An Ignoble Experiment: 📰 You're a top reader - let us introduce you to our new editor

Curating the best and worst of the internet
Saturday April 29, 2023

Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to this special edition of web_crawlr.

We've mentioned a few times that we would be sending special newsletters to our most engaged readers of web_crawlr.

That's you!

Since you click, open, and read our stories so often, we thought you deserve to get something that not everyone gets.

Today, we thought it would be fun to let you get to know the Daily Dot's new Executive Editor Whitney Jefferson!

I've worked with Whitney for a few weeks now and have been so impressed with all she's done (and want's to do!) here at the Daily Dot, so we thought we'd take you behind-the-scenes and get to know her a little bit better.

Thanks for being an extremely online web crawler!

— A.W.

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A Q&A WITH:

Whitney Jefferson

Executive Editor

ANDREW:

➤ Hi Whitney! Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself to our most engaged web_crawlr readers!

Let's start off easy enough: tell us a little bit about yourself! What made you want to get into journalism? How'd you end up here at the Dot?

WHITNEY:

➤ I've been interested in journalism in its most basic sense since I was in high school, editing our yearbook, blogging about the week in pop culture, and making 'zines with friends (thank goodness this was before everything was online). In college, I studied journalism and media communications while working as the General Manager of the campus television station. There, I oversaw the creation of a state-of-the-art live television studio and kicked off a new schedule of programming, including the launch of a twice-daily news program.

My first full-time job in the world of media after school was at the Late Show with David Letterman, where I learned the ins and outs of working on a late night comedy show (that actually taped in the afternoon — the more you know!) Soon after, I got my foot in the door at Gawker Media after I responded to an internship job listing seeking writers who were willing to watch hours and hours of cable news programming in their offices. From there, I spent the next three years learning from the absolute best in the business, helping to launch the short-lived Gawker.TV and learning from some of the best editors I've ever had at Jezebel.

In 2012, I left for BuzzFeed, whose staff I had long admired (and subsequently knew from kicking their butts in an all-media beer pong tournament the summer before). What followed was an 11-year ride during the rise of digital media working alongside some incredible colleagues. Over that span of time, I held many titles and responsibilities, from writing and editing, to managing editorial teams, to hosting interview series and launching new brands. I think my favorite creation from my time there is BuzzFeed's "puppy interview," my attempt at bringing the company's reputation for 'cat and dog memes' into the real world while scratching the journalistic itch by asking questions to completely off-guard celebs who are covered in, well, puppies.

A few months ago James Del, a former Gawker Media colleague, let me know that he was working on some new and interesting things at Fragment Media. Fast forward a few weeks, and I left my position as Managing Editor of BuzzFeed to join the team at the Daily Dot!

ANDREW:

➤ You started here at the Daily Dot just a few weeks ago. What are some of the things that have surprised you since you started?

WHITNEY:

➤ The first thing to surprise me was how much the staff is really entrenched within internet culture. Of course, I knew the team would obviously be plugged in from the stories I've read over the years, but it was quite a relief it was to log on to the company's Slack and see emojis like :none-pizza-left-beef: — I knew I was in good company.

Beyond the cool company culture, my second surprise as a longtime reader of the Dot was just how lean the team actually is. Having worked in both tiny and behemoth-sized media organizations, I am seriously impressed by the sheer volume of incredible work being done on a regular basis at the Daily Dot!

ANDREW:

➤ What are some of your high level goals here at the Daily Dot? How will readers notice these goals?

WHITNEY:

➤ Upon joining the Dot, one of my larger missives is to expand our audience while creating a more profound sense of community. With that in mind, I'll be focusing on exploring innovative methods to engage with our audience in a meaningful and impactful way.

Moreover, I'd like to allocate additional resources for our newsroom, ensuring that we continue to deliver exceptional content that resonates with our readers. Additionally, I seek to create stronger connections between the Daily Dot and our readers by fostering an inclusive and collaborative community that encourages feedback, discussion, and participation. By nurturing a more profound sense of belonging among our audience, my hope is to continue building a loyal following and contribute to the growth and success of this organization.

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ANDREW:

➤ How would our very online web_crawlr readers who are reading this newsletter factor into that?

WHITNEY:

➤ Considering our web_crawlr readers are some of our most engaged members of the Daily Dot audience, very much so!

You'd be surprised at how your readership is considered in our editorial meetings and how many cues we take from what you're reading, clicking on, or telling us that you like and don't like.

I'm such a fan of Andrew's constant improvements to web_crawlr, from building a hierarchical content strategy for each edition to implementing cool contests like giving away free t-shirts designed by our in-house team. We'll only get better if you keep telling us what you are liking (or not), so please keep giving us your honest feedback as we continue to build on the great work already in action!

ANDREW:

➤ All of us here are extremely online—what are some of your favorite websites that you find yourself visiting constantly?

WHITNEY:

➤ Tumblr has always been my happy place. Maybe it's because I have a feed that's perfectly curated from over a decade of using the platform, or that I simply find the act of scrolling through the dashboard to be extremely relaxing, but I always enjoy my time there.

It's probably not a surprise to hear that I'm in plenty of Reddit, Discord, and Substack communities and spend a lot of time there. I'm mostly a lurker, not a poster. I'll also check Quora, NextDoor, and the niche Facebook groups I'm in on a fairly regular basis for fun because there is always a plethora of drama going on in all three!

I still read Jezebel daily. I'm always on IMDb with each new movie or series I start. As a reader of New York Magazine for decades, I find myself reading stories within their network of titles, especially Vulture, all of the time. My not-so-guilty pleasure in the world of blind items is Crazy Days and Nights, aka Enty Lawyer — DeuxMoi has nothing on him.

I also must shout out Gothamist, which I read obsessively for local NYC stories like the appointment of the city's new "Rat Czar" and our plant-forward mayor proclaiming to be vegan but ordering fish at his favorite late-night hot spot. New York! Gotta love it.

ANDREW:

➤ Anything else you want to say to our web_crawlr readers?

WHITNEY:

➤ I can't thank you enough for your readership. It's an honor to helm this impressive ship. We won't let you down!

📝 Have you taken our news quiz?

If you haven't taken our weekly news quiz yet, there's still time!

Just click on the button below to answer our question, and if you answer correctly you will be entered to win our brand new "Blogs in Bloom" shirt!

A recent video went viral where an Airbnb customer said they allegedly found a hidden camera in their rental. Which room did they say they found the camera in?

ANSWER HERE!

➡️ One last thing

With the cost of food continually going up in the United States, there have been a lot of dissatisfied customers taking their gripes to social media, blasting the value, or lack thereof, of the items they've been purchasing from fast-casual chains.

While many consumers have focused their ire on food prices or missing items from their orders, a TikToker who goes by K' Hood (@rollitupk) on the platform blasted a Buffalo Wild Wings location for delivering her a large box of wings that broke apart as if they were "freeze-dried," as one commenter put it.

"Now Buffalo Wild Wings, I don't know if I ordered chicken or chips," K begins the video.

She then takes a bite of the wing on camera, which makes an audible crunching noise and then falls apart as if it were covered in dry paint chips.