Confessions of a New Editor aka
What I did in my first month with buttons.
First
of all, I'm very excited to be an
editor. To say I didn't see it coming would be a lie, although nothing
is ever a sure thing and I certainly hoped it was coming. I've been angling for this job
for over a year now and eyeing it even longer. Long gone are the days
when I can churn out content on a daily or even weekly basis, at least
while I'm distracted by finishing up graduate school, but I still want
to contribute something to the community. The duties of an editor
seemed to me like the next step and so here I am.
So what have I been up to?
Oddly enough I've actually noded more, but more importantly I've been
working to welcome new users. In the month of November I probably
contacted hundreds of new users with what I hope
is a friendly welcome and a pointing to of useful information. My hope is to get to them before they make the
usual mistakes of formatting or linking which lead to nuking and
discouragement. I never realized how many new accounts are created on a
daily basis, this has been a delightful revelation for me.
I have
also done a bit of nuking and editing, though I won't list any names or
nodes here. All authors are aware that I nuked their work, there's been
no hiding behind a now defunct deathbot. And if i
edited someone's work it was with their knowledge, by messaging them
with corrections or by making spelling/grammar changes when authors
have been gone for months or years.
In short, I've been doing
the typical work of an
editor. I have done nothing outstanding yet, and may only become a cog
in a well oiled machine but I am contributing in a new way and after
five years as a user it feels fresh and new again.
Of all of the
messages I've received from new users while carrying out my welcoming
efforts or editorial duties, the most satisfying is one that just
appeared this morning and was the result of a vote and the blab! box.
Its nice to know that I'm not an invisible noder.
So,
my end message for this month's report will be: Try to remember what it
was like to be new and use that box to encourage each other!