ReadWriteWeb founder to be Newsroom Tech Columnist

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ReadWriteWeb founder to be Newsroom Tech Columnist

February 22, 2017 - Newsroom is pleased to announce that Richard MacManus, the founder of ReadWriteWeb, will be Newsroom's Technology columnist.

MacManus launched ReadWriteWeb in 2003 from Wellington and built it up into a pioneering technology blog that helped define the social media era. He sold it in December 2011 and has been writing independently since then, including his just-published science fiction novel 'Presence'. Richard has a global reputation for articulating what’s next in technology and what it means for society. His column will be published on Newsroom weekly.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Newsroom as its weekly technology columnist. We're in the middle of another sea change in technology, similar in scope to the "web 2.0" era that I chronicled at ReadWriteWeb. When I founded ReadWriteWeb, social software was just in the process of being created. It soon blossomed into the social media ecosystem we all use today; tools like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. I got to know many of the movers and shakers in Silicon Valley during that time, and learned a lot about how technology can change the world," MacManus said.

"Today, we're at an inflection point for a whole raft of exciting new technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Biotech, and more. I'm going to explore all these technologies in my weekly column. And as with web 2.0, it's about more than just the products. I'm interested in how these new and powerful technologies will change society," he said.

"What's more, New Zealand is home to some very innovative young tech companies. Just look at the success local Wellington startup 8i is having in the US with its virtual reality technology. I want to highlight these local tech heroes, as well as bring you my perspective on the cutting-edge stories from Silicon Valley."

Newsroom Pro Managing Editor and Newsroom Director Bernard Hickey, who is also Wellington-based, said he was delighted MacManus would be writing a weekly column.

"Richard brings an enormous depth of experience and credibility to covering technology and what it means for society. That fits perfectly with Newsroom's aim of covering the things that matter in an engaging and authoritative way that others won't or can't," he said.

"He will bring an internationally-informed and engaged local eye to the biggest shifts happening in the way we work and live with a proliferation of devices and technologies. He will also pick out the newest tech stars and issues in New Zealand's IT economy."

Richard's email address is richard@ricm.ac and his twitter handle is @ricmac for those in the tech industry who'd like to contact him.

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