Business & Technology Blog

Social news app brings relevance to content

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Imagine waking up, making a coffee, and "flipping" through the morning news, sports, photos, articles and status updates that are not published for the masses but for your individual interests.
 
Flipboard announced an iPad app yesterday that combines social networks like Twitter and Facebook with news & articles from relevant content sources presented in a layout that more resembles a magazine than a content stream.  It's difficult to describe so lets demontrate with this video:

Presenting aggregated content from multiple sources in a layout that is both pleasing and engaging has been a goal of a number of applications. For instance, Pulse is one I like for both iPad and the iPhone, but none have presented it in a format that is both engaging and content rich and follows personal links to bring more relevant content above the fold.  Combine this with the real time updates of content fed by Twitter lists or other social media sites and the level of personalization increases tenfold. What this means to the user is that we now will have access to extremely relevant content with meaning, individualization and good aesthetics.
A news and discovery engine personalized to your social interests offers a powerful way to create a compelling and dynamic user experience.  Flipboard presents what I feel is the first true glimpse into what a personalized newspaper or magazine will look like. Ultimately, content providers are in the business of making content, the distribution and presentation of that content will be managed by technology and YOU.