Ideas

I don't know any...

I added more info in the "I thought of this idea when I was..." section.

Thank you

Creating the layout of the site should be no problem.

Marketing and maintaining the site will be the big issues.

Getting enough data in there to make it work all around the place will take some time.

I don't know about the rest of you, but time is what I have. Do you think considering the big issues and all the time involvement that "my idea" can be accomplished? One of the domains I thought up is squarysites. What do you think?

I have added to my idea in "More News to Write."

A site that offers comparisons of multiple services could be really good. The main problem with that type of site is getting access to good up-to-date data because many times the companies involved (e.g. insurance companies or hotels) don't provide a good API to retrieve their rates and may not want to cooperate because they don't like to be compared head-to-head with the competition.

The monopoly board layout seems like a neat idea, but it's somewhat constraining. It would be a neat layout if you have exactly the right number of alternatives to compare, but if you have too few it's empty and if you have too many where do the extras go? From a usability standpoint, it seems like a simple list or grid would be a better interface.

I know there are sites that don't want to be compared head-to-head, however I hope that consumers read all what a company sells. The question is who has the time to actually read all the needed info and recalling what you read? As I have previously said, hopefully my idea will decrease the comparing time. When a consumer clicks on a square they will receive the same info if they had visit the site itself. They will only see what they want.

Yes, a large grid would be more efficient and easier on the eyes. Spreadsheets are another great way to compare, however I believe using squares will be more productive. There's a site where you put info on a spreadsheet and when you click on a url address it takes you right to the site. For more info, go to http://www.editgrid.com. I'm thinking of incorporating Presentation from OpenOffice. If there is a software program that can search down to the finite details then this would make my idea easier to accomplish. I believe that a square measuring 2 inches by 2 inches will hold enough info. Maybe the Monopoly board could be used as a template and for cosmetic purposes. The extras would have to go on another board. I'm thinking of using the Monopoly board concept for another idea.

Don't most travel sites have a lot of these options to search by.

look at TravelAdvisor.com or Kayak.com or Mobissimo.com or any of the travel sites. This ability to quickly compare hotels is a common feature of most sites. How is the monopoly board interface more functional than these? It may be more cute but not practical.

sean

I'm working on a way to better show how my idea can be more functional. I believe large grids/squares will be more practical to compare sites.
I was comparing three travel agencies(Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz) and their price for airfare and hotel stay at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. One of the agencies has a lower fee than the other agencies to stay at the same hotel. The sites will show the prices for the different hotels.
Basically what I want is to the ability to view sites without leaving my site. All a person needs to do is click onto a square and the the company's web site will appear on the squares. Maximizing maybe required to be able to read the info on the squares. Please bring on any questions if I'm not making sense.

Cathleen

My site won't be only to view and compare sites easier, but to also change the look of search engines. Instead of seeing text, you'll see squares with a company's logo.

Interesting, i love the idea of a more graphically intensive web experience in regards to things like travel and leisure. Seems clever.

Thanks for the comment, Vancouverbluz.

You're right in that there's a lot of information out there and new ways to present and easily digest that will be more and more important. The problem with a monopoly board though is that there's very little space for information on each square - you'd need a monster screen to be able to read any of it. In fact I'd go as far as to suggest that any scheme that splits the screen between more than about three companies is likely to do more harm than good.

How about instead having the company logos on the (small) squares but the information displayed in the centre? As you mouse over a logo, the information for that company appears (in the centre). Or perhaps you can drag a logo into one of three separate areas to make comparisons?

Yes, having the info displayed in the center is better. I'm doing some comparisons with OpenOffice Presentation, where you can view a slide with four squares. The squares can be enlarged for easier viewing

If I use the Monopoly board for comparison, then there will be the capability to drag down a square to the center. I don't think people want to read left to right, up and down, left to right, then left to right. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Monopoly board would just be the frosting on the cake. Its to get people's attention. If you saw a cake with only writing and saw another one with some writing and designs, which would you pick? I have a couple ideas for incorporating the Monopoly board concept, one you can read about in next weeks ideas. My idea is titled Play a Game and Win a Deal.

No, people don't necessarily want to read L-R and top to bottom. That's why logos around the edge is a good idea because it allows you to go directly from the centre to the one you want.

Just don't make it square! Screens aren't square, so you either lose width or need a vertical scroll bar.

Are you saying I should keep the Monopoly Board layout and have the squares dragged to the middle?
Thanks for the advice on "just don't make it square" I hadn't thought of any other shapes. What shape are screens? Is it a triangle? Sorry for the slow typing, the letter E is missing and I have to press down hard.

I'm suggesting that if you want to keep the Monopoly board layout, the centre is the obvious place to display any information as it's the biggest single area. Incidentally, talking about a Monopoly board layout here is fine, but you'll want to avoid any reference to it in the finished product for copyright reasons.

I meant of course that screens are 4x3 rectangular, rather than square...

I was wondering about violating copyright laws and I know that Monopoly Board Game is a registered name.

Seems to me this idea is similar to Pay-Per-Pixel boards, as far as using images to call up information about advertisers' offers in the middle of the board.

We have something like that at:

http://milliondollarwebtv.com

You might learn more about this business reading our blog:

http://www.milliondo...m/mdwtvblg/index.php

Good luck!

There are not that many spaces on a monopoly board.

stevesitv-I checked out milliondollarwebtv.com. What I want my potential site to do is allow people to view at least four sites at the same time. If you have OpenOffice, and you click on Presentation; one of the layouts has four rectangles. Do you know if anyone using Power Point to advertise their business? Thanks for the comment

Hobbet- I don't think there can be the same amount of monopoly blocks on a computer as on the actual board. If the board layout is to be used, then it would be categories(Art, Business, Clothing, Entertainment, Hosting Plans,Travel,etc).

seems like a "fun" way to conduct search. Do you think you'll be appealing to a younger demographic? If so, are they the ones more likely to buy from the site via click through? I would think that the older demographic would be less likely to use this. Maybe limit your focus to products/services appealing to the younger internet users.

Good question and comment. The site would probably be better for the younger crowd. I know its hard not to jump and buy the first thing you see. Maybe this will slow down unnecessary spending. The term, the older, the wiser may apply here. Not to bore anyone, but my mom and grandma were opposites when it comes to shopping. My grandma saw what she wanted and bought it. I know she wouldn't even check out my site, too much time for her. My mom can look for something for a year. I guess companies are lucky not everyone is like her. I don't want people to spend worthless time searching for the best product and price. I want to help eliminate the time.