For a geek, this community approach is a neat way to offer some divergence from the traditional copy-and-paste blog atmosphere.  A registered user on the site can add any gadget or device they own to gdgt’s database, the specifications of which go into a large, searchable directory for potential comparison shoppers and reviewing enthusiasts.  From there, users can select devices they own (or devices they want to own) and proudly display them on their profile listings.  They can chat up the individual products on each device’s landing page, offer reviews, tips for use, et cetera.  And users can even befriend each other, like most other Web 2.0 platforms nowadays, to create tangible friendships around their geek cravings.

The site’s launch today went as seamlessly as it could, save for the critical omission of additional server capacity to handle the early traffic.  One would think that two guys involved with some of the larger geek/tech/blog sites on the Internet would have realized that the combination of their legacies, along with the general knowledge of the site’s launch in this voracious crowd, created a prime situation for higher-than-expected visitors on launch day.  Even Geek icon Veronica Belmont herself taped an introduction to the site (she is dating Block, after all).  At the very least, Rojas and Block furiously (and semi-jokingly) kept gdgt’s Twitter feed alive with updates on the site’s ups-and-downs.

Getting Geeks Engaged

Gdgt considers its user base a prime resource for the site’s operations. It’s entirely dependent on users making a choice: The decision to hop in and furiously update a profile with all the gadgets one owns.  And, beyond that, the decision to come back to the site and participate in a discussion instead of–you know–using said gadgets.  Somewhere in that exchange, gdgt is hoping that a bridge can be formed between user interest and user experience that transfers a bit of one’s lust for shiny tech objects into a compelling need to talk about them and peacock one’s gallery to the world.

The curious aspect of the entire experience is that you, the user, are the battery.  You gain nothing for your participation in the site beyond the ability to interact with people on yet one more Web forum.  It’s interesting to see that gdgt hasn’t elected to take a page from Giant Bomb, a gaming-focused site that rewards users for contributing accurate information or compelling reviews to a large database of titles.  At least, there, users feel like they’re working toward a goal.  Better content unlocks more site rights and could even curry Giant Bomb’s favor enough to promote one into “moderator” status.

Dan “Shoe” Hsu’s latest gaming Web site, Bitmob, takes a different approach to the content-reward divide. The site also relies on user-generated content to survive.  But in this case, anything users post to their little blogs gets dumped into a giant, site-wide feed of information.  The editors pore over this, select the content they find compelling, and run it through the editorial grinder for eventual promotion on the front page.  Not a boon for one’s bank account, but eyeballs are eyeballs.

Gadgets are a compelling hook to keep people interested in contributing to a site.  But it’s not like the idea of “check what you’ve done” hasn’t been, well, done before.  At some point, someone’s going to have the bright idea of up-leveling these niche tracking sites into one big “this is your life” concept.  I think it’s called The Sims.  Suffice, kudos to gdgt for an interesting new product in an otherwise copy-and-paste field–I’ll be curious to see how much their traffic fits the traditional hype cycle for these kinds of launches.

In the meantime, maybe gdgt can go review a few Akamai servers–those are gadgets too, right?

Hits

• Huge potential community of rabid, like-minded visitors
• Lots of cross-platform interaction between “those other” online communities
• User-driven reviews and discussion deliver a metacritic-like approach to gadgets
• Powerful databasing functionality enables unique search parameters for aspiring owners
• Two Erdős numbers away from Veronica Belmont

Misses

• Welcome to a crowded playing field in both gadget sites and “user updatable” database geek communities
• At what point does one grow tired of discussing the products one owns versus learning about new products coming out?
• Technical functionality behind profile widgets still a little borked
• The “Cnet phenomenon” — tons of listed products, but scant reviews and commentary promotes popularity over performance. Will you really trust only one user comment for a product?
• Amateur hour — if you’re buying a $3,000 TV, where’s the value in 34 comments that say “This TV rocks1!11!!11!” versus reviews written by professional testers with multi-product experience?
• Lots of clicks between finding and marking products as “owned” or “wanted”