Balloons, Printed Balloons, Balloon Release

We did have an issue to start with where one person could keep boosting the same balloon unlimited times. This has been changed over the last 24 hours. Now there is only one boost per computer to the same balloon per day.

We are trying to get a better graphic for the boost button below - to make it more interesting.

It's a bit tricky to add your own site as you need to be able to add a html code to the School home page - this adds the widget (in the bottom right corner of balloon.com). To make a thumb nail of your home page go here: http://www.thumbalizr.com/ choose size 320, right click and paste it in your pictures / desktop.

I have made a slightly rushed video explaining how to add your site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O616A5i0xL0

The thumb nail is used in the landscape (http://www.balloonrace.com/landscape/default.asp) and the site 1 /site 2 example attached. The virtual balloons fly over the real site (once you click to see where your balloon is on the internet, you actually leave balloonrace.com and go to the website e.g. solsch.org.uk - that's why it's a bit tricky to get back to the School page). If you changed the home page of solsch.org.uk the balloons will fly over the new page but the thumb nail would stay the same.

We playing around with the PayPal sandbox accounts and basically hit a wall. We could transfer money between accounts when in PayPal but not via any website shopping basket, so we've asked the website company to give us a costing on building free boosting. Regarding 'gift aid', this is something a large charity suggested to me a couple of months ago. If a big charity takes on a virtual balloon race the race will be connected direct to their online merchant banking - and there is an option for gift aid.

One thought occurs though... boosts can be applied manually during the race. How about if a pupil, in the race, does especially good work or achieves something above the norm their balloon is given a boost equivalent to one game. So the pupil that wins will be the one that does the best in the games and turns in the best work? For this to work you will need to manually add the boosts - easy and quick to do.

Zero Balloon Boost Issue - 31st May 2009

I did manage to get my boost to zero.

My balloon is 'Horrace' and I had 980 boost, I flew across my first site and when hitting 'follow the balloon' my Apple half crashed - then my balloon appeared on the first landscape page with no boost.

I tried again and again to get this to happen but I couldn't. One thing I did notice was that when travelling from one site to another (after hitting follow my balloon) - the balloon appeared on the next site and for a fraction of a second the boost is 100 - then returns to where it was?

Another thing I noticed by accident was that when the very top of the balloon flies over Poska - the boost goes up 100 and Poska disappears. This is great as I didn't think this part was working but it needs to be the centre of the balloon that triggers it. Also - 100 is too much, I had 1000 boost and it never ran out as I got a Poska at least every 3 sites - it needs to be 30 I recon.

Also.... if you fly into the lower website and the upper point of your balloon is slightly above the site - you will travel into the top site. It seems the balloon is tracked by it's upper point but I recon it needs to be the middle of the balloon.

Also - would be cool if the number 30 was on Poskas belly.

This is a new concept and the first time the balloons game race has been run by people not involved with it's design and build.

The staff and pupils at Solihull Junior School were kind enough to run a large scale test for us - the aim being to flush out and bugs before it goes to market. All the loopholes and bugs the children and "boosters"

have found will now be fixed before we run another full scale test with another school. Only once we have ironed out all the faults will we be happy to take this product to market..

I am delighted with the involvement and enjoyment that the children have gotten from the race and also the involvement of all the "boosters". It bodes well for the future of this concept which represents a large investment in both time and money for balloon.com.

I see, from the results, that Nick has won the race - by a comfortable margin and I'm pleased that your, your family's and friends efforts were successful. I too recruited family and friends around the globe for my son's balloon, but we only managed a third place finish.

Balloon Race Google Traffic

As each pupil at Solihull School gets more competitive towards the end of the race - the website traffic has gone though the roof.

Over 10,000 hits yesterday 31st May 09 - what will happen when multiple races are running?