Initial Contact Computer Club Website

Initial contact for the computer club website is much simpler than the other two ideas.  Since I already know Allison, I can just bring up the idea in person. Here is how I would pitch the idea:

"I was considering working on a computer club website for the software engineering class.  I'd think it would be great way to show off our projects and generate interest in the club.  I was wondering if you had any ideas and suggestions to help make this site great."

Phone App for Non-Profits Initial Contact

My plan for contacting organizations about the Phone App For Non-Profits is very similar to the Event Calendar.  I'll send this out to as many organizations as possible and use a similar template.


Hello _________,
I'm currently a Senior at Hawaii Pacific University, working towards my B.S. in Computer Science.  As a part of the software engineering curriculum, I get the opportunity to reach out to local non-profit organizations to see if I can help them by developing software to fit their need.

My current idea is to create a phone application that provides information on volunteering for local non-profits around Honolulu. This application would help volunteers and organizations meet.  However, this idea is still in its infancy, and I'm looking for suggestions to make this it better.  I'd like your organization's input If you have time, please contact me at (###)###-####.

Thank you,
Kevin Achenbach

Initial Contact Draft Event Calendar

Considering my idea of an Event Calendar for Honolulu is going to be helping a large amount of local organizations.  I'll send these emails out to as many organizations as I can find.  I'll simply use a template, so I can quickly change the contact's name and organization.  My plan is to keep it as succinct as possible.

Hello _________,
I'm currently a Senior at Hawaii Pacific University, working towards my B.S. in Computer Science.  As a part of the software engineering curriculum, I get the opportunity to reach out to local organizations to see if I can help them by developing software to fit their need.

My current idea is to create a phone application that provides an event calendar for Honolulu. This would help bring as many people as possible to these events.  This idea is still in its infancy, and I'm looking for suggestions to make this it better.  I'd like your organization's input If you have time, please contact me at (###)###-####.

Thank you,
Kevin Achenbach

Revisiting the Honolulu Event Calendar

Upon revisiting the idea of a Honolulu Event Calendar, I've come up with this list of stakeholders:

• Event Coordinators:
• Inform the users when and where an event is taking place
• Public:
• Find upcoming and current events taking place
• Event Employees
• Find out when and where they will be working

Like the previous idea, I think I might consider making a mobile friendly website, instead of an app.  

Phone App for Non-Profits Revisted

Revisiting the phone app for non-profits, I've come up with this list of stakeholders:

• Organizers: 
• Request volunteer assistance
• Keep track of current volunteers that are coming to an event
•  Volunteers
• Find places to volunteer
• People in need of a non-profits help
• easily find a specific non-profit

This idea hasn't changed too much, since I first came up with it.  The one thing I might change is the idea of making it a phone app.  Making the program work for only the Android or iPhone will leave a lot of people out.  Making a website that is useable for both devices and any computer might be more useful. 

Update: Computer Club Website

As I continue to develop my ideas for a Computer Club Website, I came up with a list of possible stakeholders for the project:

• Current Computer Club members:
• Displaying their projects
• Viewing other member's projects
• Keeping up-to-date with current events
• Prospective Computer Club members:
• Learn more about what activities the Computer Club is involved in
• Potential Employers:
• Have a way to view projects worked on by a potential new hire

A new idea that has recently come to mind, is setting up the site in a wiki format.  That way it can be edited by many different people, and it would be easy to add new members.

Honolulu Event Calendar

Problem Description:
Honolulu has tons of events going on everyday.  Most are hardly publicized.  Considering Honolulu is a very transient city, a lot of these events do not get nearly as many people as they should, simply because newcomers aren't aware of them.

It is recommended that a event calendar is made specifically for smart phones.  Using the built in GPS a map can be created to show current and upcoming events.  Each event can be rated and receive comments.  Users can use a search engine to filter out certain types of events.
System Capabilities:

• GPS powered search engine
• User log in and rating system
• Users can create new events or flag events as spam

Business Benefits:

•  Increased visitors for events