Why are they called white papers? The origin was in government offices. Wikipedia mentions that the earliest usage was with reference to Churchill in 1922.

How did a government term get adopted by the private sector, especially IT?

There’s little to go on when the change happened. The large companies decided to adopt it and now, it’s well-known in business circles.

A white paper is a report or guide that simplifies complex subjects or issues.

As time went on, they got glossy and colorful.

But reducing a whitepaper into a smartphone environment is complex. The common solution is to create a PDF, send it by email and hope the reader will open it on a laptop.

The statistics show that business people check email on the mobile first.

So, the white paper crafted with care and attention paid to every detail is ignored.

Even while the email system tells you the email went into read emails.

No one opens emails a second time – even to read white papers. So, if you create one every quarter and send them to your most important clients, don’t hold your breath.

The chances are, it’s disappeared into the attachment abyss.

What is the option? It has to be rethought and designed for all screens.

That’s what Sitoso and Ideascape have been collaborating on.

We thought it was a problem worth solving.

And if you need data on how many people read the white paper, that’s accessible as well. Because it works like a responsive web page.

Talk to us if you send out white papers often. Or even other attachments by email.

A better solution is available.