Protagonize
Protagonize[2][3] was an online creative writing community based in Vancouver, BC, Canada.[4] It was established in late December 2007.[5] It was owned and operated by Taunt Media.[6][7] The site catered to both amateur and experienced authors interested in online collaborative creative writing, and in 2016, was home to over 43,800 works (pieces of writing) and 160,800 pages,[8] and over 29,000[9][10] members from around the world. On June 3, 2017, Protagonize closed down due to stagnant user growth and declining revenue from advertising and donations.[11] The current domain redirects to a blog page explaining the shutdown.
Type of site | Writing, Creative |
---|---|
Available in | Multilingual |
Owner | tauntmedia |
URL | www |
Alexa rank | 497,563 [1] |
Commercial | Commercial |
Users | 29,000 |
Launched | December, 2007 |
Current status | Offline |
Content license | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License |
History
Protagonize is an online community and self-publishing platform, launched in December, 2007 by creator Nick Bouton [12] as a home for Choose Your Own Adventure-style branching stories.[13][14] Shortly after launch, the site began to allow for linear narrative as well, and has since expanded to include poetry, screenplays, and other forms of literature.
Following its subsequent growth, there has been an increasing focus on the community aspect of the site, with features such as groups and writing circles being added.[15]
In June 2008 Protagonize was selected as a finalist in the 2008 Canadian New Media Awards for "Excellence in Social Media Websites".[16]
In June 2009 Protagonize was one of seven local BC startups chosen to demo at Launch Party Vancouver 7 as part of the Startup Most Likely to Succeed competition.[17][18]
At least one published book started out life as a story on Protagonize.[19][20]
On June 3, 2017, Protagonize closed down due to stagnant user growth and declining revenue from advertising and donations.[11]
Sources
- "Protagonize Alexa Rank". Alexa.com. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- "Protagonize homepage". Protagonize. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "About Protagonize, a creative writing community". crunch base. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- Davis, Brian Joseph (Jul 15, 2009). "The fiction mob is here". The Globe and Mail.
- "About Protagonize on Protagonize, a creative writing community". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "tauntmedia on Protagonize and other projects". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "Crunch Base report on taunt media". Crunch base. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "Read & browse works on Protagonize, Lists exact number of published works and pages". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "About Protagonize on Protagonize, Lists the average number of users". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- "Protagonize lists its total number of registered members". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
- Bouton, Nick. "The End of the Road". Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- "Nick Bouton on Crunch Base". Crunch base. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- Kyllo, Blaine (Jul 2, 2008). "Web community spins Protagonize's yarns". straight.com.
- Riley, Duncan (May 25, 2008). "Protagonize Is A Good Read, Help Write "FriendFeed Fan"". THE INQUISITR. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- Plus. "About Protagonize on Protagonize, a creative writing community". Protagonize.com. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- Admin. "Excellence in Social Media Websites".
- Admin. "Launch Part Vancouver 7 Companies Announced". Bootup Labs Blog. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- Lewis, Rob. "Seven for LPV7 announced". TECHVIBES. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- Heighway, Tricia (2010). Paddytum. Hirst Publishing. ISBN 978-0956641731.
- Boog, Jason. "Tricia Heighway: Digital Writer Spotlight". APP NEWSER. Retrieved 29 December 2012.