A new website for Monroeville news and information will have artificial intelligence curating the most important and interesting stories for readers based on their preferences.
Trib Total Media announced Thursday that its TribLIVE has launched TimesExpress.com, which is the latest addition to the company’s stable of hyper-local community news websites.
TimesExpress.com is TribLIVE’s first Neighborhood News Network site powered by MeSearch, a technology platform that learns what readers are interested in and delivers a stream of tailored, curated content to them.
“As we went through the development process, I was impressed with how it was able to not only give me the hyper-local news that I was on the site for, but how it was also able to deliver articles that were pertinent to me based on my behavior while on the site, ” Neighborhood News Network Editor Katie Green said. “In an era where time is limited but real news is of utmost importance, it’s wonderful to not have to seek out what I want to read but have it delivered to me on the site.”
At TimesExpress.com, readers will find news and information about Monroeville and surrounding communities. The site pulls in the latest news from reporters at TribLIVE and The Times Express. It also allows users to contribute stories about events, organizations and daily life and soon will be pulling stories from many sources.
MeSearch is the underlying technology that the Neighborhood News Network is using to power the TimesExpress.com. The MeSearch platform searches TribLIVE and other news sites, government and community websites, stories from users and advertisements to find the most interesting and relevant content. It adds to the experience by constantly learning about each individual user through his or her search and reading habits and uses that information to present the news and information in a way that users will find the most convenient.
Joe Lawrence, vice president of development for 535Media, which provides the Neighborhood News Network platform to TribLIVE, said that 535Media is extremely excited to be offering its first product to a publisher utilizing the MeSearch technology and looks forward to working with TribLIVE and the community in refining the platform and making it available to all neighborhoods.
MeSearch is a Pittsburgh-based startup built on decades of search technology. The company was founded this month as a joint venture between 535Media and Crivella Technologies Ltd. The company is piloting its technology on the Neighborhood News Network.
MeSearch allows a site like TimesExpress.com to draw content from many sources. The platform could put a story in front of a user that he or she didn’t even know they were looking for, Lawrence said.
Arthur Crivella, founder of Crivella Technologies, the Pittsburgh firm that developed the MeSearch technology, has described a website running MeSearch as not just a site but a personal experience.
TimesExpress.com is the ninth Neighborhood News Network site launched by TribLIVE. The company started the Neighborhood News Network in 2018 with SewickleyHerald.com. Since it has grown to include PineCreekJournal.com, FoxChapelHerald.com, NorthJournal.com, ShalerJournal.com, TheHamptonJournal.com, PennHillsProgress.com and PlumAdvanceLeader.com.
Additional sites are in development.