I’m Richard MacManus, a web analyst and founder of ReadWriteWeb (2003–2012), one of the most influential publications of the Web 2.0 era. At its peak, RWW was ranked among the world’s top 10 blogs and syndicated by The New York Times.
For more than two decades, I’ve analysed how the web evolves — from the rise of blogs and social media to today’s AI-native platforms and developer ecosystems.
I publish Cybercultural, a long-form project exploring internet history and the systems shaping the modern web.
My latest book, Bubble Blog, is a memoir of building ReadWriteWeb and experiencing firsthand the technological shifts that defined Web 2.0.
- Paperback, US$19.99: Amazon | Bookshop.org
- eBook, US$9.99: Amazon Kindle Store | Apple Books | Google Play
Originally from New Zealand, I’m now based in the UK.
Where to Find Me
- 🐘 Mastodon: @ricmac@mastodon.social
- 🦋 Bluesky: @ricmac.cybercultural.com
- 🌐 Internet history: Cybercultural.com
- 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ricmac
(I no longer post on X or Threads.)
Books
- Bubble Blog (2024) — Memoir of the Web 2.0 era and the rise of ReadWriteWeb.
- Presence (2016) — Fiction exploring the future of the metaverse.
- Trackers (2014) — How technology helps us monitor and improve our health.
Archive & Media
I’ve got an online archive of my writing going back to the early 2000s, with a particular focus on my work from 2003-2012 at ReadWriteWeb.
See also external media coverage, from RWW through to my current projects.