How do know, what somebody want? Ask them. It’s that simple. But ask yourself, how often you talk to web customers? How often you ask their opinion about the products you have? And about the products you don’t have?

Here is a small, yet powerful script for you to ask your customers, your site visitors what they want, how they like something, and what else what they want.

This script is called iScripts.com EasyWebSurvey. It allows you to create unlimited number of surveys. You can have any number of questions in the surveys. Any type of questions, only limited by your imagination. Once you finish create the questionnaire you need to contact your potential audience. You have two options. One provide a link from your web page requesting your customer/ potential customer to take the survey. Or you can send the survey by email.

You can import your mailing list from a database, excel spreadsheet or cut and paste. You send the survey to your mailing and ask them to take a survey. They can respond and submit from their email client itself. No need to login to your site for doing so.

You can have one mailing list per survey or share the mailing list from survey to survey. Once the survey is completed, you, the administrator will have the aggregate information in very nice graphic reports. Of course you can drill down to more details, with a click of a button.

There are a number of hosted survey solutions in the market field. They charge you for each survey. Why pay every time to talk to your customer? After all they are your customer.

iScripts.com EasyWebSurvey software is a free software supporting unlimited surveys. As always, the software is open source. So if you want to make any changes, you can do it yourself. Or we will be happy to make any customization you need for a very small fee. It is a PHP software with mySQL database.

Digg

The word social networking rose from obscurity to main stream last year. It could very well be the focal point of the second round of web. We see a number of companies creating huge virtual communities for social, professional and romantic interests. These companies like Myspace, Orkut, Tribe, LinkedIn, Friendster, Indiapage and Visible Path, rolled out new or improved services that let users create online identies with their circle of real-life acquaintances. The idea was mainly to let users build online profiles that advertised their interests and to help them connect with friends and friends-of-friends around one of those interests — whether it be finding a job, finding a new venture partner, making a sale, or finding a jogging buddy.

Majority of these companies except friendster and myspace had a sluggish start. However most of these companies grew exponentially recently due to the by nature of social networking. They have also incorporated a number of money making programs in these sites to make it viable in the long run. Today there is no doubt social networking is a real business with real business plan.

Most of the social networking sites are based on broad vertical markets today. For example LinkenIn as the professional group, facebook for college campuses etc.. We believe the next round of social networking would be for smaller closely knit groups. For example sites as part of communities exist in the real world. Examples are local youth groups, schools, colleges, business associations, and independent businesses. One of the main challenge has been the time and cost associated with the software required to create these web applications for smaller groups with limited budgets.

The user created content in the social networking sites is the greatest asset for the communities. Value creation at the edge is a great way to keep the user communities adding value to the main entity it serves, let it be a business or social organization.

iScripts has introduced a social networking engine called iScripts Socialware. This is a new open source software to create social networking sites in a few minutes. A highly customizable software which can be used to create social networking sites for different communities. The number of customizable themes are targeted for different communities.

This software is available for purchase at http://www.iScripts.com/socialware . An online working demo is also available at the site. This script is written in PHP with mySQL backend and is currently priced at $149.95.

A number of common modules like chats, forums, bogs etc.. are available. Also some unique modules virtual gift store etc.. are also available to make your site into revenue generating site. Few more of the modules are planned for the next product release, which are already into the planning stage.

Here is some of the main features implemented in iScripts SocialWare software:

· Private Mailbox

iScripts SocialWare provides a mailbox for all its users with this a user can compose, draft, check mails. This is to allow private conversations between users without leaving the site.

· Blogs
Create a unique blog using iScripts SocialWare. Users can share thoughts, opinions, stories, favorite music, movies, books and anything else with others .Admin can add different blog templates for the users to select from.

Chat
Have online chat with other visitors on the live chatroom.

Forum
Create any number of discussion forums and make comments on others forums

Groups
Stay connected to friends who share similar interests or affiliations by joining a group .This will allow members to create a community within a large community.

Gifts
Send real gifts to other users by paying the amount to the site owner if payment is enabled or virtual gifts to other users by paying virtual money if payment is disabled.

Events
Users can post events and organize parties and get-together quickly and easily by using this event management.

Classifieds
Users can post any number of classified ads on any categories .They can send responses to classifieds posted by other users.

Photo Album
Users can create photo album and add any number of photos to these albums.

Powerful search
The powerful search lets users to search and find users matching various search criteria.

Communities
Users can build comminutes using “invite a friend” feature.

Multiple Administrators
The site admin can create multiple admins with different permissions so that the site could be managed by various admins with varying powers.

Module Management
The site admin can enable or disable decide which modules needs to displayed to the user.

Centralized Site Management
The settings panel lets admin to predefine user approval type, album approval type , payment gateway information etc

Multiple Themes
The admin can set different themes so the site appearance changes. Currently there are 4 themes. These themes include social, professional, romantic etc..

Switch Mode
The admin can switch the mode between live and down for maintenance , so the user can understand if the site has been closed for maintenance.

As with all other iScripts products, iScripts SocialWare is an open source software product. This means customers can modify the software to meet their specific requirements. iScripts also offers customization services for customers. If you believe the software is close to your requirements, we can customize the software to meet your exact needs. This is true for both look and feel as well as functionalities.

A install wizard is available to install the software in few easy steps. However iScripts can install it for you, if you choose.

One of internet’s most successful area is in creating communities. Starting from the News groups in the olden days to the social networking communities at YouTube and Digg are the prime examples. Web allowed us to transcend the geographical boundaries when it comes to common cause. iScripts introduces SonicBB , a brand new message forum software for creating your own virtual community. You can create this community for your business or social causes. iScripts SonicBB is a user-friendly and fully customizable bulletin board package. SonicBB is compatible with any web server/operating system combo with PHP and mySQL. SonicBB is the ideal community software for all web sites. It provides maximum control for the board administrator without hindering usability of users. You can set up your forum in minutes thanks to the easy to use installer. SonicBB allows you to effortlessly create, manage and promote your online community SonicBB is designed to meet all your community creation requirements. SonicBB’s major features include

• Unlimited forums and categories!
  
• Powerful search facility - find posts and threads quickly!
  
• Fully configurable, categorize your forums into categories
  
• Easy theme selection
  
• Easy HTML editor for posting messages (allows bolding/italics/underlining etc.)
  
• Moderator capability (can be used to monitor and prevent unwanted messages)
  
• Unlimited Message capability
  
• Smiley manager
  
• Create “Sticky” threads
  

Some of the main features in the pipeline includes integration of image galleries with the forum, so that users can display the images. You can find more detailed information at SonicBB.com web site. You can download SonicBB and other open source, customizable software from Armia Systems at iScripts.com As usual SonicBB is an open source bulletin board software. You can modify it to meet your specific requirements. We would be happy to customize it if you would like us to modify the software for a small fee.

In the recent months there was an influx of swapping platform focusing on different vertical / geographical markets. The reason for this increase in the swapping web sites is simple. For a lot of items in the consumer to consumer market place happen way below its intrinsic value.

For example if you try to sell a used text book you paid $100 to your college store, you would be lucky if you get back $20-$30. Try to buy the same book very next day from the same store; it would cost you upwards of $75.00. Why does it happen? It’s not because your college store is greedy. Well, that’s part of the reason.. also all the cost associated with the middleman. Same is the case when you sell your used car to the dealership. If you try to buy the same car from the same dealership, you will be surprised to find out the difference between the buying price and selling price is way off.

When a consumer sell something to a business, normally the transaction happen below it’s intrinsic value.

When a consumer buys a used item from a business it happens above the intrinsic value. Always there is a winner and loser. Unfortunately we have been doing business this way for very long time. Since we invented currency.. Before it we had the barter system. In the barter system, the trades are more equitable.

Recently Newyork times wrote about the new crop of swap websites in this articleYou can spend months of development and a lot of money to create a swapping website. Or you can use the software from Armia Systems, Inc. The software is called eSwap . It is a complete swapping platform to get you to start a swap website within few hours.

eSwap allows you to set up a swap website with an escrow service. The administrator of the site can specify if the escrow is provided or not. Admin can also specify different categories, commission for listing items for swap. You can have any number of categories and products. It has built in support for paypal and credit card merchant account. The affiliate program allows you to market your swapping site through of referrals.

Users can post items to swap or sell. They can also list items in their wish list so that others would know what they are willing trade.

This comprehensive piece of software is developed in PHP with mySQL database and is piced at only $149.95. as always Armia Systems, Inc engineers are available to provide any customization and to install the software for you. You can purchase the software through iScripts.com store

Thank you all those who participated in the beta testing for iScripts EasyCreate site builder. We are now done with the bug fixes from the beta testing. software is ready to rock and roll.


So who wants an online web site creator you ask? Well this is an application perfect for web hosting companies, other ISPs, ASps and other virtual communities. This software allows your users to create cool looking websites in few minutes. we have an sample site up and working at GoSites . ( Web sites to Go!). At GoSites visitors can come and create a web site using one of the cool existing designs and publish the sites directly to web sites or download it. People can create the site for free. If they like what they see they can buy it for a one time fee. Current fee is set at $19.00. isn’t easier and cheaper than getting a web designer (like say ….us) to do similar design and take 2-3 weeks ? Take a look at one of the business models in action. You can charge your users, give free service to your users, Its up to you.


How much it cost you, the hosting company? I don’t know yet. I am supposedly the pricing guy. Haven’t finished it yet. I have been doing some research of similar applications, and they seem to be very expensive. I am sure we can do cheaper than that. Hopefully we can price it and make a licensing scheme few days.


For the licensing I was asking the development group to do licensing per site done. So if you buy say 100 site license you can create upto 100 site regardless of number of servers. another thought is to create license per server for unlimited sites. I am leaning towards the second one. What do you think?