Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello fellow homeschoolers,

With the rise of niche social networking sites, I thought I would create one for homeschoolers.

Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect
http://www.smeedoo.com

I hope to create a focused and friendly environment, free from the less desirable aspects of other social networks frequented by "socialized" adolescents.  :)

There is no cost to sign up and most of the content can be accessed without registering.  If you register, you will be able to create a blog, share pictures, create/participate in forums, and create polls.  Please stop by and check it out!

I used drupal to set up the site.  Right now it is pretty spartan on sex appeal, because my budget is limited.  Once it starts to pick up,  I have a mental roadmap for improving the site.  For example, when I get 100 registered users, I will get a professional logo, 1000 users and I will upgrade to dedicated server, etc...

Thank you for taking the time to review my site!

Thanks,

Kevin

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Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect

Neat site! I think you`ve got a definite niche here, but the site loaded very slowly on my system (FireFox, DSL). It might`ve been a momentary problem, but it took about 30 seconds. If it`s not a momentary thing, then see if you can get it snap into place--at least the home page.

Home schooling is growing, that`s for sure. Anyplace that`ll provide a central nexus for resources, ideas, questions, and so on, I think is going to do well. How will you make money from this?

Thanks for the feedback, Craig!

I am using Google Adwords, though not on my landing page, and an Amazon bookstore initially to generate revenue to support the site.  I am also pursuing an e-commerce site that will hopefully be a one-stop shop for the majority of the homeschoolers` needs. 

I recently listened to a great interview on

http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/

about pursuing you passion.  My wife was chuckling in the background and wondering aloud if her guest, Dr. Srikumar Rao, was talking directly to me.  I hope this site will provide myself and other homeschooling entrepreneurs with a great place to exchange ideas, pursue passions, and see opportunities to help others pursue their passions.


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Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect

I think your current activity should focus on site visibility. :-) The more people you can get involved, asking questions and talking, the more action the site will generate.

I visited the site again, today, and it`s too slow. All the navigational changes took too long, so that has to be fixed. You`ll want to speak with a developer on that, because I know a few people said Drupal is a great way to go. So it`s gotta be an implementation issue.

The forum is going to be, I think, a major part of the site. As such, I`d like to see the registration and log-in system work much like SuN. You don`t notice it until you try to respond to a topic. Then you get a context-sensitive note to either log in or register (for free).

To try it, go to your profile on SuN and "Logout." Then read this topic and try to post a reply. In other words, anyone can read everything without being a member. But if they`d like to participate, then they register.

Your registered-users database is going to be crucial. That`s where you`ll be able to handle emails such as a newsletter and the like. It might possibly make sense on a commercial basis, later....much later. For now, though, you`ll need a good way to maintain that database.

Right now your forum tab is almost invisible, up there at the top. The Log-in system is huge, in-your-face, and taking up all your navigation space. I think it`d be nicer if the navigation was on the left side, with administrative things like a registration being up in the tabs.

There`s going to be a terrific opportunity here, very much like SuN, to tap into a massive number of people who feel a bit isolated at the moment. Aren`t there any other home-schooling communities?

If not (and even if there are), speed is the key. The site has to be "transparent" to the user, where they don`t notice the technology. Instead, they only notice the content, and what they`re trying to do. So get that speed issue taken care of, I think, as part of your Phase1.

Thanks for the extra feedback, Craig.  I contacted Bryght.com, the company hosting my site, and they are looking into the performance issues.  Hopefully it won`t take much to resolve this issue. 

If anyone has recommendations for hosting services, I would really appreciate it.

I liked your recommendations and have implemented them.  The login is at the very top now, taking up less real estate.  The forums have a prominent space on the sidebar.  All the content is visible to unregistered users.  You only login if you want to contribute to the community.



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Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect

That looks much nicer. :-) I`d like to see the Forums button either moved or replicated on the left side, where standard navigation would take place.

As it is, you have "New Forum Topics." Fine, but why can`t I see Forums right at the top of that list? It seems logical that if I first see the word Forums, then below that "New Topics" I`d know how to quickly get to those forums. Right?

I have added some content and moved things around a little.  I am a little limited by the templates available for my current hosting plan, but once things pick up I will have a little more flexibility over the overall look.  Right now I am spending most of my time getting the word out about the site.  Thanks for the great feedback.

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Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect

This is starting to really come together. :-) As such, it`s a great time for nitpicking, details, and G&G (Gripes & Grumbles, a term I just made up).

The site loaded slow, but much faster than previously. It`s doable, for now. So I started wandering around, looking at it from the perspective of being a dad for a 12-yearold girl who I want to start homeschooling.

First: On the left menu bar, having "Navigation" as the heading makes no sense. Everyone nowadays knows that a menu bar to the left is about navigation, so to title it thusly is redundant.

What I`d like to see is a more buttonized type of bar. Forums should be a button on its own, and the heck with having "Active Forum Topics." When you get to the forums, THEN you can have the high-volume or latest topics, like SuN does. But not from the main page.

Secondly: By making "Forums" a single button, you have room for "Resources." That`s what I couldn`t easily find.

Here`s what went through my mind. I went to the site, pretending I was the example dad. At first, out of curiosity, I wanted to see who`s involved, how many people, and what they`re talking about. So I wanted to very quickly see the forum button, go there, and peruse the topics. It`s much easier now than previously.

But...then I wanted to know, "Okay...so what can I do? I don`t know much about this, and I`m not sure what the laws are."

That`s where "Resources" would really help. I`d like to have pages of links and explanations/descriptions of those links, where I can find out:

• Is it legal to yank my kid out of school and start teaching them at home?
• What about Illinois?
• What about national testing standards; how do I comply with those?
• Where can I get lesson plans and materials that would comply?
• Suppose I`m stuck at work, or sick...how do I keep up my kid`s schooling?
• What about handling homework when the kid`s at home?
• How do I separate out the idea of living at home, and daily schooling?
• What happens if I try to teach something about which I haven`t a clue, like calculus?

These shouldn`t be in the form of a FAQ. They should be a solution for people who want a 1-stop-shop site ALL about home schooling.

Startup Nation is a single resource ALL about how you can find and talk with other people, just like you, who are starting a business from scratch. There`s all kinds of information about anything related to what it`s like being at home trying to make some money.

So too, Smeedoo should be ALL about people who want to take their kids out of school and teach them the old-fashioned way. It should deal with pitfalls, an overall action plan, and "How To" articles. It should carry someone from the moment they wonder, "Gee...I wonder what home schooling is?" all the way to, "How can I get my kids into college when they`ve only been schooled at home all their lives?"

There are lots of things to add to this site, but that`s a GOOD thing! It means you have a seriously useful and important "product" with national interest. It`s the implementation that`s going to be the bear, and you might want to consider some additional help. :-) Keep at it, though. It`s a really great idea!

Thanks, CraigL!  A ton of great feedback.  I have started sketching out ways to implement all of that, which in turn has spurned other ideas for the site.     I should have some of that framework in place in about a week.  I will probably look to getting some extra help once the site starts to get traction.  I have been getting hits daily and I have been working the SEO angle through my own legwork.  

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Smeedoo: Where homeschoolers connect

One of the things we did that`s been really helping, was to put Google Analytics on our site. Aside from helping us see how many people are coming to the pages, using the analytics puts us into the main index on Google, I think. That helped right away, and we started seeing not only more activity, but where it was coming from

The two biggest sources for visits are eBay and the Startup Nation (SuN) marketplace. Another good one is Squidoo, and you might put a "lens" on there. It`s free, after all.

Finally, note that the SuN profile gets picked up a lot! So put your site link in your signature, and be sure that you have a simple explanation of what you offer, where you`re located, and who you are.