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http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ ziizoo forums: Last 35 Posts en Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:48:48 +0000 http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-63 Tue, 06 May 2008 17:52:07 +0000 kaysoky88 63@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>There's been another connection problem in the ziizoo tutoring client:<br /> A student (steven3000) can not get a connection to the administrator during the sessions (as in the "waiting to connect" message appears five times and then a "failed to connect, trying again" message appears).<br /> The whiteboard still works but it is the only connection; the session itself doesn't register in the "recent sessions" section. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-59 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:21:37 +0000 kaysoky88 59@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>That was basically the problem and I'm guessing the other problem of students not being able to use the text box would be their problem... Like the student Amir Maymay, he/she could not use the text box for some reason... (and then he/she started cursing on the whiteboard.) </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-58 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:49:56 +0000 Robert Einspruch 58@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Can you describe it a bit more? I just did a test session and the WB was responsive. I have recently seen where it takes a few minutes for the "admin" to enter the room, and as a result everything typed before it gets crammed into one line after the "admin" enters. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-57 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:35:44 +0000 kaysoky88 57@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>A few students have been having trouble typing anything into the teaching area, especially the text box. It might be because of their technology or something, but at the start of some sessions, the text sometimes does not work for me (everything I type does not show up until a while in, and then it comes all at the same time). If it helps, I also always wait for the "session started by ziizoo admin" message to start. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=21#post-55 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:59:32 +0000 Robert Einspruch 55@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I am not sure if this is a new bug (which begs the question how did it get there?) or an old bug (which begs the question, how did we miss this for so long?) but we will take care of this today.</p> <p>Sorry for the confusion!</p> <p>Robert </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=21#post-54 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:30:03 +0000 Joslin 54@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I am using a Mac, not sure if that makes a difference. I tried both Safari and BonEcho. When asked for my birthday, I found that there were two Marches, two Mays, etc, but no February, April, June, etc. This is troublesome as my birthday is in April. I simply selected the 4th month down, which was the first May listed, but figured I"m mention the problem. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-53 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:11:37 +0000 grabby 53@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Timer should allow the tutor to continue the free session. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-52 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:51:46 +0000 Robert Einspruch 52@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Problem solved. Thank you for your patience. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-51 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:12:50 +0000 Robert Einspruch 51@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are working on it right now. Thanks! </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-50 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:35:03 +0000 kaysoky88 50@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Between ~2:20 and ~2:40 PM EST on March 15, the Gtalk function suddenly stopped working. I've tried refreshing several times, but the ziizoo admin is not showing. It also showed me as not available within ziizoo. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-49 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:41:45 +0000 Robert Einspruch 49@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Joseph, you are one step ahead of us. This is something we are contemplating - moving the feedback step "into" the session by having it appear after the session ends but before the user is returned to the regular site. Basically it would nudge users in the direction of leaving feedback. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-48 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:39:42 +0000 kaysoky88 48@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I don't think we should stop with just a timer, maybe you could implement a pop-up that shows after someone ends the session to ask for feedback. It would help the newer tutors who don't know to ask for ratings gather them anyway :) </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-47 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:21:57 +0000 Robert Einspruch 47@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Recently an experimental version of our session tool crept into our production environment. If you experienced any odd behavior between late last night and around 9PM CST this evening (03/10/08), that is why. Sorry for the inconvenience!</p> <p>Robert </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-46 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:29:01 +0000 Robert Einspruch 46@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>When did you see this? It is possible we did a quick server restart while you were logged in. If it happens email me directly at <a href="mailto:reinspruch@ziizoo.com">reinspruch@ziizoo.com</a> immediately. Thanks! </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=20#post-45 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:59:55 +0000 rra0917 45@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>ziizoo has been logging me out recently, after only a few minutes. has anyone else had this problem? </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=19#post-44 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:44:34 +0000 rra0917 44@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I go to high school in Connecticut - we get one week off in December, February, and April. That's it. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=19#post-43 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:35:29 +0000 Robert Einspruch 43@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I went to Vassar - I guess it was a slacker school ;-) </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=19#post-42 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:11:37 +0000 jseguritan 42@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Since when did college kids get 2 weeks off for Spring Break? That's unheard of! LOL </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=19#post-41 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:18:07 +0000 Robert Einspruch 41@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Here in Texas it is officially Spring Break. High schoolers get a week off and college kids get two weeks off, so we expect site traffic to be lumpy. What is/was your experience - did break start later? </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-40 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:53:58 +0000 jseguritan 40@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Halfway mark, 5 minute mark, then 1 minute mark. Short and simple! </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-39 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:51:20 +0000 Robert Einspruch 39@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>One more question - at what interval would you like to see warnings? Every minute, starting at 5 minutes? More frequently? Less frequently? You tell us! </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=18#post-38 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:46:16 +0000 jseguritan 38@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Just moments ago, I was dismissing Facebook applications as a nuisance, and certainly, there's a lot of validation out there of that viewpoint. Having said that, there is something to be said about what the rest of the marketing industry calls "widgets" as a vehicle of viral marketing. Consider this quote from a recent BusinessWeek article ("Building a Brand with Widgets", 03/03/08):</p> <blockquote><p> "Interest in widgets is rising as marketers become disaffected by other methods of online advertising, especially on social networks. Google executives said in January they're not generating as much revenue as expected from placing ads on News Corp.'s MySpace. (...) Some marketers say widgets may do a better job engaging users than, say, so-called banner ads emblazoned across the sides of social network profiles."</p> </blockquote> <p>Ziizoo can certainly benefit from a widget, but the question is--<em>what type of widget</em>? I think widgets work well when they exploit some kind of addictive activity or stimuli, and when their functionality and message is tightly linked to its objectives. What types of widgets can work for Ziizoo? We'll need to start with some thematic associations to Ziizoo--tutoring, on-the-spot, academics, tutor referrals, school help. And thinking about some addictive activities, we've got rapid-fire quizzes, throwing sheep, poking, <strong>simple</strong> online games, etc. So let's bring the two together!</p> <p>Here are some ideas: </p> <li> A short-and-sweet quiz application (something that looks like FreeRice.com) where students can just pass time answering rapid-fire academic trivia on any subject. Tutors can write the questions, perhaps! </li> <li> A vampires-and-werewolves-type application where "tutors" can tag "students" (or the other way around) turning them into "tutors" who must in term tag more "students" in order to turn back into a "tutor". Kinda reinforces the idea that at Ziizoo, users can be tutors and students at the same time! </li> <li> An "entourage"-type application where tutors can build an entourage of students, where students earn free minutes for each new student they're able to bring into the entourage they are currently in. Students can join more than one tutor's entourage. </li> <p>Sure, most of these ideas are rip-offs of existing Facebook applications. Any interesting ideas you can bring to the table? ;o) </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-37 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:30:52 +0000 ksims 37@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I really like this, too, as long as we have the freedom to extend the session if desired. But it sends a strong message to the students that they should use their time efficiently and that they shouldn't expect extra time.</p> <p>Kate </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=17#post-36 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:57:44 +0000 Robert Einspruch 36@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Regarding Jeffrey's comments, we are going to be relaunching our FB app soon with the goal of making it as functional as possible. FB is a rich environment for both students and tutors, but we haven't quite found the right marketing message and channel within FB yet. But we are working on it!</p> <p>We are now pretty open to students asking questions in the forum area. We just want it to be structured so the same question does not get asked over and over again. We would love input on how to structure it - and again, should we create a "math ziizoo group", a "science ziizoo group", etc?</p> <p>It would be great if anyone that reads this post please join our FB group - it is called "ziizoo tutors". </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=15#post-35 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:50:43 +0000 jseguritan 35@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>1) I think more visible and accessible links to the forums and faculty lounge are needed. The forums link added to the bottom of the page is indeed an improvement, but still relatively hidden from view.</p> <p>2) I'm not sure how a secret prize or contest would drive desirable behavior--isn't the whole point of a contest letting people know what they need to do to win? The concept of contests aims to motivate and reward desired behavior (and we've seen elements of this in the Wacom tablet contests and iPod nano contest) but they need to be structured so that people don't "game" the system. Also, the very frequency of contests shouldn't discourage students and tutors from engaging in desirable behavior when contests are not held. It's like the WalMart concept of "every day low prices" vs. consumers not buying until a sale or clearance deal. </p> <p>3) I do believe the title page needs to be more self-explanatory. No mission statement, no motto, no description. Perhaps the site should include the "available tutors list" on the front page as well.</p> <p>On the whole, great ideas, rra0917! Thanks for starting this thread. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=17#post-34 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:30:10 +0000 jseguritan 34@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>1) I think we should reconsider our aggressiveness on Facebook advertising given the market knowledge that Facebook and MySpace click-through rates are well below average compared to average internet sites. In fact, for me, anything that gets into the Newsfeed catches my attention more than the Facebook ads, so a viral Facebook group isn't a bad idea. Of course, Facebook (being a college and high-school heavy social network) remains a healthy source of tutor recruitment. Finally, I still think the Facebook application needs some more work in order to actually drive Ziizoo trials and usage (not that Facebook applications are effective in their own right--I think they've drawn more irritation than convenience). </p> <p>2) I think there should be common forums for students and tutors as well. My hypothesis about our current lack of such forums is that there is a fear that student-tutor relationships may form and manifest outside of Ziizoo or that some tutors might actually tutor on these forums in the form of answering student questions. While these fears are valid, there is an even more ostensible benefit of having students interact with students in a community-based setting, because it reduces students' hesitation to initiate their first session, and because it accentuates Ziizoo's competitive advantage of having a "human face" attached to their tutors, unlike more anonymous sites like tutor.com and tutorvista.com.</p> <p>3) There's no reason that you can't have both the Ziizoo forums and a forum on Facebook. Can't really assume that most people on Ziizoo are on Facebook, and the site needs its own domain for forums. If people like to interact on Facebook groups, then that's a nice addition, but shouldn't really displace the conversations that happen on Ziizoo forums. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=17#post-33 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:31:50 +0000 wanger727 33@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>i think advertisements on facebook is more important than the groups... </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=17#post-32 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:36:19 +0000 Robert Einspruch 32@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Should ziizoo revamp its dormant Facebook group? Or perhaps split the group into two - one for all users and another for tutors? Is it redundant or complementary to the forum? Please give us your thoughts! </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=10#post-31 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:24:03 +0000 Robert Einspruch 31@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>This is very much still in the conceptual stage. We want to get feedback from tutors has to how important this is to them. And what features we would need in the first iteration of the calendar/appt system. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-30 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:21:02 +0000 Robert Einspruch 30@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>OK. So it would be great to have more tutors weigh in, but it seems like no one is *against* having a timer in theory. We have not thought about having some mechanism to leave the session open - we will need to get back to you on that one. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-29 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:30:48 +0000 wanger727 29@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>Great idea. Hope it comes out soon. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-28 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:24:28 +0000 kaysoky88 28@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I agree with jseguritan, an option of shutting down or continuing would be great for business. The timer would also help me figure whether or not the student actually has more than ~1 free minute. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=10#post-27 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:43:44 +0000 rra0917 27@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>yes, that would be a very nice feature. it would reduce the pressure on tutors to be online 24/7 to get business, and may help strengthen tutor-student relationships! when is an appointment system scheduled to be implemented? </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=6#post-26 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:41:34 +0000 rra0917 26@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>i've had this happen to me a few times.. usuall,y it doesn't occur to me to look at the student's name (i'm usually just excited that someone wants to initiate a session), but the automatic safety net message from ziizoo has helped me find the students' profiles and explain what happened! although they usually don't respond to messages or try to reinitiate a session. </p> http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/topic.php?id=16#post-25 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:20:08 +0000 jseguritan 25@http://blog.ziizoo.com/forums/ <p>I love the idea of the timer so that both tutor and student are aware of the customary boundary of the promotional minutes, which will stimulate a necessary conversation about recompense for the session beyond the allotted time. </p> <p>I think if it is feasible, tutors should have the option whether the session "gracefully shuts down" after 30 min, just to ensure the continuity of the conversation at that particular point, and if the tutor believes that offering some extra free time is strategic in securing a customer relationship. </p>