The Aggregation Crowd’s High Standards
I’m not sure what the ideal news aggregation services looks like but if you launch something that isn’t it, watch out.
The response to Newspond is downright critical. TechCrunch is down on how the how the service works and its grandiose marketing claims, while Tony Hung is equally unimpressed, and slaps Newspond on the wrist for describing itself as “revolutionary”.
As a news aggregator junkie, I’ve tried a bunch of them, including Newspond, which struck me as fairly interesting but not hey-this-is-amazing.
Daylife was all the rage last year when it debuted and later raised $8-million in venture capital. Blogrunner got everyone excited after its new owner, New York Times, relaunched it, while DailyMe enjoyed its day in the sun. Meanwhile, the industry heavyweights - Techmeme, Digg, Reddit and Megite continue to roll along.
The bottom line is the new aggregation market is a tough gig with a highly-demanding audience that wants it all: elegant, user-friendly design where the advertising isn’t obtrusive; a powerful aggregation engine that ranks stories quickly and properly while being inclusive of a variety of sources but recognizing that some sources are better than others; and a variety of topics covered.
Do that, and you’ll rule the world. Fail to meet those standards, and be prepared to face the wrath of the aggregation junkies.
Of all the aggregation services, Digg continues to rule the roost, although it seems vulnerable these days as it dabbles with the user-experience. Techmeme is terrific, has a world of potential and rabid following but would be wise to think seriously about expanding into even more topics to hammer down strategically, while Blogrunner is interesting, partly because of its ties to the NYT.
February 20th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Funny you mentioned Daylife … its not a bad little aggregator, actually, which has improved, I think since its initial debut.
(no more splashpage, for example).
– particularly since it is really the only aggregator which does a good job of integrating news into a really usable graphical design (all the others are quite utilitarian) … incorporating quotes, images, and differentiating between blog and news posts.
And that kind of only scratches the surface (it also has constructed all kinds of widgets).
To be honest, Daylife should get another shake by *everyone*, because really? Its kind of impressive now.
Cheers
t @ dji
February 20th, 2008 at 7:37 am
lol - i found this post on primeminister.ca - yet another aggregator
they’re everywhere!
February 20th, 2008 at 8:53 am
[...] would be nice. I certainly don’t think Techmeme has anything to fear. But then, as Mark Evans points out, news aggregator fans are a tough crowd to [...]
February 20th, 2008 at 10:40 am
It looks slick enough, and their claims are outrageous enough that they’ll probably get some attention for a couple of days, but I doubt this will knock Techmeme off its throne.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Tom: You’re probably right, although as Tony Hung suggests, there are some things on Newspond that Techmeme could “borrow”. What might be more interesting than just another news aggregater featuring text is something featuring video.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
In the years I’ve been at this, I’ve learned a number of reasons why automated news aggregation is:
1. An attractive problem for geeky developers, yet…
2. Very, very hard to do right
The result: a steady stream of doomed news sites.
If I wrote a post about this, people might dismiss it as self-serving. So I’ve hesitated. But maybe it’s time…
February 20th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Gabe,
Given all the aggregation wannabes, I think people would welcome your insight into what works and what doesn’t. Although this may come across as self-serving, Techmeme is one of the few places to get the model right. I’m not sure whether you want to share the “Caramilk secret” but people would appreciate any tips you may have to offer.
Mark
February 20th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I’m another aggregator wannabe (http://www.rssmeme.com/) I did it because it was fun and Gabe you are absolutely right, it is hard to do right.
But give RSSmeme a try if you like.