Despite the holiday season and the lack of blogging recently, we have been working hard and have made some significant progress. We have finished several more modules in the last week, including the messages, to-dos, and events. Our next step is to integrate the Paypal API, which will allow users to make payments to their studeng organizations without ever leaving our site.

At this point I have become very comfortable with the MVC structure, and any web developers out there who haven’t tried using it should definitely try it out. The benefits of separating our front-end display code from the behind the scenes data preparation have proven quite effective in allowing us to get this project done in such a short time. We have also developed a very useful javascript library which allows us to modularize our AJAX calls and responses.

Aside from the grind of coding, we are getting closer and closer to choosing a name for the site. We have several high quality logos and slogans to go with a few candidates (thanks to Scott and Chad Pugh), and we should be making a decision here in the next week.

Indeed, we are searching for our identity once more. We have changed once or twice already in an attempt to give ourselves something memorable and meaningful and legal. Now we are giving a chance for our future customers to name us! Hopefully, you’re out there reading this and can tell us what you think of our potential names:

Groupwrangler (of course) Bluewire, Groupwire, Groupfuse, Headlight, or Conductor. OR whatever else you can think of [please inform us].

So we’ve been through the desert on this horse. Finally we can see the promised land (we received a check for services!) And soon we will have a name…

So I received some Freeline skates last week and have been trying to learn the damn things for about a week. My friend also got them and we’ve been just trying to propel ourselves forward. But finally, after 8-9 hours of work, we can now move forward at expense of our inner leg muscles. It looks like you are walking, but sidways, and fast, and girls want you, and then you fall, and then your toe bleeds. Just watch the video.

After 3 hours of doing some skating, my mind is now fired up and ready to go to work on a new module for the site. Scott and I decided that it would be pretty cool to have a tag-based messaging system, similar to del.icio.us. Tagging seems to be a fast growing medium on the internet and could be a smart route to take. But since this is directed towards student organizaitons, I’m kind of worried that tags will be too freeform for them. We’ll just see how it turns out.

Current chat time total: (~6 days, 5 hours)

“There’s an inherent desire to add more features because we believe our customers are doing more things with our software.”

Red Herring discusses a growing desire for simplicity in software and consumer products — which got me thinking: why do we have a tendency to throw in every possible feature and the kitchen sink? Just because we can doesn’t mean it’s better.

My belief is that it costs so little to do more now. Low costs + big opportunity = “featuritis.” Yet most Internet users today, though, have one-track minds. Think about it.

We go to Google or Yahoo to search.
We go to del.icio.us to track links.
We go to flickr to post photos.
We go to facebook to look up people.
…etc.

Chances are, you don’t think of Google as being an expert in RSS feeds or Yahoo being the best at showing stock tickers. Yes, they both do that, but so do Bloglines and Marketwatch. And they do it better than Google or Yahoo.

The article continues:

He compared the user experience of operating an XM Radio player, a satellite radio device, and using an iPod. “How is it that the simple thing they call a radio has 75 knobs and something that plays music, video, and audio books can have only one knob?

“Simplicity equates to customer-centric thinking and that’s what makes most organizations good, if not great,” he added.

Wow…simplicity making organizations great, too? That’s a bold statement, like jalapenos left too long in the sun and thrown in salsa with Mexican peppers. If the product is simple and does one or two things amazingly well, then the organization can rally around that.

Things are looking good from a development standpoint. We are all working quite well together as one fluid force in a Skype chat room. We’re not done with the People section, sadly, but we have spent most of our time working out the initial kinks and standardizing our methods.

I have been mainly working on the frontend display and Ajax development. There are some pretty cool Ajax occurrences in the site already! It will allow people to really enjoy their experience in GroupWrangler. I also made a standard Ajax form validator that integrates with our MVC structure which allows me to enjoy my experience as a Ajax developer as well.

All day yesterday was spent researching some good Ajax development methods. Using the prototype javascript class really allows a lot of cool tricks when it comes to scripting… it’s definitely a must-have for javscript dev. Also, 24ways.org is a good source for keeping up to date on the latest web dev tricks.

Back to the Skype chat room… it’s my longest online chat ever (~14 hours).

Here’s some more clarification on what GroupWrangler provides:
1. People - directory of all your organization members
2. Groups - you can represent groups within your organization such as your exec council or sports team to make life even simpler. For example, send an email to only the “group” or make “group” events on the calendar.
3. Money - you’ll be able to handle all payments online - dues, fees, donations, etc.
4. Events - Manage all your organization’s events in one place, share them with other groups or keep them private
5. Messages - Don’t let your inbox get cluttered anymore. Our message system simplifies the flow of information in your campus life.
6. Files - share files
7. To-dos - assign members to-dos and keep track of your own for all your groups

These features are just the basics. We’re building in more functionality for Student Governments to run campuses or chapter-based organizations spread across states or the country.

If you happened upon this site as a result of an email I sent you - well - you’re in the right place. Feel free to check out our blog. We are going to have this service working for the entire Wake Forest University campus by January 15 at latest. Also, we will be serving the whole State of Virginia’s College Republicans.

We are currently researching knockout features for fraternity or sorority international offices. So far we’ve explored alcohol education, risk management and alumni donations/relationship mgt. as possible options to add on to our already great services. Let us know what you think at inquiries@groupwrangler.com.

Over the last two days, I’ve been slowly getting a feel for PHP MVC with its object-oriented stucture, as I have never used object-orientation in a web interface before. However, we have started to make some headway, and are about halfway finished with the People feature, which allows you to administrate the members of your organization. We are implementing AJAX whenever possible to simplify the user experience. Once we knock down the People feature, the others will fall quickly.

I always get unhappy, oddly disappointed and figuratively depressed when I see a new Web company launch with a cool intro page and blog…but then you don’t hear anything for 4 months. This is kind of like chalk: the landing page launches with some great buzz back in AUGUST:

The end product is almost ready. We’ve come a long way in a short time, but we’re about to graduate (hopefully with honors!). We hope you’ll be there at the ceremony so you can take Chalk for a test drive. Until then, sit tight and tell your friends - after all, thats what Chalk is all about, sharing.

And yet, there’s nothing there! Nothing launched! How’s that for “sharing?”

We don’t want to make the same mistake. And to avoid this mistake, we’re publishing right here when we will complete software components and when we will launch.

• December 16: Complete login & user admin
• December 23: Complete Events, To-dos, Messages features
• December 28: Complete Money feature
• December 31: Complete File Storage, Overview, Personal Login Page features
• January 1: Complete Organization Collaboration features
• January 1 to 10: Testing and bug correction phase
• January 15: GroupWrangler is ready for the world

This may be bold or it may be stupid, but it’s different and it’s the way we work. Bold, stupid and different(ly). Or something.

I am excited to see just how GW is going change the way groups function! I think I have become the role player of the GroupWrangler team. I do a little of everything except programming.

I will be married in June to the lovely Cora Holden. I just accepted a job working with Gecko’s, but I am delaying going to work until Mid-October to make sure that GroupWrangler is a success.

If you’re running a campus organization or are a member of one — a sorority, fraternity, club sport or club like College Republicans, for example — you know how crazy it can be to keep people on task, keep track of files, emails, cash and remember where and at what time events are being held.

My partners and I are pretty active on campus. Chuck’s the VP of his fraternity, I’m president of an organization and a member of a few, Nick and Casey head up development for a campus portal, and Josh has ran a few of his own. So we’ve been there.

And we’ve also realized there’s a better way to get things done. Seriously, we’re in college to enjoy ourselves (and to get a degree). We shouldn’t be wasting that time with stupid administrative stuff like reminding people of things and finding lost emails, for example.

So that’s where GroupWrangler comes in. GroupWrangler does all of these things in a single, secure Web site:

• Keep track of events
• Assign clear and simple to-dos to one, a few, or all your members
• Talk to each other in one place! We give you a secure message board for chatting it up on anything: club-related or not
• Save key files like membership lists or press release drafts
• Create “groups” to reflect your organization: every organization has a leadership board and other subdivisions within it, so we allow you to reflect that same reality within GroupWrangler — so you can sort messages, to-dos, files and events by groups, too

Coming very, very soon to a campus near you. Email me (scotthurff at groupwrangler dot com) if you want to know more about it and see some more fun screenshots.

I’m yet another awesome developer that has joined the GroupWrangler force. Nick and I were asked to join by the three creators to help develop the site into something special. The main reason I joined, though, is that Scott is sooo cute!

Anyway, I’m pretty pumped about getting this project off the ground. Although we’re all home in our distant cities now, I can still enjoy hearing their voices through Skype… especially Chuck’s. To be serious, though, I have a passion for web development and design and this is the best way for me to vent that strong, emotional attachment. Thank you Chuck, Scott and Josh. Thank you.

Our team really has the potential to create something great. Good luck to us!

Hi everyone, my name is Charles. All of the groupwrangler shananigans started with an idea that I had to make my life easier as VP of Sigma Chi which I deemed “GreekWorks”. The website was going to be a place where all of our information could be stored and managed including collecting payments for parties and t-shirts, updating an events calendar, and other bothersome details. It was such a hit that we decided to broaden the scope and include all campus groups. Hence the term “GroupWrangler”. I’ve been working on this for a year or so now, but my compatriots and I will be knocking ourselves out over Christmas break to produce a dummy proof system for you all to use and manage your groups.

I’m Nick Dunkman, another 22 year old senior at Wake Forest. My friends will tell you that I am a Cardinals fan before anything else in life. I joined the GroupeWrangler project b/c it shows huge potential. On top of that, all four of my partners are smart, ambitious, and hard working.

Today marks the first day that I will begin significant development of GroupWrangler, so check back soon for updates on our progress.

A little about me: I’m Scott Hurff, and I work with four other talented guys here at Function Technologies, LLC. We’re producing GroupWrangler for campuses across the country.

I’m 22, a senior, and go to Wake Forest (big surprise). I have a personal site here, and I ran a Web consultancy from 1999 to 2004.

Fresh Politics is a great site where I write about politics. Because I like politics, too.

Drop me a Facebook if you feel like it. Because Facebook owns us.

UPDATE: The phrase “Facebook owns us” doesn’t mean Facebook literally owns us. It’s a figure of speech. For those who didn’t get it.