Posted by Vadim Lavrusik on Mar 9, 2010 in Featured, The Pitch | View Comments
Here’s an idea that Shane Snow and I have had for a site and I’ve been meaning to share it for quite some time. The basic idea is to solve a problem in location-based restaurant information apps and websites: fragmentation. The rough name we were throwing around was Socially Edible (sociallyedible.com).
Let’s create a one-stop shop that combines online restaurant reviews (Yelp), location-based social gaming (Foursquare), and online food ordering (SeamlessWeb), and sprinkle in some journalist-produced restaurant reviews to create a connected user experience for foodies.
Why not start with a specific location, say, New York. These features with the combination of social media and mobile technology would make it easier for New Yorkers to get food news and information on the go, as well as the ability to order from our site.
A person looking to get some information on a restaurant can not only read what a reporter has written, but also what website users are logging in to say. On top of that users can also see what the buzz is on social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) through trending topics as well as specialized social sentiment reports for each restaurant page (perhaps by using social media mining software?). In addition, users can explore new restaurants in their area by searching with their address or zipcode and browse through search results on a map or list.
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Posted by Vadim Lavrusik on Feb 17, 2010 in Featured, Multimedia, News, The Pitch, Videos | View Comments
Cody Brown, founder of Kommons and NYU Local.
Cody Brown thinks he may have stumbled across the “holy grail” in news publishing.
Brown, a senior at New York University and founder of NYU Local, is embarking on a new venture called Kommons. Kommons is a real-time news platform that’s intended for users in specific communities. He’s starting with NYU.
“It’s a culmination of everything I have learned in media so far,” Brown said. “Kommons is a quest for the holy grail in media.”
How it works
The Twitter/Wiki-like platform is in its very early stages and Brown is looking to shape the product through private alpha testing in the coming months.
From a demo of the product you might think that Kommons is a “lite” version of Twitter. But make no mistake, it’s functionality and purpose are quite different.
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Posted by Vadim Lavrusik on Feb 8, 2010 in News, The Pitch | View Comments
Limor Elkayam founded iSpotaStory in 2009 after working in the media industry and being unsatisfied with what was out there. (Photo by Vadim Lavrusik)
After several years in the media industry, Limor Elkayam grew frustrated with the way her employers were managing their Web sites. For some, it simply wasn’t a priority and for others their strategy was off.
“I saw a lot holes in the way they were running their sites, and I wanted to fill the gap,” Elkayam said.
The former TV news producer decided that she would start her own user-generated news site, iSpotaStory, which allows users to submit the best stories from around the Web and add their own supplemental elements to the story.
This includes videos or links to other related stories, enabling users to create topical content pages like one for the Super Bowl or the iPad. She hopes the site will not only help filter the Web, but also provide a one stop shop for trending topics on the Web.
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