Commenting on the appointment, Russell Hanly, CEO of 24.com, said that hiring Buckland - a respected web entrepreneur, technology journalist and leader in the South African blogosphere - is part of a strategy by 24.com to attract more top talent, to further leverage the reach and interactivity of its family of leading websites, and build a wider South African community around 24.com's diverse content.
“We're proud to welcome Matt to the team and look forward to his contribution toward sustaining 24.com's growth among PC users, while also widening our audience to include more mobile phone users, many of whom will access the Internet on their phones before doing so on a computer,” said Hanly last week. “Matt's unique mix of skills and experience will be invaluable in our efforts to grow 24.com's overall audience and drive deeper engagement with our diverse content.”
Buckland is a co-founder of blog aggregator www.amatomu.com and group blog www.thoughtleader.co.za. During his eight years with M&G, he launched a variety of websites, mobile sites and online businesses including www.techleader.co.za, www.sportsleader.co.za, www.jobconnection.co.za, www.theguide.co.za and www.newsinphotos.co.za.
“One of my key objectives is to increase 24.com's audience, but more specifically, the interaction between that audience and 24.com's various sites and online services,” added Buckland. “An important metric for online advertisers going forward will be the level of audience engagement and I plan to make the most of 24.com's various multimedia, social media and mobile platforms to inspire more user-generated content and brand experiences.”
