The Guardian to test a paywall on its app PLUS my professional news after a brief hiatus

April 11, 2022

As a former Guardian digital editor, I read with interest that they would be testing a paywall on its news app. But the FT reports that "underlying tensions remain over the Guardian’s commercial strategy and governance." But its financial position seems stronger, but it's a bit worrying that its revenues in the year ending in March were the highest since 2008, when I worked there.

I have been a bit quiet over the past two weeks due to a professional transition. A week ago Monday, I started as the director of professional services at team PugPig. As my new manager, CEO and co-founder Jonny Kaldor said on LinkedIn:

Kevin completes our newly formed leadership team, which gives us the structure to properly scale our business and truly become the number one publishing platform on the market.

As Professional Services Director, Kevin will lead all of our customer facing project work, while also growing our consulting team, helping Pugpig customers with conceiving, shaping, designing, operating and optimising their digital products. 

PLUS Asking the question of whether journalists should accept money from Google and Meta. The Local Media Association looks at five strategies to grow reader revenue from the Meta Journalism Project Accelerator. Elon Musk's approach at Twitter raises questions. How social media users are using 'algospeak' to talk about suicide, prostitution and sexual issues.

News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication

I'm thrilled to welcome Kevin Anderson, FRSA to Team Pugpig as our Professional Services Director.

Kevin completes our newly formed leadership team, which...

Over the past few years, Google and Meta have given hundreds of millions of dollars to journalistic organisations, and have said they plan to give away hundreds of millions more. Some believe this kind of funding creates a conflict of interest. Should media organizations and journalists accept funding from Google and Meta, and if they do, what are ...

Thirty news organizations in the U.S. and Canada grew their total customer lifetime value by almost $10 million as a result of what they learned and applied in the Meta Journalism Project’s Reader Revenue Accelerator program.

Social Media Today

Chinese-owned video platform is set to overtake the advertising scale of Twitter and Snapchat combined

To avoid angering the almighty algorithm, creators on TikTok and other platforms are creating a new vocabulary.