The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman

When I was a teenager, I thought it would be great to be an adult and be surrounded by people who weren't mean to each other all day. Enter stage left: the world wide webBack in the early 90s, when I was still at school and words such as "friend" and "message" were nouns as opposed to verbs, a particular incident occurred. For a month or so, a book had been circling among my classmates in which we wrote anonymous mean things about each other, and the statements that were deemed the funniest – invariably, the meanest – would get (anonymous) stars of approval. One day someone wrote in the book that a classmate whom I'll call Rose had made out with her cousin. More details about this fascinating make-out session were added to the book daily, and reading about Rose and her cousin became the only reason any of us wanted to come to school in the mornings. Eventually the writer of the story, whom I'll call Charlotte, couldn't resist claiming the attention she felt was duly hers and let her involvement be known.The saga now reached peak hysteria and Rose tearfully went to a teacher. Charlotte was forced to admit that she had made the whole thing up, all because she wanted some stars. (Naturally, the most salacious story a privileged, protected 13-year-old girl could think of was someone making out with their cousin.) All of us stared down at the floor as she confessed, because even though we knew Charlotte had now laid herself open to the most deliciously sharp mockery, hadn't we... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The Elan Gale internet hoax sums up all that is rotten about our online lives | Hadley Freeman"


Mastering MOOCS: Using Open Online Courses to Achieve Your Goals

In a new ebook, Knowledge@Wharton reports on how massive open online courses are helping professionals to meet their career goals. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2015-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Accent sells US rights to The Chronicles for 'substantial sum'

Accent Press has sold North American print rights for sci-fi and fantasy series The Chronicles of St Mary’s by Jodi Taylor to Skyhorse Publishing Inc. for a "substantial sum". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #skyhorse publishing #fantasy series #accent press


Could online apps help save indie bookshops?

With fewer than 1,000 stores in the UK, a number of online initiatives are aiming to help shoppers find their way back to local independent bookshopsThe rise of online retailers and ebooks have had a devastating impact on the UK’s independent bookshops. According to the Booksellers Association,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #booksellers association #independent bookshops #devastating impact #online retailers #shoppers find #online apps #fighting back


'The Wiz Live!' eases on down road to strong ratings for NBC

"The Wiz Live!" got NBC pretty close to the Emerald City, at least ratings-wise. NBC's nearly three-hour telecast of the 1974 Broadway musical -- a soul-tinged retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" -- delivered 11.4 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. Queen Latifah starred in the title role,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #title role


The creators of 'The Martian' and 'XKCD' will chat live on Facebook today

It's been a big year for Andy Weir, author of acclaimed sci-fi novel The Martian. His bestselling book -- originally published serially for free on his personal website -- was turned into a similarly excellent movie starring Matt Damon and Jessica Ch... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #andy weir #big year #facebook today


Mashable Shop Is a Native Ad That's Also an Online Store

Digital publishers are looking for all kinds of alternatives to the traditional banner ad. They've typically looked at new ways of fusing editorial and advertising -- sponsored articles, branded videos, etc. -- but Mashable has come up with a way to add e-commerce to the mix.On Cyber Monday... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #making money #branded videos #digital publishers #online store


John Freeman on Transitioning from Critic to Literary Journal Entrepreneur

Writer and editor John Freeman discusses his transition from book criticism to editing Granta, and now, to launching his own journal, Freeman's. The post John Freeman on Transitioning from Critic to Literary Journal Entrepreneur appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #john freeman


Dawson and Rowell at World Book Day's first live Teen Fest

World Book Day will host its first live Teen Fest as part of next year’s celebrations, featuring authors James Dawson and Rainbow Rowell, and will also attempt to break its first Guinness World Record. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #rainbow rowell


Louisiana Booksellers Challenge Online Age-Verification Law

Garden District Book Shop, Octavia Books, and the ABA are among the plaintiffs in a First Amendment suit leveled at a Louisiana law requiring websites to verify the age of Internet users, or face a $10,000 fine. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #internet users


Accent Press to become Living Wage employer

Accent Press founder Hazel Cushion has called on the industry to end “morally wrong” unpaid internships and improve diversity by signing up to pay the Living Wage to staff. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #living wage #improve diversity #accent press


Literary agencies host online 'Discovery Day'

Curtis Brown and Conville and Walsh are to host a Twitter based event dedicated to "de-mystifying" the publishing process for prospective authors, called Discovery Day Online. Following the literary agencies’ Discovery Days in 2012 and 2013, held at Foyles Charing Cross Road, Discovery Day... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #published author #giving advice #literary agent #literary agencies #curtis brown


Hearst to Target Online Shoppers with New Digital-Only Site

Hearst Magazines has been adapting its traditional magazines to match the speed of the Web, and now it’s starting to apply what it’s learned to new launches.   Hearst is about to unwrap the first of a few new d ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Fairfax one-day basketball tournament: Live updates

The high school basketball season begins next month, and Fairfax High is the site on Saturday for a one-day event that will feature lots of top teams and players getting ready for the season ahead. Admission is free. I'll be providing notes, results and commentary all day. Here's the schedule:... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #season ahead #top teams #one-day event #fairfax high #live updates


Staff Pick: 'The Private Lives of the Sun Signs' by Katharine Merlin

Reviews editor Annie Coreno recommends 'The Private Lives of the Sun Signs' which explores the personality traits of the twelve zodiac signs, with insights into what motivates the people of each group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


How the Internet Killed Playboy

Starting next March, Playboy will stop publishing photographs of naked women. The cheesecake will be dialed back to a “PG-13” rating, the New York Times’ Ravi Somaiya reported Monday night. Playmate photos will look “more like the racier sections of Instagram” than the adult section of the... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #investigative journalism #nude women #naked women


The prevalence of online porn drives Playboy to ditch nudity

Sex sells, there's no denying it. This is one of the reasons that such a huge proportion of web traffic is accounted for by porn sites. Just as the internet has changed the face of music, television, movies, and radio, so it has changed the face of print media -- including porn mags. Magazine... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #web traffic


Marketers Look to Diversify Their Online Spending, Survey Finds

Facebook's video ad service is gaining some traction with marketers, who are looking in general to spread ad dollars among more platforms, according to a recent study published by RBC Capital Markets in partnership with Ad Age.Of the 1,000 advertising professionals surveyed, about 11% felt... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #video advertising #video ads #25% felt #investment perspective #survey finds #online spending


Mobile is still a Missing Piece for Local Indie Online News Publishers

The LION Summit for local independent online news publishers took place in Chicago on Friday and Saturday. In two days of panels, there was plenty of focus on ad-selling strategies and other revenue-generating ideas, but one thing was large ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #missing piece