Since 2002, technology writer Peter Rojas has been developing Web site interfaces for the news and reviews of electronic gadgets. He has been involved with the creation of popular technology blogs such as Gizmodo and Engadget, and is now embarking on yet another start-up to change the way gearheads learn and communicate about electronics.
Earlier this week, Rojas and his business partner launched the first “gadget-oriented social network”, GDGT. Unlike his past blogs, GDGT does not rely on paid reporters, but rather on device owners who have opinions to share. Site users can create profiles and post questions, comments and advice to other users. Rojas envisions users driving conversation around “electronics devices they have, had or want to buy and helping each other decide how and when to replace them.”
Although there are hundreds of other gadget sites on the Web, Rojas believes GDGT will stand out because, “most gadget sites cater only to five percent of a gadget’s lifecycle – the lust phase. We are building the place where you can live with your gadgets online in perpetuity.” It is clear that Rojas believes in the idea of specializing social media sites to better facilitate discussions about users’ hobbies and interests.
The notion of a social networking platform devoted to niche topics such as gadgets shouldn’t come as a surprise. As more and more social media sites are gaining popularity, businesses are viewing this medium as an opportunity to connect with their consumers and provide them with a platform for communicating about products. Twitter and Facebook are already regarded by consumers as a trusted network to get opinions and recommendations on a variety of items as these opinions are coming from trusted people in consumers’ networks.
Only time will tell if users enjoy hearing other consumer’s opinions or if they will miss traditional product reviews. In order to ensure that the Web site won’t be home to uninformative one liners such as, “This product is terrible!” Rojas decided to allow only reviews with more than 200 words to appear on the site.
Although relying on citizen journalism can be potentially unstable, it appears communicating through social media is here to stay.
As for the veteran gadget Web site creators, GDGT’s social media platform is the future. “We view this as the final act. Gizmodo was the prototype. Engadget extended the idea. This could possibly be the last great gadget site,” said Rojas.