The company was built to link likeminded people in online communities, with a tailored set of functionalities for each niche interest group. Some special interest groups are linked by places, others by routes - running, cycling or by what the people create - electronics, Lego, art.
Simply put, it is a location-based service platform, uniting people around a common passion and allowing them to illustrate their knowledge and reputation.
New Media Labs felt Facebook groups weren't providing the functionality required for special interest groups, as they were more photo album based. It believes each niche interest group needs a unique set of features and everyone in the community is your "friend", no need for befriending or following. Joining the group allows users to see their community feed. It will soon provide the means to filter each WeLove news feed, based on reputation.
As for a niche group's feature set, the object model for each niche has to be very different. A coffee group might want to rate not only the coffee's aroma and taste but also the places ambiance, view and WiFi, whereas in a surfing layer, surfers may want to know what tide the spot breaks on, what wind, what type of wave it is (reef, point break, beach break etc.) and so on. These are very different domains, each with their own unique features, not just photos and comments.
It also acts as an information hub for a particular place by integrating Gowalla, Foursquare, RSS feeds (from the location's blog) and the location's Twitter feed. Loyalty and vouchering is the next target and it will be adding a Facebook application shortly.
The site isn't trying to compete with Facebook Places, Gowalla or Foursquare but rather enrich their content via its two-way API and content curation process. By diligently curating the content added to the site, the company believes it can compete with the big players in the geo-location space.
The site had a soft launch in November 2010 and has been quietly undergoing a transformation in 2011, as new features and mobile apps are completed. In 2010, over a thousand members joined, submitting fifty thousand unique page views and five thousand places, reviews or love points.
View and support the start-up by going to Microsoft BizSpark, @bizspark and facebook. There is more information on the homepage of www.bizspark.com and www.techmeme.com.
