The Opportunity

Online community managers are able add value to their communities by providing their members with direct communication with ChatGPT while ensuring that conversations stay focused around specific topics.

The Ask

To create a commercial plugin that allows online community managers to add an AI chatbot to their communities. Users in the community would then have the ability to converse directly with the chatbot and ask questions focused around specific topics.

The Challenge

Two big hurdles were encountered during this project, one was to hook into existing plugins using their native APIs to avoid reinventing their functionality. The other was to keep members' conversations focused around specific topics to avoid random conversations that would quickly consume ChatGPT API budgets.

The Solution

The solution I developed not only gave users the ability to interact with ChatGPT about specific subjects within their community forums but also significantly boosted user engagement. Community managers reported an immediate increase in activity post-installation, with some even looking to moderate the time spent by users conversing with the bot due to custs. The plugin was a resounding success, sparking demand for even more features.

Overcoming Challenges

The biggest challenge in building this plugin was learning the inner working of the two plugins I worked with. Poor documentation and support by one of the of the plugin developers delayed the completion and launch of the plugin. As a result I had to dig into the plugin's code to figure out how to integrate into its functionalities.

Valuable Lessons

During this project I learned a bit more about how to integrate with commercial plugins but most importantly, how to code for longevity when interfacing with existing commercial plugins.

The Opportunity

This project aimed to develop a comprehensive DUI lawyer directory, distinguished not only by its high SEO ranking but also by providing valuable, actionable information to users. The directory serves as an informative resource for those seeking to understand the DUI legal process and their rights within it.

The Ask

The challenge was to build a directory of lawyers and useful information with specific functionalities requiring custom WordPress plugins. The directory would offer lawyers across the U.S. the opportunity to purchase pages and ad space. Designed with location awareness, the directory would increase the likelihood of engaging visitors and driving business for lawyers in their respective states.

The Challenge

The uniqueness of the site demanded the creation of custom functionality from scratch, rather than relying on existing plugins. This approach was essential to meet the highly specialized needs of the project.

The Solution

The end product was a suite of plugins enabling the client to seamlessly integrate high-ranking content, advertisements, and lawyer profiles. The client emphasized ease of maintenance by any of their employees, regardless of technical skill. Given the major focus on SEO, the site was engineered to track user interactions and organize content to maximize web traffic.

Overcoming Challenges

A significant hurdle was devising a method to ensure site updates were effectively recognized by search engines. This required a meticulous approach to content organization, in harmony with the custom plugins, to enhance the site's search engine visibility.

Valuable Lessons

This project taught me the importance of a well-optimized website structure and the impact of high-quality content. It also taught me that content that genuinely assists users not only serves the audience but also drives the site's success.

The Opportunity

The objective was to create a nationwide platform that bridges the gap between coaches, teams, and players. It aimed to simplify the process of finding nearby sports activities for participants of all ages and skill levels.

The Ask

Tho build a paid service that efficiently matches coaches with players. The platform is designed to collaborate with cities and municipalities, promoting active sports involvement among children and adults.

The Challenge

The project required building a comprehensive application from scratch. Given the specific needs of the platform, neither WordPress nor any out-of-the-box solution was suitable, requiring a custom-built approach.

The Solution

Currently in beta testing (at the time of this writing), the application effectively pairs athletes with qualified coaches in their city. The founder has engaged with several counties, coaches, and sports teams in the Dallas area, who have shown considerable interest. The platform ensures that coaches are thoroughly vetted, including background checks, to guarantee safe interactions with athletes. It offers athletes a wide array of sports options and the flexibility to engage in a variety sports throughout the year.

Valuable Lessons

This project highlighted the widespread enthusiasm for community health and well-being through sports. It reinforced the importance of creating digital solutions that not only connect people but also contribute positively to their lifestyles.

The Opportunity

Leveraging Shopify's robust development capabilities, the project aimed to create a fully customizable theme and set of widgets. This approach would enable a high level of flexibility for any Shopify store manager.

The Ask

To develop an online store where each component could be customized by the client, without any coding knowledge or reliance on a developer. The client planned to launch multiple marketing campaigns to rapidly drive traffic to the site and anticipated the need for quick adjustments as the brand grew.

The Challenge

The challenge was to fully utilize Shopify's extensive features to design a custom theme and a comprehensive suite of widgets, allowing complete site maintenance autonomy for the client.

Crafting the Solution

At launch, the store boasted a completely customizable theme and widgets, all manageable through Shopify's native editing tools. This included the ability to modify a specially designed location finder app, seamlessly integrated with the website's design.

Overcoming Challenges

A significant challenge was meticulously developing new functionalities that fully harnessed Shopify's capabilities. This required extensive research and deep understanding of Shopify's platform to maximize its potential.

Valuable Lessons

This project was a deep dive into Shopify's expansive functional range, demonstrating that the platform equips developers with the tools to achieve virtually any requirement. My experience has shown that with Shopify, the possibilities for creative and efficient e-commerce solutions are virtually limitless.

The Opportunity

While my client already had a mobile app developer on board, the project's backend complexities demanded expertise beyond those of a typical mobile app developer. This involved devising sophisticated algorithms and an architecture robust enough to support the app's ambitious scope.

The Ask

The task was to develop an architecture and algorithms that would bring the founder's vision to life. This involved integrating several key technologies, including Amazon Web Services, a mapping service, and a local business directory.

The Challenge

Construct an architecture that fulfilled all client specifications, ensuring a fun, interactive, and rewarding experience for the app's users.

The Solution

The final solution implemented a carefully crafted "matching" algorithm that paired users based on distance and interests. It also provided them with all the tools necessary to lead up to a first date at a place they would both love. The solution leveraged external solutions such as Amazon Web Services, Twilio, and other providers.

Overcoming Challenges

A unique hurdle in this project was the integration of location-based service providers with our own custom location services. This was crucial for recommending first-date venues while also incorporating options from paid participating businesses, a complex task given the variety of services involved.

Valuable Lessons

This project taught me to leverage existing services to provide the best service possible while ensuring efficiency and speed of the back-end system.

The Opportunity

The goal was to create a social networking platform that matched the functionality of major players like Facebook, including features such as a "Wall", messaging, and "Friending". However, we aimed to go beyond traditional social networking capabilities, tailoring the platform to the specific needs of the executive training sector.

The Ask

To build a custom social networking platform with capabilities paralleling top social networks. Additionally, the platform would support the introduction of diverse, independent communities, fostering the growth of professionals worldwide. Since its inception, 5 to 6 additional communities have been successfully integrated.

The Challenge

We set out to develop an application that not only allowed for the creation of future communities but also provided advanced features that would be able to provide training to top-notch executives in diverse industries.

Crafting the Solution

Over the past 15 years, this platform has expanded to include over 6 global communities, even playing a pivotal role in a presidential campaign. Its influence is rapidly growing across several African nations, with continuous expansion planned for the coming years. The platform offers customizable community features, adapting to varying needs while delivering a comprehensive online community experience. Each year, new features, modules, and functionalities are added as the communities swell into the thousands.

Overcoming Challenges

A key challenge was thoroughly understanding the client's unique business processes to effectively replicate and enhance them in a digital environment. The platform needed to be versatile enough to accommodate the distinct requirements of each community.

Valuable Lessons

This project has been a labor of love, proving that dedicated effort and time can yield remarkable results. It's a testament to the power of custom solutions.

The Opportunity

This project presented the opportunity to harness native WordPress functionalities instead of relying on third-party commercial plugins. It required deep and seamless integration with WordPress, especially as the client planned to expand his business and onboard new coaches.

The Ask

The aim was to create a robust system independent of commercial plugins. The new custom-built suite of plugins needed to facilitate the onboarding of new coaches, enabling them to extend services to additional clients efficiently. The client emphasized the need for a user-friendly system that supported seamless communication and training for new coaches.

The Challenge

Our task was to construct a comprehensive solution catering to three user levels: administrators, coaches, and coaching clients. Each group required unique functionalities within the same WordPress environment.

The Solution

The end product was a collection of five custom-built plugins, each tailored to meet the client's specific needs. The system enabled coaches to recruit clients, schedule conference calls, and process orders through a streamlined, intuitive interface. The user-friendly design minimized training time to just about an hour and included a comprehensive Knowledge Base and Resource Library, ensuring smooth and efficient business operations.

Overcoming Challenges

Delving into WordPress's extensive API library was time-consuming, yet the platform's thorough documentation and global community support ensured a fast development process.

Valuable Lessons

This project reinforced the immense capabilities of the WordPress ecosystem. With dedicated research, any developer can access the same advanced functionalities used by commercial plugin creators, opening up endless possibilities for customized solutions.

The Opportunity

The client was looking to enhance their property listings with additional data to further attract potential buyers. However, the generic nature of their existing platform, which served a broad spectrum of developers, had limited opportunities for expansion and customization.

The Ask

My objective was to develop custom WordPress plugins that would enable the client to retain—and significantly extend the functionality of their existing system.

The Challenge

The challenge was formidable: their current provider had honed their product over a decade. My task was to replicate and enhance this functionality within a three-month timeframe.

The Solution

I devised a suite of custom WordPress plugins, mirroring the existing features while introducing substantial improvements. These plugins allowed the client to all of their existing functionality while adding multiple new features and updates. Some of which included a new interactive map of properties around the US and better integration with MLS, Zillow, and Realtor.com. A standout feature was the creation of nightly scheduled jobs, ensuring that new properties and status updates were automatically imported from their MLS system. The new plugins were user-friendly and gave 100% of the control of the data to the client.

The new platform gave the client the agility to swiftly adapt to evolving industry trends and technologies.

Overcoming Challenges

The project a very thorough analysis of the company's processes plus a re-establishing of partnerships with key vendors, including MLS providers, Zillow, and Realtor.com. This was essential to replicate and enhance functionalities reliant on these external entities.

Valuable Lessons

This project underscored the importance of agility in development. While the core of the solution involved crafting custom WordPress plugins, I leveraged existing plugins wherever feasible to maintain momentum during the condensed development period. This approach was instrumental in meeting project deadlines without compromising on quality or functionality.