All around us, we see the building blocks of a new era. We are in the midst of a new Age of Innovation where, all of a sudden, being a geek is cool. Entrepreneurship is considered a legitimate career option and the evolution of technology makes almost anything possible. Technology that was commonplace in 2003 is, at times, barely recognizable in 2012. But that same technology created the base of what we have today; we build on what came before. It is with this in mind that we announce the next chapter of ReadWriteWeb.
We are now ReadWrite. In many ways, that is both extremely exciting and kind of sad. We have a beautiful, newly designed website, a core group of highly intelligent writers and a dynamic new leader in Dan Lyons. On the other hand, the ReadWriteWeb of old is gone, along with many people that made it what it was.
The founder of ReadWriteWeb, Richard MacManus, started the site as his own personal technology blog from his home in New Zealand on April 20, 2003. Richard quickly became known for his deep insight and passion about all things innovation, from the rise of Web 2.0 to the future of publishing, the Internet of Things and the new Mobile Revolution.
Bringing on new talent
In a couple of years, Richard was able to hire some brilliant writers who took up the torch of championing and enlightening people on new innovations. The most prominent was Marshall Kirkpatrick, the first son of tech blogging and one of the first employees at both RWW and TechCrunch. Other great writers have crossed through ReadWriteWeb at some point or another, such as Jolie O’Dell, Sarah Perez, Frederic Lardinois, Josh Catone, Mike Melanson, Audrey Watters and countless others.
Some people behind the scenes did not achieve the same type of public recognition, but were no less influential: Webmaster Jared Smith, engineer Tyler Gillies, managing editor Abraham Hyatt and former COO Sean Ammirati. We call these folks ReadWriteAlum and they were a huge part of the dynamic publication that Richard created and grew for almost 10 years.
All of these people have come and gone from ReadWriteWeb, and each left an indelible mark on what the publication became. As we transition to ReadWrite, some people might think that the site is diminished without those people. Simply, this is not true. Just as the BlackBerry was a stepping stone to the iPhone, and the iPhone was a stepping stone to a booming mobile industry, the writers who came before us at ReadWriteWeb lend us their legacy. Today, at ReadWrite, we stand on their shoulders.
Some things are going to change around ReadWrite. Some things are not. We will remain a core group of technology enthusiasts who champion innovation and creativity with passion, insight and analysis. We will continue to be thought leaders, helping both technology professionals and consumers make decisions.
Today, we thank those who have come before us, the ones who made this great publication what it is. Special thanks to Richard and his vision. We will do our best to honor your legacy.
We might have a new name, new faces and a new website, but the core passion that started with Richard in 2003 will remain. Welcome to the new ReadWrite.