I'm doing 16 things
Why? I want to be on the cover of WIRED magazine. That would be cool but seriously, look around; web services also known as web-based applications, especially those built on or around an online community, are the future. Already we’ve seen near explosive growth in some of the most amazing, useful, elegant, innovative and powerful webapps vetting features that let us achieve our goals and help and encourage others to do the same. Read http://www.43things.com;
How about a webapp that can develop a training program to get a beginning runner from a single 9 minute mile all the way up to running a full marathon or triathlon? You can, log mileage, times and heart rate as you train at http://www.coolrunning.com; this site lets you select a goal, for example “I want to run a 5K”, 10K, or even a 26.2 mile marathon and builds a daily training schedule for you to follow and even track in an online running log as you train to accomplish your set goal.
Looking for a highly supportive online community of fitness goal seekers that can offer insights into what really has worked for them backed by performance metrics, pictures, time lines, and a progress / status engine based and each individuals profile of fitness programs, meals, workout routines, and supplements that will show you body fat percentages, muscle mass increases and a photo log to boot so you can see results with your own eyes? Visit http://www.muscletank.net
Let’s not forget the juggernauts of all online consumer communities’ amazon.com and eBay. Both sites are web-based communities in which buyers and sellers are brought together to browse, buy and sell items online. Apple recently employed some aspects of these community sites on their own web site where customers can now review products and leave product ratings for everything apple sells.
There are so many possibilities to share, learn, grow and teach; you can even make a little money while you’re doing it. Why build a Web service and online community? Aside from the fact that online communities are pretty much the only truly successful form of websites that actually make money, Philip Greenspun has summed it up nicely in his online book “Philip and Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing” in Chapter 3, “Scalable Systems for Online Communities” http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/community under “Why Would We Want Online Communities?” go there and read about it. For the book in its entirety go to: http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/
Serious about learning EVERYTHING on how to create and maintain a successful online community / web-service / web-application? Depending your execution, you could bring people together and improve our world, or –and this includes my case- if ultimately aspiring to build a Internet business, go to philip.greenspun.com/panda/ read, study, learn “Philip and Alex’s Guide to Web Publishing”. I guarantee you learn a lot and have a great time doing it. Philip’s books are easily the best technical writing you are ever likely to read. He’s honest, wry, entertaining and extremely experienced in the subject. It’s also worth reading Philip’s
Software Engineering for Internet Applications
http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/
SQL for Web Nerds
http://philip.greenspun.com/sql/
The How. Read these books and gain the invaluable insights of an expert in this field. Armed with this knowledge you will understand why any money in the Internet business has been made by online communities and the entire process of building powerful, impactful, websites and how best to bring them to fruition.
