OilprojectGiantommaso D’Astolto (Nest Group)

Oilproject

Description/1(Service, target users and main actors)

• Italian on-line virtual school with free lectures open to all users

• The service is meant for student and teachers of all ages

• It’s build up on the concept of community and voluntary participation, and it is supported by private founders, student unions, private companies and magazines

Oilproject

Description/2(didactic objectives and business model)

• As we said, the service is free for users, and participation is voluntary. Potential costs are covered through sponsorships and there are collaborations for promoting the service

• The aim is to create an inexpensive database of knowledge where people can mutually give and get material and share their experiences.

Oilproject

Browsing the websiteHomepage

Oilproject

In the homepage we have the possibility to sign up (registration is free) and select one of the three profiles they offer: professor, student or member of a community

Browsing the websiteHomepage

Oilproject

• Record and upload video/audio lectures

• Answer questions asked by students

Example of uploaded lecture

Browsing the websiteProfessor’s profile

Oilproject

• Rate topics

• Participate to talkshows

• Watch uploaded lectures

• Ask questions

A question about a lecture

A talkshow

A talkshow

Browsing the websiteStudent’s profile

Oilproject

• Upload group pages

• Promote the initiatives of the community

Google maps is used for locating the events

Browsing the websiteCommunity member’s profile

Oilproject

Strengths/1

• The service is completely free ( the registration is free, but still most of the content is available without registering)

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Strengths/2

• The content is well organised, thus making the research fast and simple. Moreover there are several topics regarding today’s life

Oilproject

Strengths/3

•Possibility of interaction through forum and chats. Besides there is some sort of feedback for evaluating the quality of the material

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Weaknesses

• When voluntary participation is needed, the risk is to have a poor response thus slowing down the growth of the network

• Some classical subjects, such as maths are still missing

• There is need for a management of the feedback system

How to create a group for your community

Oilproject

Conclusions & take-aways

• The idea is very catchy, especially the focus on everyday life’s topics, such as Economics

• The role of feedback and the importance of the community should be considered as drivers for the development of this kind of projects

• It is important to manage the rating system and evaluate whether a source of information is trustworthy or not