Learning How to Be an Entrepreneur One Blog at a Time: Final Summary

Weeks has gone by. Lectures has zoomed past. The information hopefully retains! Being able to learn and consistently blog in efforts to apply my newfound knowledge has been a beneficial experience for myself! I took my idea from the level of brainstorm was able to think step by step, from hardware to software to databases and security, of how my device to check and maintain the health of a computer could evolve.

I learned about what was the best method to create my idea and how I would be able to maintain good integrity not only with the new device but with the several accompanying pieces like online buying and customer service situations. In the blog, I realized that the health diagnostic device was better as a piece of hardware created than software. I also learned how Databases will be key in maintaining proper records of diagnoses and to keep the consumer informed about trends in their computer's health. It's important because if more help is needed with the computer having that history could be vital to its survival and longevity.

Sometimes blogging seems annoying and tedious, but maintaing the consistency not only reaffirmed that knowledge but it truly shows what separates good blogs from bad blogs. Blogging is work and keeping your audience up to date is essential because the exit window button is always so far away from the mouse's ability to click on. It is important to also use visuals and multimedia to keep the audience engaged. At the end of the day, the knowledge you have and product trying to be sold would be nothing without the consumer, your audience.

Arjan Writes: True Music Entrepreneurial Magic

This has nothing to do with my specific entrepreneurial idea for my blog but Arjan from Arjan Writes is one of the top bloggers in the music scene. Being a fan of his blog for years, it has enabled me to understand the function and potential that the blogging world offers. He is true entrepeneur establishing an image in the music industry. His blog is now huge and he has hired an extra writer or two and even has been a correspondent for the GRAMMYs.

Seeing how his blog transformed his passion for music into something big, I learned a few things from it. I learned that is so completely necessary to be consistent with your blog in design and posts. The only way to get recognition is through consistency in most of these matters because you are building up credibility in the mess of the Internet.

Arjan has become a entrepreneur for music promotion and marketing. He has his own iPhone application and like I mention has been able to establish a lot of bonds with people in the music business. Personally, I think he is involved in entrepreneurship because he built his image up from nothing and knew how to market himself and his blog creating revenue.

Here's his blog to check it out more in depth: http://www.arjanwrites.com/ .

Week 9 - IT Security

The topic of this week was taking the knowledge of all the components of technology and learning how to protect it. With certain methods like Cryptography and Steganography, I was able to learn methods to protect the integrity, accuracy and confidentiality of works created by myself and others. However, I learned that security not only depends on methods like this but on people as well and their honesty handling important and private information.

Obviously, it is important to use things like a CAPTCHA to ensure that my website to order these products remains safe and trustworthy! Yet, the tools involving biometrics will probably not be necessary and not be relevant to my entrepreneurial idea or any entities of it. Yet, security methods like identification and authentication will be incorporated in the online buying process and when inserting the created device into the computer.

When it comes to troubleshooting, I could see the company incorporating Cryptography. I know that the health of a computer can be very private and when the information about its health goes on the internet, it could leave the consumer vulnerable to attacks. No computer, as we learned, is ever safe! So if the diagnostic needs better interpretation or help from our customer service maybe cryptography could be used in the exchange of information between the two parties.

Week 8 - Databases

The most recent lecture's focus was Databases. Databases are usually organizational tools used in a variety of tasks and industries. One statement made was remember a time when you didn't come into contact with a database daily. Incorporating a database will be great because of their ability to store a variety of information that can continually be built and alter.

When consumers purchase my product to help maintain the health of their computer there could be diagnoses that do not make sense or codes for errors that they may not understand. To be help with this, my company will need to create a database for customer service reasons allowing for when consumers come to the website to troubleshoot with their product. The database will store all types of information for them to access and read for their own understanding.

The database will be updated and maintained frequently to consistently meet the needs and fix any problems that a consumer could encounter with our product. Realistically, no product is perfect so there's need to be data out there for the consumer to access or they will feel the product is not living up to what was promised. On the business side, this will hurt our company's revenue as well as reputation!

Week 7 - Communications/Networks

This lecture's discussion drew away from the technical aspects of my entrepreneurial idea and expanded it to the customer service section. Once I have my device created that analyzes and assesses the health of the computer's hardware for longevity and maximum performance, how do my consumers seek extra help, the help that I initially explained that would get the consumers to buy this product versus getting the sales pitch as computing service at Apple's Genius Bar or Best Buy's Geek Squad.

That's where the discussion of communications and networks came into play allowing me to think once the analysis is complete with the piece of hardware will it connect via the internet to a live chat or automatically transfer that information to a tech person dedicated over at my imaginary headquarters. With the OSI Model and all the layering talked about, it causes me to really think my options out to maximize my product's capabilities for the consumer.

Thinking about it more critically, once the hardware gives my consumer the report I will have it have the ability to connect to website for further help of how to problem solve through live chat, calling on the phone or video tutorials. Of course with net neutrality, anyone could view these so I will make sure that the product's registration number is used to enter into the portal where the wealth of knowledge would be contained.

Week 6 - Advanced Hardware

Lecture last week touched upon Audio and the Hard Disk composition. Audio is really not of a main concern with my entrepreneurial idea but the Hard Disk very much so might be. Above is a video of how a Hard Disk runs when your computer is on. IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DO THIS! If you read the description, the Hard Disk risks dying out fairly soon.

Last week, my entrepreneurial idea was stuck between become an application or being developed into a piece of software/device. Learning more about the hard disk signaled that my idea has a much better chance of running at optimal performance levels as a device. The application may attract bugs and require more and more fixes than needed. If my idea developed properly, it is not something that requires much maintenance but a powerful foundation to check and assess the health of the computer the device is connected to.

With the upcoming weeks, I will continue to look at more ideas and factors that come into play with my idea. The Audio section of this past lecture just emphasized the little finishing touches I would want my software on a device to run but it is not of a main concern.

Week 5 - Hardware (Part 2)

This week's lecture took a deeper look into more several aspects of a computer's hardware. It informs us not only of the individual parts and the key roles in the ability to contribute to a fully functioning computer but also about hardware's individual compositions. We learned the materials and chemicals involved in creating these individual components needed to build proper computer hardware. With that we saw, the consequences of using such materials and the effects that they have on others and on the globe.

Having the ability to absorb this week's information, allowed myself once again to more closely consider not the hardware pieces that I would need but more so, the potential effects. It made me finalize whether to make my entrepreneurial idea discussed in earlier posts to be a device or to be an application. If it was a device I would need to consider the different components, which materials last longer as well as which one are most cost-efficient.

However, if I were to stay away from the complications and implications of using hard ware I must consider if developing an application would achieve the same potential as the device I would create to be plugged into a computer. Additionally, if I could reach my idea's full potential through the development of an application would it become too taxing on an individual computer and thus running the potential of not just checking the computer's health but hurting it as well.

Week 4 - Hardware

This past class's lecture broke the computer down to its simplest pieces. Learning about bits to bytes and binary code, causes any software developer to be cautions about the capacities and boundaries their application will face with development. Specifically in the last blog post, I mentioned my entrepreneurial idea and the device to help test the health of your Laptop computer.

Developing this software will require an thorough thought process about how extensive this application will be. It is one thing to measure the health of the Laptop but there is several elements to measuring the health. Will there be certain levels of testing health? More extensive testing application cost more to a user? This lecture caused my idea to become more thought-out and to understand how complex creating this application could be to users.

With this application, I realized to propel my entrepreneurial idea to maximize its profits through a business aspect. The lecture encouraged me to think deeper about what should be included to test the health of a Laptop. More research and consulting will be needed to determine what pieces would cost more to add on the application versus a basic edition.

Week 3 - Software

In lecture last week, the basics of a computer and its software was discussed. The lecture provided the opportunity see into the machinery that many are attached to daily. Being able to learn more about the foundation, allowed myself to see the more technical aspects and provide more reality to my entrepreneurial idea.

For example, take the iTunes' App Store. Most early applications were created by professional software developers but now almost anyone can create an app in the store. This creates a competition and many professional lose out on the free apps. In class, the example of Linux emerging as competition Windows and Mac proves a similar testimonial.

My entrepreneurial idea deals with creating an device that tests the health of your Laptop computer. With a newfound knowledge of software basics, the class was able to see how complicated and intricate the computer system is and what it takes to run properly and efficiently. With technology constantly changing and getting better, I want to develop a device where you can take the health of your own technology into your care. I want the device to access the life of your computer and be able to tell your what you need to fix. There is no sales pitch or inexperienced staff but the answer right there. It is your choice to then decide if you want professional help or the ability to buy the proper software remedies to fix the issue and prolong the life.