like youtube for text

It's become cliche, but this catchphrase probably isn't a bad one for Scribd to have -- especially considering YouTube's success. Plus, their mission sounds noble enough "create the world's largest open library of documents": +4 points for saving me the trip to Alexandria, but I think that library closed anyway.

Granted, it's got some familiar copyright-infringing issues that make it so sinfully popular (and useful!) but it's worked before. It certainly hasn't appeared to worry investors, who have reportedly made frenzied attempts to invest. And who could blame them? (Guys, I hope you at least got a lunch out of one of those VCs first). Considering all the traffic they've been getting, me thinks the VCs were dropping 'bows on one another for this investment (this has neither been confirmed nor denied).

I even got ganked on a writeup I sent out to the YC mailing list published on it -- it's quite flattering, really. Apparently a bunch of publishers don't feel the same way (or so says my editor girlfriend). You've likely heard about what it's like to date a book editor, it's all true, every Saturday night is a new adventure.

The only downside is that they're still a bit hesitant about watching their industry die away as fewer and fewer people read books. But who needs books when you can read text within text websites? (+6 points to Scribd for finally making .pdfs suck a little bit less)