Journalism Enterprise.com

EveryBlock

January 25th, 2008

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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Entry Filed under: Search engine, data management