Journalism Enterprise.com

Pownce

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By Gabriela Zago

What do they say it is?

“Pownce is a way to send stuff to your friends. What kind of stuff? You can send just about anything: music, photos, messages, links, events, and more. You can do it all on our web site, or install our lightweight desktop software that lets you get out of the browser”.

What do I say it is?

In spite of the efforts of considering itself more like a collaborative tool (a way to share things online with friends), Pownce is a microblogging service, just like Jaiku or Twitter, but with a few extra options, like sending files and event invitations, or splitting friends into sets. And, as a microblogging service, it can be used for a variety of purposes – including Journalism.

What’s great about it?

The extra facilities make it simple to share things online with friends. It is possible to send files (up to 10Mb in the basic account), event invitations (there are pages featuring each event, and you can sign up to take part of it). The ability of splitting friends into sets allows users to send messages to specific niches of people, which could be used as a Marketing or PR tool. There’s also the integration with other profiles in other websites, and it is possible to import friend lists from other services (including Twitter). The new version of their Adobe AIR based desktop client is really lightweight. The mobile page is also smooth.

What could be better?

Apparently, no RSS feed is provided. Being able to use it by SMS or IM would be nice too, specially because of the possibility of sending messages to groups of friends (which Twitter lacks). Pownce API is public, so as users database starts to grow (after a six month period of closed beta, the service was launched for public in January 22^nd) new uses can emerge.

How is it going to make money?

There are discrete ads in the middle of the posts stream, using the same color scheme of the user updates. The ads are displayed both in the website and in the Pownce Application. Also, some features are for pro users ($20/year), like designing custom themes, or sending larger files (up to 100Mb).

Should I pay it any attention?

Yes. Since it is now open for everyone to join, the user database may grow, and, although slowly, appropriations and new uses might appear, including some possible journalistic approaches.

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3 comments January 26th, 2008

EveryBlock

Rating:

Nicolas Kayser-Bril

What do they say it is?

“EveryBlock aims to collect all of the news and civic goings-on that have happened recently in your city, and make it simple for you to keep track of news in particular areas. We’re a geographic filter — a “news feed” for your neighborhood, or, yes, even your block.”

What do I say it is?

The future of local news. Google without having to search. Journalism made efficient. And more. Adrian Holovaty’s EveryBlock harnesses the power of the web to deliver easy-to-use, relevant information to anyone.

What’s great about it?

The technical aspects of EveryBlock are certainly impressive, in terms of crawling efficiency, server responsiveness, categorization and so on. Above all, it’s a directory that does not rely on UGC at all (though it uses other sites’ content, such as Yell). That means no moderating costs and a very easily adaptable tool.

What could be better?

The site feels more like a proof that databases can be news than a user-oriented platform. For instance, there’s no RSS feeds associated with every tag, and, as Danny Sanchze writes, no easy way to make sense of the massive amount of data provided.

EveryBlock could deliver tailor-made API for every newsroom, bringing the best of both worlds on one webpage. As Holovaty says, EveryBlock is “quite complementary to traditional news organizations”.

How is it going to make money?

Although there’s some AdSense on the site, Holovaty was working on a Knight Foundation grant. Short-term moneymaking isn’t the purpose of EveryBlock.

Should I pay it any attention?

Yes! EveryBlock is the first tool allowing for retrieving information easily, without having to google for hours. As it creates direct value for consumers, there’s little chance it won’t succeed. Now, if news organizations see the potentiality of this, it will enhance greatly the value of local news articles – and that of the bottom line.

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Add comment January 25th, 2008