Web Publishing Roll Up: Twitter, eBooks and the Chronicles of Journalism

What's happening in the world of web publishing this week?

• Twitter Makes the AP Stylebook
• Scribd.com Offers eBooks
• The Chronicles of Journalism

Updating the AP Stylebook

To think that last year at this time, the Associated Press was busy harassing bloggers, with whom it was denying their content. Now, it seems the AP is keeping busy updating their stylebook.

The new edition of Stylebook Online adds a "Quick Reference Guide" to make it easier for users to answer the most common questions on topics such as abbreviations and acronyms.

There are also audio pronunciation guides for newsmakers, an updated search function and detailed information on U.S. and international companies. Updated throughout the year, users can customize with their own listings, examples and local deviations from AP style.

Making their debut in the Stylebook Online include the verb form of text, texted and texting and Twitter.

The new entry for Twitter notes that the social networking website limits messages to short Tweets. The verb forms are to Twitter or to Tweet.

A Digital Sign of the Times

A sign that traditional book publishers are embracing non-Kindle alternatives, Simon & Schuster has agreed to sell digital copies of its books on Scribd.com, a popular document-sharing website.

Approximately 5,000 titles will have digital editions available for purchase on the site. It will also add thousands of other titles to Scribd’s search engine, allowing readers to sample content of the books on the site and providing links to buy the print editions. 

Unlike the Kindle, which sets the retail price for its e-books, Scribd offers publishers more control over how their digital titles are sold. For example, Simon & Schuster will sell its books on Scribd for 20 percent off the list price of the most recent print edition.

However, publishers can monitor their prices based on popularity, and change their prices accordingly.

Chronicling the Rise and Fall of Journalism

TechNewsWorld has been profiling the Rise and Fall of Traditional Journalism. The five part article by Kurt Cagle lays out the issue facing the troubled industry, from the emergence of Internet and online advertising to social media and online communities.

Cagle says that what has changed isn't the "need for news, analysis, investigative reporting, deep technical knowledge and entertainment," but rather the "vehicle for expression of journalism."

Cagle explores journalism from historical, sociological and cultural perspectives, and ultimately urges journalists to embrace change. 

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Tags: associated press, scribd, social media, twitter, web publishing, web publishing roll up

What's happening in the world of web publishing this week?

• Twitter Makes the AP Stylebook
• Scribd.com Offers eBooks
• The Chronicles of Journalism