WeatherBug Launches Citizen Reporter Program, Blog
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Written By Reprise Media | June 3, 2005 | Share This
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One of the most heated debates I’ve seen lately was over Weatherbug, a desktop application that automatically delivers weather news, forecasts, and storm warnings.
My dad (an IT Manager by trade) was mad at mom for installing the program, calling it all sorts of nasty names, the least of which was spyware. While that’s technically not true, the free version does serve up ads, something which didn’t particularly bothered my mother. She liked Weatherbug and kept re-installing it every time my dad was away at work.
I’m not sure who eventually won out, but I could only imagine how such an exchange might take place between two real-life weather geeks, like the kind the company is trying to reach in its latest initative, announced in a press release earlier this week.
Weatherbug will be forming a nationwide network of “Backyard Weather Reporters” who will collect, track, and share weather information via the newly launched WeatherBug Backyard Club Blog. Users can post photos and share their weather musings with an audience of over 18 million unique users per month. The Weatherbug Backyard Tracking Stations they use to do so cost between $500 and $900 and can be bought here (please note: pocket protector and Pointdexter glasses cost extra).
Poynter Online is calling this a prime example of “citizen journalism” and we agree. The geographically specific, highly volatile nature of weather lends itself well to the speed & decentralization associated with the blogging medium. And in less fancy terms, we’re looking forward to seeing some good tornado movies.
Topics: Search: Innovations |