diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cdf1ad4..8ca30ff 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Vb
-A Team Randomizer built using Angular, installable as a progressive web app (PWA).
+A Team Randomizer built using Angular and Bootstrap, installable as a progressive web app (PWA).
+Supports setting names using URL query parameters:
+```url
+https://vb.example.org?names=Me,Myself,I
+```
 
 ## Development
 
@@ -11,6 +15,12 @@ ng serve
 
 Once the server is running, open your browser and navigate to `http://localhost:4200/`. The application will automatically reload whenever you modify any of the source files.
 
+Alternatively, to open the server to the network instead of just localhost, use
+
+```bash
+npm run serve
+```
+
 ## Building
 
 To build the project run:
@@ -20,12 +30,4 @@ ng build
 ```
 
 This will compile your project and store the build artifacts in the `dist/` directory.
-As this is a static site, simply move the contents of browser/ to a directory that can be served by nginx or apache.
-
-## Running unit tests
-
-To execute unit tests with the [Karma](https://karma-runner.github.io) test runner, use the following command:
-
-```bash
-ng test
-```
+As this is a static site, simply move the contents of `dist/vb/browser/` to a directory that can be served by nginx or apache.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/app/app.component.html b/src/app/app.component.html
index 19bc860..809389c 100644
--- a/src/app/app.component.html
+++ b/src/app/app.component.html
@@ -23,20 +23,23 @@
     <input type="number" pattern="\d*" [(ngModel)]="nTeamsValue" id="nTeamsField" class="form-control" >
   </div>
 </div>
+
   <form>
     <div class="container">
     <label for="playerNames">Names</label>
-    <textarea class="form-control mb-3"
+    <textarea [(ngModel)]="playerNamesValue"
+      class="form-control mb-3"
       rows="18" 
       cols="30"
       style="text-align: left;" 
+      name="playerNames"
       #playerNames
       id="playerNames"
       ></textarea>
     </div>
   <button type="button" (click)="onButtonGenerate(playerNames.value)" class="btn btn-primary">Generate</button>
-  
   </form>
+
   <table class="table table-striped">
     <thead>
       <tr>
diff --git a/src/app/app.component.ts b/src/app/app.component.ts
index 41cc671..3375bfa 100644
--- a/src/app/app.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/app.component.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-import { Component } from '@angular/core';
+import {  AfterViewInit, Component, OnInit} from '@angular/core';
 import { FormsModule } from '@angular/forms';
-import { RouterOutlet } from '@angular/router';
+import { RouterOutlet, ActivatedRoute } from '@angular/router';
 import { NgbModule } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
 
 import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
@@ -11,14 +11,24 @@ import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
   templateUrl: './app.component.html',
   styleUrl: './app.component.less'
 })
-export class AppComponent {
+export class AppComponent implements OnInit {
   title = 'vb';
+  playerNamesValue = "";
   numTeamsSelectorValue = "2";
   numTeamsSelected = 2;
   nTeamsValue = "4";
   teamsArray: string[][] = [];
   displayedColumns = ["teamCount", "teamNames"];
 
+  constructor(private activatedRoute: ActivatedRoute){}
+
+  ngOnInit(): void {
+    //consiedr using Angular's ActivatedRoute here instead
+    const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
+    const names = params.get('names')?.replaceAll(',', '\n');
+    if (names) this.playerNamesValue = names;
+  }
+
   onButtonGenerate(textinput: string): void{
     if(this.numTeamsSelectorValue === 'n'){
       this.numTeamsSelected  = Number(this.nTeamsValue);
@@ -26,7 +36,7 @@ export class AppComponent {
     else{
       this.numTeamsSelected = Number(this.numTeamsSelectorValue);
     }
-    let names = textinput
+    let names = this.playerNamesValue
         .split('\n')
         .map(function(str){return str.trim();})
         .filter(function(str){return str}); // boolean interpretation is same as non-empty