We’re launching at Launch Pad

The last bit of big news is that we’ve been selected to demo the contextual widget at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. This is a real coup as it’s invitation only to a very limited and select group of companies. You can read more about the Launch Pad session at Web 2.0 where we get to show off our widget wares.

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Doing our part to help the blogosphere reach a much broader audience of readers.

Since we first start playing with the Sphere It! app we sensed the potential. Not only are we delivering a tool to help bring the blogosphere to a much broader universe of readers, but we’re doing it in such a simple and seamless way that it’s just one click for the reader (and as little trouble for the publisher to hook in). When it quickly took off at Time.com we knew we had a winner. So, we started showing it around. And, everyone who saw it loved it. It couldn’t be easier to install (1 line of JavaScript!) and the results make for an enhanced reader experience. How our engine can do what it does so quickly and effectively never fails to amaze me. So, doors have been opening and eyebrows have been raising … lots of publishers are taking an interest and signing up, which is great news for readers and bloggers alike.

How it works is that a reader clicks on a Sphere icon next to a story they’re reading. That click brings up a small box of content and links to bloggers talking about that topic as well as related articles from the publisher and other blogs worth checking out. As a blog search and discovery engine this is where the discovery comes in and you can really dig deep into stories or get a broad overview of what bloggers are buzzing about.

We may be jaded (heck, we love this thing) but the feedback we’ve gotten to date tells us we’re not just blowing smoke when we say this is a superior strategy for integrating the blogosphere into mainstream media. In addition to the immediacy of what’s being delivered the results are also more comprehensive and less prone to spam. It’s a real win/win. The reader gets a richer experience and the publisher gets opportunities to expose the reader to additional related content (and get more page views in the process).

Check out the Sphere contextual widget by clicking on the web sites linked from our home page. And, let us know what you think. We love to hear from our readers.

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Sphere’s new home page

We’ve been really pleased with the traction our site has gained in its first five months, much better than we imagined when we launched. Users really like the high quality results and the intuitive, simple web site design. We appreciate all the support and great feedback we’ve gotten. Today, Sphere is launching a new home page design as well as revamping how blog posts and related media items are integrated and displayed. Our goal is to create an even better, more intuitive experience.

What you’ll see is that we’ve moved some of the discovery tools from inside the site onto the home page, so it’s easier to get to blog posts, featured blogs and related media right from the start as well as change course on what you’re looking for from whenever you are in the site.

For example, on the home page, type Politics into the search box and choose blog posts. Wham! You’re on the results page in a flash with blog posts, related news and top-notch blogs focused on politics right there in front of you. Click away on what interests you or go back up to the search box and type in Gadgets or Chicago Bears. In an instant you have another set of comprehensive results ready for your discovery.

The other thing you won’t help but notice is the spotlight on Sphere’s contextual widget. While we’ve always felt the Sphere It! app was a way-cool-tool more people needed to know about, we couldn’t have guessed at what a runaway success it would be with bloggers as well as online publishers.

The contextual widget takes the Sphere It! app one step further to help online mainstream media and micro publishers tap into the blogosphere as well as promote their own articles and pull in their own blogs or make recommendations out to related blogs. Check out the sites rolling out the Sphere contextual widget to see it in action.

What may seem like small changes are expected to have a big impact on how quickly readers can get to what interests them. We think this is a better reader experience and we hope you will too. Special recognition to the AWESOME team at Mule who helped us navigate to our new site. Let us know what you think about the home page, display changes and the widget when you get a chance. We thank you for your feedback to date and for helping Sphere evolve.

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