Client Work: Travis Fox Films
I was asked to design a logo and website for video journalist Travis Fox, whose “10 Golden Rules for Video Journalists” continues to be a popular post on this blog.
The site’s been in soft launch, but as of last night, it’s now fully operational, with new “Films” pages, showcasing Travis’s work for The Washington Post, Frontline and other outlets.
Since some of you have asked, the site fonts are served by Typekit.
Visit the site at travisfox.com.
Once a Copy Editor, Always a Copy Editor
Lori Fradkin used to copyedit for New York magazine. As a former full-time copy editor myself, I think her essay, “What It’s Really Like To Be A Copy Editor,” captures the trials of the job and the personality required to do it.
Copy editors will often say the role is invisible and thankless. Like most jobs, it defines who you are all of the time. But unlike, say, being a lawyer or a teacher, it tends to inspire uncomfortable and sometimes dorky conversations with strangers.
Fradkin writes:
No one will look at an edited article and think, I am certain that, once upon a time, there was a double quote where there should have been a single, and a wise person fixed the issue for my benefit. But if you let a “their” slip through in the place of a “there,” you are a complete moron. And if you are working online, commenters will let you know so. Then your boss will let you know that the commenters are saying so in case you didn’t see it yourself. Also, people will want to talk to you—outside of work—about grammar. Aside from the guy who called me “awkward, in a cute way,” I think the worst line I’ve heard was from the dude who asked my thoughts on the serial comma.
Nevertheless, those of us attracted to the job and who stay in it for a while are special. In a good way. After all, as I once wrote in my farewell note to my colleagues at the L.A. Times, I saw the job as “readers’ advocate and writer’s champion.” In other words whether you create the story or see the finished product, we’ve got your back.
Read Lori Fradkin’s full essay at The Awl.
Thought for the Day
“Enough already with this hyperactive behavior, this techno-tyranny and nonstop freneticism. We need to slow down and take a deep breath.”
—Bob Herbert
From his New York Times op-ed, “Tweet Less, Kiss More“
The Ups and Downs of Social Networks
Who’s got the biggest social network per country? The BBC charted Nielsen’s figures from June 2010 and from a year ago. Facebook had the largest audience by far in both months, while MySpace has dropped quite a bit.
What’s more interesting is the change in the amount of time people are spending on Facebook every month. I’d really like to know the demographics of the surveyed population. Anyone have info?
(via BBC News)
Flipboard Kind of Makes Me Want an iPad
…but the customer reviews in the iTunes store make me think: “Not quite ready for prime time.”
If you’ve downloaded Flipboard already, what’s your experience been? Is the app working for you?
To learn more about Flipboard’s promise, visit the website.
