated task. In order to achieve our goal, we must use a variety of the software that is available to us. We must develop and design software and utilize software already created. Some of the apps that are already available to iPhone users can serve as a premise to build our own, such as the weather app. 
There are many types of software we can use in order to make our product work to the best of its ability. For example, in order to make our website aesthetically pleasing, we would need to use Desktop Publishing Software. Also, we can use Paint/Imaging Editing Software to design the web page.

Not only does the website have to look professional, but it must also have the capability to contain images, graphics, text and video. This can be done by using Multimedia Authorizing Software. We can also use RSS aggregators, Web browsers and VoIP.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Week 2: Excel

My company will make good use of excel spreadsheets in order to keep track of the expenses and income and outcome. With excel, we can record the amount of money we spend each month on expenses and see if it is over or under our company budget. We will record each expense such as paying workers, maintaining the web domain, advertising, etc. And we will record all the money we make, either from App purchase, advertising, and company investment. With this information, we can make educational decisions on what to invest our money in or whether or not we need to cut down on our spending. Excel enables the company to keep track of funds with a user-friendly simple spreadsheet. If our funds are recorded daily on Excel, we will be able to monitor our spending and create a company that maximizes profit. We will never lose track of our expenses and will always know if our company is over or under limits. Excel is a great way to organize and maintain our spending and develop a foundation to build our company.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Week 1: Topic/Social Media

KnowYourSnow

Remember staying awake till morning on those long winter nights watching the weather channel religiously to see if your school has a snow day or not? Well the wait is over. The revolutionary new iPhone Application, Website and Social Media site, called KnowYourSnow, will eliminate the anticipation forever. It's also incredibly simple to use. Users simply enter their school's name and town into the information box and are transported to a world without worries. KnowYourSnow will immediately calculate the probability of having a snow day considering weather conditions and past recollections. 

KnowYourSnow will take advantage of the technological era in new and exciting ways. Users will be able to download the application from the App Store and get updates and notifications straight to their phone. Also, since children these days spend the majority of their time on the computer and social media sites, users can "like" KnowYourSnow on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. The KnowYourSnow Facebook page will notify users in the event of a snow day and update them the whole night long. Also, it will allow users to connect with one another either to complain on how they didn't do their homework or plan their day off accordingly. Twitter will allow users to do the same while receiving free advertising through trending and tweets.

Although they are it's main target, KnowYourSnow will not only be available to young grade school children. It will also benefit users who are college students, or need to commute in general. KnowYourSnow will allow teachers to notify students if class is cancelled, and post further directions. It will notify users if roads are closed, trains are off schedule, or flights are cancelled. It will basically replace your local weather network with a fun, innovative, user-friendly snow notification machine.