Here’s everything you need to know about the best new (and improved) platforms for publishing and discovering.
1. Atavist
Atavist is a publishing platform that makes it easier to create and share compelling, visually-appealing stories. The site is similar to services like Medium, as it allows users to create articles or stories using a combination of text, images, and interactive materials. It’s also similar to sites like WordPress or Squarespace, as it includes a useful toolset that gives users control over the look and feel of the site without requiring any coding knowledge or experience. It has multiple features that make it a more effective publishing platform than simpler sites like Medium for brands or businesses. There are five payment plans — Creative, Pro, Team, Business, and Enterprise — each designed for people or companies with particular interests and intentions. If you know how to use a computer, you know how to create great content on Atavist.
2. Ghost
Ghost is a new, open source, blogging-only platform that you can use on its own hosting site (for a fee) or download for free and host it on your own or another’s server, all of which invites some comparisons between Ghost and WordPress. The software is supported by a new Ghost Foundation which helps manage a worldwide corps of volunteer programmers and supports the project financially. Ghost aims to take some of the best features of WordPress with the ease-of-use of some of the simplest blogging platforms, or as they profess, returning to the blogging roots of WordPress.
3. Medium
Medium is designed to provide a clutter-free writing area for publishers and a similar reading experience for the readers. Medium has in-line notes and responses instead of comments. Medium is a completely hosted platform so the user doesn’t need to worry about the software. Medium is expected to allow custom domains for publishers so you can use your own domain names on Medium. The platform is also suitable for all devices and screen sizes.
4. Posthaven
Posthaven is a long-term project that aims to create a blogging platform that remains for as long as humanly possible, instead of having to move your posts and photos every time a service goes away. This includes durable URLs you can use forever and a straightforward, open, self-sustaining, pro-user business model. This site does have a charge of $5 per month per user which will buy you up to 10 sites with more for a small additional fee that maintains a clean, safe and up-to-date site. Posthaven is ultimately seen as long-term data custodians, without the hassle of having to change sites as websites go through their trends.
5. Slant
Slant, known as America’s most diverse newsroom, is bringing new voices, and unique perspectives on major stories to the forefront. They’re providing a platform for writers to publish their stories and share their perspectives with the world while providing professional editorial support and 70% direct compensation based on the performance of their articles. Slant’s model combines the quality of a traditional newsroom with the authenticity and diversity of a new wave of writers, encouraging them to take different ‘slants’ on pressing stories and societal issues that don’t always make the front pages.
Which new publishing platforms have you explored? Please share with us below in the comments!