Enjoyment: 10 Apr 2013

Although its Storyboard editorial operation won awards for the content it curated from the Tumblr network, founder and CEO David Karp said Tuesday the unit is being shut down and all the editorial staff are being let go.

By Jeff John Roberts Apr 9 2013, 7:38pm PDT

Google sold Frommer’s Travel — but kept all the social media data

People wondered why Google sold Frommer's Travel barely nine months after acquiring it in the first place. The answer is that it's keeping a huge number social media followers from sites like Facebook.

By Mathew Ingram Apr 9 2013, 6:16pm PDT

This is about more than just advertorial — it’s about brands going direct

There's been plenty of focus on how publishers are catering to advertisers by producing "native" advertising, including sponsored content -- but a much bigger trend is brands and advertisers that are becoming publishers themselves.

By Janko Roettgers Apr 9 2013, 4:50pm PDT

Boxee rebrands new device as Cloud DVR, tones down cord cutting rhetoric

Boxee TV is dead, long live Boxee Cloud DVR: Boxee's recently-launched consumer electronics device has been rebranded, and the company introduced a free service tier.

By Jeff John Roberts Apr 9 2013, 1:38pm PDT

AOL’s new publisher tool to compete with Google, Armstrong says it’s back in “ad tech game”

AOL announced Marketplace, an effort to consolidate the stack of tools publishers use to serve ads. AOL is competing with Google in the ad tech field as it tries to diversify its revenues

By Mathew Ingram Apr 9 2013, 1:23pm PDT

The Empire acquires the rebel alliance: Mendeley users revolt against Elsevier takeover

Mendeley, an open collaboration platform for scientific research, has promised that it won't become less open after being acquired by journal publisher Elsevier, but some prominent users aren't waiting around.

By Laura Hazard Owen Apr 9 2013, 12:00pm PDT

Worldreader counts 500,000 users of its e-reading app on feature phones

Nonprofit Worldreader says that its e-reading app, which is aimed at users in the developing world on 2G networks, is now installed on over 5 million feature phones worldwide. The platform counts 500,000 active readers a month.

By Laura Hazard Owen Apr 9 2013, 11:50am PDT

B&N rebrands PubIt! as Nook Press, and adds new features to make self-publishing easier

Barnes & Noble has rebranded its self-publishing platform, PubIt!, as Nook Press, and is offering some new features intended to make self-publishing faster and easier. The platform is only available to authors in the U.S.

By Laura Hazard Owen Apr 9 2013, 11:21am PDT

Blackstrap will turn your Pocket or Instapaper articles into a $15 print book

A new site called Blackstrap will let you turn the articles you've saved on Instapaper, Pocket or Twitter into a $15 printed book. But does anybody actually need this service?

By Jeff John Roberts Apr 9 2013, 9:31am PDT

Why online advertising will get easier for publishers (and why it won’t)

The process of selling digital ads is notoriously complicated and involves a lengthy list of competing companies and technologies. A recent ad tech conference explored if things will ever change - here's some highlights.

By David Meyer Apr 9 2013, 8:58am PDT

Is it a good thing that Elsevier bought Mendeley?

The rumored takeover is now reality, at a reported price of $69 million. But, given Elsevier's reputation and Mendeley's open access ethos, will this deal turn out to be a harmonious success?

By Laura Hazard Owen Apr 9 2013, 8:00am PDT

Book review: Former Kindle exec on Kindle flaws, Nook strengths and Google’s future in ebooks

In a new book, former Kindle exec Jason Merkoski examines where e-reading platforms are now and how they could change in the future. If you're looking for secrets about Jeff Bezos, though, you're in the wrong place.

By Mathew Ingram Apr 8 2013, 10:15pm PDT

Digital First Media’s John Paton on newspapers and paywalls

Digital First Media chief executive officer John Paton says that paywalls aren't the answer for newspapers, and that print is eventually going to go away -- which is why the company needs to take more risks.

By Mathew Ingram Apr 8 2013, 3:45pm PDT

Why BuzzFeed’s attempt to reinvent online advertising is a lot harder than it looks

BuzzFeed has become the poster child for what some call sponsored content or "native advertising," but despite the skills of founder Jonah Peretti, the secret to making ads go viral is not quite as simple as it appears to be.

By Jeff John Roberts Apr 8 2013, 12:45pm PDT

No, Scott Turow, copyright is not killing American authors

In "The Slow Death of the American Author," Scott Turow decries the state of the country's copyright system. He gets it wrong and hurts the Authors Guild's standing among potential allies.

By Jeff John Roberts Apr 8 2013, 8:30am PDT

What next for The Week? The content curator’s plans for the digital domain

The Week surprised the publishing industry by carving out a profitable place in the competitive world of magazine news. Now, it is building up its operations for the digital long term.

By Paul Armstrong, Guest Contributor Apr 7 2013, 1:30pm PDT

Flipboard is a giant iceberg lurking in the path of the media

Flipboard's recent update lets users create custom "magazines" and share them. For a large swath of the publishing industry, this provides a glimpse of what (for them) could be a grim future.

By Mathew Ingram Apr 7 2013, 11:42am PDT

Allen Stern, blogging pioneer and entrepreneur, passes away — we will miss you Allen

An early blogger and startup founder who had recently launched a new business focused on health and fitness, Allen Stern passed away last week and was remembered by his friends and blogging colleagues.

By Liz Shannon Miller Apr 7 2013, 3:00am PDT

Takeaways from The Raven, and other online shorts that went Hollywood

Short films released online have become an increasingly common way for filmmakers to break into the studio system -- the latest example being an upcoming action film produced by Mark Wahlberg.