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?'


Founder of Just-Launched Authors Alliance Talks to PW

PW contributing editor Peter Brantley talks with UC Berkeley law professor Pamela Samuelson, founding member of a new author advocacy group, the Authors Alliance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #founding member #authors alliance


How You Will Find Your Next Job On Twitter

Add value and share content with your followers to nab your next gig, 140 characters at a time.You've probably heard about people who landed a book deals from their popular tweets, or that Seth Meyers found several writers for his new show on Twitter.Read Full Story     Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #share content #book deals #popular tweets


IDG Founder Patrick McGovern Dies

Patrick J. McGovern, who became a billionaire as founder and majority owner of Boston-based technology publisher International Data Group, has died. He was 76.He died Wednesday at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., the company said in a statement. No cause was given. He lived in Hollis, New... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #died wednesday #majority owner #palo alto #market research #apple users


Drones: Red Hat founder Bob Young's latest investment

Bob Young helped found what would become Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) in 1993. Now, more than 20 years later, he has found a new project - a company he calls “the Red Hat of big data” - and it’s all about drones. Young, whose other roles include heading Raleigh self-publishing firm Lulu.com and backing... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest investment #red hat #tech guy


Upworthy’s Founder Talked At SXSW… And You’ll Never Guess What He Said

Viral site’s CEO Eli Pariser talks curation, algorithms and data versus intuition in news publishing. By Stuart DredgeStuart Dredge Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news publishing


Can A Startup Help Publishers Cut Out Twitter, Facebook, And Flipboard?

Connecting content creators and consumers would be an enormous coup for news sites, magazines, TV networks, and other media. We look at three startups that could help.At magazines like Fast Company, we rely on distribution networks to get our articles to our readers. In print, the primary... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Neknominate needs health warnings on Twitter and Facebook, say councils

Local Government Association calls on websites to highlight dangers of drinking game linked to several deathsTwitter and Facebook should introduce warnings about the drinking game neknominate, which has been linked to several deaths, councils have said. The Local Government Association (LGA),... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Way Publishers Cash In Twitter Referrals Now (Hint: More Ads)

Much bandwidth has been consumed discussing the effects of Facebook's recent algorithm change to favor sites offering "high quality" content. It's been said to hurt viral sites like Upworthy -- a notion the site's founders have denied -- while rewarding other publishers including Mental... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #high quality #make money


Twitter Turns to Flipboard to Acquire Users for Vine

Got growth problems? Here's one way to solve it: advertising.Growth is a top-of-mind concern for Twitter and it appears app install ads are part of the strategy. In this case, a beautiful, magazine-like placement running in Flipboard this week for its six-second looping video app Vine.Digital ad... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith: Expect Splashier Storytelling on Bloomberg TV

Justin Smith, CEO of Bloomberg Media Group, is slated to wrap up a 100-day review of the company in the coming weeks, when he is expected to offer recommendations on the future of the global media conglomerate's TV division and digital and print operations, including Bloomberg Businessweek.His... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coming weeks #offer recommendations #tv division #print operations #$30 million #fortune magazine #atlantic media


Why this year's Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue cover is a great leap forward

The annual showbiz gatefold tableau, an Annie Leibovitz shot of the cream of the film world wearing funny-looking clothes, has finally overcome its past shortcomingsAwards season breaks into a gallop with the first peek at Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue, second only to the Superbowl as an annual... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Twitter Gives Partners New Data Tools to Track Messages

Twitter is diving even deeper into data. The social media platform is now giving publishers and brands more insights into how their tweets perform. Today, the company introduced analytics for Twitter Cards, which allow companies to track how media-filled tweets perform—such as how many users... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #analytics dashboard #big difference #nbc news #target audiences #user information


Tony Gallagher clings to the Telegraph reins on Twitter | Media Monkey

Deposed editor still has old job title in Twitter bio as he thanks 'the hundreds who have emailed/tweeted/texted/DMed me'After three days' Twitter silence, deposed Daily Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher has returned to thank the "hundreds" of well-wishers who mourned his defenestration. "To the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #job title #@gallaghereditor


Anonymous writer behind Goldman Sachs Elevator Twitter account gets book deal

The anonymous figure behind the Twitter handle is reported to be releasing a book titled 'Straight to Hell: True Tales of Deviance and Excess in the World of Investment Banking' this October. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anonymous writer #book deal #twitter handle #book titled #investment banking


Issues on the Ether: Is Self-Publishing a Flying Leap?

Porter Anderson sets up Wednesday's #EtherIssue live Twitter discussion with a look at perceptions of self-publishing: Hard? Easy? What does it take to do well? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Actor Who Played Chewbacca Shared A Ton Of "Star Wars" Set Photos On Twitter And They Are Amazing

Thrill to the sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker raising a toast in honor of Sir Alec Guiness's birthday!Today in vaguely surreal photographs: Peter Mayhew, the 7'3" actor and mainstay of the traveling sci-fi/comic book convention circuit whose claim to fame is being the man inside the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #star wars


Second Twitter fiction festival to run in March

The second Twitter fiction festival, searching for authors from across the world to tell stories... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Twitter Cofounder Biz Stone Launches Jelly, A Visual Q&A Platform

Biz Stone and Ben Finkel created Jelly to function almost like a modern-day visual search engine.No matter how big the exit, it seems Silicon Valley entrepreneurs eschew retirement. In the case of Twitter (and its $2.1 billion IPO), the cofounders have continued churning out products with... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biz stone #jack dorsey #latest venture


Rupert Murdoch cards turn Twitter gems into festive greetings | Media Monkey

Fans of Rupert Murdoch's musings on Twitter can now share his thoughts with their friends this festive season. No, the Times isn't publishing a Christmas supplement compiling its owner's thoughts – New York artist Michelle Vaughan has produced letterpress cards featuring a selection of his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #choice words #phone hacking #status quo


Ipso becomes a facto as 90% of publishers leap aboard their own train

I can't repeat my Ipso facto joke yet again. But there, I just did. The announcement that almost all of the major publishers have signed up to fund the Independent Press Standards Organisation, and agreed therefore to be regulated by it, is hardly a shock.But Paul Vickers, the Trinity Mirror... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #consistently argued #concerned parties