Scott Block, a sophomore computer science and information systems major, created WeareUMD.com to help students market their talents.
While his middle school peers were creating profiles on Xanga and Myspace, Scott Block was building websites from scratch.
He honed this craft in high school and as a computer science and information systems major at this university, and has created more than 30 websites for small businesses, start-up companies and himself. On April 2, the sophomore launched a networking site called WeareUMD.com to help other students advertise their creative and business skills, such as photography, marketing and design.
“I wanted to facilitate collaboration between students with different majors,” Block said.
To simplify those connections, WeareUMD.com allows students to create a profile advertising their skill sets and providing their contact information. Students and companies can select one of the categories and view all users with that particular talent.
While some cateogories are specific, such as photography, others allow users to interpret where their skills fall. For example, some users write that they develop “ideas into reality” or design “things people need.”
Block said he was able to launch the site just four days after he began work on it because he used an efficient technique, adapting code from a website blueprint that was available online.
The site has already successfully allowed several students to connect with each other and collaborate, Block said.
Senior architecture major Duncan Graham said a student approached him about des igning a logo and developing a website just days after he created his profile.
“That’s the cool thing about the site – so many students have an idea,” he said. “It provides the catalyst for these ideas.”
Like Block, Graham taught himself to make websites. However, he said he initially struggled with coding and would have saved time if he could have reached out to another student with computer science expertise through a site like WeareUMD.com.
“It was a pain in the ass,” he said, laughing. “I spent two years learning coding language when I could have just put it on the site.”
Several students said the site would be a helpful tool as long as they could pick from a wide range of categories.
“There would have to be a lot of specialties,” said sophomore business major Mark Augustine. “A bunch of computer science majors wouldn’t be helpful.”
Although Block said he has heard positive reviews of the site, he would like to expand the network beyond the 34 users currently signed up, add other universities to the network and increase his advertising. Thus far, he has only used social media and word-of-mouth to promote his site.
Block added that he has been tweaking the site periodically to make it more effective.
“I want it to grow into an entrepreneurial resource that people can use,” he said. “Making it more useful will hopefully attract more people to [WeareUMD.com].”
akinnibi@umdbk.com
