HotWired

American publication

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July 19, 2026

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HotWired was the first major online publication to feature original, web-only content. It debuted in 1994 as an associated venture of Wired magazine, which was founded in San Francisco in 1993 by Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe. Wired focused on technology and its societal impact, capturing the burgeoning culture of the Internet. HotWired served as the online component for Wired magazine and was instrumental in the early development of online communities and webzines. Howard Rheingold, a writer influential in the development of virtual communities, helped create HotWired and served as its first executive editor.12

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Wired
…including the 1994 debut of HotWired, the first major online publication to feature original, Web-only content. That same year, Wired won the first of several National Magazine Awards for general excellence. In 1998 the magazine was sold to the conglomerate Advance Publications for its Condé Nast magazine publishing group, with…
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…including the 1994 debut of HotWired, the first major online publication to feature original, Web-only content. That same year, Wired won the first of several National Magazine Awards for general excellence. In 1998 the magazine was sold to the conglomerate Advance Publications for its Condé Nast magazine publishing group, with…
Read More