How important is it to be able to deploy your own system? I'd have to charge a bit more significantly if you wanted me to release a version for private deployment, as it brings with it its own set of maintenance concerns. Alternatively, what's a good way to go about earning the trust of users so that they feel confidence in investing time in building around the system? The obvious answer is to build a good system and demonstrate acceptable uptime and good customer service, but I'm open to any other comments on that.
I'm developing a dedicated web-based automation API
- Thread starter NathanRidley
- Start date
That's cool, I was just wondering how reliable your service would be, but I guess we'll see
Have been held up the last couple of months, but about to continue where I left off.
Question; how do you guys feel the Google Penguin update will impact your automation activities?
Question; how do you guys feel the Google Penguin update will impact your automation activities?
Well, if it can be used for any type of web form processing / automation I wouldn't be using it for anything seo related. So that update wouldn't bother me.
Cool, I'm actually really curious about some of the use cases people might use a system such as this for. I can imagine that there are some pretty creative scenarios that can be implemented, but any examples people have will help me with the vision I have for the product.
Keep it simple and launch something. Don't worry about feature set and private deployments. You can always strive for one-stop-API after you launch something that's immediately useful. if you intend for this to be something that someone can implement with a GET request and the stdlib of their favorite language, then it sounds like you're onto something.
i didn't catch if you have any testers yet, but if you venture too far into incognito for a product like this without feedback from your target audience, then it's super easy to make something that aligns with nobody.
Could you give some examples of the API and the gist of what the result set looks like?
i didn't catch if you have any testers yet, but if you venture too far into incognito for a product like this without feedback from your target audience, then it's super easy to make something that aligns with nobody.
Could you give some examples of the API and the gist of what the result set looks like?
There's a lot to do yet, but I believe a good API is well documented and so I'm putting a lot of effort into that. Take a look at API Documentation « Systemizer API - check out the "Push Notifications" documentation. It's actually not the only section I've got working, just the only one I've documented. I'll explain everything in more detail as I progress. Also look at the "Getting Started" page.
Just updating everyone; I'm still working on this. I have a day job, but I get up at between 4:30am and 5:30am every morning to work on it before work. In addition, about 50% of the time, after work I get some time to spend on it and I also work on it on weekends as much as I can also.
As Mahzkrieg also said above, I am attempting to get something out as soon as I can, which means I'm looking at the following stages of development currently:
1a) Develop the first half of the API, including comprehensive documentation. This provides the basic set of functionality required to develop simple automated processes, including extensive browser automation and scraping.
1b) Bring in the first beta testers who want to use the API for personal use, plus develop a basic product which leverages the API so that I'm "eating my own dog food" and hopefully getting some revenue early on.
1c) Develop the remaining areas of the API which will be required for phases #2 and #3. Documentation must be comprehensive, including samples and tutorials.
2) Develop the primary product interface, which will make the product accessible to a wider commercial audience.
3) Develop an accompanying Chrome extension to develop browser automation workflows via a visual interface.
Phases #2 and #3 may be developed in tandem, I haven't decided yet.
As Mahzkrieg also said above, I am attempting to get something out as soon as I can, which means I'm looking at the following stages of development currently:
1a) Develop the first half of the API, including comprehensive documentation. This provides the basic set of functionality required to develop simple automated processes, including extensive browser automation and scraping.
1b) Bring in the first beta testers who want to use the API for personal use, plus develop a basic product which leverages the API so that I'm "eating my own dog food" and hopefully getting some revenue early on.
1c) Develop the remaining areas of the API which will be required for phases #2 and #3. Documentation must be comprehensive, including samples and tutorials.
2) Develop the primary product interface, which will make the product accessible to a wider commercial audience.
3) Develop an accompanying Chrome extension to develop browser automation workflows via a visual interface.
Phases #2 and #3 may be developed in tandem, I haven't decided yet.
Just thought I'd post a quick update on my progress, for myself if no one else. I'm still in phase 1a (see the previous post), but am making good headway. Have managed to keep up the consistency of getting up between 4:30am and 5:30am every weekday morning to work on Systemizer (4:45am this morning) and the API is starting to show progress as a result. I understand some (many, even?) people don't really have a good understanding of what I'm building (as some have contacted me and asked), so I'll try to briefly explain:
With my product, you can automate almost any online process. For existing online businesses, such as affiliate marketers and their teams, you'll be able to chain a lot of your manual processes together into automated workflows. You'll be able to create advanced scraping/autoposting scenarios, you'll be able to connect with other third-party APIs and you'll be able to have your workflow respond automatically to changing conditions, i.e. not performing certain processes until others have been completed.
I know that sounds kind of abstract, so here's a different way of thinking about it. First, go and have a look at ifttt.com and get an idea of what it does. Now imagine if you could chain lots of those actions and triggers together using something like Yahoo Pipes, but with advanced website automation (scraping/posting/screenshotting/captcha-solving) thrown into the mix. Now imagine you can build a useful system and reuse it over and over again, or even box up what you've built and label it and reuse it as a singular entity in another, larger system.
Finally, you can add many users to your account and each of them can have their own set of access permissions within your system(s), which means you can build an automation product and have Systemizer do all the hard work while hidden behind your website's front end.
I will make the bold claim that with Systemizer, you'll essentially be able to duplicate all of the functionality in SENukeX, but also automate your team's interaction with the product and so forth.
Anyway, my progress so far:
* Proxy management API is completed and documented
* Push notification API is completed and documented
* Account management API is partially completed, but not yet documented
* Script management API is completed but not documented
* Scheduled automation jobs API is mostly complete but not yet documented
* Browser automation engine is about 70% complete.
* Workflow engine (to allow you to do most things without actually having to write scripts) is about 50% complete.
There are other areas, but they are to be addressed in phase 1c and beyond.
With my product, you can automate almost any online process. For existing online businesses, such as affiliate marketers and their teams, you'll be able to chain a lot of your manual processes together into automated workflows. You'll be able to create advanced scraping/autoposting scenarios, you'll be able to connect with other third-party APIs and you'll be able to have your workflow respond automatically to changing conditions, i.e. not performing certain processes until others have been completed.
I know that sounds kind of abstract, so here's a different way of thinking about it. First, go and have a look at ifttt.com and get an idea of what it does. Now imagine if you could chain lots of those actions and triggers together using something like Yahoo Pipes, but with advanced website automation (scraping/posting/screenshotting/captcha-solving) thrown into the mix. Now imagine you can build a useful system and reuse it over and over again, or even box up what you've built and label it and reuse it as a singular entity in another, larger system.
Finally, you can add many users to your account and each of them can have their own set of access permissions within your system(s), which means you can build an automation product and have Systemizer do all the hard work while hidden behind your website's front end.
I will make the bold claim that with Systemizer, you'll essentially be able to duplicate all of the functionality in SENukeX, but also automate your team's interaction with the product and so forth.
Anyway, my progress so far:
* Proxy management API is completed and documented
* Push notification API is completed and documented
* Account management API is partially completed, but not yet documented
* Script management API is completed but not documented
* Scheduled automation jobs API is mostly complete but not yet documented
* Browser automation engine is about 70% complete.
* Workflow engine (to allow you to do most things without actually having to write scripts) is about 50% complete.
There are other areas, but they are to be addressed in phase 1c and beyond.
willing to help you out with this nathan
skype: jest.staffel
I have some talented coders on my team
skype: jest.staffel
I have some talented coders on my team
dchuk and nanexo, thanks for your interest! (and chatmasta, thanks for the kind words!)
It can be hard to catch me online at the moment because of my day job and all, but the moment I have the first alpha at a usable state, I'll be publishing details here so you can take a look. As mentioned earlier, the first phase is literally a REST API, so there won't be a user interface initially, but then that's why I'm posting in the programming area and not other areas of wickedfire right now.
In any case, if you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.
It can be hard to catch me online at the moment because of my day job and all, but the moment I have the first alpha at a usable state, I'll be publishing details here so you can take a look. As mentioned earlier, the first phase is literally a REST API, so there won't be a user interface initially, but then that's why I'm posting in the programming area and not other areas of wickedfire right now.
In any case, if you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.
It's still alive. I was working on it and then remembered I'd made a commitment to build a small product for someone who'd been waiting for me to become available for some time. That product actually makes use of some of the internals of my automation engine, so it's still being developed under the hood in parallel. I'll get back into posting here and updating the thread once I get this other product done. I'm hoping that product will actually finance me working on my automation engine full time.
