Most startups will never see anything close to the amount of money Twitter plans on raising during its IPO this week (a reported $1.6 billion) and in fact, three out of four tech businesses fail. Entrepreneurs in training looking to create a successful company, then, might want to know what turned the 140–character sharing service into a viable business worth billions. For answers to that elusive question, Fast Company spoke with Nick Bilton, New York Times columnist and the author of the forthcoming book Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal. Nick BiltonImage via Twitter Bilton tells the tale of Twitter's founding, which he likens to a murder mystery. Nobody dies, he assures. But, as the title of the book indicates, the company had a tumultuous beginning. The four founders of Odeo, which turned into Twitter, started as friends. "As Twitter grew, the four founders fought bitterly for money, influence, publicity, and control over a company that grows larger and more powerful by the day," explains the book's Amazon page. Out of those ashes, however, emerged a service so powerful it can influence stock markets and revolutions alike. So how did the soon–to–be Twitter billionaires turn chaos into gold? Here are 8 tips drawn from a conversation with Bilton: Lesson 1: Mythical founding stories are just that: myths. "Founding a startup is actually very difficult–– a lot more difficult than I think we sometimes realize when we cover these... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
"These are things all professional writers should be paying attention to," writes Emma Barnes in the address she made at our inaugural Author Day. "Not just the words, but the way you work." Predictably, Barnes' comments were challenging for some. A certain proportion of attendees at any... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The gig: Jody Gerson is the chair and chief executive of Universal Music Publishing Group, representing songwriters such as Demi Lovato and Big Sean. UMPG is part of Santa Monica-headquartered Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company. Early days: Gerson, 54, grew up in... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In July, Facebook made a big move into YouTube's turf with plans to launch Suggested Video—a feed of curated video clips from brands like Funny or Die, the NBA and Tastemade. After a small test over the past three months, it's now showing up in more mobile news feeds. Clicking on a video from a... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virtual reality may still be closer to science fiction for most people, but don't tell that to Discovery. The company's new eight-person virtual reality unit has gone deep on the tech with videos that show people what it's like to surf, swim with sharks and survive in the wild. Fusion has also... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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But it's not airborne—yet.Flying and suitcases go hand in hand, so it makes sense that the German luxury luggage brand Rimowa has added an airplane to its arsenal of goods. But instead of designing a sleek contemporary craft from scratch, the company took a page from the history books and... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You’ve read books in print. You might have read books online or on a mobile device. But until now you probably haven't read a book on Instagram. Jason Sperling, executive creative director at agency RPA, today began publishing his new 160-page book, “Look at Me When I'm Talking to You,”... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creative distribution strategies and smart data can help brands and publishers deliver the right content to the right person at the right timeRemember the early days of the internet? Searching the net, jumping from one site to the next. Listening to that oddly alluring dial-up modem noise, while... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Remnick, the longtime editor of The New Yorker, recently recounted a meeting during the early days of online publishing when the veteran sports essayist Roger Angell said he would always “want to be able to describe, in English, how t ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sam Moulton talks about his switch to content marketing director—and why it makes sense. The post Outside Magazine’s Executive Editor Explains His Move to the Business Side appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Google and Facebook control an increasing amount of ad spend, publishers realize that the only way they can stay competitive is to join forces. Enter the programmatic co-op, which Europe's publishers see as a way to combine both their audiences and data. It's all about scale. Buyers,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Office, PDFs, ebooks, archives, audio, video, images: the average PC owner regularly encounters a lengthy list of file formats, and viewing them all typically requires an entire library of software. Free Editor claims it can simplify all that by opening 70-plus file formats from a single... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since Tumblr first introduced in-stream sponsored posts in Spring 2013, more than 300 paid advertisers have gotten on board. The brand publishers contribute to an ecosystem of content creators and users who have posted more than 98.4 billion items, at an average rate of 83.3 million posts a day.... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 26 rights deals for Milena Busquets' short debut novel have raised eyebrows — but looking at the author's passion and personal history, it makes sense The post Big Rights Deals for Barcelona Author’s Debut Novel appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since digital publishing is perfect for serializing fiction almost as fast as authors can finish their latest installment, it makes sense that Christian publishers exploring that developing space are also making things up as they go along. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The social do-gooder just released its "attention minutes" source code. You paying attention?Clicks and pageviews are still the standard metric most online publishers use in valiant attempts to convince advertisers to write them checks so that they can keep the lights on. When pageviews are... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the weekend I noticed a link to a nearly 16-year-old New York Times article appearing over and over in my Twitter feed. The piece, written by Saul Hansell and published June 9, 1998, is titled "America Online to Buy Internet Chat Service for $287 Million." In fact, the piece gained so much... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed Inc., the online publisher of news, lists and quizzes that are designed to be shared on social media, is forecasting revenue of as much as $120 million in 2014, said two people with knowledge of its financials.The sales level will depend on how many advertising deals are booked next... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comedian and musician to play loudmouth cocktail pianist in pilot for 88 Keys, which will also star Fonejacker's Kayvan NovakComedian and musician Tim Minchin will star in his first sitcom as a loudmouth cocktail pianist in 88 Keys for the BBC.Minchin will co-star with Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IFC's upcoming The Spoils of Bablyon, a comedy miniseries that spoofs serious miniseries, is based on a book that seems to be sold out in Hudson News stores around the country. The problem with keeping the book in stock, though, is that there were never any printed copies. Eric Jonrosh (and the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Most startups will never see anything close to the amount of money Twitter plans on raising during its IPO this week (a reported $1.6 billion) and in fact, three out of four tech businesses fail. Entrepreneurs in training looking to create a successful company, then, might want to know what... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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