Six Apart

Six Apart is a Japanese software company whose history is closely tied to the emergence of blogging as a distinct software and media category. The company was founded in September 2001 by Ben Trott and Mena Trott. Ben Trott initially created what became Movable Type during a period of unemployment so that Mena could publish and manage her weblog more easily. The product’s first public release attracted more than 100 downloads during its first hour, providing an early indication of demand for accessible publishing software. The company initially operated as an American technology venture and became an important developer of early blogging infrastructure. Its principal products included Movable Type, a software package that enabled users and organizations to publish and manage weblogs, and TypePad, a hosted blogging service designed to reduce the technical work required to operate a publishing site. Six Apart also developed Vox, a blogging and social-networking platform, and acquired Danga Interactive, the company behind LiveJournal. These products placed Six Apart across several segments of the early social web: self-hosted publishing software, managed blogging, community-oriented services, and lightweight social communication. Six Apart expanded through venture financing and acquisitions during the middle of the 2000s. Initial funding led by Joi Ito and Neoteny helped the company hire staff, acquire a French weblog-publishing business, and develop TypePad. A later funding round led by August Capital supported additional acquisitions. In January 2005, Six Apart acquired Danga Interactive from Brad Fitzpatrick, who subsequently became the company’s chief architect. The company later acquired SplashBlog, Rojo.com, the social-media agency Apperceptive, and the microblogging service Pownce. Several of these transactions reflected the company’s attempt to broaden beyond conventional weblog software and participate in the expanding Web 2.0 and social-media markets. Six Apart also experienced strategic contraction. It sold LiveJournal to SUP Fabrik in 2007, shut down Vox in 2010, and announced a combination with VideoEgg that created the media company SAY Media. In January 2011, SAY Media sold the Six Apart brand and the worldwide Movable Type business to Infocom, a Japanese information-technology company. Following that transaction, Six Apart’s headquarters became Tokyo, and Nobuhiro Seki, previously general manager of Six Apart, K.K., became president and chief executive officer. The transaction marked a shift from Six Apart’s origins as a United States-based blogging start-up to its continuing operation as a Japanese software business. Six Apart’s historical importance comes from its role in making online publishing more usable for individuals, publishers, and organizations. Movable Type helped establish blogging software as a serious publishing tool, while TypePad represented the hosted-service model that later became common across content-management and creator platforms. Although several products and businesses associated with the company were discontinued or divested, Six Apart continues to be identified principally with Movable Type and enterprise-oriented content publishing under Japanese ownership.

Six Apart was established in September 2001 by the married couple Ben Trott and Mena Trott. The company’s name referred to the six-day age difference between its founders. Its origin was closely connected to the founders’ own use of weblogs: while unemployed, Ben Trott wrote software that made it easier for Mena to publish her weblog. That software became Movable Type. When version 1.0 was made available online, it reportedly received more than 100 downloads in its first hour, giving the young company an early foothold in the emerging blogging-software market. During its first years, Six Apart helped move weblogging from a technically specialized activity toward a broadly accessible publishing practice. Movable Type provided software for creating and managing weblogs, while the company developed TypePad as a hosted alternative for users who did not want to install or maintain publishing infrastructure themselves. The two products gave Six Apart a presence in both self-managed and hosted content publishing. In 2003, the company obtained initial venture funding from investors led by Joi Ito and his firm Neoteny. The financing supported recruitment, the acquisition of a French weblog-publishing company, and development of the hosted service that became TypePad. Six Apart completed another funding round led by August Capital in 2004, enabling further expansion through acquisitions. The company broadened its portfolio substantially between 2005 and 2008. In January 2005, it bought Danga Interactive, the parent company of LiveJournal, from founder Brad Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick joined Six Apart as chief architect. LiveJournal brought a large community-oriented publishing service into the company, complementing Movable Type’s software model and TypePad’s hosted publishing model. Six Apart announced the acquisition of SplashBlog in March 2006 and launched Vox later that year. Vox was designed as a more socially oriented blogging and networking platform. In September 2006, Six Apart acquired Rojo.com; around the same period, Chris Alden became executive vice president and general manager of Movable Type, while Aaron Emigh became executive vice president and general manager of core technologies. Management changed in 2007 when chairman and chief executive Barak Berkowitz stepped aside and Chris Alden became chief executive. The company also began reducing parts of its portfolio. In December 2007, Six Apart announced that LiveJournal would be sold to SUP Fabrik, a Russian media company that had licensed the LiveJournal brand and software for operation in Russia. In 2008, Six Apart acquired Apperceptive, a New York social-media agency, and partnered with Adify to support advertising programs involving bloggers. It also acquired Pownce, a microblogging service, in December 2008. Pownce was shut down shortly afterward, but members of its development team remained with Six Apart for a period and aspects of its technology were integrated into TypePad and TypePad Conversations. Six Apart continued to reorganize around broader digital media. In September 2010, it announced the closure of Vox, ending new posting before the final service termination at the end of the month. Later that month, the company announced that it would combine with VideoEgg to create SAY Media. In January 2011, SAY Media sold the Six Apart brand and the worldwide Movable Type business to Infocom, a Japanese information-technology company. The transaction shifted Six Apart’s center of operations to Tokyo. Nobuhiro Seki, who had been general manager of Six Apart, K.K., became president and chief executive officer. Under Japanese ownership, Six Apart’s identity has remained principally associated with Movable Type and content-management software. The company’s earlier ventures into social networking, community blogging, advertising, and microblogging illustrate the rapid evolution of the Web 2.0 market, while the continuing Movable Type business represents the more durable enterprise and publishing-software side of its history.

1. 2011Infocom acquires the Six Apart brand and Movable Type business

   The worldwide Movable Type business and Six Apart brand move to Infocom, with Tokyo becoming the company’s headquarters.

   Source
2. 2010Vox closes and SAY Media is formed

   The Vox service is discontinued, and Six Apart announces a combination with VideoEgg to create SAY Media.

   Source
3. 2008Pownce is acquired

   Six Apart purchases Pownce and later incorporates elements of the service’s technology into TypePad-related products.

   Source
4. 2007Leadership transition and LiveJournal divestiture

   Chris Alden succeeds Barak Berkowitz as chief executive, while Six Apart announces the sale of LiveJournal to SUP Fabrik.

   Source
5. 2006Vox launches

   Six Apart releases Vox, a social blogging and networking platform.

   Source
6. 2005Danga Interactive is acquired

   Six Apart acquires the parent company of LiveJournal and appoints Brad Fitzpatrick as chief architect.

   Source
7. 2004Second funding round

   A financing round led by August Capital gives the company additional capacity for acquisitions.

   Source
8. 2003Initial venture financing supports expansion

   Funding led by Joi Ito and Neoteny helps Six Apart hire staff, acquire a French weblog publisher, and develop its hosted publishing service.

   Source
9. 2001Six Apart is founded

   Ben and Mena Trott establish Six Apart in September, with Movable Type emerging from software created to simplify weblog publishing.

   Source

A software and content-management company serving organizations, publishers, and individual creators through blogging, hosted publishing, and web content tools.

• Movable TypeBlogging and content-management software2001

  Movable Type is Six Apart’s best-known publishing platform. It originated as software for creating and maintaining weblogs and became a significant early content-management product for individuals, publishers, and organizations. Unlike a purely hosted service, it gave customers control over deployment and publishing infrastructure. The product formed the core of Six Apart’s long-term software business and was included in the worldwide business transferred to Infocom in 2011.

• TypePadHosted blogging service2003

  TypePad was Six Apart’s hosted weblog-publishing service. It was developed after the company’s early venture financing and offered users a managed alternative to installing and administering blogging software themselves. TypePad extended Six Apart’s reach from software developers and technically capable publishers to customers seeking a simpler hosted publishing workflow. Technology from the acquired Pownce service was later incorporated into TypePad and TypePad Conversations.

• VoxSocial blogging platform2006

  Vox was a Web 2.0-era blogging and social-networking platform launched by Six Apart in 2006. It sought to combine personal publishing with social interaction and community features. The service was part of Six Apart’s attempt to participate in the increasingly social character of online media, but the company announced its closure in 2010.

• LiveJournalOnline journaling and community platform

  LiveJournal was brought into Six Apart’s portfolio through the 2005 acquisition of Danga Interactive. Its community-oriented model complemented Six Apart’s blogging software and hosted publishing products. Six Apart later sold the LiveJournal business to SUP Fabrik in 2007, ending its ownership of the service.

• PownceMicroblogging service

  Pownce was a microblogging website acquired by Six Apart in 2008. The public Pownce site was closed soon after the acquisition, while members of its development team remained with Six Apart for a period and parts of its technology were used in TypePad and TypePad Conversations.

• 2008Six Apart blogger advertising partnership with Adify

  United States · Global

  Six Apart partnered with advertising network Adify to let bloggers participate in advertising campaigns managed through a network-style program.

  Outcome. The partnership supported Six Apart’s broader effort to connect blogging, advertising, and digital media services.

  Source

• 2011Transfer of the Six Apart brand and Movable Type business to InfocomM&A

  Following the SAY Media combination, the Six Apart brand and its principal software business were transferred to a Japanese information-technology company.

  What changed. SAY Media sold the Six Apart brand and worldwide Movable Type business to Infocom.

  Aftermath. Six Apart became headquartered in Tokyo, and Nobuhiro Seki became president and chief executive officer.

  Source
• 2010Closure of VoxOther

  Six Apart reassessed its social blogging portfolio amid changes in the online-media market.

  What changed. The company stopped new posting on Vox during September and terminated the service at the end of the month.

  Aftermath. Vox became a discontinued product as Six Apart moved toward its combination with VideoEgg and the formation of SAY Media.

  Source
• 2010Combination with VideoEgg to form SAY MediaM&A

  Six Apart pursued a broader digital-media strategy combining publishing technology with video and advertising capabilities.

  What changed. Six Apart announced that it would join forces with VideoEgg to create SAY Media.

  Aftermath. SAY Media became the corporate setting in which the Six Apart brand and worldwide Movable Type business were subsequently sold to Infocom.

  Source
• 2008Acquisition of PownceM&A

  Six Apart pursued microblogging capabilities and adjacent social-publishing technology.

  What changed. Six Apart acquired Pownce and brought key members of its development team into the company.

  Aftermath. The Pownce website was shut down, while technology from the service was integrated into TypePad and TypePad Conversations.

  Source
• 2007Sale of LiveJournal to SUP FabrikM&A

  Six Apart reassessed its portfolio after expanding into multiple social and publishing services.

  What changed. The company announced the sale of LiveJournal to SUP Fabrik, a Russian media company.

  Aftermath. LiveJournal left Six Apart’s ownership, allowing the company to concentrate more closely on its remaining publishing and media businesses.

  Source
• 2005Acquisition of Danga InteractiveM&A

  Six Apart sought to expand beyond standalone blogging software and hosted publishing by adding a major community-oriented service.

  What changed. The company acquired Danga Interactive, the parent company of LiveJournal, from Brad Fitzpatrick.

  Aftermath. Fitzpatrick joined Six Apart as chief architect, while LiveJournal became part of the company’s service portfolio until its sale in 2007.

  Source

• 2011Infocom acquires Six Apart brand and worldwide Movable Type business

  SAY Media sold the Six Apart brand and the worldwide Movable Type business to Japanese information-technology company Infocom.

  M&A
  Source
• 2010Vox service is discontinued

  Six Apart announced that Vox would stop accepting new posts in September 2010 and would terminate at the end of that month.

  Other
  Source
• 2010Six Apart and VideoEgg announce SAY Media combination

  Six Apart announced plans to combine with VideoEgg to form SAY Media, a broader digital-media company.

  M&A
  Source
• 2008Six Apart acquires Apperceptive

  The company acquired New York social-media agency Apperceptive as part of a strategy to broaden its media and social-publishing activities.

  M&A
  Source
• 2008Six Apart acquires Pownce

  Six Apart acquired microblogging service Pownce. The Pownce website was subsequently closed, while elements of its technology were incorporated into TypePad and TypePad Conversations.

  M&AProduct generation
  Source
• 2007Chris Alden succeeds Barak Berkowitz as chief executive

  Barak Berkowitz stepped aside as chairman and chief executive, with Chris Alden taking over the chief executive role.

  Leadership change
  Source
• 2007LiveJournal is sold to SUP Fabrik

  Six Apart announced the sale of LiveJournal to SUP Fabrik, a Russian media company that had licensed the service for use in Russia.

  M&A
  Source
• 2006Six Apart announces SplashBlog acquisition

  The company acquired SplashBlog, a service focused on camera-phone blogging.

  M&A
  Source
• 2006Six Apart launches Vox

  Six Apart introduced Vox as a Web 2.0-era blogging and social-networking platform.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2006Six Apart acquires Rojo.com

  Six Apart acquired Rojo.com as part of its expansion into adjacent online publishing and social technologies.

  M&A
  Source
• 2005Six Apart acquires Danga Interactive, parent of LiveJournal

  Six Apart purchased Danga Interactive from Brad Fitzpatrick, bringing the LiveJournal business into its portfolio.

  M&A
  Source

1. Six Apart
2. Six Apart official website