Chapter 9: Making of Beta 1.0

Great work guys. You did a decent job in the previous chapter.

This chapter has purposely taken its time because I expected this BUFFER-TIME to be used to develop your respective skills required.

So let us start with a review of your idea that you submitted:

1. I really like the way I am entering and I find out 8 different things to explore at one place and like you call it 8 worlds.
2. The dilemma: Good, but make things neater because not very often you are offering the best content at the top, so make more things visible.
3. Who am I? : I think that this will build up in stages as the time goes.
4. Comfort Zone: Maybe not unique, but requirement specific. It solves the same problems that many blogs address. So be careful to add things that have the best in the business data.
5. Fairyland: As interesting as it sounds, and I feel that you'll carry me to an all different world in which I can feel all good, you instead take me back to the COMFORT ZONE like section with no distinction.
6. Kismet Connection: Too cheesy name. Seems like Tinder or an Indian Dating Site. You can't just make 2 random people meet and discuss stuff. Think this over and make two people talk in a way that it solves a problem.
7. Inspiration Reloaded: Again something that has the Comfort Zone scenario."Maybe not unique, but requirement specific. It solves the same problems that many blogs address. So be careful."
8. Discover thy purpose: This is something that I really appreciate. Here, you are creating a problem-solving algorithm that predicts a person's behavior. But isn't this what those irritating messages in our phones tell us the whole day that we can do the same by subscribing to them. So, make this more proof based or empirical. State the similar people who have gone through the same, then it may be celebs or our users. Figure a way to do it.
9. The Superhero: This has a huge potential and if managed properly can single-handedly turn things around for you(Isn't this what yourstory.com does). So the question arises that what makes you unique? Here add personal experiences of people. Bluntly stated people show all their good nature here rather than on quora. The way they helped animals and the way they learnt their lessons in life.

You have an image, but make that image stronger and more clear. Don't make it being selfish and making things you want to see. Make it keeping in mind your harshest critic, who wants every reason on Earth to leave your site. It is your responsibility to offer him something that he can't refuse like "Learn what billionaires say about being a billionaire" or "It was more than life when I last called."

Front-end can be modified anytime but I believe you all have a good taste for colors and designs, so that won't be a problem. Make things more interesting. Think of it as a movie that the audience waits for everyday. You are nothing more than a daily soap.

Now for the next targets in line.

Coders gear up. Back-end guys, you know exactly what to do. Make everything that the above features demand. Share all your questions with Verma. In case of advanced queries, I'll set you learning classes (True for the girls at Mandakini too for doubts at odd times). Moreover, I believe tabulating the tasks at hand will help you better uncomplicate the situation.

Flag 1:The back-end coders are required to write a complete list of features they are to code(their targets of coding). Make this in a timeline fashion(In the order that you'll pursue coding them). Include minor things like sharing and tagging.(Develop it like a checklist).

Meanwhile, the front end coders start digging in already at your job. Every back-end code should receive a completed front-end everytime.

Flag 2: Identify 5 primary features that the product would carry in the beginning of its Phase 1 release. Start development of the primary 5 features(or maybe "the Worlds", if it sounds better) your product will carry during the release. These should define and solve the purpose completely, so be shrewd in your choice.

Flag 3: Integrate the back end and the front end. A rude Beta version is expected to be ready and working. 

Also, search for domain names. Everyone has to submit 2 available domain names according to their styles to me. This one will include the final year too. The best domain name by vote gets a gift (if you win).

Deadlines:

Flag 1: 2 days(12th and 13th May)

Flag 2: 9 days (14th to 22nd midnight)

Flag 3: 2 days(23rd and 24th May)

I'm following you all closely in this phase. Submit me the first report of Flag 1 before the midnight of 13th May. This is the most exciting phase, so be there to be a part of the action every moment. 

And as for the FIRST LAW OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, you'll hear it very soon(for those of you who haven't), and it is already happening and working within you all.

Chapter 8: Creating the MVP

First of all, I'd like to congratulate you all, for you have done the product formulation quite extraordinarily. It is quite remarkable on how you see things through the eyes of a professional. Here, I shall be placing my opinion on your summation of the "Connecting the Dots" chapter.

First, let me post the conclusion at your end.

The vision of our product is to channelize the negativity and anxiety of people to create a platform for connecting with others and seeking each other’s help. The motive is to ‘crowdsource wellbeing’ through mutual advice and sharing similar experiences. There has to be immense input from our end during the site foundation, as we will be the only ones providing the content. But, these would be stagnant posts that don’t need any updates and will be new for any first-time user. Moreover, once the crowd increases most content will come from their side. So far, by relating previous chapters we have arrived at building a product that comprises the following points along with the ones you suggested:

·         The Dilemma: A section devoted to questions demanding opinions like “Am I right/wrong in doing ____?” that can invite suggestions and advice from users who have been in the same dilemma before.

·         Who am I?: A special feature which we unanimously want to include is regarding the categorization and profiling of users based on a personality and psychoanalytical test, that aids him/her to connect with users and posts that correspond to their nature/mood.

·         For users that favor connectivity, a feature of online chat with their counterparts to provide an outlet to their anxiety. This can be anonymous to avoid any resemblance to some dating platform. The chat can be initiated by us and has to be at a professional level with personal advice, though.

·         Stress busters: Remedy counter that contains home remedies and yogic exercises/meditation to cure depression, anxiety and for controlling temper.

·         Inspiration reloaded: Stories of famous people that can be outsourced from various sites (similar to the Godspeed exercise) comprising entrepreneurs/bureaucrats/political icons/filmstars relating their downfall and how they overcame the obstacles in their path.

·         Stories of ordinary people who have achieved their goal. This can include toppers of various entrances, someone breaking stereotypes or survivors of a disease, sharing their experiences and connecting with the users, if possible. This can help in motivating the users in sharing their own small wins, which will make them gain confidence and cure their anxiety.

·         Providing links to self-help videos or blogs for content which cannot be directly accessed in form of content on our site.

·         Discover thy purpose: An automated chain quiz about oneself that makes the person delve into his/her inner self, to discover the spiritual aura that surrounds them. Linked questions that once answered, will make them feel better and elevate their spirits instantly.

The revenue will mainly comprise of affiliate linking and advertisement strategies and via Hostgator and AdSense since the access will be free. Since our vision is to help people, this product cannot be restricted to a particular profession or campus. And that automatically augments our crowd, making it feasible to import content through volunteers who would like to help others through their personal experiences.

This is the part where we’ve reached so far. The final conclusion would arrive after a brainstorming session involving your suggestions and advice.

My Opinion: 

• You well understood the chapter goal, and I highly appreciate the fact that you are able to see something that reflects you personally in this product.
• As for the sections, I like the parts you suggest, but initially, I need you to identify if you are comfortable doing them.(That's why the MVP).
• I wanted you to go niche, but something within me tells me that this is for everyone. But still, we'll go with the strategy that make something that few people "love" rather than what most people "like".
• An MVP is the only way we can know the customer response, that is essential in the start. "Stress Busters" as you suggested has the unique ability to be something(like an IQ test for IQ testing) that can check your stress levels and respond accordingly. This will eventually dissolve, but would attract audience in the beginning.
• Now, in the product development, you can do one of the two things, either you flush in so much of content that people need that they never leave your site, or you give them "AN OPERA"(A show that'll keep them glued to their seats till whatever time you want them to be there, till your show ends)
• In the above bulletin point, I suggest you go with the latter, cause that is what makes a niche site beautiful. But, still here you have to push much ahead of your current capabilities to make it through. 
• Make a story and look from the customer viewpoint, and give him a reason to visit each functionality of this product. Whatever is there, has to be there for a reason, but still there is something that you need to know- "Nobody knows which part will work out in the end, but still each part has to be better than the other."

Current chapter: Creating an MVP

Guys, this is how we start our journey to build the hard product. By now, we are mature enough to understand what we need, we have studied a little bit about SEO and how sites work, and have a quite concrete idea of the soul of this product. 

But this will eventually perish with time and 5 years from now you'll have nothing but distinct memories of something you were working on. 

Today is the day you make something that matters and would live, maybe, even outlive you.

Today is the day you'll remember forever, if you make it worth remembering.

These are the points that I would like you to finish as a part of this chapter:

1. Flag 1: Assume the roles you were given initially in Position Allotment  and build a "product skeleton". You can initially design the whole website on a piece of paper and decide whatever opens up when you click onto something, and how it will look like.
2. Flag 2: Assume responsibilities among yourselves, on which individual parts you are handling. You shall be the scientists of these parts and should have a detailed understanding of the wings under you. Moreover, first-hand decide who are going to code. I leave that up to you to choose the coders amongst yourselves. I assure the coders the best of assistance(that'll include Verma, Oli, Sood Sir, and others) who shall give them devoted times to develop better. 
3. Flag 3: Next, make the basic Front end(using the Front End Languages), with a little bit of content(pick any content, already written by you, or from anywhere else). By now, be absolutely sure of the functionality of the individual tabs.

Give me individual reports on Flag 1(images of what you want to create), Flag 2 (Report to me the coders and the wings each one of you is handling), and Flag 3(mail me the front end created by you).

Flag 1 and 2 would take a cumulative time of 3 days whereas Flag 3 would take 3 more. So, a total of 6 days is what you have. You need to report continuously now, but the deadline is 8th May. 

Assuming a good pace, you have 3 more weeks to finish and then you can get a break for your final exams. After that is when the real game begins, where you witness your own creation fighting for its existence is an ocean of websites. Then, you can install the Alexa page ranker toolbar and witness every breath of your product.

Mail me at greenwasblue@gmail.com 

Chapter 7: Designing the product: Innovation Redefined

What do you understand when you label someone innovative?
You feel this person has some intellectual prowess, or an ability to look at things differently. You know that an innovative person can think out of the box and this ability in itself sets him apart. Also, there is a belief that innovation is an intuitive behaviour and it comes naturally.

But, let me correct you. Innovation is nothing but a skill that is developed by challenging yourself in all conditions. You have to force yourself to think in extreme measures so that you can pick out the best in that rubble of thoughts.

In this chapter, I want you to learn a technique that is a very essential pre-requisite in being innovative, or simply stated, a technique for being an effective product developer.

This is called "connecting dots."

What you do in this technique is that you find all the leads you have and then discover the best paths to pursue. This way you shall have a hundred ways to continue any project. Every path will eventually be unique and following any one of them is innovation, and choosing the best path is called "effective innovation."

Now it is time I give you all a vision of my side of the product we have been working on till now.

Product description: When I look at this product, I want to deliver something that gives company to people whenever they feel alone. This product is meant to be something for those who are socially deprived, seek external motivation, feel suicidal or believe life has never been fair.
What inspires me to seek this product market is that when life is all elated, people go out on active social networking, but what about when we seek loneliness, but still need to feel our part in this world.
This gives me an opportunity to tap into a huge market which I believe if exploited properly is quite effective both socially and financially.

You all have worked quite well till now on the previous chapters along the same lines, and I am sure, you can now bring that to good use when connecting the dots now.

I'll give you 5 dots here from my side:

1. A place to share moods anonymously using pictures and posts.
2. Create something unique like "The laughing Panda"(a self made term, so don't google it) by clicking on which people find a good dozen blogposts on travelling, stories, just a source to live by.
3. A friend who talks. Connect anonymous people to share thoughts. (Even if you have to be that second person in the beginning)
4. "The Fairyland" where people are always surprised by what they see, but make sure the content is uploaded by users and is not yours forever. But make it unique.
5. "The Superhero" would be the place for a person preparing for something special in his life and he seeks the world for support. This could be  a soldier preparing to leave his children before he leaves for the field, a woman before her wedding, or a woman who is about to be a mother, or a man giving his last IAS attempt. Create something special for these people. 

This is your chance for being the closest you could be to give your lives a purpose.
And to set yourself apart.

What you have to do in this chapter is:

1. Get your dots together. (Use the previous chapters, cause I got some awesome submissions). You all are required to work together on this one, but everyone who contributes to the team must have done studies at their respective ends so that he/she is not an unneccessary spectator but a necessity.
2. Once you get your dots together, connect the best ones and get ready with a product. This is going to be a very intriguing state when you shall see the ocean of opportunities. But chose the best way. THE BEST PRODUCT. You have an excellent team. So go, create.

This product is going to be a team conclusion. This is going to be your final product.

The deadline of this chapter is 27th April, so complete 10 days. Everyday from now should carry a story for the product throughout the next 10 days.

 

Regarding the submission, mail me at greenwasblue@gmail.com. Even though very soon thereafter, we shall meet, cause it'll be time to ride the wagon, after it has been designed.

In case of any queries, message me.

Chapter 6, Reading Marathon

It has been a long time, and I believe you all feel out of touch. This chapter is a reminder of our goals and ambitions, and is an attempt to bring us back on the track, which ,maybe,  we feel we have quite forgotten. This chapter is simple, yet has an importance of its own.
This is a 3-day reading marathon. Read as much as you can. On anything. And everything you find. Just note down the heading. And on the final day just message me the number of articles you read.

There is just one rule of this game. Never leave an article in the middle. Once you have started reading something, just finish it to the end.

All the best guys. Bring it on.

Message me your count, on the night of 15th April.

Chapter 5: Base Building, Level 1

Guys, a long time without a story to tell. 

That was an absolutely amazing response for the Godspeed project.  There was Mrs. Sudha Murthy, and there was Varun Agarwal. Austin Shirley made in brilliantly(a great choice, plus his routine added in wonderfully well), and Dr. Kalam always finds a place without a doubt. 

 

I believe, with this project, you got an opportunity to know these people, you admire, more deeply. If you studied this chapter properly, one thing I can bet on is- now you know that all the great things didn't come to these people easily. They worked. There were times when they fell down, but they got back up every time, but only this time they were better and stronger than before.

Just an element of something that has inspired a generation.

Now after  this brief intro, I suppose you wonder if this chapter was meant for simply some "intrinsic motivation". No guys. 

You all should know, remember, memorize and live by the:

 Second Law of Product Development: 

"Never do anything that can't be marketed."

Chapter 4: The Godspeed

Hello, guys. We all know that only a few of you were able to keep up, up to this point. It has only been 3 chapters and we haven't even started out the core development of the product yet. 

I don't even know if you are able to relate to or guess what the product actually is. 

I don't know how many of you dream to have a product in your hands that you can call your own, but relate to this analogy:

This earth is a battlefield and you all are just ordinary human beings ruled by the powerful, and the weak are hunted down. In this world, you have to collect your weapons and become a gladiator if you wish to thrive, let alone survive. A war is coming and you all shall have a choice: be the hunters or live in slavery forever.

With this, get ready for chapter 4:

Here, you are supposed to get in the shoes of the person you admire. We shall call this person "Godspeed". This can be a celebrity, a businessman, a leader, or anyone else you idolize. And now you need to understand and read about this person closely. You have to literally be him/her(the person you have decided for this drill), think like them, get into their brains and make decisions like them. After this successful enactment, I need you to write down the following points(minimum 100 words each):

1. Which person did you choose and why?
2. Godspeed's daily routine(from waking up to sleeping hours)
3. What inspires Godspeed?
4. How many times has Godspeed fallen and gotten back up and fought in life?
5. How can I find the Godspeed in me?

I know this can be a little tricky in the beginning. Initially, I challenge you to try out  this drill without the help of the internet, or books, or any other reference. You would find how vaguely you idolized a person without actually knowing him/her. 

After this drill, you shall actually find your Godspeed. Alongside, you shall have more original material, and a step closer to you own product.

Submission details:

Mail me at greenwasblue@gmail.com. Latest by 26th March.

Enjoy your vacations.

Chapter 3: Understanding Psychology

This is a task associated with understanding a particular topic with the psychology viewpoint. Psychology reading makes you think one step ahead of the person in front of you cause you can basically predict behaviour.
This is something you'll find quite common in the people we see around us who are successful and make us wonder how they do it. They seem to understand a person, at the first glance and are usually the ones who people don't lie to.

In this particular Chapter#3, you are required to do something along the same lines.

Your task here is to identify 3 people around you who have some sort of a problem. They shall be your experiment rats. Your rats should be having a lack of inspiration, or motivation, or be filled with lethargy.  But they all have one thing in common, that they are all basically goal-less(I'm sure you'll find plenty of them around).
I want you to observe these 3 people closely and identify what makes them so clueless of the future and so lethargic. And find out the things that brings excitement to these people.
Now out of these things that bring these people to excitement, you need to identify the ones that can actually be productive for them.

This has to be a detailed study and if you do this good, you'll love this drill. Cause you'll soon be able to predict this person's next move. And this person represents a million like him/her.

Submission details: Give a report on the behavioural and psychological analysis you were able to achieve/decipher/observe of these 3 people individually(Don't specify their names). Mail me at greenwasblue@gmail.com latest by 18th March, 2016.

All the best.