NowPublic Blog
ComScore’s Top Start-ups in Canada
I’m not a huge believer in Alexa’s numbers but as I’m fond of saying, “in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king”.
Everytime we publish our monthly Techvibes Start-Up Indexes, there are always a few complaints about the use of Alexa and Compete data for ranking the websites of start-ups.
While we agree that it’s not an accurate measurement of website traffic, it is a great way to compare the traffic of different online properties as it creates a level playing field for metrics.
Our inaugural Canadian Start-Up Index on July 1st received the usual anti-Alexa comments, so we decided to consult with a recognized Internet information provider - comScore - to see how the top websites on our Canadian Index measure up.
Source: techvibes.com
Tags: Canada | Traffic | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal | Vancouver | NowPublic | techvibes | internet | information | online | data | Field | Website | Publish | Great | ranking | CANADIAN | Properties | july | Comments | playing | compete | top | different | monthly | Index | IN | INAUGURAL | comScore | alexa | Metrics | compare | accurate | level | Complaints | decided | creates | start-up | received | provider | With | While | there | About | That | consult | recognized | agree | always | measure | Tech & Biz | usual
Online news sites powered by ordinary users offer different points of view
I recently did an interview with the Canadian Press. Here is an excerpt from the final piece:
But the website’s founder, Michael Tippett, says objectivity is less important than ensuring readers have access to as many points of view as possible.
“(Just as) you come to respect a journalist who writes for a news organization because you recognize that news organization itself has credibility, you can look at the NowPublic members the same way,” says Tippett.
“It’s not necessary that one person is completely dispassionate about a subject. … We believe that if you have a number of different points of view represented in a story, that the truth will emerge.”
Sites like NowPublic can’t compete with the resources of traditional news outlets, says Tippett, and that’s not the point.
Rather, Tippett says the goal is to supplement - not replace - what’s already out there.
“Our view is that traditional media makes us better, and we can make traditional media better,” says Tippett, whose site recently inked a deal with The Associated Press to share eye-witness photos and videos.
“There are so many people in the world who are able to, in many cases, beat traditional media to the scene of emerging news.”
Source: canadaeast.com via mtippett
Tags: Culture | People | Vancouver | Belgium | NowPublic | Media | Michael Tippett | Site | Website | online news | Make | traditional | many | story | Offer | several | says | Associated Press | users | Organization | Just | item | Better | have | From | With | emerge | there | About | That | point of view | Brian McNeil
NowPublic: Reuters 2.0?
Leonard Brody, founder of NowPublic, rejects the term ” target=”_blank”citizen journalism,” which has often been applied to his business. “What [our contributors] do is not journalism. We don’t call it that and never have.” In spite of that, he did construct NowPublic to serve as a new kind of media site. His initial goal, he said, was, “Let’s go build Reuters 2.0.”
NowPublic is a site about current events, and it is powered by its users. Brody feels that, “Journalism is an art form. What we are is an army of eyes and ears.” So Brody’s army of contributors aren’t known for creating original reporting in the way we usually think about it. “The fantasy of the 300 word post doesn’t exist.” Rather, his contributors perform two other functions.
Source: webware.com via mtippett
NowPublic
Tags: Army | NowPublic | citizen journalism | Reuters | Site | Ears | Leonard Brody | eyes | word | users | CURRENT EVENTS | founder | Tech & Biz | original reporting
Fiesta Days in Point Grey
A big weekend in Point Grey last week featured the Premiere, the outgoing Mayor and a handful of other dignitaries. Lots of stuff for the kids including everything sugar coated and spinning machines of various dimensions.
NowPublic
Tags: Culture | Vancouver | Dunbar | Fiesta Days
Editor’s Weblog features NowPublic
Headline: Citizen Journalism site NowPublic adds new features to “increase credibility and trust”
According to a press release from PRNewswire, the citizen journalism website NowPublic has added three news features, which include “a member ranking system, a presence stream and a news dashboard.”
Source: editorsweblog.org
Tags: Canada | New York | three | NowPublic | citizen journalism | New | press | TO | Stream | Site | Website | ranking | adds | member | system | Release | dashboard | CREDIBILITY | Increase | features | And | presence | added | From | include | PRNewswire | which | Tech & Biz
NowPublic on Techvibes
Headline: NowPublic - Now with Trust and Twitter
Vancouver-based news bookmarking and citizen journalism site NowPublic relaunched its website earlier this month and added a few new features that Mashable picked up on today. The new site design is less conservative that it’s predecessor and better reflects the irreverence and personality of NowPublic’s members.
Source: techvibes.com
Tags: Vancouver | NowPublic | citizen journalism | news | design | Website | Conservative | trust | most | today | bookmarking | member | user | feature | less | Earlier | Ranked | personality | added | Better | picked | predecessor | This | month | That | reflects | Mashable | twitter | relaunched | Tech & Biz | irreverence
NowPublic in the Globe and Mail
Headline: CITIZEN-JOURNALISM SITE RELAUNCHES WITH NEW FEATURES
NowPublic.com, a leading Vancouver-based “citizen-journalism” site that allows users from around the world to post their comments, photos and video of news events, has relaunched its website with new features. Among them is the ranking of contributors to the site on the basis of their activity level, so that other users can gauge how trustworthy their contributions are likely to be.
Source: theglobeandmail.com
Tags: Vancouver | NowPublic | video | photos | Site | Website | ranking | stories | times | GAUGE | NUMBER | CONTRIBUTIONS | Comments | among | user | likely | contributors | From | trustworthy | citizen-journalism | Tech & Biz | news events
Release: NowPublic Launches New Website and Features
“I get asked, on a daily basis, about the trust factor in user generated news. The new features NowPublic just released are our answers, and, frankly, I think it gets to the heart of the matter in a way that traditional media has never been able to - by being transparent and open.” - Leonard Brody, CEO of NowPublic.com
VANCOUVER, British Columbia/PRNewswire/ — NowPublic.com (http://www.nowpublic.com/), the world’s largest participatory news network, today announced the launch of three new features that raise the bar for trust and credibility in a crowd-powered media platform and community. These features include a member ranking system, a presence stream and a news dashboard.
NowPublic was founded to empower the average citizen to capture and chronicle the news around him/her. It has distinguished itself in the burgeoning crowd-powered media space as the category leader with reporters in more than 5,500 cities and 160 countries.
Source: socialmediaportal.com
Tags: British Columbia | Vancouver | NowPublic | launch | open | Citizen | Leonard Brody | trust | platform | dashboard | CREDIBILITY | transparent | traditional media | new website | crowd-powered | Tech & Biz | Largest Participatory Network | Member Ranking System | Presence stream
Training helps bloggers hone professionalism, navigate legal issues
Miami real estate agent Lucas Lechuga began blogging to share his knowledge of the local market. He didn’t bargain for a $25 million defamation lawsuit when he wrote that a Miami developer had gone bankrupt decades ago.
In Lake Geneva, Wis., commodities trader Gary Millitte registered the Internet domain name LakeGenevaNews.com eight years ago, but is so worried about the legal boundaries of writing online that he still hasn’t started the ultra-local news site.
Non-journalists entering the world of blogs, online feedback forums, online videos and news websites provide information that newspapers and other media can’t or don’t. But many are now turning to professional journalists for help with dilemmas they’re facing: When is something libellous? What’s the difference between opinion and news? And how do you find public documents?
About a dozen would-be reporters navigated the basics of journalism at a recent training offered by the Society of Professional Journalists in Chicago. The group plans similar seminars this month in Greensboro, N.C., and Los Angeles.
Source: canadianpress.google.com via mtippett
This is an interesting evolution in the world of citizen journalism. We are considering offering an insurance solution to our members (or a sub set of them) and I’d love to hear what you all thought of this. Would this be useful to you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments here or by sending me a note. Thanks, M.
Tags: Real Estate | Miami | Chicago | blogs | commodities | bankrupt | internet | journalists | Media | bloggers | newspapers | public | news | opinion | lawsuit | Journalism | information | World | online | training | videos | reporters | Angeles | Writing | million | websites | Society | other | YEARS | gone | feedback | many | GREENSBORO | domain name | gary | developer | between | turning | something | find | Forums | difference | facing | Eight | BOUNDARIES | started | Entering | dozen | provide | offered | Defamation | basics | worried | they | With | What | would-be | About | still | recent | dilemmas | wrote | legal issues | Lake Geneva | Tech & Biz | ultra-local | libellous
Deputy News Director
NowPublic.com, the world’s largest Citizen Journalism web site, has an immediate need for a Deputy News Director. The successful candidate will report to the News Director in a full-time position based in Vancouver, BC providing support to the editorial team worldwide.
Under the supervision of the News Director, working with NowPublic’s team of Regional Editors and Contributor Relations Managers, the Deputy News Director has a significant role in determining the editorial priorities of NowPublic.
Major responsibilities of the Deputy News Director position are:
• Initiating and managing changes and additions to site editorial strategy, content and workflow, as well as editorial procedures.
• Assisting in management of existing staffing structures and individual roles within the content team. Assessing areas of duplication and identification of editorial functions that are not presently fulfilled.
• Assist in implementation of community development and content strategy that results in a high level of user engagement.
• Ensuring that site editorial and content stay aligned with current consumer needs.
• Being aware of developing, breaking, and continuing news stories that are appropriate for posting on NowPublic.com.
• Working actively within a team of editors, writers, and community professionals, forging strong collaborative relationships and building a network of contributors.
• Gathering news dispatches from commercial and non-professional sources.
• Monitoring social networks and identifying potential news stories
• Identifying future events and designing news campaigns around them.
• Staying alert for technological and societal changes which may have an impact on the viability and success of NowPublic.com.
• Performing all reasonable tasks assigned to you by the News Director with efficiency, timelines, and creativity.
Preferred Candidates will have the following experience:
• Familiarity with new media, Blogoshphere, Social Media participation (your own blog, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, etc)
• Strong writing and editorial experience
• Multimedia editing skills (film, photography, online media)
• 3+ years in news, editorial roles
• Management experience (this role will require 30-50% of your time in team leadership, mentoring and guidance of the Community and Content Team)
Anticipated compensation package includes:
* Commensurate with experience
* Eligible for NowPublic stock option program
* Eligible for NowPublic bonus program
Please contact jobs*at*nowpublic.com with your resume and a quick summary of your experience with NowPublic (brand new, existing and past members all welcome!)
NowPublic named one of the top 10 social networks to watch
It’s always nice when people are watching — especially since the re-design went live.
BURLINGAME, Calif. and LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–While there has been a litany of commentary and analysis covering online social networks in the consumer world, there has been a lack of serious study of these networks in the business and professional world. With the new release of its CEO Topics report Social Communities & Expert Networks in B2B, Outsell, Inc. closes this gap.
The report:
- Delivers a thorough analysis of social and expert networks, framing this sector and its revolution in the business and professional space;
- Defines the market and analyzes the key players, their business models, and their revenue streams;
- Provides a view of how these communities work, how they make money (or not), and what their implications are – from making significant changes in the way work is done to disrupting the information industry as we know it;
- Names 10 companies to watch in this space—ALMExperts, Doostang, InnoCentive, ITtoolbox, LECG, LinkedIn, NowPublic, Sermo, XING and Yelp.
- Recommends essential actions for organizations that choose to facilitate and harness the power of social and expert networks currently lying untapped in their communities.
Source: businesswire.com
Tags: Business | first | London | NowPublic | New | study | report | work | space | information | consumer | World | framing | money | online | industry | companies | communities | FOR | OF | TO | Revolution | networks | ANALYSIS | MySpace | names | Make | view | Commentary | watch | deep | been | these | Social | facebook | Expert | Release | professional | Closes | Audiences | linkedin | changes | significant | done | Calif | sector | And | lack | implications | serious | Burlingame | covering | provide | delivers | their | topics | disrupting | they | From | With | thorough | This | know | there | What | IS | inc | outsell | Xing | Sermo | beyond | litany | Tech & Biz | Doostang | InnoCentive | ITtoolbox | Lecg
The End of the Internet?
Rumors are that TIME magazine is going to drop a bombshell about Net Neutrality. See more here.
NowPublic
Tags: Canada | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal | Vancouver | porn | net neutrality | Tech & Biz
Watch Out Brian Williams: YouTube’s New Amateur Reporter Channel
Yesterday I met with Olivia Ma who is running Youtube’s new CJ operation. She gets it. This should be interesting and in my opinion good for participatory news and NowPublic members (stay tuned).
Want to see Brian Williams do his stuff, online? Head to MSNBC’s Web site. Want to see thousands of would-be Brians trying their own hand at video reporting/news reading? Head to YouTube, which has a gazillion of them. Some are even kind of good!
But how to find them all? YouTube’s helpful solution: Shove them all into a new reporter “channel”, just like the one the site offers for musicians, politicians, etc.
YouTube, by the way, isn’t the first to try aggregate the public’s impulse to play TV reporter; CNN’s ireport.com and Nowpublic are trying to do the same thing.
Source: alleyinsider.com via mtippett
Tags: Washington | Australia | first | NowPublic | New | MSNBC | video | public | online | Politicians | Brian Williams | OUT | Site | Stuff | Thousands | head | musicians | CHANNEL | hand | play | YouTube | watch | minneapolis | thing | good | offers | find | some | read | mean | aggregate | kind | trying | shove | solution | Just | them | same | their | like | helpful | into | want | would-be | even | impulse | which | Tech & Biz | gazillion | Amateur Reporter
Leonard Brody heading East
NowPublic’s own Len Brody is heading to Halifax.
Leonard Brody is Co-Founder and CEO of NowPublic. NowPublic is one of the pioneers in citizen-generated news and is quickly becoming one of the largest news agencies in the world, with more than 130,000 contributing reporters in140 countries and 4,500 cities. In the last year, The Guardian in London ranked NowPublic as one of the top five news sites in the world and Time Magazine named it as one of the top 50 websites of the year. At Onvia (where he was part of the initial executive) the company was voted Canada’s number one start-up in 2000 and subsequently closed a$240 million IPO (A company’s first sale of stock to the public) on NASDAQ. He is also an advisor to several companies including, the Associated Press, RedHerring and Sonic Foundry. Leonard is currently a Senior Advisor to the Canadian Minister of International Trade and a Director of Canada’s largest technology association, CATA. The Diana and Charles Tisdall Lecture in Communications aim to demonstrate the societal power and value of public relations/communications thinking.
Source: newswire.ca via mtippett
Tags: Canada | London | NowPublic | National | conference | public | news | Halifax | World | company | TO | Relations | Leonard Brody | CANADIAN | Society | year | largest | IN | Associated | advisor | held | Be | Tech & Biz | citizen-generated