UPDATE: Sodahead.com Launches Original Content Component

Social networking site also unveils daily blog showcase, improved navigation.

By Chandra Johnson-Greene
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Social networking site Sodahead.com, where registered users ask and answer questions and connect through discussions, softly launched an original content component this week written by bloggers and columnists spanning different areas of interest, including entertainment, music, sports and politics.

The new homepage column is called “Sodahead Originals” and its roster of contributors include pop culture blogger Shawn Amos, former Adotas editor Ed Barrera, LaRue Novick, editor-in-chief/creative director of Max Sports & Fitness magazine, and Daily Variety television reporter Michael Schneider.

We wanted to provide content that was more authentic," president and co-founder Michael Glazer told AD. "We've always knew that we wanted to provide original content, but we thought it was important to build a community first. I think that's what makes us different from other sites—we don't create content and then try to build a community around it. We do the opposite."

The site also launched “SodaStars,” a daily showcase for the best blogs and questions created by registered users and chosen by the editorial staff. "We wanted our users to get the chance to have their content held to the same standard as our original content," Glazer said. "And on our homepage, user-generated content is mixed with original content, which is pretty rare. The users got us to where we are now, so it's important that we recognize them."

The site has also improved its navigation on the homepage. Breaking news, trends, and hot topics are now highlighted at the top of the page, linking to pages that archive all the discussions related to it. Glazer added that the company's also looking into partnering with publishers to syndicate Sodahead's content as early as January 2010. "Publishers have thin staffs right now and I think the angles that we offer are unique," he said.

These changes come just five months after Sodahead.com unveiled a redesign that turned it into a “social newspaper” where users can actively discuss news and current events. The site’s monthly uniques have increased to 4 million from 2.5 million since the redesign.