Name of your website?Your Tutor Online
Your name?
Joel
Your Location (city, etc)
Pasadena
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We provide online tutoring for every subject using a virtual white board with voice chat. Search our network of tutors or become one yourself.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I have worked in the tutoring business for about 6 years now. I saw parents overpay, with limited service. I thought I could provide better tutoring online than anyone could in a traditional environment.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Dec, 2007.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
I wanted to express the personalized side of tutoring. A student and tutor must get along well for the tutoring session to be effective. The name captures both the personal aspect and the web part of the business.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
We do not take a percentage of our tutor's earnings. Our tutors are allowed to keep all of their hard-earned money. We charge a small monthly subscription to host tutors on our site.
Students can search for a tutor based on many different qualities, including personality.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I am still open to anything. I could foresee selling it someday.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It hasn't yet, because we are still very new, but I am looking forward to success in 2008.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
We working at implementing a more streamlined scheduling system for our students and tutors. An online calendar will connect to a tutor's PayPal account, and will limit the need for emails to set up an appointment.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes, soon we will be able to offer unlimited virtual classrooms which will accommodate all of our tutors.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Microsoft Internet Explore has made the design of the site a major headache.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Making the decision to go with it in the first place.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
We have made great FREE content for students in our wiki pages. The wiki pages contain lessons for students that include a step-by-step tutorial, video lesson and practice problems with solutions.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I spend a lot more time on the site than I thought I might in the first place. I am working very hard to provide quality content.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site has only been up for about a month, but I don't foresee ever needing to take it down.
What is your website address?
Your Tutor Online
