Can Twitter co-founder take an 'evolutionary leap' into storytelling?

Collaborative publishing website Medium, which aims to reinvent the blog, secures first external investmentMedium, Twitter co-founder Ev Williams's online publishing venture, has no shortage of ambition – to reinvent the blog as a digital storytelling format and match the impact of the microblogging service, no less.Williams, who launched Medium in August 2012 with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, has said their aim is "re-imagining publishing in an attempt to make an evolutionary leap" by building a new platform from scratch that would put an emphasis on ideas, stories and collaboration. To achieve this, however, the company will have to get over several hurdles, not least addressing the confusion over Medium's perceived strategy and business model, summed up by Reuters media commentator Jack Shafer, who describes it – while not lacking potential – as up to now being "a mystery wrapped up in a hashtag concealed by a catchy URL".This uncertainty has clearly not put off investors: Medium, which employs 50 full-time staff, announced last week that it had secured its first external investment, a $25m funding round led by Greylock Partners, with participation from Google Ventures and individual investors. Initial funding for the platform came from Williams's investment vehicle The Obvious Corporation.Perhaps this enthusiasm shouldn't be a surprise. As well as co-founding Twitter, Williams launched blog publishing service Blogger in 1999 and Medium is, ostensibly, similar – with... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #move forward

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Can Twitter co-founder take an 'evolutionary leap' into storytelling?'

Can Twitter co-founder take an 'evolutionary leap' into storytelling?

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #move forward

Twitter co-founder says more diverse team might've spotted abuse

Twitter co-founder Ev Williams said Wednesday that the social network might have been quicker to recognize and address the potential for abuse and harassment on its platform if the company’s leadership had been more diverse. When Twitter went public in 2013, it came under fire for having only... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-05-23 19:28:23 UTC ]
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Medium and Twitter founder: ‘We put junk food in front of them and they eat it’

Ev Williams on feedback loops, giving a home to publishers, and finding critical mass Ev Williams is not a fan of the increasingly homogenised media he currently sees, with its emphasis on feeding the great, gaping maw of platforms like Twitter and Facebook too often producing what he describes... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bilton Twitter Book -- Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Almost Went to Facebook (And More!)

An excerpt from a forthcoming book on the birth of Twitter reveals surprising new details about the company's founders. Some not-so-pretty. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter Co-Founders' New Site, Medium, Will Open to Public in New Year

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams shares more details about his new publishing platform. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter founders create Branch and Medium to keep the conversations, collections flowing

If you've ever been so embroiled in a chat or sharing splurge that you've been told to "take it off of Twitter," you now can -- sort of. Twitter co-creators Biz Stone and Ev Williams have launched Branch and Medium, two companion services that (naturally) use a Twitter sign-in but narrow the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #static collection #collaborative efforts

How Twitter Is Cleaning Up Twitter—for Publishers

In case you haven't heard, there's a crisis of trust in media. Fake news issues aside, publishers are angry with and distrustful of tech platforms for making major changes that upended the entire digital media industry. Big tech platforms promised publishers reach and scale in exchange for... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter has a fix for its news problem—make a new Twitter!

Last week, Facebook waffled yet again about which #content people want to see on Facebook. Cue the launch of a new feature that lets publishers label one breaking news story a day. With Facebook experimenting with breaking news, it seems only fitting that Twitter would do the same. The company... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytel’s 2023 Report: The Sound of Sustainability

'One hour of listening to an audiobook on Storytel emits 2.3 grams of CO2e,' the Swedish subscription streamer today reports. The post Storytel’s 2023 Report: The Sound of Sustainability appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-28 21:37:15 UTC ]
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Ex-Sports Illustrated CEO sues 5-hour Energy founder

Metro Detroit billionaire businessman Manoj Bhargava faces a lawsuit tied to his ongoing takeover bid of the former publisher of Sports Illustrated magazine.The lawsuit, filed last week in California in a Los Angeles County court, is brought by Ross Levinsohn, a veteran media executive and the... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-03-28 20:07:35 UTC ]
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Four More Years: A Look at Books Released During Leap Years

Happy Leap Year! Let's look back at the books that dominated bestseller lists on previous leap years. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Spotlight: Usborne Builds on Its Founder's Legacy

The managing director of Usborne Publishing reflects on the legacy of her father, the company’s founder, who died last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterside Founder William Gladstone Dies at 74

William Gladstone, the literary agent, publisher, author, and founder of Waterside Productions, died on December 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser's next projects are a graphic novel and an audio drama

Absurd Ventures, the new creative studio from Rockstar Games co-founder and ex-creative director Dan Houser, has announced its first projects. As it happens, neither of them are video games, at least not yet. The first of these two new universes is called American Caper, which will debut as a... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-11-29 21:02:58 UTC ]
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Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser's next projects are a graphic novel and an audio drama

Crooked Media Founders Announce Debut Book with Zando Imprint

Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor, who host the popular politics podcast 'Pod Save America,' will publish their debut book with their Zando imprint, Crooked Media Reads, next June. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore cancels U.S. book tour due to 'debilitating' health issue

Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth revealed a longtime health condition had ended his book tour plans: 'This news is utterly distressing. ... [M]y memoir, 'Sonic Life,' means so much to me.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-12 00:21:43 UTC ]
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Silverback Development founder in court again over debts

Luxury developer Joshua Schuster owes $250,000 in skipped rent for an uptown apartment, a suit claims. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2023-09-22 10:03:03 UTC ]
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Indigo founder Heather Reisman returns as CEO

After a brief retirement, Heather Reisman has been reinstated as CEO of Indigo, the book retailer she founded almost 30 years ago. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-09-18 12:50:39 UTC ]
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In Times of Environmental Collapse, Storytelling is a Form of Repair

In Alissa Hattman’s debut novel Sift, the world, at first, appears hostile to life, nearly uninhabitable. Skies darken with toxins and smoke. Food, especially produce, is scarce. Drinking water is limited, a result of rivers and other natural bodies that have been poisoned. Fires rage and a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-09-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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