Editing Plastic.com (section)

==The site==
Plastic was launched in January 2001 by [[Automatic Media]],<ref name=johnson>{{Cite news|last=Johnson |first=Steven |title=The Swarm Next Time |work=Feed Magazine |date=2001-01-15 |url=http://www.feedmag.com/templates/printer.php3?a_id=1568 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011111035512/http://www.feedmag.com/templates/printer.php3?a_id=1568 |archive-date=November 11, 2001 }}</ref> a conglomerate that included the pioneering webzines [[Feed Magazine|Feed]] and [[Suck.com]].<ref name=wingfield>{{Cite news|last=Wingfield |first=Nick |title=Pioneering Webzines join forces |work=ZD Net |access-date=2014-11-21 |date=2000-07-09 |url=http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-522048.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040816163711/http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-522048.html |archive-date=August 16, 2004 }}</ref> In keeping with Automatic's model of small, low-cost websites, Plastic launched with a staff of only four, amongst them ''Suck'' co-founder Joey Anuff as editor-in-chief.<ref name=honan-automatic /> When Automatic Media folded in June of that year, several of the editors stayed on, working for free. On November 2, 2001, the site was sold for $30,000 to ''Suck'' co-founder [[Carl Steadman]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sharkey |first=Matt |title=The Big Fish: Ten years later, the story of Suck.com, the first great website |work=Keepgoing.org |date=2005 |url=http://www.keepgoing.org/issue20_giant/the_big_fish.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050628232636/http://www.keepgoing.org/issue20_giant/the_big_fish.html |archive-date=June 28, 2005 }}</ref> who became its sole owner.<ref name=honan-automatic>{{Cite news| last = Honan| first = Mathew| title = When Automatic's Teller Ran Dry| work = Online Journalism Review| date = 2002-04-03| url = http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017862636.php}}</ref> Steadman took the site offline for two weeks and relaunched it on December 16, 2001, after falling out with Anuff, who no longer contributed to Plastic after the relaunch.<ref name=honan-plastic>{{Cite news | last = Honan | first = Mathew| title = 'Plastic is All I Do' | work = Online Journalism Review| date = 2002-04-03| url = http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017862577.php
}}</ref>

Plastic did not feature any advertising, and was supported entirely by user donations. The site used a modified version of [[Slash (CMS)|Slash]], the [[content management system]] developed and distributed by [[Slashdot]], and it was almost entirely member-driven. As of November 11, 2008, there were 50,218 accounts, with several thousand being active members. For a while, Plastic offered email accounts.

Plastic closed permanently in February 2011, about a month after its ten-year anniversary.<ref>{{cite news|last=Humberto |url=http://www.plastic.com/article.html;sid=11/01/07/02245750 |title=Plastic's Sunset Approaches |date=2011-01-07 |work=Plastic.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120135534/http://www.plastic.com/article.html;sid=11/01/07/02245750 |archive-date=January 20, 2011 }}</ref>

Plastic was briefly succeeded by [[Trees and Things]], although that website has been defunct<ref>{{cite web |title=Archive.org Wayback Machine: Trees and Things |url=http://www.treesandthings.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019092959/http://www.treesandthings.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-10-19 |access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref> since 2014.