Computer Training Web Site

I have a new project: LearnClix.org (Pygridz has been moved to the back burner). This weekend I wrote a 13-page proposal which I will submit to Glen Dewar at CRCT tomorrow. A few years back I submitted to him a proposal to make his Making Choices guide (a list of 600 programs/organizations) available online, but they ended up doing that in-house. What follows is the introduction (the first page of my proposal). The full proposal can be found at:

http://www.treenimation.net/learnclix/index.html

I propose to start a nonprofit organization and web site that links both volunteer and paid computer tutors with nonprofit organizations (who pay nothing) and people/organizations willing to pay for computer expertise, respectively. The working title of this web site is LearnClix.org.

The customer or nonprofit organization (the "client"), as well as the tutor, downloads/installs the remote desktop software (RDS) from my web site. The RDS enables the tutor to view the client's screen and interact with the client's desktop. I will use a free RDS called UltraVNC. Both the client (optionally) and the tutor must install the Help Facilitator Software (HFS). HFS displays a yellow window with black text, which is on top at all times. The client may enter a search topic in the HFS window, navigate a tree of features specific to the current application, point anywhere with the mouse and press F1 (which means "what's that?"), click on Yes or No in response to a question entered by the tutor, and use the keyboard to chat with the tutor. Clicking on the HFS "?" button means the client doesn't understand the tutor's previous instructions. Clients may opt to use a phone instead of (or along with) HFS if they prefer.

A database of all clients and tutors is maintained. For each tutor, a list of software applications that tutor is familiar with is maintained (for each app, the degree of mastery is included for each tutor). User feedback stats are also maintained for each tutor. Paid tutors with poor feedback stats may be suspended or demoted to volunteer status. All tutors have scheduling information in the database indicating availability times. The paid tutors are either paid a fixed hourly rate, or negotiate a price with their clients. The web site receives a cut of the fees paid to the tutors, of say 10 percent. The nonprofits which use volunteer tutors (to assist community members and clients of said nonprofits) receive this service free of charge.

Hopefully this web site will be self-funded, from the percentage or cut charged to the paid tutors. Advertising will be used to drive traffic to the site. This advertising will be purchased from Google (ads located amongst paid sponsors on the right-hand side of the Google search results screen). All paid tutors must have a PayPal account, whereas clients can pay by credit card if they prefer.

Recruiting of tutors can be accomplished by advertising the site in forums where computer geeks congregate. I can also put up ads on bulletin boards at U of T and Ryerson. Maybe I can purchase Google ads that point to my site when a user searches for "computer trainer jobs".

LearnClix.org has no physical office for the tutors: they work from home. I don't have to set up a call centre or rent a lot of office space. Basically, the only overhead I have to pay is advertising, web hosting fees, transaction fees (which occur whenever I pay a tutor), and possibly the salaries of a small number of support staff. LearnClix.org will have at least 3 paid employees: 2 full-time employees (the Personnel Manager, who oversees the tutors, and the Executive Director), and my own role as part-time Webmaster.