Warner Bros. Discovery had something old and something new to introduce at the TV Upfronts, reverting back to the name HBO Max a little after two years of being known as Max. The company also rolled out a new advertiser tool, WBD Storyverse, unlocking its 100 year-old asset vault “to help brands emotionally connect with audiences using beloved characters and IP with new twists.” WBD says it “will work strategically with partners” to identify good fits with “fan-favorite” content that can be used in new ways to “capture the magic of the original IP through a branded lens.” Continue reading WBD Rolls Out Advertiser Storyverse, Reintroduces HBO Max

Instagram’s Stories — featuring short, disappearing photos and videos — are now read by 400 million people per day. An app called Unfold, created specifically for Instagram Stories, is growing in popularity. Alfonso Cobo, an architect, created Unfold in March 2017 and the app already has 11 million users. Cobo is also opening a design agency to help brands and companies that need to create compelling content for Stories. Cobo originally created Unfold as an app for designers to use the iPad to create portfolios. Continue reading Unfold, an App for Designing Instagram Stories, Gains Steam

Popular websites have been scrambling to update software and Internet users have been encouraged to change their passwords following the news of an encryption flaw known as the Heartbleed bug, which is already being categorized as one of the biggest security threats the Internet has ever experienced. The bug has affected a number of websites and services (although the extent is not clear), and may have exposed account info including passwords and credit card numbers going back two years. UPDATE: Cisco and Juniper said yesterday that some of their networking products contain the bug, which means sensitive info may have been obtained while moving across corporate networks, home networks and the Internet. Continue reading Bug Causes Scramble to Update Software and Change Passwords