1. One
Little
Word
Might
Be
All
You
Need
By
Jacob
Spiegel
Say
the
leaders
of
a
student
group
are
planning
an
event,
they
finalize
all
the
necessary
preparations
and
now
it
is
time
to
make
sure
they
get
the
right
amount
of
attendance.
They
search
for
possible
methods
to
invite
people
efficiently.
First
they
look
to
send
out
a
mass
email
and
quickly
understand
that
people
don’t
generally
check
their
email,
so
next
they
look
to
make
a
Facebook
event.
While
this
seems
to
better
route
they
are
still
not
getting
the
numbers
they
expect.
How
can
they
efficiently
invite
people
the
event
so
that
people
are
made
aware
of
it?
Matt
Jaslove
and
Adam
Syrop
have
found
the
answer.
The
app,
called
IsItOn.com,
was
created
by
CNSE
sophomore
Matthew
Jaslove
and
Adam
Syrop,
a
freelance
developer
in
the
United
Kingdom.
A
web-­‐based
text
message
reminder,
the
app
allows
event
organizers
to
sign
up
with
a
keyword
relevant
to
their
events.
Attendees
then
text
the
keyword
to
the
app’s
phone
number
to
sign
up,
and
the
app
will
remind
them
the
day
before
and
the
day
of
the
event.
A
follow
up
message
will
also
be
sent
the
next
day.
The
app’s
messages
are
automatically
sent
from
the
site,
and
automatically
generated
with
event
details,
although
organizers
can
add
additional
information.
Should
an
event’s
details
change,
a
mass
text
will
be
sent
out
from
the
site.
If
an
event
is
cancelled,
the
“It’s
Not
On”
button
will
be
activated
and
a
mass
text
will
be
sent
out.
“Creating
a
meaningful
application
requires
solving
a
real
world
problem,”
says
Jaslove,
“In
my
opinion,
I
believe
text
message
alerts
are
more
efficient
than
email
alerts
because
they
appear
as
push
notifications
on
our
phones
while
emails
typically
must
be
manually
fetched.”
Jaslove
had
attempted
to
purchase
the
domain
name
for
the
website
in
an
auction
in
April
2013.
Syrop
asked
via
email
to
purchase
the
domain
name
a
few
months
later.
After
denying
his
offer,
the
two
then
began
to
collaborate
on
the
idea
of
an
app.
“I
purchased
this
name
because
I
had
an
initial
app
idea,
and
I
also
saw
value
in
the
name
since
it
was
originally
registered
in
1999.
Adam
emailed
me
just
a
few
months
later
and
asked
me
to
purchase
the
domain.
I
kindly
denied
his
offer
and
we
later
began
to
collaborate
on
an
idea.”
Each
part
of
the
system
was
created
systemically,
according
to
Jaslove.
The
team
began
working
on
the
“backend”
system
using
the
programs
PHP
and
JavaScript,
and
then
worked
their
way
up
to
the
user
interface
using
coding
systems
such
as
CSS
and
HTML.
The
website
is
currently
in
beta
testing
and
is
offering
free
keywords
for
those
creating
events,
as
well
as
a
feedback
page
on
the
site.
The
website
will
be
offering
free
keywords
until
April
of
this
year.
Currently,
users
must
text
their
keyword
to
914-­‐334-­‐2130.
Jaslove
is
pursuing
a
bachelor's
degree
in
Nanoscale
Engineering
at
CNSE.
Plan
Competition.
Syrop
lives
in
Bradford,
England,
and
has
been
a
freelance

2. developer
since
2003.
His
work
includes
3D
animation,
PC
web
and
repair
training,
website
and
print
work,
and
work
in
video.
Jaslove
hopes
to
see
colleges
and
universities
purchasing
licenses
of
the
app
in
order
to
cater
to
student
organizations.
Currently
ABLE
and
Swipe
With
a
Purpose
are
using
and
supporting
the
app.
Jaslove
plans
to
enter
the
app
in
the
New
York
State
Business
Plan
Competition
late
in
the
month.
“I
wouldn’t
be
opposed
to
a
potential
buyout
down
the
line,”
says
Jaslove,
“But
right
not,
I
want
to
focus
on
building
the
brand.