Is it a “swatch of color” or a “swath of color”? Neither: it’s a fart
Each week, my editors write, produce, and edit the posts for the following week. Thursday evening, our Copyeditor Caroline comes in with her linguistic riding crop and works her magic, and then Friday morning I come in with my Scary Big Red Editorial Pen Of Doom and give the final revisions and publication sign-offs. Last week, we had a little editorial disagreement…
Why I’m not doing a reader survey this year (and what I’m doing instead)
I’ve done reader surveys at the end of each year, starting with Offbeat Bride in December 2008. After five years of reader surveys, I’ve decided to take this year off… and here’s why.
Cursing as celebration: why and how we swear on the Offbeat Empire
This issue has come up for years — does anyone remember “Motherfuckergate” back in 2011? — and our response is generally the same: foul language has been a part of the Offbeat Bride brand since before the website even launched. The copyeditor of my book, Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, was flagging foul language all the way back in 2006. Ultimately, if you’re uncomfortable with swearing, Offbeat Bride just isn’t going to be a great fit for you. That said, we DO have a very specific way we generally use curse words…
Is social media sharing the new commenting?
As a publisher, I’ve always prioritized toward comments because it’s content that I “own.” Yeah, someone else wrote it, but I own the pageviews (and the related ad sales)… and in exchange, I bear the responsibility of keeping those conversations in-line with my brand. Hence, our stringent commenting policies because I believe VERY strongly that if your website’s full of assholes, it’s your fault.
That said, it’s started to sink in that readers aren’t coming back to blog comments… and really, social media shares are more valuable for me anyway. Here’s why…