Apple Matters Unveils New Design; Inks Deal With BackBeat Media

When I started Apple Matters two and a half years ago it was to fill what I saw as a lack in high quality writing about Apple. I wanted a place where more serious writing could take place and ideas could flourish. To be honest, my vision for Apple Matters far exceeds what it currently is, even in its newest iteration today. I want it to be the New Yorker of Apple content. I want serious content, with some humor here and there about [I]all[/I] things Apple.

Today is a step towards that vision. With Backbeat Media as a partner I will be able to invest more in what you and I care most about, good original content. Right now I am honored to have three great writers working with me. In the future I hope to be able to add more original and intelligent voices.

But it isn’t just about us. You the reader have provided, more often than not, an incredible variety of commentary on the articles you write. Often the comments are far longer than the original pieces themselves! This dialogue enriches the site to an immeasurable degree and I thank you for it. Keep it coming.

I hope you enjoy this new version of Apple Matters. We went through extensive testing and a limited soft-launch to make sure the site works, and is usable before launching. The site has been reviewed in Safari, Camino, Netscape, Internet Explorer (even Safari for Tiger! Thanks C.K. and Laurie), Firefox, Omniweb, and a plethora of other browsers on multiple platforms. The only browsers the site won’t render properly in are very old browsers like Netscape 4. The new site (like the old one) uses CSS layout (no tables here!) which old browsers cannot deal with. However, if you see anything that looks odd, or find something unusable or irritating please let me know. In the meantime, here is the press release.

Press contact:
Hadley Stern
Apple Matters
617 549 0464
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

APPLE MATTERS UNVEILS NEW DESIGN; INKS DEAL WITH BACKBEAT MEDIA

Apple aficionado web site offers new editorial features & commercial appeal

Boston, Mass., April 18, 2005 - Apple Matters, the online source for original editorial about ‘all things Apple’, relaunches today and announces a partnership with interactive advertising company, Backbeat Media. 

The redesigned publication (http://www.applematters.com) now features author blogs, most commented articles and reader polls, as well as more-easily accessible archives.  Visited by over two million enthusiasts since its 2002 launch, Apple Matters continues to provide original commentary on topics including the impact of Apple on our culture, exclusive profiles of people in Apple’s storied history such as Herbie Hancock and Guy Kawasaki, original in-depth opinion pieces and product reviews.  Its talented, and somewhat-eccentric, editorial team include founder/publisher and editor-in-chief, Hadley Stern, senior contributing editor Gregory Ng, and senior writers, Chris Seibold, and C.K. Sample III (see bios below.)

In addition to its editorial appeal, Apple Matters also represents commercial appeal, having generated over 10 million page views since its launch. Its new relationship with BackBeat Media, a primary site representation network, bolsters this further by providing business operations and interactive advertising support for independently owned and operated web-based communities.

“Apple devotees everywhere will appreciate the redesign of Apple Matters,” said Apple Matters founder/publisher/editor-in-chief, Hadley Stern.  “New features make the site rich content more easily accesible. Furthermore, the deal with BackBeat Media removes the burden of selling advertising space on our site.  This means that we can focus on what we do best, publishing high-quality and entertaining content.”

“BackBeat Media exists solely to support and nurture the vitality of independent voices on the Web,” said Dave Hamilton, co-founder of BackBeat Media. “We’re pleased to be adding Apple Matters to our growing network of independent web communities and news and information sites.”

The new version of Apple Matters was created with the assistance of pMachine Services (http://www.pmachineservices.com), and pMachine Hosting (http://www.pmachinehosting.com). Apple Matters runs on the latest generation of the pMachine platform, Expression Engine (http://www.pmachine.com/expressionengine).

About Apple Matters Editorial Staff
Founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief Hadley Stern is a designer, writer, and photographer residing in Boston. He has written for WebMonkey, American Photo magazine, and O’Reilly Media, and is the author of the O’Reilly Media book, ‘iPod and iTunes Hacks.’ Since graduating in graphic design from the Rhode Island School of Design, Hadley has worked as a professional designer at Malcolm Grear Designers, Rykodisc Records, and Razorfish. He has worked on corporate identity projects, CD packages, web sites, Flash banner advertising, and a wide variety of print collateral. His personal site is hadleystern.com (http://www.hadleystern.com).

Gregory Ng, senior contributing editor, is a devotee of all things Apple and most importantly, his iPod. He’s also an advertising art director and proud father of two. (Two children. Not iPods.) Yet he still manages to find time for AppleMatters.com, where he focuses his cat-like reflexes on matters of music, culture, and customer service. Earlier quests for fame led to him to discover his alter ego: Chelvis, the Chinese Elvis. He was also DJ of a now-defunct radio show, Fresh Cuts from the Audiobarn. Easter eggs and other tantalizing delicacies can be found at GregoryNg.com (http://www.GregoryNg.com)

C.K. Sample, III is practicing to be an expert juggler. Besides writing articles and reviews for Apple Matters, here’s a short list of other life bits he’s frantically attempting to keep in the air: a full-time job in IT, a dissertation in English, a college class he teaches, writing and publishing literary criticism, writing and publishing tech articles, blogging for The Unofficial Apple Weblog (http://www.tuaw.com/), a driving need to create art (recently completed a pen and ink of Samuel Beckett and an oil portrait of Johnny Cash), and, of course, his blogs (Sample the Web, my iPod blog, and the recently retired 3650 and a 12-inch). He enjoys spending obscene amounts of time in front of the television and the computer, simultaneously if possible, and spending time with his wonderful wife, Kristin, and his pet Eclectus parrot, Mikhail “Misha” Baryshnakov.  If you’re interested in hiring him to write an article or in seeing (and possibly purchasing) the Johnny Cash painting or Samuel Beckett sketch, drop him a line. He’s always looking for more things to juggle.

Chris Seibold is primarily a stay at home parent and secondarily a freelance writer. He is a proud contributor to iPod and iTunes Hacks and has written an ebook: iMovie on the Cheap. Seriously interested in computing and particularly the Macintosh platform Chris has been using Macs since the introduction of the Mac Classic. While he has written for a variety of websites his columns can be found with regularity at Apple Matters on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Hobbies include making short films and very bad woodworking.