PITTSBURGH, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — WebKite, the only platform to easily turn data into a website, is launching a free version to empower a new type of data-focused publishing. Much like how the advent of blog platforms have allowed users to publish text to the web, WebKite does the same with spreadsheet and data. For instance, with a bit of data about bars a user could create a directory where visitors could sort by "best happy hour" "cheap drinks" and "great bar food as rated by users." It's a simple and affordable way to publish and explore data.
"We started working on this platform three years ago when we built Pikimal," Eric Silver, founder of WebKite said. "After Pikimal started seeing millions of visitors every year, we knew we had to share our platform with other publishers. Right now in the publishing world, you have people publishing articles and people publishing decision sites. It's these decision sites – Yelp!, Healthgrades, Kayak – that are profitable for the publishers, often seeing 200-300x the revenue of people writing articles. WebKite was built from the ground-up to publish sites that help people make decisions."
There are millions of people in America with unique data. Whether it's a vendor who wants to publish her inventory or a membership directory that wants to publish their membership, by making it both cheap and easy for anyone to publish a data-focused site transforms the web.
WebKite is launching this free version after a beta period that saw over a thousand visitors sign up to use the platform and provide valuable feedback. Beta participants used the WebKite platform in diverse ways, to create a longboard comparison site, a directory of Steelers Bars around the world, Academy Award winners, and cats ready to be adopted in the Pittsburgh area, as well as many others.
To get started with your free WebKite site, sign up at WebKite.com/account.
In addition to a free version, WebKite has worked with clients to provide a unique solution to sorting data. "WebKite supercharged the Pittsburgh Technology Council's online membership directory," Jonathan Kersting, Director of Visibility Initiatives, Pittsburgh Technology Council. "It has become a snap to easily search and compare our nearly 1,400 member companies."
WebKite is currently open to anyone who wants to be a part of the future of data publishing. For more information, please visit www.webkite.com or contact Dan Tallarico, marketing manager at WebKite, at Email for questions, comments, or interviews.