An Online Blogging Solution

Our client, an Israel based IT company, wanted a solution that would enable them to provide users with an online platform to create their individual blogs and sell their blog content as well as other content in the form of PDF/doc files to interested buyers. After a detailed study of the client’s requirements Open Source Development came up with a comprehensive web based blogging solution. The solution provides users with tools to easily write and publish their online blogs. Users were also provided with the option to convert their blogs into articles/files, set a price for the same and sell them to other users through the blog store. An administrator module was developed enabling the solution administrators to perform tasks (such as banner management, subscription management, store management, user management etc.) to maintain and manage the entire application.

Customer Profile
Our client is an Israel based IT company providing software solutions around the globe.

Business Requirements
The client had a vision - create an application that could allow stake holders to achieve the following objectives:

• Build seller and customer databases.

• Facilitate registered users to use Blogware as a blogging tool.

• Allow registered users to sell their content/blogs online.

• Allow registered users to manage their articles and files using Content Manager.

• Provide facilities to create reports and combo reports both automatically and manually.

• Provide facilities to define prices for articles, files, reports, combo reports and custom reports.

• Allow the administrator to manage all elements for the system, collect payments, track and pay sellers.

A Blogging and E-Commerce Solution

Benefits

• Provides room for storing pictures and podcasts.

• Requires no software to install - 100% web based.

• Facilitates updation of blogs by email or mobile phone.

The main components of the solution are:

• Bloggers - Users who input blogs into the system using relevant tool.

• Blog Application - Imports content from bloggers via RSS into the Content Manager and Store.

• Customers - People who come to the Store and buy content.

SOLUTION MODULES
Open Source Development designed the solution such that on the basis of appropriate privileges, users could access different sections within the application. They are:

Content Manager Module
The Content Manager module allows sellers to manage items which are to be sold in the Store. The various types of items that can be sold are:

• PDF formats of individual articles from their blogs.

• Individual files without the PDF such as MP3.

• "Best Of” reports and product guides comprising several articles in PDF format with or without attached files.

• Combo Reports consisting of numerous reports and/ or files, sold for a special price.

• Custom Reports consisting of several articles collected into a report by the customer on-the-fly rather than by the user in advance and priced on-the-fly by pricing logic attached to individual articles.

Public Store Module
The public store showcases contents of all sellers which are available on Content Manager Database. After authentication customers can purchase articles, files, reports, Combo Reports and Custom Reports. The content on the web application is downloadable as files through a URL. This URL is randomly generated by the application and is different for each customer. The application displays the URL to the customer on the website and also dispatches it with the email. The public store provides variety of ways to search and browse contents in public stores.

Personal Store Module
Personal Stores are specifically designed for the users. Only the content posted by the users and their links are available. Personal Stores possess their own URLs that are linked directly without the need to go through the main Public Store interface. The functionality of the Personal Store Module is the same as of the Public Store Module.

Super Admin Module
The Super Administrator has privileges to access the entire application such as any Store, User Content, Site Stats, Site Templates, Categories, Payment Packages, Emails, Banner Advertisements, Subscriptions and other related functionalities from this panel. Through this module the Super Admin can manage the entire web application without any constraints.

Technologies used in developing this application are:

                              

Summary
The solution developed by Open Source Development is a unique concept among all other blogging programs. It proved to be a boon for the client as well as its customers, who obtained a comprehensive web presence to post articles, reviews about books, movies and music, pictures and podcasts out into the world wide blogsosphere. The web application developed by Open Source Development is a full-fledged content management system which has surpassed its expectations and has been of immense help to the sections it was addressing.