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Welcome to "On the Net Today". Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we bring you a handpicked selection of three valuable and interesting online resources to help you get the most out of the internet and optimize your browsing time.

Here are the three resources we've prepared for today:

• Webby Awards 2025 Nominees Announced

• Newsletters and "semaform" define Semafor's journalistic approach

• BuiltWith reveals what technology any website uses

Webby Awards 2025 Nominees Announced

The Webby Awards finalists for 2025 have been announced. This Tuesday, organizers revealed the finalists for the 29th edition and opened public voting for the People's Voice Award winners across all categories. The competition drew nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries.

The Webby Awards, organized by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS), celebrate "excellence on the internet and honor the creative pioneers, brands, and personalities driving cultural and technological innovation." Nominees in each category compete for two honors: the jury-selected Webby Award and the public-voted People's Voice Award. Voting remains open until April 17, 2025, with winners to be announced on April 22.

In the Media Company of the Year race, NBCUniversal leads with 30 nominations, followed by MTV Entertainment Studios (18), CNN (16), National Geographic (16), PBS (14), The Walt Disney Company (14), and The Washington Post (14).

The awards have introduced new categories celebrating digital creators, acknowledging "the rise of the creator economy and the growing influence of creators who are shaping culture, entertainment, and the Internet." The organizers note that "these categories highlight the crucial role individual creators play in transforming our digital experiences and interactions."

This year's nominees showcase the increasing influence of artificial intelligence, demonstrating AI's potential to enhance creativity and transform digital experiences.

The awards also introduce a new Brand of the Year category, with nominations led by Google and Apple (38 each), followed by Samsung (12), YouTube (9), Nike (9), and McDonald's (7).

Links:

• The Webby Awards

• Voting: vote.webbyawards.com

• 29th Annual Webby Awards Nominees Announced - Press release about the finalists

Newsletters and "semaform" define Semafor's journalistic approach

Digital media outlet Semafor, which launched in the United States in October 2022, has quickly established itself among major media organizations through its innovative approach to news delivery.

Semafor was co-founded by Justin B. Smith, former CEO of Bloomberg Media, and Ben Smith, former media columnist at The New York Times and former editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed News.

The outlet's signature feature is its "Semaform" article format, which distinctly separates news content, the journalist's perspective, and opposing viewpoints. Here, Semafor's Executive Editor, Gina Chua, explains the concept:

• What is a Semaform, anyway? And why should you care? - Semafor

  Gina Chua is Semafor’s Executive Editor and was previously Reuters’ Executive Editor.

The publication has also heavily invested in newsletters to build direct relationships with readers. Its flagship offerings include the twice-daily Flagship newsletter, which delivers concise world news updates (see example), and Principals, which focuses on key U.S. political developments (see example).

Other notable newsletters are dedicated to specific topics: Business (with Liz Hoffman), Technology (with Reed Albergotti), and Media (with Ben Smith), among others.

Another major initiative from Semafor is their live events, designed as high-impact editorial gatherings for informed audiences, key leaders, and change agents across different sectors and geographical areas. These events are also part of the outlet's journalistic offering.

Links:

• Semafor

• Semafor Newsletters 

• Semafor Events

BuiltWith reveals what technology any website uses

Want to know what technology a specific website is built with? BuiltWith is a website that allows you to discover exactly what technological tools any website uses.

To find out, we simply need to enter the corresponding website's URL in the BuiltWith search bar. The tool will return a detailed list of the technologies used in building that page.

With a free account, you can look up to ten websites per day.

Another interesting service offered by BuiltWith is its report on the most used web technologies on the internet. Specifically, it shows the number of active websites that currently use each of the analyzed technologies.

• Web Technology Usage Trends

Links:

• BuiltWith

• Trends 

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