Be careful what you say about the Edinburgh Festivals on Twitter, because a little someone is listening… A bit like EdTwinge, which we mentioned yesterday, FestBuzz (@festbuzz) eavesdrops on your chatter about the festivals and creates crowdsourced reviews. The review site and API helps readers distinguish between reviews from professionals and comments from the man on the street.
FestBuzz claims it can determine which shows “critics” are discussing the most, even with abbreviated or misspelt tweets. And you don’t even need to use the #festbuzz hashtag (though using it will guarantee the service picks up your comment). FestBuzz will sniff out what you have to say and turn it into a star-rated review.
The service was built by Affect Labs and is funded by 4iP, an investment fund administered by Channel 4 designed to stimulate public service digital media. FestBuzz is the first Scottish-based project to be supported by the fund.
FestBuzz reckons the site will be able to generate revenue by charging for access to its API and by providing an analytical dashboard giving feedback to performers, venues and event management. “Of course, it can only do that for the weeks when the festival is on,” admits Ewan McIntosh, 4iP’s digital commissioner.