Word Magazine
{{Short description|Influential online magazine, active from 1995–2000}}
{{About|the multimedia webzine|the other magazines|The Word (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
Word Magazine was an online magazine active from 1995 to 2000.
History
Launched in 1995 by Carey Earle, Tom Livaccari and Dan Pelson, Word Magazine created original stories, interviews, games, applications, music, interactive objects and art, and community spaces. Word published new content daily, and each story was treated as a unique interface design experiment. Word was also a pioneer in the use of online advertising and was the first website to integrate microsites into brand advertising online.{{Cite news| last = Boulton| first = Jim| title = The one and only, Word.com| work = Digital Archaeology| date = 2012-08-29|url=http://digital-archaeology.org/word-com/}} It was also one of the first truly web oriented online magazines.{{cite web|last1=Shaughnessy|first1=Haydn|title=Ten Websites That Changed The World|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2011/11/10/ten-websites-that-changed-the-world/#70f18a6e1d98|website=Forbes|access-date=7 May 2018|language=en}}
Word's editorial team was originally led by Vibe magazine founding editor Jonathan Van Meter and creative director Jaime Levy. Marisa Bowe took over as editor-in-chief{{cite magazine|last1=Silberman|first1=Steve|title=Word Down: The End of an Era|url=https://www.wired.com/1998/03/word-down-the-end-of-an-era/|magazine=WIRED|access-date=7 May 2018}} prior to the site's June 1995 launch and Yoshi Sodeoka became Creative Director in early 1996. Daron Murphy was a founding senior editor.{{cite web|title=Daron Murphy – ART NOT WAR|url=http://artnotwar.com/people/daron-murphy/|website=artnotwar.com|access-date=8 May 2018}}
From 1998, Word featured a chatterbot named Fred the Webmate.{{Cite news|last=Grice |first=Corey |title=Word, Charged set for relaunch |work=CNET News |access-date=2014-11-17 |date=1998-09-24 |url=http://news.cnet.com/Word,-Charged-set-for-relaunch/2100-1023_3-215933.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117112638/http://news.cnet.com/Word,-Charged-set-for-relaunch/2100-1023_3-215933.html |archive-date=November 17, 2014 }}
In 2000, Streeter, Bowe, Murphy, Rose Kernochan, and John Bowe co-edited a book of interviews, "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs," {{Cite book|isbn = 0609807072|title = Gig: Americans Talk about Their Jobs|last1 = Bowe|first1 = John|last2 = Bowe|first2 = Marisa|last3 = Streeter|first3 = Sabin C.|year = 2001| publisher=Crown }} inspired by Studs Terkel's Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.
Also in 2000, Word staff developed the turn-based online strategy game Sissyfight 2000.{{Cite web| last = Spencer| first = Russ| title = Sissyfight| work = Salon| access-date = 2014-11-18| date = 2000-04-27| url = http://www.salon.com/2000/04/27/sissyfight/}}
Word won awards from I.D. Magazine and Print Magazine, among others and was placed in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center and the Museum of the Moving Image.{{cite web|last1=Petreycik|first1=Kyle|title=This Is What the First Online Magazines Looked Like – ANIMAL|url=http://animalnewyork.com/2013/this-is-what-the-first-online-magazines-looked-like/|website=ANIMAL|access-date=7 May 2018|date=10 September 2013}}
Word was originally owned by Icon CMT until its sale in April 1998 to Zapata Corporation.{{Cite magazine|last=Quistgaard |first=Kaitlin |title=On the Edge and Under the Wing |magazine=Wired |date=1998-09-01 |url=https://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1998/09/14682 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107173917/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1998/09/14682 |archive-date=November 7, 2010 }} Zapata closed Word.com in August, 2000.{{Cite news| last = Brown| first = Janelle| title = Remember when content was king?| work = Salon| date = 2000-08-30| url = http://www.salon.com/2000/08/30/kinsley_content/}}
References
{{reflist | 2}}
External links
- [https://thenextweb.com/video/2011/11/10/10-websites-that-changed-the-world-theyre-not-what-you-might-expect-video/ The 10 websites that changed the world]
- [http://www.c505.com/vvvvvv/projects/word/index.html Screenshots of Word]
- Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxEhqmpymnQ Marisa Bowe, Editor of Word.com discusses the website]
- [http://www.sissyfight.com/ Sissyfight]
Category:Online magazines published in the United States
Category:Magazines established in 1995