Well, well as you can tell from the heading the site is still not up. We still have some issues with our server ranging from httpdocs to getting SVN installed. Currently the httpdocs was no issue from what my server helpdesk has informed me, and currently the SVN installation is finishing up as we speak. Once these tasks are complete hopefully we can start to migrate the site code over soon.
Well it looks like we got our new last week server, but while getting our new server for our production launch I came across many problems on the server itself. But as of today I can now say our server is ready for its initial setup for the developers. I don’t want to speak to soon again but I hope to have the site up in running for its soft beta launch by the end of the month, but hey only time can tell.
Nothing ever goes as planed. Well while the developers are trying to move over the code to my production sever, it comes to find out my sever does not SSH access, and my developers need this or site cannot go up. In addition I need SVN which my production sever doesn’t have either. Looks like if I don’t have any of this on my server the site will not be able to go up. To make it worst my hosting provider will not allow me to even install SSH or SVN. Can anything else go wrong?
Well I know it’s been a while since I posted my last entry but I was kind of busy with my wedding. I can finally say I am now married to my beautiful wife Erika and now I can focus on NeedInstructions.com! Well since I got back from my honeymoon the developers have notified me that all the errors are fixed and that they are currently moving all the code to our production server. Hopefully the site should be up by next week. In the mean time I will be looking for some data entry analyst to help me upload some instructions, manuals and how to’s, to the site. Currently I will have a 1 month soft launch of the site. What is a soft launch you ask? Well basically the site will be up and running but I will not notify the public. Not to be mean or anything, but without notify the public the site is up for a month this will allow me to run some small tests on our production server to make sure everything will run smoothly for the users. After the 1 month soft launch I then will start ad campaign for NeedInstructions.com. Right now I am so excited things are going well!
P.S. Check out my wedding pic!
Have you ever just wanted to scream out loud because things were not going your way? I sometimes feel that way with NeedInstructions.com. Many of you keep asking me when the site will be up and running? However, due to my arrogance in trying to keep the site perfect, it is delaying the move to the production site. Webster defines perfection as, “the quality or state of being perfect: freedom from fault or defect.” Now if you’re a web developer or developer in general you know nothing can be perfect no matter how much you try. You can test and debug for years and years and no matter what an issue will arise. I probably should just go with the flow and get the site out and running, but I still want to give it some time. I want to try to keep the site error free so the users won’t dislike the site when the first see it. I think that’s not too much to ask. Who likes a site with bugs? I certainly don’t!
I recently just submitted the last change request to the developers. I am adding functionality that will allow users to communicate to each other. The site will also allow users to send friend requests. Once these CR’s have been implemented, I will do one last round of testing and push the site to production. I know I said it before but please keep your fingers crossed in hopes to get the site up and running before Aug 17, 2008. Since that is the day I will be getting married, it would just be another great present I would be receiving on that day.
Well it’s been about a month and many of the new CR’s have been implemented, as well as some of the errors have been fixed to the test site. I still was able to find a couple new errors to the test site and hope to get that fix by next week. In addition I did also submit a couple new CR’s to be evaluated for the site. These CR’s hopefully should be the last new CR’s to be evaluated and implemented to the site, so that we can start migrating the code to our production server and then start our 1 month beta site. Once we have cleared 1 month period I will the start mass marketing of the site and the promotional give away items that I will be giving away to users using the site? I figured this would be a good of marketing as well as providing promotional give a ways for users that post instructions to the site. But before starting with the promotional give a ways and marketing, my main focus is to make sure the test site is fixed and working smoothly so that the site can move forward to the production server. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed!
Well I have completed testing some of the new change requests, CR’s, that I have submitted to be implemented. I found a couple of errors, as well as one missing CR that was not implemented in this go around. It looks like the developers at Dizzain.com will have to look into these issues, and get it fixed as soon as possible. In addition, I will be submitting some new CR’s to the development team. The new CR’s that I will be submitting are more of a backend reporting functionality for myself to view user’s postings and activity. I think that this would help me reduce the time I would have to write the SQL and to run the SQL to view such things as top user postings and etc.
Recently a couple of my friends and family have looked at the NeedInstructions.com Blog and have asked me if they can view a test site of NeedInstructions.com. I would love to post the link to the test site however I’m trying to keep it a surprise. So to make everyone happy, below you will see a screen shot of the home page. I hope that everyone likes it. I cannot wait to go live so that you all can sign up to the site.
As some of you may or may not know, NeedInstructions.com has only one employee, and yes that is me, Chris Evans. Now of course we hope in the long run NeedInstructions.com will be the next Google. However, to get there our site needs to be up and running with no bugs! We all hate bugs, especially me! So to avoid the bugs we have to test.
As you know the site is pretty much completed. We do have a couple of change requests that I am about to submit but the major part of the work that still needs to be completed is the testing. Currently, I am going through all my test scripts to test all the functionality on the site so that everything will work smoothly when we put the site out live. Hopefully I find nothing, but I will keep all of you updated.
Well it looks like our blog is up and running, NeedInstructions.com wants to thank Prashant Bhargava with the help in development for our blog.
So you’re probably reading this blog and thinking, what is NeedInstructions.com? Well NeedInstructions.com is a new website that is in development. It will allow users to request, post, create, and even find instructions, manuals and how to’s on just about everything out there! I know you’re probably thinking there are hundreds of how to web-sites, and I can agree. But what about a central site where someone can get the actual instructions on the stereo system that they purchased 2 years ago, or maybe a misplaced car manual that someone is looking for on their vehicle. NeedInstructions.com wants to be that site. NeedInstructions.com will allow users to upload and even re-link instructions and manuals on anything that comes with an instruction or manual. Also, it will allow users to even create their own how to instruction. Since the site will be brand new, NeedInstructions.com will also have the capability for members of the site to request for any instruction, manual, or how to that NeedInstructions.com may not have at the time. In addition to making the site even better, the site will be a user interactive site that will allow other NeedInstructions.com members to help out members that are looking for instructions, manuals, or how to’s we may not have. Currently, NeedInstructions.com is working with Dizzain.com in the development of the site. We hope to go live in the end of July so keep your fingers crossed! At this time, NeedInstructions.com is testing the site as well as adding some change requests. We hope that the new CR’s will be very useful to our users.
Now I know there are some companies that advise there co-workers not to read Dilbert comic strips but that is not true at NeedInstructions.com! You will come to find out I am a huge Dilbert fan! Here is a funny Dilbert comic strip on CR’s. I had to laugh at this!
