Examiner

Location Based Web Content

Published 05/10/2012 and rated 5 out of 5 stars
by Shel Gatto

Examiner is a local content service that gives users news, photos and other relevant information for their local area. The service works with the help of “Examiners” that work with the site from numerous communities. The site covers many main categories of content, including arts and entertainment, interests, home, recreation, news, pets, tech research, gadgets, games, nightlife, education, health, small business, books, celebrities, child safety and gardening. Users can explore an enormous list of content topics or use the built in search bar to find specific content by keyword. Featured content and hot topics are displayed on the homepage. The site estimates where the user is located, however the user can change location manually as well.

Examiner.com began when the domain name was registered on September 13th, 1994 by the San Francisco Examiner. The idea of geo-targeting content was create with the help of David Schafer, who was also the former general manager of MapQuest. The new model included 115 Examiners (individuals) covering markets in Baltimore, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Today, Examiner.com is a popular go-to source for local news content. Many visitors search the site or browse the many categories to find interesting updates and news from their local community.

Examiner.com looks much like many other news content websites. The service is much the same with a few improvements. Users can review content that is related to their geographic area, which makes the stories and images more personal and interesting for some. The service also works with actual people who create content for specific cities. This gives the users a better quality experience overall with a wider variety of local content than a simple web search could provide.

Examiner.com welcomes users with color images, a large scrolling header and numerous headlines on the homepage. To sum it up: some users may be a bit unsure of where to start. There is a lot to take in on the site, and that’s even before the user clicks “more” to view additional category options. The layout may be busy, but it’s about as neat as the site can get considering how much ground it covers.

Visitors can explore Examiner.com content without registering. Users who wish to access additional features can click the white “Sign Up” link in the upper, right hand corner (at the top of the side scrolling banner). The next page asks for a display name and email address. The user is returned to the Examiner.com homepage and advised that an instruction message will arrive in their email inbox soon. This must be accessed to complete registration and sign in.

Examiner.com offers a wide range of content for many communities, however much of its information and images are available for free. The service is essentially a location-based news site. Requiring users to pay a fee would most likely cause potential members to look for their news elsewhere. Examiner.com keeps its service attractive by offering unlimited access to all users. Visitors are not required to sign up to read stories and view images.

Examiner.com is a great resource for anyone who wants to catch up on what’s going on in their community. The website covers many popular cities and offers current weather reports along with photo slide shows, stories and informational articles. Users can explore an enormous list of topic categories or jump right to specific news topics with the built in site search.

• Browse news and other content for a specific city
• Access weather reports and current forecasts
• Search by keyword or review a long list of topics
• Photo slide shows provide a closer look at many stories and people
• Users can apply to become Examiners for their local area