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Loud3r Aggregation Network Launches - It's Kinda Like Original Signal But Without the Sizzle
Out today is a new network of sites that use a scoring model and a social network. The name of the network is Loud3r (I guess pronounced Louder?) and is a collection of sites (currently 25 with a goal to launch over 500) including sites about dogs, cats, Web 2.0, celebrities, cars, etc. Each content type has its own "3R" site. For example, Found3r = venture capital, News3r = tech news, Putt3r = golf. It's important to note that this Loud3r network is a content aggregation network and not a user-generated content network.
The sites have a half-completed design and feel very unpolished. If you are going to compete with Original Signal, Alltop and popURLs, you best be bringing the big guns. Another issue I notice is that the site doesn't share cookies - so each site in the network I visit, I have to login. They really need to fix that - getting users to hop from one 3R to another 3R is crucial for discovery and potentially long-term success. They do have a nice batch of widgets.
One really positive thing is that they are bringing this type of scored content to new verticals. I am glad they stayed away from voting. If you are looking for a new place to find content about topics you are interested in, the the Loud3r network might be for you. I think for the site to really takeoff, they will need to make sure their social network has enough people to get users to come back. If people just take their feeds, the sites won't work financially.
Louis Gray has an indepth and very positive review of the network. Kristin Nicole calls the network a popURLs competitor, I don't see that - if anything it's an Original Signal competitor.
They did do one thing right - they signed on bigtime blogger Robert Scoble - his 3R site is located at Scobleiz3r. It's stories all about Robert. I did notice that the share button has no FriendFeed option - how could Robert approve this?!?! It does look like the majority of content on Scobleiz3r is coming from FriendFeed and/or Twitter.
I am also guessing that other ego-driven sites will be coming soon and should help the overall network to gain popularity.
Maybe the next one is Networks, Cent3r?
I'm not really seeing the attraction of RSS aggregators in this day and age.
Hi, this is Lowell, I'm the CEO of LOUD3R. Thanks for your post and the great comments / feedback. Some of these are things we're working on right now, like the login across multiple sites. I'd like to clarify a couple of the other points.
Regarding POPUrls and Alltop, we think we have some key differentiators. Both of those sites are great, but they really serve a different purpose. They pull only headlines, and pull only from a small cross section of the internet. LOUD3R uses a wider set of sources, and also adds value to the content by categorizing, removing duplications, and allowing users to interact.
Original Signal is a nice site, but it covers a limited number of topics. LOUD3R offers specialization across a wider variety of topics for enthusiasts of a specific subject (like sneakers, cricket, MMA, etc.)
We're always glad to get feedback. If you (or any readers) want to post more thoughts and feedback here, we're happy to hear it. If anyone wants to follow up in more depth, please feel free to email us at info@loud3r.com.
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