I've Got Your Spotback

So, one of the companies that I have a lot of heart for is Spotback, an Israeli start up that has created a widget and content network in which people rate content on site and create tags there as well. I first learned about SpotBack via TechCrunch, which has plugged their offering a number of times. Using your ratings and keywords as well as those of all the other people who have visited and participated, the widget can also suggest other articles on the site -- or indeed anywhere in the Spotback network of sites -- that your readers might find interesting.



I think it is an excellent advance on the first get social indexing offerings like Delicious and Digg.

Why do I think it is better? Well, the ratings system for a start. With Digg and Delicious, essentially everything is rated five stars. With those offerings, the fact that it has been indexed is what is important. Here, you get to rate content regardless of whether you are in the community, and the option to tag with key words on the site will also facilitate far better indexing of strong content.

Members of the Spotback community can rate pages regardless of whether they are part of the network through a browser bar widget (Firefox, Opera) or a special link you add to your favorites (MSIE.)

It's free, I have no idea how they will make money. But this is the web, so I am sure there will be a way devised.

Give Spotback a try on your blog. The installation is a little complicated as it requires edits to the HTML of your page, but if you follow the abundantly clear instructions it works on the first try. And it's fun to make and collect ratings, while also offering your visitors more content options that may make them stay longer.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.