As Promised, eDoorways Adds Continuing Functionality in Smaller Releases

We added a few new features to the site yesterday. In our last shareholder conference call we announced that we’d be moving to smaller releases and this is the first release in this new format. Smaller releases allow us to get features out quickly without having to wait until a large release is complete.

The main addition in this current release is the ability to receive an offline notification text message. This feature will definitely enhance the user’s ability to quickly be informed if someone on the eDoorways site has selected them to join in a conversation. This is a feature we feel will be very attractive to small business owners who are too busy to be tied to their computer and email.
In addition to the text message notifications, if you receive an offline notification for a chat request, the chat will be listed in your conversations window when you log in. This addition will make it even easier to connect with the person requesting your expertise or services.

The setting to select text messaging for offline notification is located on the Account Settings page. You can now select more than one delivery method for your offline notifications, allowing you to have multiple delivery methods if you desire. For example you could opt to have email and text notification, or even Twitter notification as well. As always, every user has the option to opt out of offline notifications all together.

There are two situations where you will receive an offline notification. The first would be if a user does a search and they select to chat with you. If you are logged in, the chat will pop up in your conversations panel and if you’re offline, a chat request notification will be sent to you. The second way to receive an offline notification is if you’ve been engaged in a conversation and logged off while leaving it open in your conversations panel. If someone adds a comment to the conversation while you’re offline, you’ll receive an offline notification.

One other noticeable change to the site is the addition of time stamps to the chat entries giving a good context to the conversation and how long it’s been since the last comment.

The rest of the changes are behind the scenes bug fixes. We’ve also done some work to give us better monitoring of the activity and behaviors on the site giving us the ability to better support our users.

We’re still working on our Q2 milestones and you’ll see more of these small releases as we move toward our goals.

How to Use PowerKeys in the New Solve Doorway

PowerKeys are the way that Service Providers, or what we like to call Solution Providers, connect with the people who need their services or solutions. PowerKeys are descriptive terms used to describe your goods, services and areas of expertise.

The reason we like the name Solution Provider is because anyone can purchase PowerKeys. You don’t have to be a business and you don’t have to have a service or product to sell. For example, if you happen to be a hobbyist interested in building trick kites and you’re interested in discussions, and sharing your expertise in this area, you can purchase relevant kite related PowerKeys. The PowerKeys will allow the initiation of connections to people looking for that specific information.

In the initial version of eDoorways Solve, Beta v1.0, PowerKeys are free to use so that everyone can start to get a feel for how they work. It’s very easy to set up your PowerKeys. Just go to your profile and enter the PowerKeys you think people would use to find you in the PowerKeys box. Each PowerKey should be separated by a comma. An example of PowerKeys for the trick kite scenario might be: kites, kiting, trick kites, sport kites, build trick kites, kite building. When selecting Power Keys, be as descriptive as possible as this will increase the likelihood of your showing up in searches where you can help users meet their needs.

Let’s walk through how this works. You’re the trick kite building enthusiast and you’ve entered the PowerKeys listed above. When someone comes on eDoorways and asks the question “How do you build trick kites?” you will show up in their search results because their question contains your PowerKey “build trick kites”. The person who initiated the search can click on your user name, read your bio information and decide if they’d like to talk to you.

If they decide they want to talk to you, they’ll Select you from the search results and then hit the Launch button at the bottom of the screen. This will initiate a Chat where you can then engage in conversation in order to answer their question or solve their problem.

In the Beta v1.0 version of eDoorways, you need to be online for someone to find you in the search results. In the next version, Solution Providers who are offline will be able to show up in the search results and get “pinged” via email or text that someone has asked a question related to their PowerKeys. That Solution Provider can then log in to eDoorways and join the conversation.

A few versions down the road we’ll introduce the function of paying for PowerKeys. The model for PowerKeys is not like Google keywords for an Adwords campaign. Google keywords are charged on a Pay Per Click method and you are charged every time someone clicks on your ad that contains the keyword you’ve bid on.

PowerKeys are rented for a flat monthly fee that will stay constant for a period of 6 months to a year. For example, if you buy the PowerKey “kites” for a year at $2 a month, people can search for “kites” and initiate conversations with you 100’s of times a month and you’ll only be charged $2. If the PowerKey “kites” turns out to be a very popular PowerKey, meaning lots of people purchase the PowerKey “kites”, the price may increase over time.  If the price increases to $4 a month during the first year you lease the PowerKey, you still only pay $2 a month until the end of the year.

The way to get the most connectivity is obviously to purchase PowerKeys that are very specific. If you’re a chiropractor in Austin, TX and only purchased the PowerKey “chiropractor” you may not show up in all of the searches you would like. For instance, you would not show up if someone is online complaining of “back pain”. To have eDoorways be of better utility for you, choosing the Power Key “back pain” as well as “chiropractor” would allow you to show up in a greater number of searches and reach a wider group of people.

PowerKeys are literally your keys to connectivity and will open many new doors to you with opportunities to reach new customers and people that you would otherwise have never been able to come into direct contact with- allowing you to build a real connection in real time.

Ann Collins

Solve Project Manager

eDoorways Provides Greater Detail on “SOLVE” Beta Releases and Functionality

Final Stages of Testing Commence Countdown to Upcoming Beta Release Schedule of Company’s First Doorway to Begin This Holiday Season

eDoorways Corporation reveals greater detail in the functionality of its eDoorways initiative as testing winds down to prepare for this month’s holiday release of “SOLVE” beta v1.0.

Gary Kimmons, Chairman & CEO of eDoorways Corporation, said, “We are nearing the day of the ‘SOLVE’ beta release v1.0 as we’ve entered into the final stretch of testing. Already looking past the holidays and well into the New Year, 2010 will bring a new set of priorities as we will seek to quickly build upon the ’09 beta release and strengthen the overall functionality of our first doorway.”

This month’s beta release of “SOLVE” is expected to include premium connectivity between businesses and consumers. In release v1.0, consumers will be able to ask questions and initiate searches. Businesses or Solution Providers with the most relevance will be returned in the top spots of the search list. During this first phase, a Solution Provider will need to be online to get a good search ranking. This is to ensure the company gets the “real-time” chat functionality fully ironed out prior to shifting over to its “Ping” system — which notifies offline Solution Providers of PowerKey queries.

The company anticipates being able to release v2.0 in late February of 2010. “SOLVE” v2.0 will include Offline Notification for Service Providers. This will allow a Service Provider to be “pinged,” receiving offline notification that a question has been asked regarding their PowerKeys without requiring them to be logged into eDoorways. This release will also include enhanced search features for the consumer.

Version 2.5, slated to come to market between March and April of 2010, will provide for several new functions. It will introduce paid PowerKeys for Solution Providers, provide the ability to save conversations and share documents and allow consumers to get added input from other users who will be rating the Solution Provider’s answers in a real-time fashion. This beta version will also afford users the ability to socialize their question through other social media outlets, such as Twitter, to invite their followers into the eDoorways conversation. Version 2.6, scheduled for the 2nd quarter of 2010, is expected to expand upon this functionality, giving users the ability to Socialize their eDoorways identities with that of other social networking sites such as Facebook and Linked-in.

“This is just one of the functions that will set eDoorways apart from the rest of the herd,” say Kimmons. “Our users are not operating within a ‘walled-in’ community. They can take their eDoorways identity, and all that is attached to it with them, or interact with friends, followers and/or connections from other social networking sites from within the eDoorways platform.”

Version 2.5 of the “SOLVE” beta is also expected to introduce smart phone applications beginning with the iPhone. Release 2.6 will add video chatting and the integration of the eSee device — the wireless earpiece with an onboard camera and one inch eye monitor which will enhance eDoorways’ “real-time” user interaction by allowing streaming video content through a Bluetooth mobile device, hands free, from a first party perspective anywhere in the world.

The primary release of “SOLVE” will be the company’s beta v3.0, slated for release during the fourth quarter of 2010. This version will be the first true representation of eDoorways operating as one of the earliest Web 3.0 service offerings within an open source environment.

Kimmons states, “While there are always factors in software development that may affect the nature and timing of what we plan to accomplish during 2010, given the great strides we’ve made just in 2009, topped off with this month’s upcoming beta release, we are absolutely confident with our current development schedule.”

After the initial release of “SOLVE” is running smoothly in Austin, the company plans to roll out the first doorway in at least 3 more major US cities prior to year end of 2010. The company does however indicate that, irrespective of the city rollouts, the platform will allow for national access as eDoorways expects the number of non local registrants of “SOLVE” to continue growing at an expediential rate. Taking into consideration that all of the other doorways, such as “LEARN,” will initially launch nationally, management views nationwide access to “SOLVE,” key in the rapid national release of the first doorway in addition to immediately providing a national audience to the remaining six doorways.

Sources close to the company indicate that the final stage of testing is going exceptionally well and expect to close out this month on a high note with the first beta release.

Survey to go out on Thursday to all who have signed up with eDoorways. If you haven’t signed up already, sign up quick!

This next Thursday we’ll be sending a survey to everyone who has signed up with eDoorways.  This survey is the first step to forming the focus groups to assist in getting the Solve beta up and running.

The focus groups for this phase will be formed quickly allowing you to participate in providing feedback the new user interface within a couple of weeks. As CEO Gary Kimmons has stated,  “Now is the time where functionality will be measured. If third round modifications are required, we will take this opportunity to acknowledge all suggestions and quickly make the necessary adjustments and enhancements.”

Provided the feedback received requires minimal changes, we foresee bringing a fully functional consumer version of “SOLVE” to market much sooner than anticipated.  Should this be the case, we intend to immediately launch the beta version of the “SOLVE” doorway, possibly setting a date prior to year end.

If you want to receive the survey and would like to participate in the focus groups, please make sure to sign up at www.eDoorways.com before Thursday, October 22nd. If you’ve signed up and have not received a confirmation email from us,  check your spam folder.  If you still don’t find it, please email us at onlineservices (at) edoorwayscorp.com and we’ll assist you.

When you receive the confirmation email, please open it and click on the confirmation link. This will allow us to send you the survey and communicate with you about upcoming events related to focus groups and testing. There is no obligation and you can always unsubscribe at any time if you decide you don’t want emails from us.

Here we go!

The eDoorways Team

If you’ve signed up with us, be looking for your confirmation email

First, we’d like to thank everyone who has signed up on the eDoorways site at www.eDoorways.com and anyone who filled out enrollment forms at the Pre-Launch event. The first step in getting you involved is starting now. In the next few days you’ll be receiving an email titled “Please confirm your subscription to eDoorways”.

Please open the email and click on the confirmation link. This will allow us to communicate with you about upcoming events related to focus groups and testing. There is no obligation and you can always unsubscribe at any time if you decide you don’t want emails from us.

The first thing we’ll be doing is to send a survey to everyone at the beginning of next week. If you haven’t signed up already and would like to get the survey, go on over to www.eDoorways.com and sign up.

Again, these confirmation emails will be going out over the next few days so if you don’t see it by Wednesday afternoon, October 21st, check your spam folder.  If you still don’t find it please email us at onlineservices (at) edoorwayscorp.com and we’ll assist you.

The eDoorways Team

Welcome to the SOLVE blog!

This will be the home base for the SOLVE doorway and the place where you can come to find out how things are progressing in the beta testing.

There will also be discussions here regarding different aspects of the SOLVE door, for example, at some point we’ll discuss how the PowerKeys will work, how you might incorporate SOLVE into your business processes, and pretty much anything SOLVE related.

We even plan to chronicle a few Austin business owners as they take the journey of getting set up in SOLVE.

If you’d like to be included in the beta testing, please go to www.eDoorways.com and select “Let me know when it’s ready” and check “Involve me in the development process” on the form.

Anyone who has signed up will be getting an email from me shortly inviting you to participate in one or more focus groups to really get this thing kick-started and moving forward.

We’re looking forward to interacting with you here and to getting your input as things progress.

The eDoorways Team

Site Propagating

Hello All, I just wanted to let everyone know that we understand that some of you may not be able to see the edoorways.com website.  We have moved the site and ongoing platform on our new servers, and it can take as long as a day or two for the nameservers around the world to propagate.  Please bear with us, you will be able to view the site shortly.

eDoorways Celebrates A Successful Unveiling of the “SOLVE” Doorway at its Unveiling Event

The unveiling of “SOLVE” marks the first phase in the soft launch with much fanfare given at our spectacular unveiling event.

We delivered a truly compelling demonstration of our platform as the company pulls out a major win with the successful unveiling of our first doorway, “SOLVE.”  With the assistance of the very pleasant and witty Amy Hadley, Gary Kimmons gave an audience comprised of eDoorways’ shareholders, Austin business owners and other interested parties, a preview into the “SOLVE” doorway.

“I’m completely overwhelmed by the turn out of supporters,” said Kimmons.  “This is indeed a milestone for this company.  Considering our position in early 2008 vs. where we are today, if there is any question as to the validity of our existence, simply take a look at what we’ve done here tonight.  It’s pretty impressive.”

With a mini concert sized production, the unveiling event provided attendees with an incredible ambiance.  Inside of a brilliantly decorated ball room, where even the main audience seating was arranged in the likeness of the company logo, spectators enjoyed food, drinks, networking and from one of the two stages, grooved to the sounds of Austin’s own growing sensation, T-Bird And The Breaks.

Throughout the presentation, Kimmons was joined by several of our consultants and technology developers.  Social media consultant, Ann Collins, who grew the company’s twitter following from 200 to 10,000 followers within 30 days spoke on the importance of the social media and networking community and its influence on the company’s rapidly growing popularity.  “SOLVE” contributing technology teams, Real Time Data and Bluestone Partners, assisted Amy Hadley with her “real-time” interactions on the platform – and the “LEARN” doorway intelligent technology developer, Jack Crosscope (creator of SmartOne Technology) briefly described the vision and direction of the second doorway.   One of the highlights of the demonstration came from Ian Mitchel, who demonstrated the eDoorways “Apps” for the Apple iPhone as well as the “EC Device” – a space age wireless earpiece with an onboard camera and one inch monitor that comes across the eye.  The EC Device is to ultimately enhance eDoorways’ “real-time” interaction by allowing users to view and stream video content, hands free, through a mobile device, from a first party perspective, anywhere in the world.

The presentation, which can be viewed online within the next business day, wrapped with acknowledgments to the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (Tony Shum attended) as well as other key contributors to the event.  The warmest acknowledgment went to the company’s lead consultancy group, AJENE WATSON, LLC, to which Kimmons attributes much of company’s progress, growth and future success.

“The business development division of our firm is very particular about the deals we commit to,” said Ajene Watson, Managing Member of the AJENE WATSON, LLC.  “Like with eDoorways, we engage in long term relationships with our clients; generally 15 months minimum.  We come onboard with the only expectation being, we will roll up our sleeves, dive into the trenches and work diligently to deliver every available resource to our clients, in the upmost responsible manner.  We strongly believe in the future of eDoorways and the grand vision of Gary Kimmons, and despite the trials and tribulations that can often become daunting to a small company, we will not ‘cut and run.’  It took some time to get eDoorways to this unveiling event and it will take a little more time to move through the phases of the soft launch and arrive at a fully functional version of the platform, but, eDoorways will arrive.”

People close to our company were elated by the success of the unveiling event and believe the future for the company has been revealed by this evening.  Kimmons garnered lots of attention as he and his team wowed the audience, exciting ongoing applauds throughout the presentation.