Aggravating Aggregators

I'm going to be honest, if you had asked me what an aggregator was up until twenty minutes ago, I probably would have responded with something like, "Um...it's like a character from a storyline right? Like you have the protagonist, the antagonist and an aggregator...who is aggravating to the protagonist...Probably. IDK IDK IDK."

I had never heard of the word in relation to technology. So I looked it up. According to TechTarget, a content aggregator is an individual or organization that gathers Web content (and/or sometimes applications) from different online sources for reuse or resale. There are two kinds of content aggregators: (1) those who simply gather material from various sources for their Web sites, and (2) those who gather and distribute content to suit their customer's needs. The latter process is called syndication. ScreamingMedia, Moreover, and iSyndicate are among the increasing number of companies offering aggregated content for resale.

According to what I learned in class before social media really became the hot thing, organizations would update all of their social media platforms from aggregators, they wouldn't actually go to Facebook or Twitter to write out their post. Nope. They would write them out from the aggregator and the aggregator itself would post to all their social media platforms. It was a quick and easy way to get a point across through social media without having to make multiple posts.

The Wall Street Journal came out with an article on the lack of privacy that aggregators have.
"Security and privacy are a concern because users must reveal their account numbers and passwords to the banks doing the aggregation, in most cases. Banks say the service is as secure as online banking -- but even online banking customers may think twice about having all their access codes in one place. While banks often provide aggregation services to clients free of charge, it is vital to determine whether the bank assumes liability for any mistakes or security breaches, as each aggregator has its own terms and conditions. Otherwise, the risk could fall to you."

So I got to thinking, what is the best aggregator out there? What's the worst? The rest of this blog post will be dedicated to weighing the pros and cons (with the help of outside sources) of three different aggregators to decide who is deserving of the title: The World Wide Web's Most Aggravating Aggregator!! (*applause*)


ScreamingMedia:

In 1996, while developing a site for the 1996 summer Olympics, Alan Ellman learned how difficult and expensive it is to get content. He developed ScreamingMedia as a way to deliver, filter, back content and efficiently integrate it into websites. ScreamingMedia got off to a very quick and efficient start, ramping up over 530 customers and 119 providers supplying content to 390 publications by January 2000.

Pros: large user base, generally simple/easy to use, well-known/trusted, and it allows the designer to create their own filters which is useful.
Cons: has multiple complaints about quality of streaming videos and the cost is rather high: web clients can spend upwards of 1500$ per month.

iSyndicate:

iSyndicate has managed to distribute both for large companies and content providers, but also reaches smaller sites that pertain to electronic commerce and hobbies. An invaluable resource for content providers, iSyndicate also offers individuals a way to distribute their work across the Internet.

Pros: large user base: 795 content providers use iSyndicate to reach 170,000 Web sites, it also covers a very large array of categories such as business, entertainment, finance, sports, and politics.
Cons: It is easy to use, but you first have to cut through a lot of jargon, and there is also a 300 dollar set up fee which can deter many potential clients.

Moreover:

"Moreover.com allows people to search the Web," says co-founder David Galbraith in London. "We have a headline service and are focused on being the biggest and best aggregator of headlines."

Pros: uses proprietary software to produce the Web-style news feeds it calls Webfeeds. It aggregates news and information from 1500 Web sources in near real time and then assembles the Webfeeds in more than 200 categories. No content or licensing fees which help people who are new to the world of aggregators and aren't sure where to start.
Cons: Its basic filtering is free, but if you're serious about getting into the world of aggregators it's going to cost you much more on Moreover.