Announcing sourstock.com, your connection to Florida blogs
Thu, 03 May 2007
Following a great deal of research into Florida blogs, I've created an aggregator site which tracks more than 700 feeds. It's a public RSS newsreader, tuned in to the most creative folk in our state, from the Panhandle to the Keys.
Features:
- Syndicated content is funneled from hundreds of diverse Florida sources.
- Feeds are polled at hourly intervals, the site updates twice an hour.
- Most podcasts can be played with a single click, using an embedded flash player.
- Customize searches and subscribe to a search's RSS feed.
- Search Florida blogs from the browser's toolbar, using opensearch. (While visiting the site, select the dropdown icon next to the browser's search box: Then add sourstock.com to the browser's search engines.)
- The site works nicely with mobile devices.
- There's an opml list of Florida blogs, for import into the user's newsreader-of-choice.
sourstock.com is my meager attempt to draw attention to some of Florida's best creative talent. The content showcased on the aggregator site remains the intellectual property of its creators, and all items are linked to their original source. (If any content providers wish to be removed from the site, they may contact: dave AT spacecoastweb.org).
I have chosen to feature full content whenever a blog provides it, as this provides greater semantic value for the site's search function. This is to help people find relevant posts.
I prefer to use full feeds, rather than a summary, because the search feature works better if it has the full text. I believe that interested visitors will click through to the blogs they find via the site; to comment on a post, or to learn more about the content creator.
Once, I was leery of giving my full content away for syndication, but I've changed my position. Nothing is going to stop a page-scraper from grabbing content and republishing it: Throttling an RSS feed only hinders the honest folk, who prefer to read blogs in their newsreader-of-choice.
I'm hoping the site will connect readers to blogs they might not have found otherwise. It's about building community and meeting neighbors.
I built the site using Gregarius, a web-based RSS/RDF/ATOM feed aggregator. Right now, the full potential of the site hasn't been realized. There are many features in place, but much work remains. In time, most blogs will be categorized, and locations will be provided, (if available). Eventually, it will become a multi-user site, where members can login and customize their feeds.
At present, I don't know if I can make the site commercially viable. Advertising over other people's content may offend the content providers. Yet if traffic to the site gets as heavy as I expect it will, I'll need to cover the bandwidth, and maybe even the cost of a dedicated server to handle the workload. I've got some thinking to do on how best to approach this problem.
I'm releasing the site to the public before it's ready, (it's still in alpha-testing). There are likely to be glitches. Have patience with the server, as I don't know that it will take the strain. I would have waited a month, or two, before announcing the site, but current events have persuaded me to launch early.
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