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Hyperlocal Web Services: What Would You Want?
By Centinel | May 20, 2008
Ning is a company that allows anyone to create their own social network. How?
Ning offers the latest social networking features, all infinitely customizable to meet your unique needs. The Ning Platform makes this possible. As a platform, you don’t have to appeal to Ning for the features you want. If you have the time and the inclination, you can build them yourself. It’s the software equivalent of Home Depot. Unlike other services that offer a “one-size-fits-all” offering, your social network on Ning runs on a programmable platform.
They provide the platform, which users are able to customize, and the user creates the network. Think of it like being able to create your own Myspace, except you can create a network around whatever community you like. Not surprisingly, some people are using the Ning platform to build local networks. I hadn’t seen anything for the Foothill Cities area until I ran into this…
Makes you want to just jump right in, doesn’t it? I cringed, but it is an idea I’ve been interested in. After all, we’ve got a pretty engaged community here at the FC Blog and we’ve been wondering what we could do to make this a more valuable/useful spot on the intertubes for our readers. So, I poked my head inside to check it out.
The site was about what you might expect: loud, splashy, without a lot of unique content (kinda like when I start ranting), though that’s too be expect since it’s a young site. The founder seems like a nice guy (he friended me soon after I joined up and sent a kind word over), but it was hard to see what about the site would draw me back. But it did make me think: what kind of online community would you be interested in participating in?
We have a lot of readers who like to comment, email us, submit content, etc, and our Flickr group has a fair amount of activity (and a great archive of interesting photos from the region). But I’ve often thought that we could do more. One of the bigger problems has been a simple matter of time, since Publius and I don’t really get compensated for this gig. The other, of course, is not to end up like the many carcasses of previous “hyperlocal sites” that end up being superspam (see Inside Pasadena…straight out of 1995, woot!).
So, rather than invest time and effort in something nobody wants, what kind of web resource would you find valuable? Remember, it has to be something that can be crowdsourced (i.e. made up of reader contributions), because I barely have time to run this blog (curse you, real life!). What kind of tool/space/service would keep you coming back and interested?
An events calendar?
A social network?
A blog community (like MyBlogLog)?
Well, what would it be? Take the poll!
[Note: You can select more than one answer in the poll.]
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Topics: Main Page, Pasadena, What Are We Doing Here? |
May 20th, 2008 at 9:30 am
An FC Wiki would be awesome. I could help with the Pasadena City Council entries.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:32 am
“Nice little Wiki-up you got here” - WC Fields
May 20th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I think the social network would be interesting. If only to see how it all works when everyone signs up anonymously.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Nice one, Nick. Nice.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Isn’t the blogosphere already a kind of more intelligent social network?
The wikipedia idea would be great - especially for people new to the FC. Just one click and you know who Norma Torres is.