The Project Table

Recently Spoonfeddesign.com posted about existing applications… check it out and let us know what you think.

20 Budgeting, Planning, and Management Applications for Freelancers

Alright folks,

The naming poll is closed and I thank you once again for your participation. While I did not get the turn out I had hoped for in the poll, I do think that it is time to move forward. Work has already begun on securing the proper rights and whatnot and since we already have the domain name, we are all set!

The next couple steps are a bit tricky…

We begin our branding and marketing. I have already received emails form quite a few designers who are interested in this project, but I am asking those who think they have time over the next few weeks specifically to email me again at info@theprojecttable.com.

As we begin to design The Project Table, I also ask that we bounce around ideas for marketing in the comments for this post. Suggest publications, find resources, anything you can think of. Keep in mind our target market. We will have a little bit of money for marketing from our sponsors to purchase advertising space or run prints. Remember, no idea is a bad idea so lets put our heads and resources together!

BEHIND THE SCENES
Thank you to those who have participated, subscribed or shown interest in this project over the past couple months. While it may seem like things are slow on the Project Table Website, it has been quite the opposite behind the scenes. We have been meeting with programmers of all kinds and experience, talking with potential sponsors to help pay for hosting and advertising so we can get the word out there, business professionals whom offered invaluable advice and teams who have actually gone through the process of building a new application. Along this process we have taken in your input as well, through the Project Table website and the hundreds of emails I have gotten. With this we have made a few key decisions that I feel confident with, though I know there is no way to please everyone. I hope that we continue to have support because this could truly be a great application.

DESKTOP APPLICATION FOR MACS
First, it has been decided that this application will be a desktop, mac only application. Don’t start cursing us yet though pc users! If we get a good response from this, our next steps will be to release an iPhone application, a cross platform version and eventually a web application that will require a small fee to cover hosting. Reasoning for this four-step process is this; ultimately we set out to create something for freelancers and small/start up businesses (2-5 people) so desktop versions shared over a server will be a great, secure solution for these users. Much of the creative field uses mac over pc and we have gotten an overwhelming response from mac users overall. A desktop application is the obvious first step with our budget of zero. It may be more difficult for updates and initial bug fixes but I feel this will make for a stronger, more complete end product when we are ready to go to a web version. There has been question about charging for a web application and in the future, when we reach this stage of the project, it has been decided that any and all profits will go to a charity. Which charity has not yet been decided, but it will most likely be entrepreneurship related and we will be sure to have the required papers.

VOTE OR DIE
Second, you will notice that there is now a poll on the website (or will be soon) for the important decision of naming this application. Many have claimed that it is too early to name this because we do not yet know exactly what it will do. A name is important though to grow a relationship with the application and get involved. We need branding and imagery available as we start to go out into the world and ask for support. Choosing a name is the first thing parents do when a child is born, so lets give birth to this project already! Please vote responsibly.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD
Third and final update is this… The problem with this project has not been that it is going too slow, but quite the opposite. It was going too fast and we feel that not enough people have been exposed to it and participated yet. We have not gotten the feedback we are looking for. The feedback that projects get after production are not nearly as useful or productive as the feedback that is given in the planning stages. We are going to hold off just a while longer before releasing wire frames for this project. I will have an updated mind map up in the next few days, in the mean time, we ask that all of you help spread the word. Forward on this newsletter, post a link on your website, let your friends and co-workers know, post on the blog…collaborate.

This project is still very active and I fully intend on seeing it through. Baby steps!

I have quite a few updates coming in about a week - still trying to wrap my head around some of the great things that have been going on. I have been very busy behind the scenes and have a lot of interested people including designers, programmers and also funding coming in soon. I am still trying to get in as much input as possible so please keep sharing ideas - we are going to soon move on to wire framing and making some big decisions that will allow us to move forward.

Please keep posting ideas for what the application should include, ideas for names, and also reviews of existing products that you have tried.

Thanks to everyone who is still supporting this project and contributing.

Thank you to all who have participated in the discussions thus far. There are many exciting things that are going on behind the scenes and this project is becoming more of a reality every day!

The mind-map posts have generated some great ideas and raised some good questions, though it seems that the discussion has slowed and I am not convinced that there are no other ideas for the application. As part of research (and in hopes that I might find the perfect application and wont have to create one) I have been trying out many types of existing applications. I want to open a discussion about those, to get your feedback and experiences with applications already created. Let us know what the application is and what you do and do not like about it. We can learn from their mistakes and build on their good points to hopefully make an amazing application.

I have tried to organize and incorporate all of the feedback we have been getting into the Mind Map. If I forgot something or if you would like to change or ad something, leave a comment here.

(click image to see large map in a new window)

This application still needs a name. The Project Table is just a place to keep all of the ideas contained. Once we have a name we can begin branding and designing!

Have any ideas? Leave a comment.

This is a mind map of all of the ideas we have gathered so far. There are many more features that could go with this application and it isn’t even named yet, so we are leaving the project open for brainstorming for a few weeks. We want to give everyone a chance to share ideas and thoughts, so please post in the comment box. As we get ideas, we will update this map.

(click image to see large map in a new window)

The Project on the Table
As a freelance professional, how many times have you wished that you could find one solution for all your office needs? I mean, wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was one killer application that did everything? Ever thought about what that application would look like? Better yet, ever thought about contributing your skills to make that application a reality?

The Project Table is a small group of creative professionals who decided to stop talking and start building. We started with an idea: to bring creative professionals together to build one great application that would suit our needs–by the people, for the people.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of applications available today for freelancers and small business owners. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single application that can meet all of a freelancers needs–or at least most of them. We are hoping to create an application that will work for almost any freelancer. Billing and Invoicing, Time tracking and Calendar, Client and Project Management, Expense and Taxes…and so much more, all in one application.

This is for you, and it is FREE
The most exciting part of building this application is that it will be free for everyone to use. All of the work put into this is done by volunteer designers, programmers and writers that simply want to have a better solution.

Be a part of The Project
If you would like to contribute, you can post your ideas here, purchase advertising space to help keep our costs down, or offer your services. Learn More