All About SLIRM
SLIRM (Shop Like It Really Matters) was born as an idea in January of 2009. I had the idea watching others comparison shop for groceries because they are so expensive where I live in Hawaii. In fact, since starting SLIRM I've learned they are generally three times more expensive than in other places. So, I created a program, mainly for myself, to comparison shop. As I started using the program I realized that it would work better if other people used it as well. This would allow the prices to be updated more often. Thus, SLIRM was born as a crowdsourced shopping list creator. As it continued to develop I added an expert system to make the shopping choices more accurate. SLIRM was then the first AI shopping list creator. I also included the ability to add or review nutrition information and write reviews about the products. As others began using it they said it was difficult to use. So, I rewrote it, several times, making it easier to use. It still has a long way to go.I added recipes and free classifieds to SLIRM to get people to use the SLIRM site, making it more of a community. If you have any ideas on how to make it better or more useful don't be shy. Tell me your ideas. The site is supported by the ads and coupons.
About Crowdsourcing
More and more the Internet is building information sources by having the Internet community contribute information to the respective Web sites. A good example is Wikihistory.com. This type of user input is known as crowdsourcing. SLIRM is crowdsourced. This site depends on loyal users to return and add the prices they've paid for items. This keeps the site more accurate. When a group of people start using SLIRM in a new area it might require adding the names and addresses of the stores in the area, and any local products that might not already be in SLIRM's database of products. Eggs, milk and bread, for example, tend to be produced locally. Stores and products only need to be added a single time. After that, SLIRM becomes more useful to everyone. It's a tool. It's free. I hope you find it useful and that it helps you save a lot of money on the things you buy.The Future of SLIRM
I am working on a mobile version of SLIRM. It is currently hosted at slirm.swiftmob.com
SLIRM can be used for more than groceries. I started with groceries because everyone needs them and food, one of our biggest monthly expenses, isn't getting any cheaper. But, it can be used for consumer electronics, hardware, or anything you can shop for. As SLIRM becomes more popular, we'll add more of these types of products to SLIRM.
Help Out
If you'd like to help you can:- Share ideas at slirm.ideascale.com
- A donation is always appreciated: