randallCbennett[dot]com

Obsessable, behind the scenes

So now that I’ve actually had a few minutes to sit down and rest (don’t get it twisted, I’m still working on the weekend) I’ve had a chance to read up on some of the press that the site has been getting.

Thx to everyone who’s written something about our new site, especially Dan Frommer who wrote us up on launch day. [Brian has a good summary of all the other buzz.]

I’m very happy with our launch thus far. We’re attracting the right users to the site, and we’re putting up some great content. We’ve launched with enough features to give readers a hint of where we’re going, and so far the response has been positive.

One of the points that’s an obvious one for pundits to make, especially given our pedigree, is that we’re going to somehow takeout industry heavyweights. In my mind, we’re not aiming to be a “company killer.” We’re friends with people from around the industry, especially CNET, Engadget and Gizmodo, and don’t look at ourselves as a killer of any one of them. Realistically, we’d love it if you came to hear our news and views, and we’re trying to create another alternative voice for tech news that can provide consumers more than what’s currently out there, but we think there’s definitely room for everyone.

One of the ways we’re hoping to add substance to the conversation is our guide tab. Right now, we’ve got some great buying guides and features, along with our ever expanding glossary of terms, but we’re also working to create some killer comparators. I know people were kind of excited about our G1 vs the pack comparator, in particular. (Side note, that floating header thing looks amazing, and Rosco, one of our devs, worked his butt off to make sure it was cross browser compatible. Shout out to him, for sure.)

While we haven’t been able to launch with all the elements of the site at full strength, I hope it’s more than obvious we’ve worked really hard to create compelling content that is informative for a variety of audiences. Our news voice is very straight-laced, a more “just the facts” approach rather than the current crop of ‘post-Rojas’ voiced sites out there. We hope our posts can give you all the critical information you need to understand the day’s developments, and then you can head to the product pages or the rest of our database to keep exploring further.

Right now, we’re focusing our timely content primarily on news only, so readers won’t see the DIY and interesting links they’re accustomed to just yet. We want to be the place for readers to expect news, but we also don’t want to neglect the other fun and interesting reads around the web. Expect our coverage to grow, naturally, as our staff grows in size.

Speaking of staff, despite its meager size, I couldn’t ask for a better one. I’m quite excited about the Crowd Fusion team on both sides of me. From the management side, ever since Brian and I started talking about creating a new personal technology site, I’ve been lucky enough to meld his foresight and vision with my own ideas to breathe life into Obsessable and the Crowd Fusion concept. I’m constantly astounded by Craig’s ability to visualize how modular the platform needs to be, along with his entire dev team. Judith has been a great help and mentor, in tandem with Barb and Vero, to help me buoy up Obsessable from the nuts and bolts.

On the Obsesasble side, I’m equally as lucky. Evan Blass is Obsessable’s #2, and I couldn’t be more happy with the way he has helped mold the site. He’s largely responsible for helping shape the site voice into something that we’re proud of, and likewise I couldn’t be more proud to work with such a talented individual. All of our writing and curation people are killer and with such diversity that our base of knowledge is continuously expanding. (Side note: Check out Greg’s killer iPhone app if you’re into jailbroken apps, btw!)

The main thing I’ve learned from this launch? Having a competent team around you helps you make the best decisions. You simply listen to the feedback everyone is giving and pick the next hurdle to jump over.

Here’s to our launch. Thanks to everyone.