Maybe some communities features like:
1. add someone who is in your class or taking the same subject.
2. discussion board.
3. and, the evil thing: peer pressure - you can see who has finished their homeworks but you are still working on something else.
Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
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Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#12Very clean interface, the app works smothly, etc.
BUT
This is not useful to me as a student if I have to enter all of my assignments manually. If I know what to enter, why do I need to be reminded?
If there were some way to import assignments and classes from somewhere else, then it would be very useful. I don't know how feasible that would be, but there's no way I'd use Soshiku without that feature.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#13Thank you for all the wonderful comments.
Zacharye, that certainly was my goal. :)
Aston, yes I'll fix that right away.
Siong, thanks for the suggestions. You can (mostly) do all of that by adding partners to your account, and then using the discussion pane on the assignment page. And for "peer pressure", a users' total grade does show on their public profile.
About monetization: for now I'm focusing on just unobtrusive AdSense ads, but I'm definitely brainstorming about the future.
Jbenz, yes it's 100% free and I plan on keeping it that way. Should I replace "But that's just the tip of the iceberg." with "And it's totally free." with, say, a yellow highlight?
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#14Does the name "Soshiku" have a meaning? It sounds very Japanese to me but I'm drawing a blank on an exact meaning. My conjugation is pretty weak these days.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#15Does the name "Soshiku" have a meaning? It sounds very Japanese to me but I'm drawing a blank on an exact meaning. My conjugation is pretty weak these days.
Sort of. It's derived from the word "soshiki" which means "organization" (I hope it's the verb kind of organization). I saw the word a long time ago, and in my head somewhere along the way, before I made the site, I turned it into "soshiku". I do like that better.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#16Very clean interface, the app works smothly, etc. BUT This is not useful to me as a student if I have to enter all of my assignments manually. If I know what to enter, why do I need to be reminded? If there were some way to import assignments and classes from somewhere else, then it would be very useful. I don't know how feasible that would be, but there's no way I'd use Soshiku without that feature.
That's why I made it so users can add assignments via email or SMS. So when they're in class, for example, they can add it from their phone and not to have to worry about it.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#17Very cool. It's useful, nice and neat. I wish I had something like this in college.
I'll definitely use it when (if?) I start a Masters degree.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#18Does the name "Soshiku" have a meaning? It sounds very Japanese to me but I'm drawing a blank on an exact meaning. My conjugation is pretty weak these days.
Sort of. It's derived from the word "soshiki" which means "organization" (I hope it's the verb kind of organization). I saw the word a long time ago, and in my head somewhere along the way, before I made the site, I turned it into "soshiku". I do like that better.
JDIC to the rescue! First given definition of "soshiki" (そしき) [組織]
組織 【そしき】 (n,vs) (1) organization; (2) structure; construction; (3) tissue; (4) system;
(1) 役員評議会が組織されて新提案を協議した。 An executive council was formed to discuss the new proposal.
Looks like そしき is a nominative word which can be used as part of a compound verb, as in 組織する [to form an organization]. (soshiki-sarete in the example given is in the tense "was-formed / was-organized").
I love variety in both human and computer languages.
Digressions aside, I like the name. And the site itself looks fantastic. Good luck!
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#19Fantastic, clean design. I'm adding courses now, I'll let you know how it goes by the end of the term, heh.
Re: Ask YC: Please review my first startup, Soshiku
#20The big button on your front page says "Take A Tour". "Sign Up" is tucked way down at the bottom and requires scrolling (it is also in the top menu bar sure, but it isn't as visible there). I knew I didn't want to take a tour since I figured I got the service from the blurb, but wasn't sure what else to do from the home page.
The largest button is not only the most visible activity, but it's also an implicit suggestion to your users. Do you want people to sign up, or do you want them to take a tour? Plant the idea in their mind with design.
Smaller notes: I have no idea how to generate that funky calendar I saw in the tour, or to tell the system that I've completed an assignment once created. Also - just to be picky - the header colors really don't work for me. Blue and green and another blue, and another blue and dark grey and light grey? Multiple borders and banners? If you aren't working with a designer, try keeping the site simple and iterate towards a more attractive site. Design that adds complexity works against the impression of simplicity and usability (it communicates money). I believe your logo against a simple white background would be more attractive to potential users than the ruckus up there now. Simpler design would also call more attention to the content you really want users to see.