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Monday, June 14, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Grads create
feedback site
Recent University
alums host website for
users to vote on fashion
By BRIENNE PRUSAK
Daily StaffReporter
Ann Arbor locals in search of spe-
cific fashion and style advice before
a job interview, first date, or a night
out may not have to look further than
their own computers.
The desire to get feedback about
one's appearance and style sparked
three recent University graduates to
create a new website called DTLOK.
com - Does This Look Okay? - which
allows people to post pictures and get
constructive feedback about their
appearance and style.
LSA graduate Drew Tevrizian said
he originally came up with the idea
for the new site, which allows people
to leave comments and vote on photos,
after growing up with a sister who
was interested in fashion and noticing
how much people desired feedback
for their choices in clothing.
Tevrizian said he has no knowledge
of fashion, so he enlisted the help of
his friend and Business School gradu-
ate Michael Eichberg.
In need of someone able to code
DTLOK.com, Tevrizian said he used
Craigslist to hire John Gorman for
the position. Tevrizian added that
Gorman has been "the backbone of
the website," because of his voluntary
work on getting the site up and run-
ning.
After three months of work, the site
launched Apr. 1, and it received 8,000
hits on its first day, primarily from
around the Ann Arbor area.
The website is currently attract-
ing about 300 visits per day, partly
due to advertising around the Univer-
sity campus and peer encouragement,
Tevrizian said. The website's traffic,
he said, has spread beyond the Ann
Arbor area anymore but rather it has
spread to other cities, including some
from around the world.
DTLOK.com relies on Facebook
and Twitter for online advertising,
but Tevrizian said word-of-mouth
advertising has been most effective in
drawing hits to the site.
Gorman said he believes DTLOK.
com has been so successful because
of the idea itself and how insecure
and vain people can be. The website,
he said, offers an outlet for people to
receive anonymous feedback about
their appearance, like ways in which
they could improve their outfits.
"It's not meant tobe superficial, it's
meant to be a boost of confidence,"
Eichberg said.
For those who are new to a city
and don't have anyone to get feedback
from, the site acts "like your second
friend," Eichberg said.
In order to use this website, visi-
tors do not need to create an account.
Instead they will need to provide an
officers arrest him.
Beatty was arrested and released
Jan. 13 after being pulled over by Ypsi-
lanti police with an open container
and an unspecified amount of cocaine
in his car, according to AnnArbor.com.
The arrest was made by Ypsilanti
police and members of LAWNET,
according to a Jan. 30 article in The
Michigan Daily.
After being released, Beatty was
placed on unpaid administrative leave
by the University on Jan. 14, accord-
ing to University Department of Public
Safety Spokeswoman Diane Brown.
Brown said Beatty's employment
ended on Feb. 9, but could not com-
e-mail address so that comments on
their photos can be sent to them.
Tevrizian said the lack of user sign-
up helps to limit abuse of the site,
because only the user who posted the
picture can see the comments. He
added that he, Gorman and Eichberg
try to minimize site abuse with the
option to "flag" photos that are inap-
propriate because they want the site
to be a noncontroversial resource.
As well as getting feedback on a
photo, people can also browse the
site and get style ideas that may allow
them to expand their stylistic hori-
zons and promote individuality, Eich-
berg said.
Gorman added that while he
expected more women to use the site,
the distribution of visitors has been
pretty equal among men and women.
Though Gorman is no longer
involved with the site, Tevrizian said
he and Eichberg would like continue
to challenge themselves, and they
hope to ultimately be able to profit
from the website by eventually charg-
ing users to post photos. In return,
he added that they would make the
online community more interactive
by having professional fashion con-
sultants and designers offer specific
fashion advice.
ment on the manner in which his
employment ended. Brown said Beatty
did not return to work between Jan.14
and Feb. 9.
]=For the rest of this story, see
R MichiganDaily.com/blogs
CORRECTIONS
* A June 1 article in The
Michigan Daily ("Police inves-
tigate death at Packard Street
house") misattributed content
in the story's subheading.
* Please report any error in
the Daily to corrections@
michigandaily.com.
Over the term break, check
MichiganDaily.com
Student tuition rates
are on the agenda for this
Thursday's University
Board of Regents meeting.
Ashley Bauer discusses
how she got involved in
golf and her future plans
in Kevin Raftery's feature.
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Rachel Van Gilder
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Nicholas Clift exposes
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be creating superbugs.
Bonarroo ended last
night; learn what went
down over four dirty days
and nights in Tennessee.
Drake's debut album,
For Never, drops June 15
and promises to be cooler
than "Degrassi."
Robyn proves to be a
true pop artist worthy of
mass appeal with Body
Talk, Pt.1.
Check in online for doily updates
First seen on
U' officer charged
0
Arrest warrant issued
for former University
police officer
By DEVON THORSBY
Daily News Editor
Washtenaw County Court has
issued an arrest warrant charging for-
mer University police officer Charles
Beatty III with cocaine possession
regarding an arrest that occurred in
January in Ypsilanti, an AnnArbor.
com article reported.
Lieutenant Monica Yesh of the Liv-
ingston and Washtenaw Narcotics
Enforcement Team told AnnArbor.
com that Beatty is being given the
opportunity to turn himself in before
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