Our graphics designer Ruben originally made us a bunch of logos for the new SimpleWeather site. Here’s what some of them looked like (some are really great!):

Ruben is currently working on some new icons for us, so be sure to keep checking the blog! If you like his work, I highly suggest visiting his site, TalentSwarm.com

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Just a fancy press release for the media. We’re such big shots!!! (not)

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New York, NY September 25, 2007 – SimpleWeather has launched its highly-anticipated site redesign. Along with a fresh new logo comes some of the most requested features like hour-by-hour forecasts and a vastly improved search that displays popular results. Our most exciting addition to the site is Canadian weather, which enables our friends to the north to access their weather in a simple fashion.

“We have collaborated with CustomWeather to create fresh and new weather service that prioritizes consumers by excluding the weather information they don’t need, and making available customized weather information in a comprehensible and simple fashion”, said Vince Veneziani, CEO of SimpleWeather. ”SimpleWeather plans to leverage this exciting new partnership to provide essential weather information in a clear-cut and aesthetically simple manner to consumers all around the world”.

CustomWeather’s unique XML query solution significantly reduces development and integration costs for the customer, and is unparalleled in terms of reliability, global coverage and ease of implementation. “SimpleWeather has done a great job of optimizing their web property for the timely display of our global weather content”, said Jeffrey Logan, CTO of CustomWeather, Inc. “What impressed me the most is the speed and simplicity with which users can search for weather on their award winning site. We look forward to a great partnership with the team at SimpleWeather.”

“We are pleased to combine the strengths of CustomWeather and SimpleWeather to bring this innovative weather service to our online consumers. Our partnership with CustomWeather highlights our commitment to expanding our global weather content for users of SimpleWeather.com”, said Vince Veneziani, CEO of SimpleWeather.

Financial terms of this unique partnership have not been disclosed. The highly anticipated launch of the new SimpleWeather website is expected to occur in September 2007.
About SimpleWeather

SimpleWeather operates an award winning internet weather site, recently featured on Time.com’s 50 best sites of 2007. SimpleWeather has developed a unique and streamlined user interface for the no-fuss display of weather content.

http://www.simpleweather.com

About CustomWeather, Inc.

CustomWeather, Inc. is a San Francisco based provider of syndicated weather content that combines the worlds of technology and weather. CustomWeather generates local weather forecasts for over 250 countries worldwide, establishing it as the industry leader for global location-based coverage at both the US and International levels. CustomWeather provides sophisticated weather products to leading companies in a variety of industries including media, energy, travel, wireless, and the web.

http://www.customweather.com

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Truth be told, we actually don’t use CustomWeather for our data. Here’s how we really get it:

As you can see, here’s the weather. But how do we really get it?…


Ray pumps it from a series of tubes to our server!

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Through some analytical tools we have access to, we can take a peek at the “ISPs” of users who connect to our site. Some of the results may surprise you….

-comcast
-james tower media design
-road runner holdco llc
-att internet services
-att worldnet services
-verizon global networks
-paramount pictures
-UUNET
-on semiconductor
-citadel investment group l l c
-time warner
-qwest
-paetec net -a division of pae
-university of illinois
-Cox Communications Inc
-RCN Corporation
-worknet inc
-bellsouth
-WideOpenWest LLC
-federal aviation agency

Don’t worry. We never give out any sensitive data or anything like that. We don’t even have access to it. It’s just an interesting look at people who use our website and where they’re from.

Also, we’ve been getting your bug reports and we really appreciate the help. Joe is working hard to quickly fix any issues and we’re always open to new input.

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Hello everyone. I truly hope by now you’ve experienced our new site. It’s been months in the making and Joe has put forth so much effort just so you can easily check the weather. It really is fantastic for us. We have Canadian and US weather data, as well as the UK coming this fall.

In case you didn’t get a chance to check it out, try searching for something like “Dal”, you’ll see popular results for cities like “Dallas, TX” and can switch right over to other countries with one click. Also, if you want to quickly switch between different locations, just use that drop-down menu on the top of your forecast page. It’s easier than ever.

Now of course, two things about are are completely different. First, we have switched to using CustomWeather as a data provider. They are some cool guys who do big stuff, like providing the US Government with weather information. We’re extremely happy to be working with them and being off weather.com is the best thing to happen to us yet. As we work to improve the site, we’ll be able to give you things like storm predictions, weather maps, and any other data that YOU might want. Don’t worry, you won’t be seeing any “Golf Forecasts” here.

While weather.com was free to use to an extent, CustomWeather is not. I can’t disclose to you the terms of our agreement, but it’s by no means cheap. That’s OK with us, since we want to bring you quality weather information. So for us to pay for CustomWeather’s services, we need to generate money. The easiest and least-intrusive way for us to do this is to use one ad on the right-hand side. That’s it. You won’t be getting a pop-up, pop-under, pop-sideways or whatever. No full-screen ads, no second ad on the bottom. Just one 120×600px skyscraper ad on the right. We need to do this to progress as a company, which ultimately cares about you, our users, more than anything.

If we could make money without using banner ads, we would do it in a heartbeat. But paying boatloads of money each month drains our pockets, bank accounts, and keeps the fridge empty instead of bustling with beer. I feel like in time, you’ll learn to accept the ad. I know it’s a bit of a stark change from the old site, but we really wanted to give you features you requested.

You wanted hour-by-hour forecasts? You got it. Canadian weather? You got it. Multiple location switching? You got it. Anything you want on SimpleWeather can happen. Just shoot us an e-mail via the Contact page.

In summary, I’m very glad to have you with us. I hope now you better understand our decision to implement ads so that we can continually improve the site for you. We’re working with good people on all sides, so we’ll make your experience on SimpleWeather the best it can be. If you spot an annoying ad with sound or something, let us know. We hate those as much as you do.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for using our service. The best weather service on the Internet will always remain SimpleWeather.com. Now get outside and enjoy the sun, rain, snow, or whatever is in your area. I think you know how to find out.

-Vincent Veneziani
Founder & CEO

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