IT'S TIME OF BRAINSTORMING

        ITS TIME OF BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming:-

One of the most interesting aspects of creating and developing software is coming up with new and innovative ideas.

But that doesn’t necessarily equate to creating an entirely different piece of software.

Oftentimes, it’s simply a matter of taking something that already exists and making it better. Or expanding on a current program.

It’s pretty much the same thing that inventors go through… They recognize that a product is the perfect candidate for improvement. Or, they envision an entirely new product, something that no one else has yet to develop.

That’s how it is with software products. So you need to look around you… Take careful note of what’s already out there and how it works.

Take note of what tasks you (or others) frequently perform.

Then ask yourself…

What software has room for improvement?

What software would make life (work) easier?

When it comes to “thinking up” software products, it’s most often a case of simply being totally aware of what is taking place right in front of your eyes.

Is there a webmaster task that you currently perform manually? One that drains a considerable amount of valuable time? Talk to a programmer. They might very well be able to create a software program that can perform the task automatically.

Is there a void in a particular marketplace or genre that you feel should be filled? Talk to a programmer. They might very well be able to create that perfect financial or gaming software product.

For the most part, consumers fall into the following three categories…

l  They have a particular problem that needs to be solved.

l   They are looking for something that will make their life easier.

l   They want to be entertained.

Overall, you should always be looking for some need or void and then create a software product that can satisfy it.

One fulfillment would be to create software that automates or simplifies a particular task involved in marketing. Take the concept of “tag and ping” for example… The moment it become widely known that social bookmarking sites and the various services they provided could be used as effective marketing techniques, the software wheels began to turn.

In no time at all, various products and programs surfaced…

l  utilities that could automate the process of creating links that need to be associated with tags

l   programs that automatically submit mass quantities of URL’s to various bookmarking sites

l   Plug-ins for existing blog software that can enhance or improve various aspects of posting, tagging, and pinging

Basically, every time a new marketing technique surfaces, there are software programs that can be created to either automate or enhance the technique.

To begin with, webmasters needed fresh content on their websites in order to satisfy search engines. RSS feeds could provide that. The only problem was the fact that the content of most RSS feeds is somewhat restrictive.

If you have a sports site, for example, you can set up different feeds for different areas of interest… baseball, football, soccer, Nascar. But what if you have numerous pages in each of those categories. And each of those pages is optimized for a specific keyword. Then what?

Your only choice would be to either place the same RSS feeds on multiple pages or just restrict the feed to primary (or select) pages for each category. Unfortunately, the former would result in duplicate content and the latter would results in pages that had no fresh content.

That’s where my idea for RSS Equalizer came about…

Webmasters needed a way to place targeted RSS feeds on all their keyword optimized pages. In other words, the content of the RSS feeds needed to be based entirely on what keyword was being used.

RSS Equalizer does just that. It allows you to place RSS feeds on any web page and have the content of that feed specifically targeted toward the keyword for which the page is being optimized.

For the most part, that’s what the majority of these types of software products do.

They fill a void or need that happens to exists.

What you need to realize, however, is that the void or need in many instances might not be quickly and easily recognized. That’s why it’s important to always be alert, always be looking for that new angle or possibility.

And don’t assume that an idea might be too bizarre or unusual to qualify as a profitable software product. The only criteria that should ultimately matter is whether or not there’s a solid market potential.

Which brings us to another very important issue. You absolutely, positively MUST know your target audience.

If you’re going to create new gaming software, for example, you have to be knowledgeable about what types of programs (and characters) are most popular and what kind of interface and functions the users demand.

If you’re going to create a new ebook compiler, you need to know exactly what features the people who use that type of software would require. You also need to determine what features they themselves would add to that type of product if they were given the opportunity.

Without knowing what your target audience wants or requires, you’re just spitting into the wind, hoping you come up with something they want.

Don’t guess. Don’t assume. And don’t try to think for someone else. If you’re going to make money selling software, you have to be totally familiar with the people who will be purchasing your products. BEFORE you get in too deep.

Beyond that, the field of possibilities is wide open. And the number one rule is this… Don’t limit yourself in any way, shape, or form. If you can envision it, a programmer can most likely make it happen.