Pollen.com Blog

Pollen.com Makes an Appearance on the Today Show

Blog Author — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:20:53 GMT

The end of this segment about Allergies includes our daily Pollen map - the recognized authority in pollen forecasting!

Facebook and Twitter

Blog Author — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:00:45 GMT

Pollen.com is proud to announce its arrival to Facebook and Twitter!
Anyone can join us on Facebook and join in on postings and pollen info! We are also in the process of building our facebook app!

Follow us on twitter! This is a simple way to get your forecast whenever you want!

For more details on these great offerings follow this link - http://www.pollen.com/networking.asp

See you on Facebook and happy Tweeting!

The Pollen People at Pollen.com

Your Account Profile

Blog Author — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:43:25 GMT

Once you have created an account for Pollen.com, you can maintain your personal profile information online. Simply choose My Pollen.com > Edit Profile.

Here you can update your email address, password, name, and other key information. Your zip code will effect all the Allergy charts you see when logged into Pollen.com. Keep in mind you can only change your zip once every 2 weeks. There is also a handy place to keep track of the pollens you think effect you most.

Steve Browning
Manager, Web Development Team

Pollen.com New Features

Blog Author — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:40:44 GMT

Pollen.com has undergone a major facelift along with additions of new features and tools.

Pollen.com has a new look as well as an easier navigation to make the user’s experience faster and simpler.

Along with Pollen.com’s popular Allergy Alert™ email program and Affiliate Program, the creation of the new Tools & Downloads Section gives the allergy sufferer different outlets and options in getting their allergy information:

Allergy Alert iPhone and iPod APP – Pollen.com is proud to offer Allergy Alert, a free application you can download from Apple's iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch devices! This friendly application provides index levels for four different conditions: Allergy (Pollen), Asthma, Cold and Cough, and Ultraviolet Sensitivity. With a simple touch of the screen, you can plan your day with the One Day Alerts or think about your whole week with the four day forecasts!

Desktop Allergy Alert Widget – Pollen.com is proud to present a new and easy way to receive your pollen and allergy information upon demand! As the leader in Allergy and Pollen forecasts, Pollen.com is committed to Allergy Sufferers nationwide. We offer two new ways to get your daily and four-day Pollen forecast using either Yahoo Widgets or Google Gadgets on your desktop!

Pollen.com Mobile Web – Need your Pollen forecast on the run? Not have time to look at Pollen.com this morning? Introducing Pollen Mobile - a lightweight version of the number one allergy site on the web now available for mobile phones! You can get your 4Day Forecast and 30 Day History as well as the Express Weather, all right on your phone!

Pollen.com has also created the new MyPollen Section.

This was created to personalize the users experience on pollen.com. This is a free membership.

Key Features:

Dashboard Homepage: When a user is signed into MyPollen, their homepage is customized to their Allergies and Location. The Dashboard Homepage includes the users:

4 Day Allergy Forecast – based on the zip code they enter at registration.
Predominant Pollens – A list of the top 3 predominant pollens in the area with the Name, Family, Genus and picture. There is also a link for specific details that brings the user to PollenLibary.com and detailed information.
Today’s Weather – Detailed weather report for that day as well as a link to the weather page in pollen.com that displays weather for the next 2 days.
30 & 90 Day Historic Pollen Counts – As a member of MyPollen, the user has access to the standard 30 Day Historic information and the new 90 Day Historic Information. 90 Day History is only available to MyPollen Members.

Pollen Diary:

The Diary has a calendar where the user can click on a day and enter specific allergy information. They also have the option of looking at past days and months to see what they entered.
The Diary has a chart with monthly progress based on the users input. This chart will allow the user to monitor allergy levels in past months and years.
The Diary has a chart with monthly allergy level averages in your area. This allows user to see how seasonal allergies change in their area and compare it to their own suffering chart.
In the future we're planning to build on top of this user-collected data to expand this into a personal allergy forecast and other features.

Forecast Pages

Pollen.com built a series of forecast pages for any user signed in or not signed in to view.

Pollen 4Day Allergy Forecast – 4 Day Chart with Allergy Levels for a specific ZIP code. User has the option to enter in an US zip code to view the allergy forecast for that area
2 City Comparison – User enters 2 different ZIP codes to view a comparison chart of allergy levels in the two areas for the next 4 days
Pollen History – 30 Day historic allergy levels for a specific ZIP code. MyPollen Members get 90 Day historic info.
Weather – Detailed weather forecast for today and the next 2 days based on a specific ZIP code the user enters.

Thank You

Pollen.com Team

Extending Pollen.com for Mobile Devices.

Blog Author — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:01:11 GMT

Hello Everyone,

We would like to announce that we just extended Pollen.com to your hand-held devices! A simplified site was built that allows users to access the main features of Pollen.com on their cell phones, designed specifically for small screen resolutions.

When you visit Pollen.com from most hand-held devices, you will be asked if you want to view the Mobile version of the site. If your device is not recognized as mobile you can always use a link in the footer of every page on pollen.com or just go to www.pollen.com/m/.

On the mobile site, simply enter your 5 digit zip code, or pick a city/state from the dropdown menu. You will then have quick access to your 4Day Forecast, Pollen History, or Express Weather services. At any time you can come back to the main site by clicking on the link at the bottom - "Pollen.com Main Site".

As always suggestions and comments are welcome!

Thank You

Pollen.com Team

PollenLibrary.com updates and new features

Blog Author — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:47:25 GMT

Since its initial launch, PollenLibrary.com has served as a great resource for researching plants' allergenicity and when it effects you the most. In the latest release we have improved numerous features and added new ones. PollenLibrary.com is now all about helping you identify the plants causing allergies in your area right now and predicting how long this allergen pollination will last.

Updated Maps
We have updated all the current species and genera maps with the most recent findings of where a particular plant is found.

Improved Search Results
The on-site plant search is now more efficient - combining location with plant name results. Now you can search for a specific specie in your area and see if its allergenic or not. Searching for Oak in 19462 zip code results in a list of all Oak species found in Montgomery County, PA. Next to each plant you will see an icon representing level of allergenicity.

Searching for Oak lists all Oak species found in our DB with an indication of how allergenic each is. Searching by a zip code only brings you to the local county page with a list of significant allergens found in your area in the current season. The Local Allergens page was also improved; now you have more options to control if you want to see only significant allergens in your area that pollinate now or all allergens (includes mild, moderate or significant allergens).

Plants Pages
Individual species and genera pages were also enhanced by adding more links to the images and Wikipedia entry (if available). Images were provided by BONAP and hosted at flickr.com. All the images are guaranteed to identify a particular plant. BONAP continues adding more images to the flickr.com website, still not all of species available. The missing images in the meanwhile can be identified through flickr.com public searches.

We also revised the species pages - now you may find more comprehensive information about each specie. This now includes specie allergenicity level and pollination seasons.

Family Pages
A new page on PollenLibrary.com - lists all species in a particular family and identifies specie allergenicity.

Overall the site's speed and efficiency was improved - now you can enjoy faster and accurate results.

Please give us your feedback about PollenLibrary.com

Alex Reznik,
Senior Web Developer

Pollen.com is HONcode compliant!

Blog Author — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:34:31 GMT

How do you know the information you find on the web is trustworthy? One way is to look for certification from the Health On the Net Foundation, also known as HON.

The HON Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization, internationally known for its pioneering work in the field of health information ethics, notably for the establishment of its code of ethical conduct, the HONcode. The HONcode is the most widely accepted reference for online health and medical publishers.

Pollen.com is proud to be certified by HON, and to be HONcode compliant!

Steve Browning
Manager, Web Development Team

Updated Pollen Widgets for Google and Yahoo

Blog Author — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:54:49 GMT

We're proud to release our latest Pollen Yahoo Widget and Pollen Google Gadget on Feb 13, 2009! These updated utilities load quicker and have an updated interface. You can learn all about our Widgets and Gadgets at PollenWidgets.com (http://www.pollenwidgets.com).

Please download the latest Widgets from Yahoo's Widget Directory (http://widgets.yahoo.com/) and Google's Gadget Directory (http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open).

Next week, Pollen.com's latest updates will be released! Stay tuned!

Looking back to 2008!

Blog Author — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:47:25 GMT

Hello everyone,

In the past year we have announced a great suite of websites and features to Pollen.com. The first on our list was Pollenwidgets.com. Pollen widgets and gadgets make it possible to access the Pollen count on your desktop without the need of opening a web browser. We are excited about this addition and are currently working to support more operating systems as well as enhancing the feature set in 2009.

Introduced in the 3rd quarter was an integration with Allergy Buyers Club and Wego Health. Users can now shop for allergy relief and healthy home products without leaving our website and discuss Allergy related issues with other allergy sufferers. In the midst of the integrations and widget development we were hard at work developing the highest requested feature this year, Pollen History. We receive tons of great feedback from you that we greatly appreciate and can’t wait to integrate and announce in 2009, so stay tuned and remember to voice your comments, send us your recommendations and visit Pollenlibrary.com and pollen.com for all your allergy related needs.

Paul klebanov,
Pollen.com developer

Building an iphone application

Blog Author — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:44:34 GMT

Hello everyone,

Would you like a Pollen iphone application? The application would be similar to our Pollen widgets found at pollenwidgets.com and would make accessing the pollen alert without a computer possible! We would like to know what smart phone you are using and what features of Pollen.com you would like on your phone. Please comment below.

Paul klebanov,
Pollen.com developer

Pollen Developers Blog

Blog Author — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:02:36 GMT

Hello everyone,

We just lunched the Pollen Developers Blog where we will update you on new site features, new developments, and the latest news surrounding Pollen.com. Thank you for visiting and we look forward to sharing our insights into the technology and culture.

Paul klebanov,
Pollen.com developer