The clicking sounds still linger at The Momentum as well as on the whole youthful, energetic crew despite their separation from a product they created and caressed with passion.

The Momentum, an alternative news website that offers readers a package of news, podcasts, subtitled video clips, as well as other funky artworks and photos, has been a phenomenal success, hitting more than 9 million page views within six months of its birth. Its success shook up the generally languishing news industry.

Now the whole crew, led by ex-managing editor Nakarin Wanakijpaibul, has bid farewell to Momentum and its owner – Day Poets – following differences of opinion on ideas and creativity. The online platform will continue with its operations, while the exiting crew is planning a new project along the lines of The Momentum.

“It’s actually heartbreaking. I wouldn’t have left something that I moulded with my own hands,” Nakarin said a few days after his announcement last week. “But for the difference in the attitude of Day Poets’ executive board.”

The Momentum was prematurely launched last October around the time Hong Kong student activist Joshua Wong was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Six infographics, with questions and answers about Wong’s significance to Thai diplomatic policies with China, were first published on its Facebook page, as its website was not ready then.

That was how The Momentum shaped its stories: solution-seeking news that seized on the moment, according to Nakarin, who made a success of The Momentum despite being involved with news for the first time. Before that, he had seven years’ experience editing books and magazines.

“I went through research on several news online platforms, noting down everything from their posting frequency, their content management, and other factors,” he said.“ Eventually, I concluded that news fall in any of five categories: the engaging, the big shot, the drama, the humorous, and the inspirational.

“The inspiring segment seemed to suit us the most. We also searched for angles in complex news stories so that people should be able to relate to them in their everyday life.”

For instance, its series on the Dhammakaya Temple operation, while not going overboard in criticising the temple or the police, explored Dhammakaya’s potential threats to Buddhism, the use of Article 44 by the government for the operation, and its relationship with politics.

Another instance of its insightful approach was its treatment of the Oscars gaffe in announcing the Best Picture. The Momentum went beyond playing up the blunder and explored the voting process and also whether the eventual winner “Moonlight” was deserving of the honour.

For The Momentum, being reader-focused was the very pillar of its operation, with energies devoted to providing readers what they would like to know.

Nevertheless, The Momentum never forgets a fundamental principle of journalism, which is being a middle platform for every one.

Nakarin said it was hard to define neutrality and that’s not what The Momentum had tried to achieve. Instead, the website gave equal weight to all sides as much as it could. “Take a look at our coverage on the amended Computer Crime Bill. Separate seminars by Parliament and netizens were all covered by us,” said Nakarin.

With a crew of about 20, including Nakarin himself, it was clear that the team had to focus on quality more than quantity.

If it were a person, The Momentum would be a person in the 30s with calm and critical thinking, Nakarin said.

“We were not of the masses,” he said. “Despite our initial expectations, it turned out that our loyal readers were opinion leaders. This consequently attracted big-shot customers who wanted to touch base with readers of quality.”

Big companies, including AIS, Uniqlo, Air-Asia, Chang, and PTT, for instance, were among top-list customers forging partnerships with the website through tailor-made articles and projects, despite the advertising rate being kept on par with Thailand’s leading mainstream news websites.

To keep The Momentum going, Nakarin said a key thing was to find out what news readers still lacked. There is an abundance of news on online platforms, but it was important to be unique to attract readers, he added.

“Podcasts, subtitled video clips, highlights at the beginning of each article, and time alerts on how long readers will go through an article, we had them all fresh at The Momentum,” Nakarin said. “These are all to deal with the era of disruption. It’s to jump on this online stream. It is now.”

Moving on from The Momentum, the whole crew is now taking its energy and enthusiasm to the Standard, a new platform set to be launched in June. They would work with Wongthanong Chainarongsingha, co-founder of “A Day”, an alternative magazine. Wongthanong also left Day Poets due to disagreement over stock sales.

While not revealing much about the Standard, Nakarin said that all the qualities that made The Momentum unique could also be expected at Standard, with the same reader-focused approach.

“We wish to stand up for people while also standing beside them,” Nakarin remarked. “The Momentum, to us, is like a soft launch. The Standard will be our grand opening. With more professional manpower this time, we expect to bring more wows.”