More Info
-- The Technology --
The site is written in PHP and the database is MySQL. Site can run on either Windows or Linux. There are two PERL scripts that handle video conversion.
Video is streamed from the website via Flash (About Flash:
http://www.macromedia.com/platform/ ). The exact method of Flash delivery is "progressive download" (About:
http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/flash/articles/video_guide_03.html#progressive ). Flash was chosen because of its ever-increasing popularity, reliability, and scalability. In the future, once the site grew, Flash Media Server (About:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashmediaserver/ ) was planned to be implemented because of its deft ability at handling large amounts of traffic. Videos can also be downloaded in their original format (i.e. mpg, mp4, etc).
-- Business Model --
Note: The following business model is not "set in stone". The code can be changed to suit one's inclinations and/or current business models. Any code changes may be negotiated in this exclusive offer.
The site recognizes 5 users:
1) Recruiters
2) Models
3) Limited Users
4) Unlimited Users
5) Administrators
Recruiters refer the models to the website. The model enters a "recruiter code" when she signs up.
Models upload their homemade video. Once approved by a site administrator, the video goes "live" on the site. For every download (total cost for movie download: $3), the model receives $1, the recruiter receives $1, and the site receives $1. If there was no recruiter for the model, the site receives $2 instead of $1.
Limited Users pay to view individual movies. They have an "account" that they can "add funds/credits" to. Each download costs them $3. If they want to preview the movie (view only once) before purchasing/downloading, it costs them $1. Limited Users cannot view the movie again. If they want to have unlimited access to the movie after previewing it, it costs them $2 (for a grand total of $3).
Unlimited Users pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited downloads.
Administrators preview and approve/deny clips via a web interface.
-- How it works, Behind the Scenes --
Model uploads video; Video is checked for proper format, size, etc.; video is transferred to "Video Conversion Server" (Windows XP/2000 Server) via perl script; VCS converts original movie format to Flash; 10 JPEG thumbnails are created; thumbnails and Flash movie are uploaded to web server via another PERL script; site administrator approves or denies movie through web interface; movie appears (or not) on the web site; downloads are logged and model/recruiter payment information is automatically generated on a weekly basis.
The entire process is automated.
I have uploaded 600+ movies in various formats and have yet to have a problem. I can confidently say that it's reliable.
-- About the Demo Site --
The site is currently branded for a specific subject matter. However, the site could easily be transformed into a different specialty subject or even a general video community.
-- Transactions --
Current payment transactions are performed via Paypal IPN (About:
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/xcl/rec/ipn-intro-outside).
-- What I'm Looking For --
I'm very busy with school starting in about a week and I'm also in the midst of transferring to a prestigious school next year. So because of time restraints I'm most interested in selling the exclusive right to the code. I'll fix any bugs for free and any other changes you deem neccessary will be worked into the deal.
With that said, I am also interested in a business partnership. If someone is motivated, knows how to make money, loves to make money, has the resources to see this project through, then I'm not going to pass up that opportunity. However, because of my time restraints my function in the business would be purely technical: coding, server maintenence, making necessary changes as traffic grows, etc.
-- My Background --
Out of high school I started a specialized search engine. At its peak I was running an office with 10 employees overlooking a city. I received an offer from internet.com to sell for what would work out to be $1 million. I turned that down. At the same time ZDNet was offering what would work out to be tens of millions of dollars, but just as the deal was about to go through, they merged with CNet. And, lo and behold, CNet already had a website like ours. After that I sold my half of the business to my partner, traveled the world for almost two years and have been at a university for a little over two years since then. Last summer, while out of school, I was hired to write this code.
