Wherefire is a company that helps users never miss a news story in their neighborhood. The mobile app lets users create news alerts by selecting zip codes or drawing shapes on the map. When a web site they’ve followed posts a story in an area they’ve chosen, they’ll get an alert delivered straight to their phone or email. Wherefire can be used to find news sources that are already known – such as local blogs, restaurant reviews, real estate roundups — or to see when something local to gets national coverage on a larger news source. This way users can stay informed and up-to-date on the latest events in their community or an area of their choosing through specific map-based technology.
For news services providers Wherefire allows news outlets to give readres a hyperlocal experience without devoting hyperlocal resources to their entire coverage area. By adding location information to each story, in conjunction with tools that leverage this data, they can help your users quickly find the information that’s important to them without expensive changes to other parts of their existing workflow.
More and more web publishers are including small maps alongside their content, which is great for users, but it’s only the first step in making a web content ecosystem where location aids in content discovery and engagement — users want a rich experience that allows them to use location as a tool to discover new content.
Wherefire gives news outlets the tools have a front page not only filled with the latest stories, which is not always what your users want, but local content that adds location data to archived content allowing users another way to browse the news site, generating traffic from archives and giving news outlets a fast way to engage more users — all without having to produce any additional content.
From local blogs to national networks, everyone wants a larger, more engaged audience. Adding location helps new users find content and helps existing users find the content that matters to them most.
By: Christopher Ewell, AGS on July 13, 2015