Book-Link A Textbook Marketplace Andrew McCabe Senior Project 2003 Advisor: Professor Almstead

1. Book-Link A Textbook Marketplace Andrew McCabe Senior Project 2003 Advisor: Professor Almstead

2. BLINK BLINK. • Concept/History – Scope of the Project • Current System • Scenarios • Requirements • Database • Outline for future work…

3. History / Concept • Create an online “marketplace” for students to advertise books or create “want-ads.” • Cut out the middle-man (bookstore) • Evan White – Sophomore Project 2002 • Evaluated systems for Union • Surveyed students / bookstore manager • Conclusion: Online Intermediary

4. Current System • Bookstore buys books at 50% of retail to a quota if book is being used next term • If book isn’t being used, bookstore will pay 5-30% of retail and sell books to wholesalers. • Estimated 15% of buybacks are used to fill quotas for the following term. • Students stand in line to (hopefully) get 50% of the sticker price of their textbooks – in reality, very few do.

5. Scenarios (BLINK) • Mike Pinch wants to sell his $70 Algorithms textbook – bookstore will pay 5%, or $3.50. • Mike lists the text as offered on Blink. • Andrew browses the books, finds the one he needs, emails Mike, and pays $50 for it. • Thus, Andrew pays $20 less than retail, and Mike only loses $20 in using the book for a term.

6. Scenarios (BLINK) • Dan lists all of his CS books, a few of which he lied about • Mike finds a book he needs next term, contacts Dan, and they meet in the CC • Mike finds that Dan lied about the editions, and doesn’t buy anything • Mike rates Dan poorly, and comments on his lying about books. • Nobody contacts Dan – ever again.

7. Functional Requirements • Login/logout: email address as username, once logged in, stored in session variable • Provide hint for lost passwords • Add/remove textbooks: user may add unlimited # of books to system, each has an expiration date at which point it’s removed. • Keyword search: searches all aspects of a textbook record • Browse books by department (major)

8. Functional Requirements • Modify book properties • Adjust expiration date • URL for picture (amazon.com) • Modify user properties • Must provide current password to change account • Rate other users only after having contacted them • Only rate a user once for a given book • Store average ratings for each user

9. Non-functional Requirements • No development / software costs • PHP • MySQL • Runs on VU • Self – running system: no administrator needed! • Poor ratings = removed from system • Users police other users via ratings • Books must have expiration date, old books are removed automatically

10. Tables: User: user information Offered: offered books Wanted: wanted books Rating: user ratings and comments Contacts: contact between users System: stores system variables Email address identifies a user’s records throughout. Email + ISBN uniquely identifies a book in wanted or offered Ratings are identified via from-email, to-email, a date, and ISBN System can identify a book from contact information (user, ISBN, type, either wanted or offered) MySQL Database

11. Future work… • Allow administration; meaning, customization of the site • Fully customizable functionality • Color schemes, pictures • Allow site to be tailored to a school • Enter ISBN, system will go to amazon.com / bn.com and get book information, including picture URL.