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# How Mashable lost its identity - and its way
- URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/11/mashable-failure/
- Published: 2017-11-23T13:36:58.000Z
- Updated: 2017-11-23T13:36:58.000Z
- Author: Adam Tinworth
- Tags: editorial strategy, Journalism, publishing strategy

Lucia Moses on [how Mashable killed itself](https://digiday.com/media/mashables-fire-sale-shows-limits-vc-funding/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):

> The meme coverage that built Mashable was becoming commoditized. So Mashable used its new capital to hire Roberts and other pedigreed journalists.
> 
> Soon, there were stories on terrorism and Ukraine leading the homepage, a big change for a site better known for covering social media and internet memes.

Astonishing, really. The site chose to move from a beat which was *becoming* a commodity, but in which it had a leadership position, to a beat that was *already* commoditised. Why anyone would choose to join in with the cut-throat struggle that is mainstream reporting now, without a profoundly different take on it to set themselves apart from the mass of international news outlets, is quite beyond me.

> Doug Rozen, chief digital and innovation officer at OMD, said he sees small or midsize publishers run into trouble when they change their editorial mandate. Ambition is a good thing until it becomes a cover for trying to be everything to everyone. Mashable was serving a need as a go-to resource as social media marketing took off. But was it serving a need being yet another publication covering general news?

Spoilers: No.

It’s a shame – because nobody really does what Mashable used to do. And I miss that. Today’s homepage? A mass of undifferentiated stories. I’m honestly not sure what [Ziff Davis is buying](http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/mashable-ziff-davis-pete-cashmore-1202616857/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) – other than a bunch of traffic.