BookLink

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

• Concept/History Scope of the Project
• Current System
• Scenarios
• Requirements
• Database
• Outline for future work

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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

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Current System

• Bookstore buys books at 50 of retail to a quota
  if book is being used next term
• If book isnt 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.

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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.

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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
  doesnt buy anything
• Mike rates Dan poorly, and comments on his lying
  about books.
• Nobody contacts Dan ever again.

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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 its removed.
• Keyword search searches all aspects of a
  textbook record
• Browse books by department (major)

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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

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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

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MySQL Database

• 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 users 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)

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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.