CALLING ALL WEB DESIGNERS!
GrapeShow is built and ready for beta testing, with only one minor drawback…
IT HAS NO SKIN!
Other than a logo, the sign-up page, and some other basic pages, it lacks any decent CSS style whatsoever. This is a bit backwards for me, but brains were scattered and deadlines had to be met, so what are ya gonna do?
It seems as though a second wind has surfaced, because I’ve decided to throw a web design contest! So buckle up because it’s about to get very interesting around here. What better way to kick off a video contest app than to have a kick-ass design contest? I can picture it now…
Awesome designers from across the globe submitting U.I. samples; amused visitors voting for the winner and providing feedback; Zack sitting in his cube feeling like he may actually have something to live for.
It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. From this day forward, the contest shall be known as Grape Skin.
So what’s in it for the winner, you ask? Well in addition to a great publicity opportunity to show off their talent and receive feedback from the public, I’m also prepared to offer 20% of all future profits earned by GrapeShow! Here’s a banner that the talented Lakira made for the contest:
The designers will be provided with “chicken-scratch” sketches of some of the U.I. screens to work their magic on and the public will choose the winner. More details about the contest (including rules, start date, and duration) will be released after sufficient interest is received. Designers and other interested parties are encouraged to sign up to participate or vote in the contest.
In addition, if you are a talented developer, entrepreneur, copywriter, marketer, reporter, angel, potential sponsor, or just interested in the project and want to get involved or provide feedback, I would of course love to hear from you as well.
You can all reach me by leaving a comment on this blog or sending an email to: zackjenks@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Comments
Hello Joseph, thanks for the comment.
I do have a follow-up question though…how have I failed exactly? By giving a project my all and trying to start something? Or is it because I learned so much along the way and am applying that knowledge to my current venture? Or possibly because the contest has generated a fair amount of interest across the globe?
One things for sure, I haven’t failed at grabbing YOUR attention. You’re absolutely right though, I’ve done a poor job at keeping it updated regularly and I’m sorry for leaving my readers hanging. Other areas of my life demanded my attention and required a priority shift. It was never my intention to keep readers in the dark. In fact, when I was offline for long periods of time, it wasn’t due to lazy posting, it was because the business was on hold. Therefore, in a sense, it has made this blog that much more REAL.
Something Ventured was built to take readers on a business journey in real time, successful or not. Its success is in no way tied to the success of my business ideas. So, why on earth, would I want to hide from it, or “try to get it out of the internet archives”, as you suggest? It is the true story of a business venture and, hopefully, educational and entertaining for others in the same boat.
The story does not end here…
Good to hear that you haven’t given up Zack. I’m still very interested in how far you can take this thing. I’m sure the super successful didn’t go from zero to hero in 30 days. We know these things take some serious time. Keep us posted.
Just
Let me say that Mr. Negative here didn’t take a course in constructive critisism aparently, so I would take his comment with a grain of salt. It’s sad when people have to take time out of their life to pick apart others, but hey it’s a reflection on him, not you. I think what you are doing here is great and I am pretty sure most of your readers have lives of their own so I doubt those people were devistated when you didn’t post. This blog has helped people keep real and I know that what ever the outcome, you take something away from it all. This is about what helps you get through the hoops, not what others want to see. Keep up the good work and put above negative comments where they belong- in the trash.
LaKira
The key here is that it was “something ventured”, not “lets get rich quick.” It was a realistic attempt at harnessing the unknown with the whole crowd watching. Given the fact that it was your first attempt, and that you’ve learned a great deal from it and shared your lessons with many others….you’ve succeeded. Joseph apparently has little insight into what one must go through to be truly successful in life.
Also, quoting the masterful critic:
“make a little pause and start over again in a market where the big players haven’t already bought everything”
This is a joke, right? Just checkin’.
Well nice to see it worked, at least people now start commenting ;)
Well, yes i always overreact a bit but it really pissed me off that from one day to the other there wasn’t a blog update anymore for a long time.
Additionally i hoped that Grapeshow wouldn’t have to do anything with video, that market is so overcrowded, i’m still waiting for the “boom” web-app, something really new and
cool and not just a mashup or a modification of an existing concept, that disappointed me a bit :(
IMHO, the only overcrowded market is people who give up on their dreams or never try in the first place.
I must say that I have yet to see any truly original ideas over the last century that hasn’t stemmed from concepts that were already thought of before. It seems that every time someone thinks they are being original, it turns out they had the exact “original” thought that a million others thought of too. lol
Favorite bumper sticker says it best.
-Yup, I’m special…just like everyone else-
So keep trying for something original of course, but don’t discard an idea just because its been done similarly!
Keep up the good work
LaKira
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November 28th, 2007 at 10:33 am
Lol, sorry guy that i’m the first one to tell you but…
You failed
At first i liked you idea with the blog etc. shortly after i was sure that you aren’t the right guy to do this and shortly afterwards it was over with the blog updates.
Grapeshow, the basic idea is not really bad but it also fails because of many other factors, well i think you’ve lost enough respect from your audience for letting us sit here in the rain for months, for me as an investor, this has now become an absolute no-go.
In your place i would close the blog, try to get it out of the internet archives, make a little pause and start over again in a market where the big players haven’t already bought everything.