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 ]
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Judge says Twitter can proceed with lawsuit to increase transparency about government surveillance

Transparency reports about government data requests have become very common from tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google. But while these firms publish reports, their hands are tied when it comes to what they can reveal. Twitter wants to change that. A federal judge in California... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Diverse' shortlist for inaugural Kindle Storyteller Award

Amazon has revealed a "diverse" six-strong shortlist for its first UK Kindle Storyteller Award, with finalists' books spanning genres from non-fiction and crime thriller to historical fiction and lesbian romance. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suspects leap from the board as classic game Cluedo turned into a comic book

When Paul Allor began writing Clue, a new comic book miniseries based on the popular board game from Hasbro, he had many versions of the game to look to for inspiration. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Notting Hill Editions founder Kremer dies

Tom Kremer, founder of Notting Hill Editions and the Essay Prize, has died aged 87. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies are doing the 'heavy lifting', says Jhalak Prize founder

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2017: Children's Authors Say That Storytelling Saves Lives

The Children’s Book & Author Breakfast speakers emphasized that books don’t just provide escape: reading can save lives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bologna Children's Book Fair founder Carla Poesio dies

One of the founders of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Carla Poesio, has died. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Families of San Bernardino attack victims accuse Facebook, Google and Twitter of aiding terrorism in lawsuit

Relatives of the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Twitter, Google and Facebook, accusing the tech giants of knowingly supporting Islamic State and its extremist agenda. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluebird partners with Twitter on authors' food tour

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc.’s VR Guru Is Forging a New Path Through Immersive Storytelling

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[ AdWeek | 2017-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: New £20,000 ‘Kindle Storyteller’ Award; BookCon Announces Panels

The new Amazon UK Kindle Storyteller Award is open to writers everywhere, as BookCon in New York announces Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown for June 3 and 4. The post Industry Notes: New £20,000 ‘Kindle Storyteller’ Award; BookCon Announces Panels appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Facebook’s shadow, Twitter cozies up to video publishers with reliable cash

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[ Digiday | 2017-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter Extends Pre-Roll Video Ads to Periscope Livestreams

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[ Advertising Age | 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytel expands into four new markets

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sayeeda Warsi's Muslim Britain to be 'serialised' on Twitter

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Silvers, 'NYRB' Co-Founder and Editor, Dies at 87

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter Is Pitching Its Live Video During Its First NewFronts Presentation

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[ AdWeek | 2017-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Facebook office in Berlin. A report published on Tuesday found that Facebook and Twitter had failed to meet a German target for removing hate speech from their platforms. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2017-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gawker founder Nick Denton believes the 'good internet will rise up again'

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[ PC World | 2017-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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