Eight examples of long-form digital content projects

In researching for last week's Journalism.co.uk podcast on long-form journalism and digital opportunities, we came across a number of interesting digital projects - some which have been around for years and others yet to launch - which are focused on the production or curation of long-form content, from text and audio to video.

Here is a list of just eight examples we came across (in no particular order) for anyone interested in in-depth content production, or reading, online. Feel free to suggest any others in the comments below.

1. The Atavist



The Atavist, based in the US, has been around for about a year and a half now. It is both a publishing platform, which can be licensed for use by other publishers, and is also itself a publisher of long-form non-fiction from 8,000 words upwards. Its work is published across Android devices as well as on the iPad and Kindle.

Its non-fiction pieces are multimedia-rich, with a mix of text, audio, video and images. Each piece costs between $2 and $3.

2. Matter



Matter, which was co-founded by Bobbie Johnson in the UK and Jim Giles in the US, is focused on long-form science and technology journalism, and is due to launch next month. It managed to crowdfund $140,000 via Kickstarter to help get it started.

Inspired by the success of models such as The Atavist, Matter will also charge per individual article, at a rate of around $0.99 each.

3. LongReads.com



LongReads.com launched in 2009 and each day directs its users to interesting examples of long-form content online. According to its 'about us' page this includes "long-form journalism, magazine stories from your favourite publications (The New Yorker, Esquire, The Atlantic), short stories, interview transcripts, and even historical documents".

It says that it also encourages its community to share their recommended reads via Twitter using the #longreads hashtag.

4. LongForm.org



LongForm.org also curates long-form non-fiction pieces "that are too long and too interesting to be read on a web browser", according to its about us page.

The site launched in 2010 and then earlier this year it released an iPad app, which costs £1.49 to download, and "offers direct delivery of Longform.org picks and the ability to subscribe to features from dozens of magazines".

5. Narratively



Narratively is a multimedia project dedicated to in-depth stories on New York-focused themes. Like Matter, Narratively is also due to launch next month, and also took to Kickstarter to raise funds to get started.

Each week the site, which will be free to access, will look at one New York theme, with a series of daily multimedia stories produced throughout that week around the central theme.

The site plans to offer premium membership for added extras, as well as run ticketed events and in time hopes to syndicate content to mainstream news outlets.

6. Byliner



Byliner, which launched in 2010, has two roles; it publishes "compelling works of original fiction and non-fiction", with a word-count of 5,000 to 30,000, and on its website it also acts as a curator of other content fitting this brief.

In its publishing role it makes its content available as Kindle singles, Apple iBookstore Quick Reads and Barnes & Noble Nook Snaps, according to it's 'about us' page.

"Byliner originals tackle compelling stories from the worlds of culture, technology, politics, business, sports, science, crime, adventure, and more."

7. MediaStorm



Online video platform MediaStorm describes its content as "cinematic narratives that speak to the heart of the human condition".

According to its website, MediaStorm originally launched in 1994 but was relaunched 11 years later "with a focus on creating cinematic narratives for distribution across a variety of platforms".

In June MediaStorm introduced charges to view its full feature pieces, at a "pay per story" cost of $1.99.

8. Triple Canopy



The first issue of non-profit online magazine Triple Canopy was launched in 2008. The title describes itself as being "dedicated to slowing down the internet", such as in terms of design which is centred on "prolonged focused engagement".

Part of their work includes a new media reporting project which "was established to provide journalists an outlet for - and provide them with the technical resources and expertise to realize - in-depth, critical reports executed in multiple media".

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