Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Web
  3. News

Maker Media, the company behind MAKE magazine and Maker Faire events, shuts down

By
White House Maker Faire
(Image courtesy of eymund via Flickr) Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sad news for DIY enthusiasts: Maker Media, the company which runs the Maker Faire events and which produces the magazine MAKE, is shutting down. The company has laid off all its staff and is ceasing operations, TechCrunch reports.

MAKE magazine was formative in a burgeoning DIY culture which encouraged people to experiment with crafting, electronics, and science projects at home. From simple science projects for children to stunningly elaborate robots and machines, MAKE inspired and reported on thousands of makers in its lifetime.

Recommended Videos

The company also ran the popular Maker Faire events, in which makers would come together to show off their creations, to learn from each other, and to meet like-minded people. The Maker Faire events were run around the world in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa, including the World Maker Faire which was most recently held in New York in 2018. There was even a Maker Faire at the White House in 2014. Just a few weeks ago, the Bay Area Maker Faire attracted tens of thousands of attendees.

Now all 22 employees of the company have been let go and the company will be shutting down imminently. Despite its popularity among DIYers, the company has struggled financially since its inception. “I started this 15 years ago and it’s always been a struggle as a business to make this work,” founder and CEO Dale Dougherty told TechCrunch. “Print publishing is not a great business for anybody, but it works… barely. Events are hard… there was a drop off in corporate sponsorship.”

There are hopes that the company may be able to keep going in some way, especially to keep the MAKE online archive running. The archive is a massive resource of projects and advice for builders that would be a sad loss if it went offline. The company also wants to find a way to let third-party organizers license the Maker Faire name and continue putting on events.

“We’re trying to keep the servers running,” Dougherty told TechCrunch. “I hope to be able to get control of the assets of the company and restart it. We’re not necessarily going to do everything we did in the past but I’m committed to keeping the print magazine going and the Maker Faire licensing program.”

Topics
Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
How to change margins in Google Docs
Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Read more
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more
Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs
A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.

Read more