I published a post over at GeekWire about what a redefined feed reader experience looks like (hint: it involves community)…to me at least.
Go read it and come back…
Waiting…
Waiting…
Ok, let’s continue.
You’ll probably agree the Internet is great at connecting people virtually, but it does not do a great job making smart connections — at the right time, with the right context — in the physical world based on your online activity. I hope you’ll also agree that bringing people together in person is exponentially more powerful than organizing people online, as strong relationships are built in person.
Now, let’s go one step further in terms of the extension of the reader experience outlined on GeekWire.
Add a social layer based on the physical world.
What do I mean?
Connect me with the nearby real people who belong to the communities where I spend my virtual time. Turn every online blog community, into a real life community. Who else reads Microfinance Gateway or AVC near me? I have no clue, and maybe those are not even interesting as standalone points – since I’m in Seattle with a fairly large microfinance community and most everyone in the tech community reads AVC. But, who reads Microfinance Gateway in Nairobi (a place I visited in 2010)? Or, who is part of the Microfinance Gateway community in Chiang Mai (where I lived in early 2012)? Even better, who reads Microfinance Gateway, AVC, Kiva Fellows Blog, and Jeff Turner’s blog — and within 25 miles of me, right now?
Now we’re talking.
Show me THOSE people. That is the future value to my feed reading habits.
PS: For those building the feed readers (Feedly, Zite, Digg, Newsblur, Frontpage, Intigi, etc), we happen to have an API that could help facilitate the location part of this…
[Photo via http://www.bigbadbulldog.com/]
Drew Meyers
Drew Meyers is the co-founder of Horizon & Oh Hey World. He worked for Zillow from September of 2005 to January of 2010 on the marketing team managing Zillow’s API program and various online partnerships. Founder of Geek Estate Blog, a multi-author blog focused on real estate technology for real estate professionals, and myKRO.org, a blog devoted to exploring the world of microfinance. As passionate as you get about travel.
Follow Me:
