US: Fox to offer social weather services on new site

Posted by Liam Berkowitz on June 13, 2008 at 9:01 AM

Fox Interactive Media, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., has launched a social media weather site, Mashable.com's Paul Glazowski reports. FOX Weather Beta is intended to provide users with a comprehensive weather service, offering both global and hyperlocal weather news.

The site's main feature is a prominently displayed interactive map powered by Google Maps. The site also offers users social media tools, such as blogs, forums, and photo-sharing communities.

But will this new take on an old service stick? Glazowski says FOX Weather Beta may be fighting an "uphill battle."

"The site's community structure is somewhat generic and unappealing visually, and some parts...need extra attention," he said.

For a site aiming to reinvent 21st century weather services, FOX Weather Beta's impressive map service, Glazowski says, could be self-defeating, overshadowing the site's social media innovations.

"The map itself operates very well. So well, in fact, that you tend almost to ignore the rest," he said.

Source: Mashable.com through I Want Media