Media Insider: Snapchat Releases Spectacles, Twitter Suitors to Include Google, The New York Times Backs TheSkimm

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the week.

Photo by TechCrunch used under CC BY 2.0

The New York Times is Backing TheSkimm, The Fast-Growing Newsletter That Wants To Be More Than a Newsletter (Recode)

The New York Times is one of a few investors backing TheSkimm, a newsletter aimed at young women, reports Recode. Currently in the process of building out a video business, the newsletter co-founders will use funds from investors to assist with plans. The duo discusses their excitement for working with the New York Times, calling themselves “news geeks.” They’re confident the newsletter will grow to be more than just a newsletter.

With “vimages,” The Economist is using Facebook to make low-budget video versions of its stories (NiemanLab)

The Economist has become yet another type of media to integrate news stories with social media. The format, known as vimages — extremely similar to that of a slideshow — shares snippets from an article in a 30-second, shareable video, made up of photos, charts and a few words. The effort is done in response to Facebook’s video push, and NiemanLab reports that readers of The Economist have responded well to vimages, which is a good sign for other publishers looking to do the same.

Twitter May Soon Get Formal Bid, Suitors Said to Include Salesforce and Google (CNBC)

Google and Salesforce are just a few named suitors in a potential upcoming bid on Twitter. Sources disclosed that the company has received expressions of interest from several technology and media companies, reports CNBC. This was big news as shares of Twitter surged after word got out, despite no formal deal. It will be interesting to see how the discussion of Twitter’s sale ensue as more suitors are made public. No sale is imminent, reports CNBC, but with the increased momentum a deal could be in place before year-end.

Snapchat Releases First Hardware Product, Spectacles (The Wall Street Journal)

Snapchat, now Snap Inc. strategically changed its name this week because its offerings now venture outside of the app business, reports The Wall Street Journal. Short, real-time videos will still be a prominent feature of the company as it prepares to release wearable tech known as Spectacles. The glasses, which record videos and are able to post to the app, will free users from their smartphone when experiencing and sharing moments. Users of Snapchat will still be able to share stories in real time, but can offer viewers an experience from the first-person vantage point.

With Its New Redesign, BuzzFeed’s Betting That the Homepage Still Matters (Poynter)

BuzzFeed is notoriously known for publishing content on sites like Facebook, Snapchat and others. But now the media company has launched a new homepage that will serve as a more user-friendly hub for viewing BuzzFeed content, according to Poynter. The redesign stems from an effort to integrate more video and images into the layout, and merge the desktop and mobile site into one. BuzzFeed’s new homepage will now be equipped to serve as a jumping-off point for content on BuzzFeed News and BuzzFeed Entertainment to go viral.

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Tabresha B. Langham is a Customer Content Specialist with PR Newswire. She also is a social media enthusiast, foodie, and lover of SEC Football (War Eagle!). Tune into her insights as a social curator at @PRNmedia, or follow @TabreshaL.