FeedMagnet

Well hello. Thanks for checking us out.

We're just getting started building FeedMagnet and we're super excited about it. FeedMagnet is a new web app that helps businesses harness social media - and do it in a responsible way. We'll be using this blog to let you know about new features we're rolling out, provide a behind-the-scenes look at our development process, and share some of our ideas about the Web in general.

A little background story

So, I'm Jason - the founder of FeedMagnet. I've been working on the Web since pretty much the beginning, but I've spent the majority of my time building things for other people. I started as a motion designer, dabbled in backend web application coding, spent a good bit of time doing front-end and user experience design, and then spent the last several years as a consultant to marketing people - helping them figure out what to do with the Web.

FeedMagnet is the outgrowth of my entrepreneurial desire to start my own business, combined with the need that I've seen across almost every company I've consulted with in recent years - harnessing social media for business.

I am fortunate to have Luke as lead software architect. The two of us worked together building a custom social network for a client almost 5 years ago and have finally had the opportunity to partner up again on FeedMagnet. We're having a blast.

Social Media

So what's the deal with social media? While Twitter is still relatively new to its popularity, Facebook and the sites that came before it (MySpace, Friendster, etc.) have definitely shown that - while the tools we use may change over time - the concept of interacting socially online is here to stay. Not only that, but it has completely changed the way society interacts - the way people interact with each other and the way they expect to engage with the companies and brands they do business with. People are connecting with more and more of their peers - and customers are empowered to have their voices heard more than ever before.

This is a big deal to marketers. The way businesses get their message out in the world has shifted from one-way communication to a two-way conversation. People are talking about brands online - both positively and negatively - and the conversation isn't going to just go away if marketers choose to ignore it.

Pretty much every marketer has decided that they should get involved, but most have no idea where to get started. And many companies have attempted to cram their old marketing techniques into this new world of social media with little success - often resulting in a negative backlash. Consumers want transparency. Open, honest dialogue between real people. Companies have to learn to engage in social media in a responsible, transparent, and meaningful way if they want to remain relevant to an increasingly connected and empowered world.

So, how does FeedMagnet help?

FeedMagnet is an engine that lets you tap into the stream of social content that is already out there and do things with it. The first thing you'll be able to do is filter it, organize it, and put it on your own website. It can help you show off all of the great things people are saying about you in real-time to help prospects make the decision to purchase. Or you could use it it gather everything your employees are saying into one place - so people can see how your company is engaging in the community.

This is just the start. Down the road you can expect FeedMagnet to do a lot more to help businesses leverage social media as we continue to build tools that meet the needs of our customers. We really value feedback from the community - and I'm looking forward to getting a public beta in the hands of anyone who wants to play with it by the end of the year.

In the mean time I'll try to keep everyone posted here on the blog, so stay tuned.

- Jason