As online publishing grows increasingly social, publishers are eagerly trying to foster community on their sites. But when everyone gets a voice, things can easily go too far. Thus, among several top Web publishers, the role of comment moderator is becoming that much more demanding. Justin Isaf, The Huffington Post’s community manager, oversees the 7 million online comments per month that flood the site’s servers, helping a team of moderators and algorithms police pages to shield users from offensive content. The hot buttons are usually race, religion, politics, and even parenting. “What people don’t understand is that there is a huge psychological factor to the job,” said Isaf. “Moderators deal with some horrible stuff and genuinely difficult things every day, and at other sites they are often under-cared for in terms of their own mental health. That is a real shame, because it gets draining.” Isaf said that HuffPo moderators are trained to handle complex, divisive issues like the Israel/Palestine conflict (besides fielding frequent f-bombs, HuffPo is often accused of being both anti-semitic and Zionist). At social news site BuzzFeed, community moderator Ryan Broderick is the sole individual tasked with combing through nearly 22,000 user comments per month. Broderick interacts constantly with BuzzFeed’s regulars to keep them from causing too much trouble, but tensions inevitably abound. “The Trayvon Martin period was a rough couple of weeks,” Broderick said,... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'
[ AdWeek | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
When Michael Jacobs took over as CEO of Harry Abrams in 2004, an important part of his mandate was to diversify what was then the leading illustrated book publisher in the country. Jacobs, who handed the CEO reins over to Mary McAveney at the end of November, succeeded in building the company,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Sidelines are an important part of most bookstores’ inventory, particularly for the holidays. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Family plays an important part in much fiction, of course, but sometimes the short story form has offered us an insight into family life that the longer novel does not. Because it can only provide us with a few snapshots, or a handful of moments, perhaps even just one episode […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2022-05-27 14:00:35 UTC ]
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Book Reviews Statue of renowned Kurdish historian, author, and poet Mastoureh Ardalan (1805–1848) in Erbil / Photo by Levi Meir Clancy / Unsplash Even though they appear to have a lot to say about the historical, political, cultural, and literary... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2022-02-23 21:05:41 UTC ]
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At the Guardian, Jami Attenberg, author of the recent memoir I Came All This Way to Meet You, reflects on how a key moment of rejection allowed her to carve out her own path as a writer. “I’m old enough to realise that there is one more important part to carving out your creative life: … The... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-01-10 21:30:10 UTC ]
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There’s an old truism in the ad business that you can get people to remember an ad by showing something outrageous. David Ogilvy likened it to showing a gorilla in a jock strap. But these days, unless you’re selling jock straps for gorillas, it is unlikely that people will remember your brand.... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reissues aim to restore her darker stories of village intrigue for grownups to the popularity they once enjoyedRichmal Crompton has long been overshadowed by her creation Just William, but the darker side of her imagination is set to be rediscovered, with several of her lesser-known adult novels... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's books play a leading role in the fragmented and state-controlled publishing industry in China, and titles in translation are an important part of the mix. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman" won't be released to the public until Tuesday, but readers already know that the book reveals a darker side to Atticus Finch. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The BBC is adapting Hilary Mantel’s novel about the French Revolution, A Place of Greater Safety, following its recent adaptation of her Man Booker Prize-winning Tudor novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies (all Fourth Estate). The 1992 novel tells the story of three young men who were key... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day is celebrated on March 5 in Britain and Ireland and an important part of the day is children dressing up as a literary character for school. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Mike Doyle published the anthology volume Beautiful LEGO last year, he wrote that "this book is a small collection of some of the impressive models that I have come across in my time." From all appearances, he's had a busy year since, because he's already back with a sequel that embraces... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2014-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Xbox One's retail units will also run in-progress game code and function as debug units for budding devs, but Xbox VP Marc Whitten says not all of that functionality will be available when the console launches this November. More details will be available during Gamescom 2013 this August,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As online publishing grows increasingly social, publishers are eagerly trying to foster community on their sites. But when everyone gets a voice, things can easily go too far. Thus, among several top Web publishers, the role of comment moderator is becoming that much more demanding. Justin... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 09/11/2011 - 08:12 Amazon.co.uk has chosen Elizabeth Haynes' debut Into the Darkest Corner (Myriad Editions) as its best book of 2011, as part of a top 50 selection made "after thoughtful consideration and lengthy debate", and taking into... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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