Flud
{{Short description|Social news reader application}}
Flud was a social news reader application released in 2010 for iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone. It was designed to display RSS feeds from blogs and news sites into individual streams for easy viewing. In Flud, articles and stories could be stored for later reading with the Reading List, shared as a favorite read with the Flud button, and shared with Facebook, Twitter, email, Tumblr, Instapaper, and ReadItLater.{{cite web|last=Cormier|first=Jeff|title=Flud's iOS News Reader Gets Speedier and More Social|url=https://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/07/19/fluds-ios-news-reader-gets-speedier-and-more-social/|work=The Next Web|date=19 July 2011 |accessdate=19 July 2011}} Flud was headquartered in the historic Spreckels Theater Building in San Diego, California, with remote offices in Detroit and Chicago.
Flud had been tagged as "the first true social news reader"{{cite web|last=Empson|first=Rip|title=With v2.0, Flud Wants To Do For Social News Reading What Spotify Is Doing For Music|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/12/07/with-v2-0-flud-wants-to-do-for-social-news-reading-what-spotify-did-for-music/|work=TechCrunch|date=7 December 2011 |accessdate=7 December 2011}} where users could create a personal profile, follow others who share their interests, and become influencers to their followers by sharing content (known as Fluding).
On August 8, 2013, Flud was discontinued.{{cite web|last=Grant|first=Rebecca|title=Flud folds: News reader startup is shutting down|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/07/31/flud-folds-news-reader-startup-is-shutting-down/|work=VentureBeat|date=31 July 2013 |accessdate=9 March 2016}}
History
Flud started as a "secret sauce" project{{cite web |url=http://theflud.tumblr.com/post/2126437623/where-was-flud-4-months-ago |title=Where was FLUD 4 months ago? |last=Ghoshal |first=Bobby |date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925202128/http://theflud.tumblr.com/post/2126437623/where-was-flud-4-months-ago |archive-date=2013-09-25 |access-date=2024-12-06}} in the summer of 2010 between Bobby Ghoshal and Matthew Ausonio of San Diego, California. Flud 1.0 for the iPad was released on the App Store in August 2010, and became available for the iPhone in the following months.
File:Flud mb1-e1322863924201 (2).jpg
Soon after the initial launch of Flud 1.0, Fast Company distinguished Flud's iPad user interface as the "Best UI Design of 2010",{{cite web|last=LaBarre|first=Suzanne|title=Best UI Design of 2010|url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662959/12-of-the-years-best-ideas-in-interface-design-slideshow|work=Fast Company|accessdate=21 April 2011}} NBC called Flud the "future of news"{{cite web|title=The Future of News|url=http://vimeo.com/14946187|work=NBC|accessdate=7 February 2012}} and Mashable distinguished Flud as one of three news readers actively changing and innovating the news industry.
Flud received $1 million in seed funding in April 2011 and became available on Android mobile devices in August 2011.{{cite web|last=Empson|first=Rip|title=Social News Reader Flud Strikes A Deal With AOL; Launches Android App|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/07/social-news-reader-flud-strikes-a-deal-with-aol-launches-android-app/|work=TechCrunch|date=7 September 2011 |access-date=7 September 2011}}
In December 2011, Flud 2.0 was released,{{cite web |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/news/flud-version-2-0-hits-the-app-store-heres-why-you-might-like-it-more-than-flipboard |title=FLUD Version 2.0 Hits the App Store – Here's Why You Might Like It More Than FlipBoard |work=CultOfMac |last=Hein |first=Buster |date=8 December 2011 |access-date=2024-12-06}}{{cite web |url=https://news.macgasm.net/iphone-news/flud-2-hits-apple-store-adds-social-layer-personality-news-reading/ |title=FLUD 2.0 hits Apple App Store, adds a social layer and personality to news reading |work=Macgasm |last=Erondu |first=Jared |date=7 December 2011 |access-date=2024-12-06}} allowing users to create their own "news personalities" and become a trusted source on topical interests.{{cite web |url=https://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/12/07/flud-2-0-for-ios-create-your-news-personality-become-a-trusted-source/ |title=FLUD 2.0 for iOS: Create your news personality, become a trusted source |last=Cormier |first=Jeff |date=7 December 2011 |access-date=2024-12-06}} Flud 2.0 launched on Windows Phone and Android devices in March 2012.
On August 8, 2013, the Flud service was discontinued. Users had until that date to download all their data.