Ideas for a website? anyone?

[diebitter]

IDEAS PLEASE!

I'm currently at a loose end, and decided I need to sharped up certain web skills. Looking for ideas...

Want something that allows the use of a database, is user-driven (visitors will be able to enter stuff to be read by others, for example), and has good revisiting potential for users.

Given my movie obsession, I was thinking a movie review site where users can post their reviews, tied in to a discussion forum about each one... but that's exactly was IMDB does, so maybe not...

Anyway, the other critieria are:

- if I develop it, I want to show it to clients, so no pr0n.
- not poker - don't wish to compete with 2+2!


Not too bothered if I can't tie it to money-making, as it's really to give me something realistic to refresh my skills in certain areas...

I already have a server etc, so no suggestions needed for that side of things.

thanks all,
db

[New001]

Instead of reviewing movies, what about reviewing either products or companies?

[_TKO_]

Any sort of forum helps to drive traffic. A scheduling program on your site can use db.

[kipin]

Have you thought of opening an Anti-Dynasty webpage?????

[diebitter]

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Have you thought of opening an Anti-Dynasty webpage?????

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Not enough interest there. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Blarg]

Do you collect anything? A prices database, perhaps from several sources, could be something people would want to check up on. I know there are comic book sites that just list their own price figures.

How about a "just found" registry of microchips for lost pets to let owners check the web to see where their pet is? Could have a link to tie-in to yahoo maps or whatever for the shelter, maybe, if you wanted to go to that trouble or could afford what you might have to pay. Look like a hero while doing it. Might even get a grant or some donations. I know I'd be very happy to be able to find a lost pet by checking a website for its number. And if someone couldn't contact me by phone for whatever reason, I could check the site, even from work.

You could have a section where people could post about their lost pet and it's number, too.

Laboratories often buy stolen dogs too, so maybe if people got in the habit of confirming the dog was surrendered voluntarily by checking chips, you could prevent dogs and cats from a very gruesome fate. You could probably even get some volunteers to help out and maybe sponsorship by pet food and supply companies if you got it going.

[ElaineMonster]

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How about a "just found" registry of microchips for lost pets to let owners check the web to see where their pet is? Could have a link to tie-in to yahoo maps or whatever for the shelter, maybe, if you wanted to go to that trouble or could afford what you might have to pay. Look like a hero while doing it.

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This is a good idea, but a HUGE undertaking. There are at least 3 or 4 different microchips and even more different registries. Not even all chips are inserted in the shoulder area, some vets put them elsewhere. Many shelters do their own registry in addition. And the current registries probably wouldn't give you the info for free if at all.

And what about the other methods of ID like tatoos and collar tags? Most people don't even chip their pets yet, so the service wouldn't be that useful for most people and their animals.

Also, microchip registries (whoever you filled out your paperwork and paid your fee to when you got your animal chipped) are supposed to call you when your animal is found. Vets and shelters are supposed to scan all animals, living or dead (but not every county requires it). So, all you need to do is keep your phone number up to date with the registry and you don't need a web based database.

But the larger problem is that there isn't a nationwide database for all found animals regardless of chips.

[Blarg]

Well, you know how phone tag goes, and spacey people leaving it up to somebody else to do something, and that something eventually getting forgotten. Also, people change their phone numbers, and move. I'd find the ability to look it up on the web quite handy.

Heck, a shelter could even use contact with a database as a sort of receipt and proof that they didn't kill an animal or start medical experiments on it without doing something traceable to try to find the owner. Anyone can claim to have made a call, but they might be harder to trace and verify than an entry in a database.

Microchip companies or shelters or medical research facilities might see it as losing something to give out information on found pets, but they could also see it as a free service that helps them prove their value to the customer and their being above-board in their dealings with dog sellers. Really anyone who deals with lost or sold animals could use it and probably find some value in it.

Tattooes, collar tags, whatever, same deal. Just have different fields in the database to put that info into.

The thing is, you don't need info from all tagged pets, just the lost one. So the data entry wouldn't be a gigantic hump to get over on start-up. You don't have to care about the pets that have never been lost, only the ones that have, and that's a tiny minority. A shelter would just have to fill out a few fields in a database form, and it's done. Heck, I'm sure there are programs out there that could take that info and send out e-mails and/or make phone calls automatically.

[ElaineMonster]

Dude, plenty of shelters have online databases of their animals. This is NOT a new concept.
The thing that would be cool is merging all the databases and keeping accurate, up-to-date records. (Which is why it would be a huge undertaking).

But really, responsible pet owners MUST go down to all the shelters themselves and see the animals in person. Photographs are not always accurate since they're taken when the animal is caged and may act/look strange/ different. Chips are not always reliable because people entering info into databases transpose numbers, and make typos because they're either volunteers, paid very little, or just plain tired or stupid.

[pryor15]

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Given my movie obsession, I was thinking a movie review site where users can post their reviews, tied in to a discussion forum about each one...

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if you do this and want to use any of mine, send me a PM or something.