239923 Email Monitoring Tool: Phase 1

BACKGROUND StealthCo is a start-up company developing a new messaging platform to augment web-based email such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Hotmail. StealthCo is currently researching consumers' email usage patterns. The goal of this project is to build a system to record the email usage behavior of XMail's volunteer research subjects. StealthCo has a group of 500 consumers who have agreed to install software that will monitor events such as: - # of emails sent and received - # of emails replied to - links clicked in emails - etc. USER EXPERIENCE WALKTHROUGH 1. Test subject goes to a web page containing: a. A link to download/install the StealthCo Browser Helper Object b. Instructions for closing any security warnings that the browser may generate 2. Tester clicks download/install link. 3. BHO installs itself. 4. Tester closes and restarts browser if necessary (preferably not needed). 5. Whenever Tester uses Hotmail, the BHO transmits usage events/behavior back to data server. 6. The data server receives incoming data from BHO and adds it to ever-growing flat file. 7. StealthCo periodically retrieves the flat file for offline analysis. DELIVERABLES 1. BHO We are assuming that given the requirements in this spec, the best technical option is to use a Browser Helper Object (“BHO”). However, we're open to other suggestions from our developer. Developer should deliver a BHO that performs all the functions specified in the spec document. Developer should host the BHO for downloading by ~500 testers. 2. Installation web page Developer should deliver and host a web page containing clear, consumer-friendly instructions on how to download and install the BHO, what security warning the user should expect to see, and how to override those warnings. Note: StealthCo can possibly help with the copy and design (but not the coding) of the download page. 3. Server side data aggregation Developer should deliver code to be run on a StealthCo server that collects data from the BHO and appends it to an ever-growing flat file. Server code can be in PHP or Python (or similar scripting language) working with MySQL in a Linux environment. ABOUT THIS PROJECT A full requirements specification is attached. Please read the full document before bidding on the project. This project is being done in two phases; Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 is a "test project" of limited scope designed to help us evaluate developers for Phase 2. Phase 2 is the full project as covered in the spec. We are going to award the Phase 1 project to several different developers. Then we'll select one developer for Phase 2 based on the results of Phase 1 and the bids for Phase 2. So, for now please bid on the work for Phase 1 only and include in your notes an estimate for Phase 2. When we're ready to proceed with Phase 2 we'll post that project separately through Guru and invite you to bid. The Scope of Phase 1 is limited to section 5.0 of the spec -- neither section 4.0 nor 6.0 is required. Note: instead of pushing the collected data to a server, please send a flat file by email once a day. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING (1) Phase 1: bid and time to deliver (2) Phase 2: preliminary bid and estimated time to deliver (3) Based on the projects stated goals (in the spec) does the developer think that a BHO is the best technical approach (as opposed to a stand-alone executable)? Thanks for your interest. The projected budget numbers of $1,000 - 5,000 are for Phase 1 and 2 together. Initially please just bid on Phase 1.