Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Thanks to the community I  now have my business idea heading in the right direction. It started out in one direction but has been tweaked, renamed, and generally redone because of the great feedback and insight from members of the community. Here is the beta site Interviewables.com

Thanks especially to CampSteve and CraigL for their input.


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Get Out of Debt

Congratulations! May I offer a few suggestions on the site design? I realize you`re in the very early stages at this point but I think a few slight modifications to the design could make your website even easier to use.

First: Be consistent with the visual cues you`ve setup for your viewers. For example, the color of your links is green so I would recommend changing the color of your headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) to a different color so they can be differentiated from the style of the links. At present, they almost look click-able.

Second: Consider better integrating the Google ads into the design. Currently they look more adjacent to the design rather than embedded in it. Also, giving them a similar color scheme to the rest of the website and making them less standalone looking will result in a more clicks.

Third: The GoDaddy banner has got to go! ;) I`m assuming you`re using them only as a temporary solution while you continue testing and developing the site but I figured I`d throw that out there just in case. If you`re looking for a good, reliable web host, I`d be happy to help you out if you need it.

Good luck with your new venture. One last bit of advice I have is to eventually consider replacing that template with a design unique to your website. If you need some tips on content placement, usability, etc, feel free to get a hold of me.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I really like the name you`ve chosen for the website. It`s catchy and memorable.

Best,
Mason   

Thanks for the tips. This project is in the very early stages and yes The Godaddy banner is going to be gone. I`m just using free hosting to get the site up. The adsense ads are part of Godaddy`s deal so they will also be gone.Right now I`m just getting the functionality of the site working so the visual aspects will come later and I will keep your suggestions in mind. What I was looking for on SuN was the validation of the concept (still trying to nail down the exact concept). I think the idea will fly. Now it`s just a matter of getting the site working properly and then starting the marketing. Thanks again for your great suggestions.

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Get Out of Debt

The idea is a good one but one question I have is: where do you plan on getting the videos from? Will you be creating them? If so, why should anyone place any importance on the tips you provide (e.g.: what kind of clout do you have)? Will you have them submitted from other members?

I think with the right image and good content, this could be a hit.   

The site is intended to be a place where you would go and submit videos of yourself answering the interview questions. You could choose one or all. The members of the community would then rate you and also give you feedback on how well you did. For instance, "don`t use that word", "change the color of your tie", " I would have said...". You would then be able to take the feedback and improve. The site is also intended to be a place where the user who does not want to submit may still view videos and maybe pick up some pointers.

The forum will also be important. The intention is to have consultants and professionals who are members of the forum answer questions and give help to the other members. Maybe HR pros or Image consultants.This is a site that helps you get better at interviewing and helps you gain confidence. There are a lot of job seekers out there and there are a lot of sites that offer this kind of advice on interviewing. However, I haven`t found one that uses the power of youtube combined with the power of community to actually help anyone. This is where we`re different. 

This will primarily be an information site monetized by tasteful advertising with a goal of increasing members to the point that we get the attention of MonsterJob and CareerBuilder.com.

Keep in mind that the site is in beta. The look of the site, wording, content, will be changed daily until I feel i have the right feel and then it will go public. I only post about it here to get great feedback like you`ve given. Any more ideas will be appreciated.

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Get Out of Debt

Y`know, I`ve been keeping an eye on this topic, and thinking here and there on the specific logistics.

I`m fairly practiced at computers, but the one single area I`ve avoided is video. I have a video camera, but I`ve never tried to take material from a tape and place it online. I have a FireWire connection, but haven`t used it.

I wonder how many other folks are like me? I`m totally fine with still pictures, music and other content. If there are folks like me, maybe there should be some sort of quick tutorial on how to take your video, do this or that, format it, and how to upload it? You might also use that area as an FTP folder for whatever software utilities someone might need?

Hello CraigL,

There will be a how to on the site. I also realize that a lot of people aren`t well versed in video or even how to upload a video. BUT, YouTube has millions of videos (although most are idiotic) so there are those who know how and will upload videos. This is where I really have to know my target audience. I THINK it will be college students, twenty somethings, and maybe even thirty something users who are well versed in the internet, videos, YouTube, etc.

However, as sort of a catchall move, you will not have to upload videos in order to utilize the site. The forums, articles, and just watching the videos should help out a lot of people.

PS. Most video carmeras being sold today are digital. It is a whole lot easier to upload videos with those than with tapes. Isn`t it amazing that a video camera that uses tapes has already been put in the same bin as 8-tracks? Oh for the good ole days of two years ago!

 

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Get Out of Debt

Good point about being able to watch those videos others have already put up. Hmm....y`know what might actually be an interesting add-on sort of, would be a way to do short "slide-shows."

Consider how many people used that Office Depot "elf" thing, last Christmas. One reason was they could upload ANY photo, crop it to only a face, angle it, and press "go." The application then pasted the face on top of the dancing body.

Suppose I could put up a "requested" 5 pictures of myself, dressed for an interview, taken with a timer or by a friend. Upload 1-5 and press a button. Then write the answers to the interview questions.

The system would then revolve the photos as a slideshow loop, at perhaps 1/second, while others read the interview. It`d be the "Low-tech" solution for people who want help on an interview, but don`t even have a video system.

Maybe?

Okay craigL. Upload a picture of your face on a belly dancer`s body. I`ll get all kinds of traffic to see that!

But seriously, you got me thinking about ways to cater to those who do not have video acces but still need help. I am pondering allowing pictures of you in your best interview getup and then allowing members to rate and comment on that also. So far we`ll have "Interactive interview practice", "Rate my getup", forums, and articles.

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Get Out of Debt