studentbid site updates/expansion

**karguy85** · 09-29-2006 12:42 AM

i have posted this before but didnt recieve any feedback so i will try one more time. thanks

we have just begun working with a new group of programmers and designers to launch version 2.0 of studentbid.com. we originally were going to expand to the philadelphia region but after thinking about it we scratched that idea and decide to expand to the "five colleges" of amherst massachussets. these schools are all very close to each other and are very intertwined in terms of connections and you can take classes at any of them as well as a shuttle bus runs constantly through all of the schools.

we have many new features we are instituting, that are unique and have not really been incorperated into a college auction site to date to go with our already unique site. we really think these new features can put us over the top. we also are having the design of the site made a little more sleak and professional and making the interface more user friendly, even though it already is pretty user friendly. If you are interested in the site let me know as i can perhaps elaborate more in a private message. also i was wondering if anyone had a blog that they wanted to do some sort of interview to help me with exposure i would be really greatful and you would be one of the first to get an up close look at the new site and the old site as well. any responses would be great as i would love to hear feedback from all of you guys.

-Craig

**cgleason** · 09-29-2006 01:28 AM

Very well done...probably one if not THE best I've seen posted on this site. Your website is definitely good enough - the major obstacle now will be marketing. People are going to be constantly comparing prices on your site versus Ebay. For example, if it was me using your site I would ask myself "can I buy this for less on Ebay"....and a seller would be wondering if they could sell it for more on Ebay. You see where I'm going with this

Unfortunately auctions sites are usually dead before they start! Personally I think you would have much more success focusing solely on textbooks. Keep the site very personal, have it offer something that local people can relate to. Allow local businesses to advertise, have ads for sports events, parties, bars, clubs, etc...etc. I really like the personal profile idea, where it allows you to upload pics. Again, this would add to the personal touch. Good luck with everything...I think you have a great idea hear. Just try to keep it simple and focus on a few key areas.

**karguy85** · 09-29-2006 01:38 AM

thanks. yeah we are currently working on some new features that arent on ebay. we kinda see the site as a mixture of ebay and facebook (before everyone could use it) but we have high hopes without getting too far ahead of ourselves. we have a few kids on some of the campuses to sign people up and hand out flyers but we are holding back until we have the new updates for some of the other campuses. one thing i learned about marketing while going through this process is that school newspaper ads dont work and are expensive. but i guess you learn things as you go along. with your advice about sports events, parties clubs etc. those will definitely be incorperated into the site in the near future but since they are not as important as some of our other features we will wait just a bit to do that. probably having a customized page to things that are going on on your campus or near you would be good. thanks for the comments and i will keep you updated on our progress.

**NeeJam** · 09-29-2006 04:09 PM

Ok its cool your doing well with studentbid but do you need to tell us everything your doing about it all the time?

**Raise Capital** · 09-29-2006 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by karguy85

i have posted this before but didnt recieve any feedback so i will try one more time. thanks

we have just begun working with a new group of programmers and designers to launch version 2.0 of studentbid.com. we originally were going to expand to the philadelphia region but after thinking about it we scratched that idea and decide to expand to the "five colleges" of amherst massachussets. these schools are all very close to each other and are very intertwined in terms of connections and you can take classes at any of them as well as a shuttle bus runs constantly through all of the schools.

we have many new features we are instituting, that are unique and have not really been incorperated into a college auction site to date to go with our already unique site. we really think these new features can put us over the top. we also are having the design of the site made a little more sleak and professional and making the interface more user friendly, even though it already is pretty user friendly. If you are interested in the site let me know as i can perhaps elaborate more in a private message. also i was wondering if anyone had a blog that they wanted to do some sort of interview to help me with exposure i would be really greatful and you would be one of the first to get an up close look at the new site and the old site as well. any responses would be great as i would love to hear feedback from all of you guys.

-Craig

Should you be advertising this to students. What about a school social network online like Classmates.com who may have books or items they need to get rid of.