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Medium founder and CEO Ev Williams is stepping down
Twitter co-founder Evan Williams is stepping as CEO of Medium.
Medium's Partner Program will start paying writers for subscriber referrals
Medium has announced changes to its Partner Program, offering writers extra incentives for referring new subscribers.
Medium will expand into books with its latest acquisition
Medium announced that it’s acquiring Glose, a social reading platform.
Google’s .new shortcut now works with sites like Spotify and Microsoft
Last year, Google introduced .new shortcuts that made it easier to create a new Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, Site or Form -- simply enter the file type you wish to create into your browser and tack .new onto the end. Last week, Google brought the feature to Calendar, and now it's expanding it to other sites like Spotify. Soon, any company or organization will be able to register a .new domain to help their users start tasks faster.
You can bookmark stories all over the web with ‘Save to Medium’
Sometimes it may feel like there's an endless amount of stuff to read on the internet. Medium today announced that it is expanding its bookmarking feature to the rest of the web with the launch of 'Save to Medium'. Based on the same premise as apps like Instapaper and Pocket, the new tool allows readers to save articles from any device on a single interface to read later.
You can get around Medium's paywall by clicking on twitter links
Medium is putting a gate in it paywall for Twitter users. Company CEO Ev Williams announced that users who are directed to Medium from links on Twitter will not be subject to the standard limits of the paywall. They will be able to read stories for free with no monthly cap.
Twitter co-founder Ev Williams bids the company's board farewell
Twitter co-founder and former CEO Ev Williams has stepped down from the social network's board of directors. He didn't really give an explanation other than saying that he's doing so to be able to "focus on some other things." Williams currently serves as the CEO of blogging platform Medium, which continues to grow its all-you-can-read subscription. The website has attracted some big-name users, such as Jeff Bezos, who accused the National Enquirer of blackmail and extortion in a post on the platform.
Oculus Medium is becoming a better VR sculpting tool
With the next version of Medium, the immersive VR sculpting tool for the Rift, Oculus is giving users exactly what they're asking for. That includes long-awaited features like grid snapping (below), up to 100 layers and the ability to add more than one light. Medium is similar to Google's Tiltbrush, except it's focused on creating 3D objects, not entire scenes. Another useful addition: You can now send your 3D sculptures directly to your Oculus Home virtual living room.
Medium suspends alt-right trolls following major rules change
Medium is taking its own steps in the fight against fake news and following a major reworking of its rules, has suspended the accounts of a handful of writers. As The Outline reports, the accounts of Mike Cernovich, Jack Posobiec and Laura Loomer now link to a largely blank page that says, "This page is unavailable."
Tumblr, Sonos among those backing another net neutrality day of action
A number of organizations and websites are planning an online day of action meant to garner more support for a Senate vote that would reverse the FCC's removal of net neutrality protections. The Senate is currently one vote away from overturning the FCC's decision and the day of action aims to convince one more Senator to vote in favor of protecting net neutrality. Taking place on February 27th, Operation: #OneMoreVote is already backed by companies like Tumblr, Etsy, Vimeo, Medium, Imgur, Sonos, Namecheap and DuckDuckGo.
Medium expands its reading subscription to any author or publisher
Last March, publishing platform Medium introduced its Partner Program, a Netflix-style subscription model that gave members exclusive pieces of writing, access to features before anyone else, an offline reading list and an ad-free experience. The program left beta in August, and it expanded to more media partners like The New York Times, Bloomberg and Rolling Stone last month. Now, though, CEO Ev Williams has announced that Medium will allow any publisher or author to join the partner program, essentially democratizing its paywall and merit-based rewards system.
Medium adds Bloomberg and other publications to subscription service
In a push to monetize its publishing platform, Medium added a $5 Netflix-style subscription last March. The system includes a way for members to "clap" different posts to give creators a percentage of their membership fee as well. Now Medium is bringing professional publications into the fold with curated selections from the likes of The New York Times, Bloomberg and Rolling Stone tucked behind the subscription paywall.
Facebook is testing Stories beside your desktop News Feed
Facebook's Snapchat-like Stories feature launched on its mobile app earlier this year and now it looks like the company is testing it out on its desktop site. As TechCrunch reports, for some users, Stories are now showing up in the top right corner of the page.
Medium snaps up Talkshow and its public chat app
Talkshow's namesake chat-in-public app never really caught on, but that doesn't mean the team's story has ended just yet. Co-founder Michael Sippey has revealed that Medium has bought Talkshow Industries. It's a tiny outfit, but it's important enough that Sippey will become Medium's Head of Product and help the service "evolve" its paid writing model. Sippey isn't providing any specific clues as to what he'll do next. However, he has confirmed that both Talkshow and Episode (an unfinished podcast discovery app) are shutting down.
Obama Foundation taps social media to fight online echo chambers
Participating in social media these days, especially around contentious political issues, can be an exercise in frustration. Facebook fights its own echo chamber with features like Topics to Follow as much as it can, but it's going to take much more than smart algorithms to learn how to listen to each other. President Obama, our most tech-savvy president, is stepping into the fray, using his post-presidential foundation to encourage us to become better digital citizens.
Medium’s existential makeover continues with a revamped homepage
Despite its high profile, Medium still hasn't quite figured out what it is in the five years since it launched as a minimalist blogging platform. In the meantime, Medium has pivoted from tech company to publishing service and various shades in between as it tries to draw an audience, fix "a broken system" and eventually turn a profit. In March, Medium announced an ad-free $5 premium tier with curated content and audio stories, but it seems that experiment has already run its course. After just two months, Medium has made the curated homepage available to everyone.
Medium is making audio versions of its best blog posts
Minimalist blogging platform Medium is expanding into audio. Readers who have a $5 per month subscription can now listen to stories published by fellow members, as well as those hand-picked by Medium staff. As TechCrunch notes, more than 50 stories have an audio version at launch, and more will be added over time. It's a small number, however each one has been recorded by a professional voice artist, rather than a robotic text-to-speech service. You'll find them at the top of articles, both on the web and in Medium's mobile apps, with some basic playback controls.
Snapchat adds another feature Facebook will copy
Snapchat is in a tough spot right now and we're not just talking about all of those insensitive filters. Users love Stories, but because of that, everybody from Medium to Bumble to Facebook is adding its own version of the feature to its platforms. At this point, Snapchat needs to do whatever it can to stay one step ahead of its many imitators. It made a move to do just that today with a new search tool for Stories.
Medium's subscription offers all-you-can-read stories for $5
We knew that subscriptions were coming to the popular blogging platform, Medium. But, we didn't know the full details of what'd be included or the price. For $5 a month you'll get access to exclusive pieces of writing, site features before anyone else sees them, an offline reading list and ad-free browsing.
Medium's Series feature looks a lot like Snapchat Stories
Snapchat is the muse of virtually every app right now. Everybody from Instagram to Tinder is borrowing ideas from the platform, and now it's Medium's turn. Today, the self-publishing site is introducing a new feature for its mobile app called Series, and it looks like a wordier version of Snapchat Stories.
