Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Aloha and Happy New Year

Wanted to start the year off on the right foot by introducing myself to the members of the community.  I`ve been a big fan of the website and the podcasts for over a year now and I`m delighted to become a part of this great resource.  

I am a software developer and Internet marketer in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I have been working in the Information Technology field since 1981 and consider myself to be an Internet Veteran, having obtained my first e-mail address in 1989 (I had a government job at the time, the Internet had yet to become available commercially). For the last 12 years I have been self-employed, working on IT contracts for both very large and very small companies.  

I am currently putting the finishing touches on a pet project of mine, one that I initially developed for my own use but have expanded into a soon-to-be commercial product. The product is targeted towards other Internet Marketers and web-based entrepreneurs, its main purpose is to allow you to control an “empire” of web sites and other online marketing projects.  It features both an online component and a (Windows) software application, as well as a mobile phone component. This allows the user to manage their web empire from their computer, their cell phone or using a Pocket PC.  The software application will also permit you to manage your web projects off-line and then synchronize them to the Internet the next time you are connected. This is very useful when you are traveling, in fact I tested it myself on several long flights last month.

I will soon  be at the stage where I will need beta-testers for the product, however I`m not sure exactly how to go about it. I have built a separate beta-testers website with a forum and a help-desk application so that my beta-testers can report their experiences and provide feedback. I have drafted up rudimentary beta-testers and non-disclose agreements that I will have beta-testers sign. In return for their services I plan on offering them free access to the product (for a year or for life, depending upon their level of involvement in the beta testing). 

If anyone has any advice for recruiting beta testers or if you have an interest in becoming one yourself I`d love to hear from you. I`d also be pleased to offer any advice that I can regarding both the technical and marketing side of Internet-based businesses.

I wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Bill

The product`s primary interface is a web-based component that is usable on any Internet-connected workstation, in fact my primary workstation is actually an Ubuntu LINUX machine (and I also have a Mac running OSX in my office to test with).  I have been consistently testing with every browser that I can get my hands on in all platforms (with the exception of IE 5 on the Mac as it has several CSS rendering flaws so I usually ignore it).

The workstation component is an enhancement to the application to allow for offline use, it allows you to work with your data and then synchronize it with the online database when you get connected to the Internet again.  Right now I`m developing it only for Windows as I have a lot of experience coding for Windows and it still is the most common platform.  However I have every intention of eventually porting it to the Mac.

As for LINUX that will depend upon how the Mac version is coded, if I am successful with the initial release I`ll probably hire a Java guru to do the work in which case it shouldn`t be to hard to run under LINUX.

Your point is valid - several of my clients are Mac fans and as you said,  I certainly don`t want to miss out on any potential customers.

Thanks

Bill