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"


Native Offerings Approaching 90% of Online Publishers

Nine out of 10 publishers will be offering at least some form of native advertising formats by the end of this year, according to hot-off-the-presses research being presented by Online Publishers Association chief Pam Horan at OMMA Premium Display in ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #online publishers


AJR Shuts Down Print Edition, Goes Online Only

As newsrooms continue to shrink, journalism and media students are facing a harsh reality upon graduation. Media companies are changing business models and expectations rapidly. Those changes are starting to trickle down to colleges. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #media companies


Distribution: Lerner Partners with Scobre and Live Oak Media

Lerner Publisher Services announced exclusive partnerships with Scobre and Live Oak Media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Kindle Worlds: Bringing Fanfiction Into Line But Not Online?

Limiting Kindle Worlds to the ebook form may cater the needs of licensors, but it is counter to the ethos, habits and desires of fanfiction writers and readers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebook form #kindle worlds


RH starts online consumer insight panel

Random House Group has launched its first online consumer insight panel, Bookmarks. The online... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Hodder steps up online communities

Hodder is stepping up its online consumer engagement programme. Three new community hubs are... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #community hubs #online communities


Small Internet Businesses Head to Hill With Mozilla Topping Agenda

Small Internet publishers have been to Washington before to tell their story, but this time they are gathering with a singular purpose: to persuade lawmakers to put more pressure on Mozilla to change its plans for blocking third-party advertisers cookies by default in its Firefox browser. As... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #free content #third-party cookies #nonprofit organization #bully pulpit


Distribution: Midpoint and Changing Lives Press Agree

Midpoint Trade Books has signed a distribution deal with Changing Lives Press, a New York-based publisher of self-help titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #distribution deal


Newsweek 2.0: A New Model For Online Magazines

Designed by Huge, the revamped, digital-only Newsweek aims to bring print mag qualities like cohesion and curation to the web. When it was announced last fall that Newsweek, after nearly 80 years as a weekly news magazine, would ditch print and go all digital, it seemed to many like an ill... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #relevant stories #ve managed


German online copyright law to take effect in August

A German online copyright law that will give publishers the exclusive right to the commercial use of their publications on the Internet will come into effect on Aug. 1. The law was published in Germany’s Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) on Tuesday. After a law is published in the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #single words #parts thereof #news snippets #give publishers #google news


Online Retailers, E-books Gained in 2012

At Publishers Weekly’s May 8 discussion series on trends in consumer book-buying, held at the offices of Random House in New York City, Carl Kulo, U.S. director of Bowker Market Research, highlighted the major shifts that took place in 2012 in such key areas as sales by format and by channel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #key areas #major shifts #random house #e-books gained #online retailers


Condé Nast scraps Easy Living magazine after eight years

Condé Nast's is closing its Easy Living print edition, despite being the only paid-for glossy magazine from a major publisher to increase its circulation in the last six months of 2012. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2013-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #major publisher #glossy magazine


Drama Online site launched

Bloomsbury and Faber's Drama Online, launched today (1st May) in beta, includes a partnership... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #drama online


In Morocco, Internet May Lead Children to Books Says Publisher

Amina Alaoui Hachimi from the Moroccan publishing house Yanbow Al Kitab believes the internet is a viable gateway to entice North African children to read. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #lead children


Freeman to leave Granta magazine

Granta magazine editor John Freeman is leaving the publication after five years, with his final... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Jingdong Battles Dangdang, Amazon for China’s Online Book Buyers

Jingdong, China's third place commercial online bookstore, is boosting its challenge to Dangdang and Amazon's dominance by focusing on service and international titles. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #international titles


Publishers' online communities to double

Publisher–generated online communities, such as HarperCollins’ InkPop, Gollancz... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #online communities


Ganxy Adds Tools for Selling & Promoting Content Online

The New York-based start-up Ganxy, which was founded in 2009 to sell music, is rolling out more tools at the London Book Fair to help small and medium-sized publishers sell and promote DRM-free digital content online. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #york-based start-


Random House creates online narrative game

Random House is launching a debut author with a new free-to-play online narrative game, Black... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut author #random house


Gale Partners with the Associated Press to Digitize Holdings

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced an agreement with the Associated Press (AP) to di ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #today announced #leading publisher #cengage learning #press ap