And the newest project is...
Posted by Dalif on 04/08/2009 at 06:04
Filed Under: Blogging, Geeking, Net Life
Once again, I'm the primary force behind a new and ambitious project. It has potential for greatness. Of course, in my head, it's already the biggest thing to hit the web, since sliced bread went digital. But I do know, when keeping it real, that the idea in itself does have some merit. And that, if done right, I can get at least some kind of decent thing out of it. The usual question is, can I do it right?
My main problem, when coming up with new shit is, my lack of skills. But more importantly (yeah, lack of skills isn't the worst) is my lack of carrying through. I'm the guy with unlimited potential ideas in my head, but when it comes to getting them realized, I get stuck with procrastination and timewasting. The worst part, though; I never forget the ideas. I just end up blaming myself for the downfall of them, and it spirals. Those of you who have read this blog for a while will know what I mean.
So what does a guy do about that? It's not the lack of ideas. Some innovative enough. It's the lack of power and ability. Well, the one obvious answer is; gather people who can and will share your idea, and aid you. True. That's easier said than done. I've got some friends, sure. And most of them are smart and able. But there is one problem: they have the same inabilities as I do, generally speaking. So.. lots of people who, theoretically, gets the shit done. Practically, however, it's a whole other ballgame.
But this idea. This newest addition to the massive catalogue of unrealized ideas, is by far the most ambitious. And the best thing is, it doesn't have to start out with the really ambitious part. It's an idea that can, and probably will, start out with a simple concept, and then grow larger. Step by step, it will become this huge thing. A business, if you will. I know I will. I hope so anyway.
I've talked it over with the aforementioned friends (talking stuff over is easy enough. It's the making it happen part, that's hard), and discussed the pros and cons. There are plenty of both. In a dog eat dog internet, innovation is hard. Thankfully I live in a small country, where localization goes a long way. With that in mind, making innovative projects is slightly easier, albeit not a doozy by any measures of the word. But one friend has the abilities and energy to get things going with me.
So what is this great idea, you might ask yourself? And rightly so. Well, in short, it will be a one stop portal for everything tech/it related. That's right. It's as simple as that. There are, of course, many more complex aspects to it. But it'll be, eventually, a self-help community, where thousands of people will interact, write, help, ask, answer etc. etc. The idea is, that the portal itself, will be crammed full of guides, how-tos and walkthroughs of everything from a DAB Radio to a full features home cinema setup. All written by and for geeks (yes, I am one). On top of that, it will feature a 30 minute IT video log, full of tips and tricks, reviews of hardware and software, humor and how-tos. That's not quite structured yet, but the ideas are many. Of course, the portal will back the video log up with articles and what have we.
"Dalif, you're a genius", is now the most likely thing to race through your mind at incredible speed. And I can't deny, you would be right in thinking so. "But", you'd interject, to which I'd look surprised at first, then smug, as I anticipated your question, in revered silence. "But what about money? How do you plan to do all this?". Yes, my dear Watson. That's elementary. Ok ok.. not elementary. But it's an important question, and one I have given careful thought. I'm wise in my internet ways. And I know that a site that offers fuckloads of information had better not be a paysite, otherwise people will fuck off to other places. The conect of the site will be for geeks by geeks, and it'll all be freely available. That's the plan anyway. As such, the entire site... the whole concept of the site, the portal, will be to inform people of how stuff is done, which is why the site itself will be my best example.
At first, making money isn't going to be an issue, because everything will be run on open source, and thus free, software. I will, of course, always keep a donations section open. And many of you will be thinking... "Donations? You gullible bastard. You think you're the Red Cross?". While I'd agree with you, that many, if not most, of the users will just be in and out quickly, without a care in the world regarding the monetary aspect, I have good experience, through other sites, with people donating. If the site offers quality service, and people get a sense of purpose, they won't mind forking over dough. The key is choice, instead of need. If a site needs you to pay, in order for you to use it, it's annoying. If a site asks you, and you can chose to, if you want to, then that's a whole different ballpark. And it's not just if it asks you politely (see entry from a few days ago). It's just there. For you to decide. If you want, cool. If not, then no problemo.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here. What I really wanted to talk about was Joomla. That's the system I will be using, I think. It's a sturdy cms system with endless possibilities. I mean, with all the extensions, plugins and modules for that system, you can do any damn thing you like. I went ahead and installed the core system and had a look at it. It's confusing at first, but easy to get the hang of. Me and my friend will get into discussing the wheress and the hows. With a bit of luck, my old high school friend, and trusty site admin (he's saved Dalif.com numerous times from the lurking evil that is me messing around with the cms stuff this site is run on) will want to chirp in and join us in the frey. As I said, it's a small project at first, but will eventually grow (I hope), and become bigger, better, faster AND stronger, than any other site like it.
Ok, I've said too much already. For now, I'll leave it at this, and get back to reading endless manuals about this joomla stuff. But I'm excited. Yes indeed, excited. Again, that weird little sparkling light of hope has been kindled deep down in the black hole of despair. And this time, it might just be a way out.
So what does a guy do about that? It's not the lack of ideas. Some innovative enough. It's the lack of power and ability. Well, the one obvious answer is; gather people who can and will share your idea, and aid you. True. That's easier said than done. I've got some friends, sure. And most of them are smart and able. But there is one problem: they have the same inabilities as I do, generally speaking. So.. lots of people who, theoretically, gets the shit done. Practically, however, it's a whole other ballgame.
But this idea. This newest addition to the massive catalogue of unrealized ideas, is by far the most ambitious. And the best thing is, it doesn't have to start out with the really ambitious part. It's an idea that can, and probably will, start out with a simple concept, and then grow larger. Step by step, it will become this huge thing. A business, if you will. I know I will. I hope so anyway.
I've talked it over with the aforementioned friends (talking stuff over is easy enough. It's the making it happen part, that's hard), and discussed the pros and cons. There are plenty of both. In a dog eat dog internet, innovation is hard. Thankfully I live in a small country, where localization goes a long way. With that in mind, making innovative projects is slightly easier, albeit not a doozy by any measures of the word. But one friend has the abilities and energy to get things going with me.
So what is this great idea, you might ask yourself? And rightly so. Well, in short, it will be a one stop portal for everything tech/it related. That's right. It's as simple as that. There are, of course, many more complex aspects to it. But it'll be, eventually, a self-help community, where thousands of people will interact, write, help, ask, answer etc. etc. The idea is, that the portal itself, will be crammed full of guides, how-tos and walkthroughs of everything from a DAB Radio to a full features home cinema setup. All written by and for geeks (yes, I am one). On top of that, it will feature a 30 minute IT video log, full of tips and tricks, reviews of hardware and software, humor and how-tos. That's not quite structured yet, but the ideas are many. Of course, the portal will back the video log up with articles and what have we.
"Dalif, you're a genius", is now the most likely thing to race through your mind at incredible speed. And I can't deny, you would be right in thinking so. "But", you'd interject, to which I'd look surprised at first, then smug, as I anticipated your question, in revered silence. "But what about money? How do you plan to do all this?". Yes, my dear Watson. That's elementary. Ok ok.. not elementary. But it's an important question, and one I have given careful thought. I'm wise in my internet ways. And I know that a site that offers fuckloads of information had better not be a paysite, otherwise people will fuck off to other places. The conect of the site will be for geeks by geeks, and it'll all be freely available. That's the plan anyway. As such, the entire site... the whole concept of the site, the portal, will be to inform people of how stuff is done, which is why the site itself will be my best example.
At first, making money isn't going to be an issue, because everything will be run on open source, and thus free, software. I will, of course, always keep a donations section open. And many of you will be thinking... "Donations? You gullible bastard. You think you're the Red Cross?". While I'd agree with you, that many, if not most, of the users will just be in and out quickly, without a care in the world regarding the monetary aspect, I have good experience, through other sites, with people donating. If the site offers quality service, and people get a sense of purpose, they won't mind forking over dough. The key is choice, instead of need. If a site needs you to pay, in order for you to use it, it's annoying. If a site asks you, and you can chose to, if you want to, then that's a whole different ballpark. And it's not just if it asks you politely (see entry from a few days ago). It's just there. For you to decide. If you want, cool. If not, then no problemo.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here. What I really wanted to talk about was Joomla. That's the system I will be using, I think. It's a sturdy cms system with endless possibilities. I mean, with all the extensions, plugins and modules for that system, you can do any damn thing you like. I went ahead and installed the core system and had a look at it. It's confusing at first, but easy to get the hang of. Me and my friend will get into discussing the wheress and the hows. With a bit of luck, my old high school friend, and trusty site admin (he's saved Dalif.com numerous times from the lurking evil that is me messing around with the cms stuff this site is run on) will want to chirp in and join us in the frey. As I said, it's a small project at first, but will eventually grow (I hope), and become bigger, better, faster AND stronger, than any other site like it.
Ok, I've said too much already. For now, I'll leave it at this, and get back to reading endless manuals about this joomla stuff. But I'm excited. Yes indeed, excited. Again, that weird little sparkling light of hope has been kindled deep down in the black hole of despair. And this time, it might just be a way out.
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