Automatic Media Winds Down
Unfortunately, Salon.com is reporting that our friends at Automatic Media have laid off the bulk of their staff and are suspending operation of their flagship web sites, Feed and Suck. The most recently-launched site in their portfolio, Plastic, will continue operation with some of the staff members working as volunteers. Joey Anuff posted a story on Plastic explaining the situation.
Dave Aiello wrote, "The shutdown of Automatic Media is a blow to the entire culture of the Internet. I hope that Steven Johnson and Stephanie Syman are able to find a home for these web sites within a large media company. Regarding Plastic, its loss would be very bad for the Slashcode community, even if some members of the community don't realize it."
"Another article on Salon, written by Scott Rosenberg, asks the kind of question that can only be asked near the bottom of a market in panic:"
The Slashdot/Plastic model makes eminent sense as a use of the Web, though not
necessarily as a business (advertisers have always been reluctant to hand over their dollars
to community sites). But in the present climate of epidemic site-shutterings, it does lead
skeptics to ask: What will they do when there's no one left to link to?