Hey all,
a few days ago I got this idea of creating a website that will make organizing and joining Group Buys much easier. So instead of using a google spread sheet, revising it over and over due to cancels, changes, etc, there will be one centralized location for all of that, fully automated and easy to use for new users.
Also was shown this:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43808.0http://lab.cubiq.org/retro/index.phpso, this new website will be somewhat similar, but more flexible, kinda like Massdrop I guess.
Here is the overall design for the website so far, feel free to leave any suggestions/comments.
Writing this here also serves as a place to store my ideas so i dont forget anything important when im coding.
Not at all organized... read at your own risk/attention span.
Users:Registration is not required for buyers but registering an account will allow you to make changes to orders, get notifications, etc.
An account is required for all group buy organizers. Organizers can 'verify' their account on GH or DT by sending proof to me, this way buyers will know which organizers they can trust. All organizers will have rep points (think ebay feedback). All organizers can start off with a certain number of rep points if they have successfully ran GBs in the past (this will be done manually by me).
Creating a GB:Money collecting is completely off the site. This means you will still have to manually send invoices/ issue refunds/etc through paypal website. i'm choosing this route because 1: i do not want to get in trouble with paypal, 2: i have no experience with e-commerce site building. 3: i do not want to be held responsible for anything bad that might happen. this website is only a convinience tool. o and, you will all just have to trust me with storing your email and mailing address (can be removed upon request of course)
Once a group buy is created it will be either a public or invite only GB
public: listed on the website front page
private: invite only through a link
A group buy has multiple stages:
ongoing: started, taking orders, taking changes
invoicing: no more orders can be added, organizer can change the setting to take more orders, or flat out refuse all changes. Orders can be cancelled by registered users or by organizer if it's not paid yet.
production: items are being produced.
shipping: items are shipped. Registered users at this point can confirm successful shipments and leave feedback.
completed: this stage can be set by the organizer at any time after items are shipped. the GB will be archived.
a group buy can have multiple items for buyers to choose. the pricing tiers will be set by the organizer, the tiers will move automatically and everyone will get a notification when a new tier has been reached.
all fields can be written in either an advanced text editor or through BBcode (forum code). a translator will be available so organizers dont have to write two different posts for the forum and website.
Joining a GB:all public GBs will be posted on the site and search-able.
Joining a GB will be very simple, pick one you want to join and select the number of items for each.
you will be notified whenever there is a new price tier or change to the item you are buying.
invoicing will be done through paypal from the organizer (not the website)
once you have received the item you can leave a feedback to the organizer and get a feedback yourself for confirming the order.
Notifications:One of the nice features to this website is organizers/buyers will be notified of all events through email (can be changed in settings). After joining a GB you can just completely ignore the site/forum post if you choose to and only receive relevant info in your email.
notifications include but not limited to:
for buyers:
when a new GB is opened (public)
when a new pricing tier has been reached
when money is being collected for a GB you are in
when the products go into production
when the items are shipped
for organizers:
daily summary email that include:
new buyers joining your GB
existing buyers changing/cancelling their orders
questions/comments/feedback about each GB will stay on the forums.
if you are both an organizer and a buyer you will get a mix of both.
Help needed:ideas for naming the website (please check if the domain is available before you suggest)
CSS/Graphics person: I am a bad CSS coder and even worse when it comes to creating graphics. This is the most important help that I need. I will be sketching a mockup, but you can do this too if you want.
Coders: I prefer to do this myself (easier to organize) but if you want to help you are welcome to join, see below for languages being used.
Penetration Tester: huehue, but seriously, I need someone who is experienced in web security to help me. I know the basics but it would be helpful to get some semi-professional advice. In the past I've only done sites less than 100 people use, a community this big will bound to have hackers who will try to ruin the site.
about me:during the day I'm a software programmer working for a fairly large company. during the night I'm a web programmer working for a start-up. This website will most likely take a long time due to my limited amount of free time to devote to it. if you are willing to offer your professional help (for free) it will be a great way to get some experience and build your resume maybe? the site will be open to take donations after it's completed, donations will be split between all coders. (money is needed for hosting the site)
Tech stuff...front end: HTML, CSS, AngularJS (a js framework made by google, MVC architecture).
back end: PHP and MySQL
Think that's all I need to write,
comments?
