Why Circa failed

#1

Post by amitkumar01 » Wed, Jun 24, 2015, 11:58 PM UTC

Re: Why Circa failed

#2

Post by sparkzilla » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 7:01 AM UTC

Circa failed because it used expensive journalists to create what should have been cheap aggregated content. The content itself had little added value compared with thousands of other daily news sites. Aggregators need to keep costs low and volume high -- Circa had this backwards.

Re: Why Circa failed

#3

Post by rhizome » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 7:30 AM UTC

sparkzilla wrote: post #2

Circa failed because it used expensive journalists to create what should have been cheap aggregated content. The content itself had little added value compared with thousands of other daily news sites. Aggregators need to keep costs low and volume high -- Circa had this backwards.

There are a million instances of Demand Media, townnews.com and their ilk tho, so perhaps their mistake was in thinking there might be room for a premium option.

Re: Why Circa failed

#4

Post by hboon » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 8:19 AM UTC

sparkzilla wrote: post #2

Circa failed because it used expensive journalists to create what should have been cheap aggregated content. The content itself had little added value compared with thousands of other daily news sites. Aggregators need to keep costs low and volume high -- Circa had this backwards.

I haven't tried every other news service/app, but other than summarising news, being able to track the development of specific news items was also great. The content quality definitely beats many other aggregators.

I hope they make it through this.

Re: Why Circa failed

#5

Post by prawn » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 8:57 AM UTC

I tried Circa because I have interest in this category of app/site but it didn't stick and I can't remember when I last looked at it. I'm surprised there haven't been more solid plays at the abbreviated news area, even despite the content component itself being challenging.

If you have expertise in this field, I've got a concept I'd be keen to collaborate on. It'd need iOS/Android development and someone handling content. My usual app guy is wrapped up in other projects. Email in my profile. It'd work as a skunkworks thing within a media company or a second project by a news startup even.

Re: Why Circa failed

#6

Post by pwelch » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 11:04 AM UTC

I actually liked Circa. I think there is a need for a just the facts articles.

Re: Why Circa failed

#7

Post by joshontheweb » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 11:04 AM UTC

I tried circa when it first came out. I failed to find a reason to prefer it over subscribing to the pertinent subs on Reddit for the news I wanted.

The beauty of Reddit and HN is that you can glance at the comments first and usually know instantly whether the article is worth your time. Of course this only works on the smaller communities on reddit. The front page stuff is just drowned in jokes and quips.

Additionally, many experts and thought leaders are active in both communities and actively comment. This helps immensely to cut through rhetoric and falsities in the content.

Re: Why Circa failed

#8

Post by mhomde » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 12:29 PM UTC

...or maybe it just had a higher burn rate than income... and failed to generate enough hype to attract venture capital

Re: Why Circa failed

#9

Post by efuquen » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 1:16 PM UTC

hboon wrote: post #4

sparkzilla wrote: post #2

Circa failed because it used expensive journalists to create what should have been cheap aggregated content. The content itself had little added value compared with thousands of other daily news sites. Aggregators need to keep costs low and volume high -- Circa had this backwards.

I haven't tried every other news service/app, but other than summarising news, being able to track the development of specific news items was also great. The content quality definitely beats many other aggregators. I hope they make it through this.

> I hope they make it through this.

Unless I'm misinterpreting something in the article or your comment, I thought it was pretty clear that they didn't and are shutting down for good?

https://medium.com/circa/farewell-to-circa-news-7d002150f74b

Re: Why Circa failed

#10

Post by win64 » Thu, Jun 25, 2015, 1:28 PM UTC

sparkzilla wrote: post #2

Circa failed because it used expensive journalists to create what should have been cheap aggregated content. The content itself had little added value compared with thousands of other daily news sites. Aggregators need to keep costs low and volume high -- Circa had this backwards.

Demanjo is an example of a news site which uses less journalists to keep cost low and volume high and seem to be doing well. It also includes tweets, instagram pictures and youtube videos in some cases providing more value than your typical daily news websites. http://www.demanjo.com/