On November 11th 2013, a brand new technology in the entertainment and news world is about to finally be revealed and change the way we share and read information on a global scale. Even though full details haven’t been released yet publicly, rumor has it that this technology, called EXLEY, will also help those of you who like tracking celebrities, know where they are and what they are doing at any given moment; Imagine TMZ meets Twitter meets Instagram meets Tumblr meets television & magazines.
We will even go one further and suggest that if Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg had a love child through in vitro double fertilization with Oprah, it would be Mr. Tino Dietrich (and his baby EXLEY), and we had the complete pleasure of speaking with the man behind this latest technology prior to its big launch to give us some exclusive insight on what is about to happen…
1. The Exley idea originated in Switzerland, and now have your main offices in Miami, Florida, what is the biggest differences between the culture in the two countries?
There is no one single European culture difference because Europe as a whole is so diverse. The difference between America and Europe if we get right down to it, is that here you truly can live the “American Dream” and that is the magic that drives everyone here. To be unique and a “star”, it’s achievable here more so than anywhere else in the world. We do live in a country of dreamers and that’s a great thing because closely monitored ones can easily become reality. Also, Americans are far more open to technological growth and there is a lot more positive momentum which is why I am so blessed to bring this particular concept of Exley over here.
2. How did you get started in the technology and Internet business?
I was always interested in technology and had been involved with technology and Internet businesses since the late 90’s. However, my true “start” and career in these industries began around 2007 when I co-financed/seed financed Avid Life Media. Being an entrepreneur by heart, I quickly got so intrigued by the business model that I joined the company as well. What really sold me on this industry is that I saw the diversification that would eventually happen with the Internet the same way it happened with television. The unlimited niche potential of the Internet really brings democracy to the people and freedom of choice if you view it in the most basic way. It is as simple as allowing everyone and anyone to voice their opinions almost as easily as having a conversation with a friend. Bringing technology and Internet business together is truly a passion of mine these days.
3. You are about to launch this new app and website called EXLEY / GetExley.com, what are you most excited about in terms of what it will be bringing to people worldwide?
I’m excited about giving the people a chance to voice and a have a real chance to be a part of a story and not just read the story and decipher it’s meaning through the biases. I am excited about an app that is “From the people, for the people”. We don’t know where this will go, we simply just let it go, which goes hand in hand with democratization. The days of self claimed trend setters and experts are over. I recently came across a study that discussed America’s alarming amount of distrust in expert testimonies so there is only so long this model can continue even as broken and beaten as it is. Allowing others to dictate what we read and hear is over… All we do at Exley is adding value and enriching the lives people worldwide by/through enabling.
4. What are some of the features of EXLEY that people have never seen before with other apps and websites?
Some of our main features will include first and foremost a website that is fully supported by any smartphone, tablet or classic web browser for desktop computers since being user friendly is a must. Second, Exley has found a new way to write stories by researching and sourcing in a different manner to extract and combine the most relevant information elements. One of our most democratic features will be our ability to integrate existing bloggers and recruit new ones, forming a publishing ecosystem to assure authentic and diverse sources in addition to global coverage all in real-time. We will also have worldwide scoops which add full scale, working city blogs from all over the world. To put it simply you will have a world map and all you do is need to click a section of any city to find the top ranking news.
Another highly interactive feature of Exley will be that Exley curators and ANY community member who is up to the task can accept assignments (“scoops” as we call them) which include content requests for specific locations, people or events within their area of residence. This feature will make Exley the world‘s largest journalist network with highly engaged citizen journalists. To take it even one step further when these scoops are shared among community members it will drive up activity and viral popularity. We will then integrate the most common channels to share a deep link on the scoop – either directly in the app (if the recipient has it already) or as alternative on the browser or mobile website view. The readers can then rate or share the content with a fingertip to judge the entertainment factor.
There are honestly so many more features to talk about but I have to leave some to mystery don’t I?!
5. EXLEY launches November 11th at 11:11AM EST… What is the significance of this date/time?
On this same day and time in 1925 is when Robert A. Millikan announced the discovery of cosmic rays, the term given to high energy radiation which strikes the Earth from space. This completely changed the way we viewed the Universe and hit us in a way that both surprised the world and set us on the correct path of moving forward scientifically. We fully expect Exley to have this same effect in terms of re-inventing tabloid news.
6. Why do you think the media is “dead” these days?
Media isn’t “dying” per se, it’s just entering its biggest transition ever. Exley is here to help facilitate that inevitable transfer. What people also don’t understand is that media is almost exclusively driven by technology and all of a sudden technology is changing so rapidly these days that the media needs to adapt to these quick paced changes. It is one of the largest causes, in my opinion, as to why the most recent Gallup Polls stated that only 23% of people have trust in mainstream newspapers and television reports. Not surprisingly television news viewership has dropped by 50% and people rely almost entirely on digital news these days. This is why Exley is so focused on creating the perfect mobile app platform in addition to the website, since 1.2 billion people worldwide were using mobile apps at the end of 2012 and are expected to reach 4.4 billion users by the end of 2017. Whether you are believer or not this is a very real shift!
7. What is your advice to others looking at going into the technology, mobile and website business?
There is no short answer to that question, BUT there is a general answer and it applies to anything. All of the world’s greatest achievements have been created by people who think outside the box. They built things that had never been invented before or could possibly be confused with something similar. You must have a clear vision, be extremely persistent and if you don’t try to stir the pot every so often, you have already failed. Every great inventor from Edison to Jobs – that’s exactly what they did.
8. EXLEY is all about juicy tabloid news… Do you have any stories that will be posted on the site you can tell us about?
Juicy isn’t even close to describing it… stay tuned.
9. How have people been responding so far to the news that EXLEY is about to launch?
From excitement to shock.
10. How can people stay in touch with you and EXLEY in the future socially?
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: GetExley.com
* PHOTO CREDIT: Terekah NaJuwan
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