10 posts tagged “niche”
Social
search is still in unmarked territory, as no single winner has been
crowned for their attempts with semantics, online behavior, and human
power. But there are those out there that are determined to make it
happen, and I very much enjoy exploring new ways to search and
discover, based on a number of associations brought about by every new
technique that emerges. Here is Part II of the Niche Search series,
profiling Prefound and Searchbots .
Read Part I here.
Prefound
Prefound
is a site that has amassed its users searches and provides their
previous experience to help your new search flourish. It's a
human-powered search in the sense that it relies on the community to
organize search results on a given query. They are basing your search
on other's experience to give you something more relevant than a
crawler can find. Until technology has formed an artificial
intelligence to match that of human intellect, human-influenced
experience will continue to drive many in the social search realm.
Searchbots
Searchbots
has been a project (work in progress) for some time now, and has taken
the act of search and turned it into a bit of a game. Your Searchbot
is a personal buddy that will tailor its search results to fit your
needs. It's dynamic in its interactions, so the more information you
feed it, the more relevant your search results become. The bot's
battery life will actually get low if you don't feed it with more
info! You can search by mood, color, keyword, and all sorts of
things. The search becomes tangential in this regard, as it
incorporates a bit of StumbleUpon tactics and betters its results based
on your reaction to a given website it has provided. Not to mention,
you can customize the look of your little Searchbot.
Here's an interesting niche social network that has been formed around
July 7, 2007. The date is significant to the 31,000 + couples getting
married on this day, more than doubling the average for a summer
Saturday wedding. So there are two very interesting facts that have
combined here: a huge surge in weddings for this lucky day, and an
online community that is dedicated to it. WeddingPlanner777 has
installed a Digg-like system to promote the most useful information to
the top. They also have journals (read: blog) and a directory of
resources.
Of course there are a lot of questions to be raised, such as, what will they do once July 7th has passed? We've seen an interesting increase in sites that are built for one purpose, such as countdowns or a movie premier. WeddingPlanner777 is unique in that it's taken a highly sentimental aspect of life and provided a hub of resources for all those involved.
Below is my interview with Michael Moorefield of WeddingPlanner777.
Your site is dedicated
to weddings that are to occur on 7/7/07. What's the significance of
this date, especially for weddings?
July 7th or
7/7/07, is being called the most popular wedding day in history by
industry professionals. There are many reasons the date is so
significant. 7’s are universally considered a lucky number, three 7’s
on a slot machine usually wins the jackpot, 7 has rich religious and
secular meanings as well. Plus, the date falls on the first Saturday
in July, which is traditionally one of the most popular wedding days of
the year.
USA Today recently reported that more than 31,000 couples getting married on the date are registered on TheKnot.com alone. The average for a single summer Saturday is 12,000.
What's the story behind wedding777?
Being so unique and so popular, the 7/7/07 date has created a lot of buzz in the media. It’s kinda one of those novelty news items and it caught our attention. As I was searching for more information on the date I quickly realized that the content is everywhere. We recognized a need to find 777 wedding ideas and content more easily. WeddingPlanner777.com is our attempt to help couples who share the date find and connect around this content in one central place.
Do you have to be getting married on July 7th, 2007 to participate and gain value from wedding777?
No. While the site is
targeted towards the 7-7-07 date, a lot of the content pertains to
weddings in general. Since the site is targeted to 777 brides, the 777
content is going to be the most popular and therefore featured on the
homepage. But those who go beyond the first layer will find great
ideas and content for weddings of any date.
In fact, the community gains a great deal from non-777 users. Those married before the date can share their experiences and advice with brides-to-be. Those getting married after the date will benefit from the experiences of the 777 brides.
Wedding777 sets out
to provide resources for couples getting married. How did you decide
on your main site functions like your "Ideas" ranking system?
With the popularity of the
date and numerous wedding forums & communities online, 777 wedding
content is scattered all over the web. Many brides already have
personal websites or online journals at popular sites like theknot.com, brides.com
and others. Our goal isn’t to compete with these sites, but to create
a community where couples can connect around the great content that
already exists.
The ideas section is the center of our site, where users can submit and vote for relevant wedding content from around the web. The feature works similar to digg.com where the highest rated content automatically moves to the top.
How is the wedding industry responding to the 7/7/07 date, and how are you addressing this response?
The date is so popular that the demand on products and services for that day has driven up prices. By sharing information and resources within the community hopefully couples can save a few bucks. The ideas section, for example, has links to some great do-it-yourself tips and planning checklists from industry professionals.
What will you do after 7/7/07?
All wedding sites face the
challenge of engaging the users after their wedding date. Our
challenge is unique since it focuses on a single date, but that niche
will also work to our advantage. I believe users will feel more
connected to the site since they share something so special in common.
We plan to keep the focus on 7/7/07 couples even after the date.
I think the users will give us a better idea of which direction to go as the date approaches. Whether it involves releasing new features to the existing site or launching a sister site that caters to newlyweds and married life, much like theknot.com has done with thenest.com.
So what's next?
Given that the date is rapidly
approaching, we are constantly working to improve the site and its
features. We are working right now on revamping the homepage to
increase the focus on the newest and most popular ideas and on the
bride roll call. We expect to launch the updated homepage very soon.
We’re also working to create a
standalone section for the bride roll call. Right now it’s just a
forum thread which limits the functionality. The idea behind the roll
call is to show just how popular and diverse the date is by asking all
7-7-07 couples to “sign” the list. There are no official statistics on
the number of couples getting married on this day, so the roll call is
a simple way to see how large of a list we can create.
The directory will likely be replaced with a “mall” section that
features deals on relevant products and services. We’ve had a good
amount of interest from vendors and service providers who would like to
reach our highly niche audience. Instead of the general directory
we’ve decided to take a more selective approach to our partners to
ensure they offer a value to our audience. We’re working to negotiate
some exclusive offers for our users that are not available anywhere else.
There
are several ways in which to expound on our existing semantics
regarding search. When it comes to online discovery of information,
some of us can get flustered. Many companies have found tiny tweaks
that offer better ways of reaching an end goal. the personal, human
touch is what all search models have strove for, from day one. These
two companies have taken the want for the human touch quite literally.
uClue
Founded
by members of the original Google Answers team, uClue will simply find
the information for you. Set your price, leave your request, and
you'll get the information you need from research professionals
stationed around the globe. These pros are good at what they do. They
come from highly regarded academic backgrounds and they know what
they're doing. They choose what questions to answer, so you know
you're getting the quality you deserve.
...
Don't
feel like waiting around for an answer? Search uClue to see if someone
has requested information that's similar to what you need. Most
queries are made public once they've been answered by uClue, and are
readily turned into discussion threads for added perspectives.
ChaCha
Based
in Indianapolis, this search company will start a chat with you online
and actually find the results you need. The concept is interesting,
but the execution is in need of improvement. Anyone that tires of
waiting for the search results to be populated for them could easily
click on a related sponsored link, or trade Google's PageRank relevance
system for their impatience. Or you could simply find something else
to do while ChaCha does the searching for you.
So tell me what Fashionising is all about? Fashionising
is a social network built for people who love fashion and buy it, and
those who love it so much that they work within the fashion industry.
We’re particularly focused on creating a community that supports
upcoming talent in the industry, including models and designers. You mention that social networking isn't just about making friends anymore. What else is social networking for? MySpace’s
focus on music, and the success of members such as Lily Allen and the
Arctic Monkeys, really proved that social networks can be a driving
force in our world. Instead of just talking to random people, they can
become an area where people can create opportunities for themselves.
For Fashionising, it’s about opportunities in the fashion world. It
might be something as simple as front row seats at a fashion show, or
something much larger such as providing a struggling, but hugely
talented designer, with the opportunity to find a consumer base which
would otherwise be closed off to them. How do you bring the added value to social networking? Unlike
most social networks, we’ve approached Fashionising from the content
side of things. Profiles and messaging systems, which usually are the
main focus, aren’t our major focus. Instead we’ve concentrated on tools
and features such as our Fashion Diary, which is a mashup of street
style and fashion show videos and photos from across the net, and one
main blog, which all members can contribute to as opposed to giving
each member their own blog. We develop content laden features, which we
then ‘plug’ the membership base into, allowing them to contribute,
comment, and collaborate. It’s more-or-less a reverse of the model of
social networks, but we believe it’s where longevity and value really
exists. In a way, you're providing a lifestyle network. How does that come into play for users' interaction within the site? One
of the most interesting effects is the way members represent
themselves. They’re amongst peers, and trying to show that they have a
lifestyle on par with others, or one that we should be envious of. As a
result, people are much more aware of how they represent themselves.
It’s nearly always with pride, dignity and respect because they feel
that they personally are on show and that their name is tied to their
actions. It’s the sort of ‘ownership of actions’ that exists in the
real world, but isn’t always on display on the internet. How does that come into play for other aspects of life, such as jobs, etc? We
hope we’ve made a positive change to many of our members lives. I know
one member describes himself as having going from ‘fashion faux pas to
fashionista’. That’s something that we’re proud of. What are your goals with Fashionising? To
build a vibrant fashion centric community, and to help the industry
change in a positive way. Working within the fashion industry you
notice there is a lot of resistance to change, and many a person has
told us that they either don’t understand, or don’t want to understand,
fashion on the internet. If they keep that mind set, they’re going to
end up in the same place where a large part of the music industry
currently finds itself – the consumer has moved years beyond where the
major players think they are. We don’t want that to be the case for
fashion. What are the next steps for Fashionising? We’re
going to continue to focus on providing opportunities for people within
the industry be they upcoming or established, and at present we’re
building a portfolio platform for stylists, models and photographers.
We’re hoping to have this completed by our official April launch, but
beyond that we’re going to continually add to the site and refine what
is already there. Aside from tools to help the industry,
we’re looking to build tools for more fashion and lifestyle content.
This will help expand our audience, and give the people we’re trying to
help a reach previously restricted to those lucky enough to be featured
in the likes of Vogue.
With
the recognition and success of niche social networks, Fashionising
looks to make their mark on an overall segment of culture.
Fashionising is dedicated to the people that love fashion, and is
looking to offer more than simple conduits for conversing online, but
tools for effective networking within the industry. Fashionising wants
to spur opportunities for its users and bring a higher level of purpose
to the manifestation of our online behavior. Building on the basics of
social networking, in order to bring about a lifestyle network.
I recently got a chance to hear from Fashionising's Daniel P. Dykes.
They key to it all is
the quality behind what goes on. Whether it’s in our members
interaction, or the opportunities we provide them, quality is key.
by Kristen Nicole
Bud.TV is among the few professionally produced, branded niche sites that hasn't gone over too well.
Considering the general appeal of Anheuser-Busch's marketing tactics,
and a well-received ad campaign for this year's Super Bowl, the site's
traffic has taken a nose dive, and there is much confusion as to why
that is. Bud.TV has added premium content from its partnerships with
companies such as Sony, and provides a fairly wide array of things to
do on the site. Nevertheless, their projections of gaining 2-3 million users this year is looking like a dismal dream.
...
My opinion on why Bud.TV just isn't working out:
...
Registration Page
...
This
is the first page you encounter when you attempt to enter Bud.TV's
site, and even for those that are of age, verification errors occur.
The simple fact that you must register an account, entering in personal
data before being able to even browse through their features is a major
turn off. To many, it simply isn't worth it.
...
Lack of user-driven content
...
While
UGC is incorporated into Bud.TV's site, their focus is the premium
content. In order for a niche site to succeed, there needs to be a
high level of user integration. If a user cannot participate, there's
little reason to stay on the site. Anheuser-Busch's funding has gone
to the provision of this premium content, leaving little room in other
budgets, such as paid search and prizes.
...
No Incentives
...
Another
main reason for the success of a branded niche site is the opportunity
to win prizes. This keeps users coming back to the site, participating
in repeat activity, and encourages them to self-promote, bringing
traffic and more users to the site. If Bud.TV doesn't invest in
granting users an incentive to return, then they just won't.
...
No Paid Search
...
If
you create a site, you have to let people know you're around.
Anheuser-Busch simply can't rely on their Super Bowl ad to boost
traffic to the site for the remainder of the year. When you have a
company as established as Anheuser-Busch, you expect them to be able to
throw a little money into marketing the site, especially if the site's
main goal is for branding purposes.
iVillage,
owned by NBC, has launched their social network, iVillage Connect. The
social components that have been incorporated into the iVillage
platform are pretty useful, and they've done well to support external
widgets. Though their demographic isn't the largest in terms of widget
use, sites like iVillage have proven transitional in overall Internet
behavior when it comes to the trickle-down effect of early adopters,
teenagers, and the rest of the world. 
That
being said, perhaps it is because of this that it took iVillage so long
to launch a social network. iVillage was extremely social by nature,
and its origins, long before having been scooped up by NBC was a
bulletin board for users at its core. iVillage is somewhat niche and
has always aimed to keep up with the general trends. Considering its
ever-growing popularity, the addition of a social network can do
nothing but good for their business.
via
Tappity is a mobile phone service that has formed a community around sites that are optimized for mobile use. It also serves as a frontpage of sorts, for your mobile phone. It's got a pretty high level of interactivity through mobile phone usage, as users can submit and vote for sites they like. In this sense, Tappity becomes much like a social search engine for your cell phone. It's apparent that technology and culture are moving in the direction of centralizing the mobile device, but it's companies like Tappity that take the initiative to create applications ready for today that provide a great deal of value for our current lifestyles.
I got a chance to chat with Scott Robbin, the creator of Tappity, regarding his first start-up from his parent company Halobrite.
So tell me about Tappity. Is it more of a hub for sites that are optimized for mobile phones? Or is it a mobile search engine?
Yes, we're self funded. There are two of us developing Tappity, myself and my friend/partner, Jeff Skinner. Jeff and I have been friends for the past 15 years and developing websites together for 8 years. Jeff lives in Iowa City and (as you know) I'm in Chicago. We do all of our development remotely. Ain't the Internet grand?
What's your previous expereince? Have you done other projects for mobile service solutions?
Previous experience? Well, I don't like to brag, but we're the creative genius behind the Coming Soon splash page for HotDogDingDongBingBong.com.
Seriously though, Jeff and I have a lot of experience developing together, but Tappity is our most ambitious project.
We've created mobile service solutions before, but this is the first that we've launched from our company, Halobrite.
Previously, an totally unrelated to Halobrite, I had done a personal mobile project which had been received well and had gotten some press. It was dubbed "srobbin Mobile Video" and was released on my personal website. Basically, it was a hack on Google Video RSS feeds that allowed users to download/view videos on their phones.
(To be viewed from a phone)
http://srobbin.com/mobilevideo/
It got picked up by a few big sites, like CNET, and in recent months, I've been contacted by companies like Nokia to include it as a bookmark in their phones. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised by the response that it's gotten. In my mind, it's not nearly as elegant as Tappity.
How will you prevent cell phone carrier companies from cutting you off?
To be honest, we've never really thought about that. I'm not sure that we're a threat to the carriers, are we? In fact, we see Tappity as being something that they'd want to promote themselves. As more and more people use the mobile web, carriers will benefit enormously from phone upgrades (resulting in contract extensions), and increased enrollment in data plans.
Where do you see the overall trend going for mobile technology?
AJAX.
The mobile web needs AJAX. Why make server calls for entire pages when small bits of information can be retrieved? It's perfect for the low-bandwidth mobile environment. Browsers like Opera-Mini and what appears to be in store for iPhone's Safari, are leaders in this field, but it's not yet widely adapted. The mobile web will experience a tremendous period of growth, equal to or surpassing that of Web 2.0, when AJAX supported browers become the default on phones.
Eurekster has raised $5.5 million in a round of venture capital funding, suprising many since they've recently lost their biggest client, Friendster, to Google. The search engine that has dedicated its services to searching communities and social networks has provided value to many, nonetheless, and has become an easy solution for bloggers and niche communities across the board. When it comes to niche search engines, Eurekster has proven to have staying power.
Their swiki feature has proven rather popular and useful to those wanting to add a customized search tag cloud to their website or blog. In terms of the service they provide to communities, it's unique in that they study user behavior in order to provide better search results. This can be monetized, but not as much as a deal with Google, apparantly.
Eurekster's round of venture capital funding was provided by Technology Venture Partners of Australia and Transcosmos Investments of Japan, as well as additional private investors. If their loss of Friendster as a client has hindered them in any way, particularly in closing a deal with another larger company, I'm sure their latest round of funding will help them to further their development and put them in a better position in the long run.
WikiSeek is a byproduct of the Wikipedia phenomonon, and the purpose of WikiSeek is to better search none other than Wikipedia itself. This has confused several people, especially since it appears to be much like the other company that is a much talked about offspring of Wikipedia--Wikia. Wikipedia search results that show for a WikiSeek query can be edited; hence the wiki nature of the service. But WikiSeek suffers from the same perils that many search engine start-ups are facing, and that's the fact that they have very few search results.
Though backed by Sequoia, many are wondering what WikiSeek's true purpose would be, and how they will go about incentivising someone to use WikiSeek and use the edit tool for Wikipedia articles. It would be different if you could edit the search results. Perhaps that would provide more value than simply offering a way to search for entries on Wikipedia. While they do display results that are not from Wikipedia, these cannot be modified in any manner.
WikiSeek does have a few good features though, including a tag cloud that is displayed with each search query, and a search plug-in for you to add to your own website. Otherwise, I can't imagine many other than Wikipedia fans utilizing WikiSeek's service.
Group Recipes is a social network with a delicious slant. Their central focus is obviously food, and the social aspects created around such a topic are suprisingly refreshing. Group Recipes isn't just a place to share your recipes and find new ones, but it incorporates a hefty amount of tools that help you discover more about yourself and connect well with others, including a stumble feature that will randomly choose a recipe for you, and a detailed floating sidebar showing your activity history. You can subscribe to a particular user who's recipes you like, add a recipe to a comparison chart, or send it to your cell phone.
I like their recipie robot best--it's designed to consider your food preferences and reccomend recipes accordingly. And they do encourage users to upload videos of their own little cooking shows (some of which are pleasantly professional). My favorite is Boy Eats World's episode explaining how to make a watermellon martini from real watermellon (a recipe I've been searching for these past few months). Even if you're a bad cook, you'd still get a good deal of foodie benefits from perusing Group Recipes.
Below is an interview with Kristopher of Group Recipes.
How did you decide to create a social network around food?
It sounds terribly trite, but basically I looked at food websites and thought I could do it better (Wow, that sounds pompous to boot). These massive sites hadn't changed in years. Nobody was focusing on community, let alone harnessing it to make the user experience better and more efficient. So I studied the vertical for awhile and thought I had enough unique ideas to make a go of it.
You've got tons of features on your site to keep users involved. Where did you get some of your inspiration from?
The site doesn't have any specific inspirations, but utilizes a lot of what has been shown to work for social sites in general.
Tell me a bit about the Recipe Robot...
Much of the site's development focused on creating an algo to analyze both user histories semantically and probabilistically (with regression analysis). Roger the Recipe Robot is the pretty wrapper we place on the guts of the algo that predicts recipes for you.
What's the most important aspect of Group Recipes?Harnessing community to find good food. GR is about more than networking, it is leveraging the collective knowledge (and data) to make finding good food more fun and more efficient.
Do you have any added features, such as widgets?Yeah, brand us "Web 2.0", we do indeed have widgets.
What are some features you plan on adding soon?We have a few more rounds of fine tuning, then we are going to push out some more "exploration" focused features.
Would you consider any sort of partnerships with other companies, such as a larger social network or a food publication?
I don't see any value working with a generic social network; however, I do indeed see some value in working with some of the larger established food/recipe companies. We are exploring a lot of options right now.
What are the next steps for Group Recipes?Growth. That is chief focus at this stage. Like every social network, we are chasing "the tipping point".
