`The week in "Really?"
Are you too big to care? ...Issue #129
Do you care about work you do? If you work for a company (Or for yourself) do you try to make sure what you do matters to the people you’re doing it for? Even if you’re just filling out a form, do you show some care? Do you make sure that you fill it out properly and submit it in a timely fashion?
What happens if the recipients on the other side don’t care? Don’t acknowledge receipt? Don’t follow up? Never reply? Never do anything with that form you were required to fill out?
Ever since we moved to a new home, city and state two weeks ago I’ve been thinking lot about the act of caring about the work you do. Probably because we’ve had to deal with a lot of service oriented companies.
Some have performed admirably. For example, I highly recommend Task Rabbit. It’s one of those examples where tech platform that actually works for both the customer and the supplier. You download the app. Type in what you’re looking to have done, select the person you want to have do the task for you, and there you are. They show up at your home and fix things, or put together things you’d never be able to put together properly, and then they clean up and leave.
And it all works. Kind of the way tech is supposed to.
This train of thought keeps bringing me back to author Cory Doctorow’s essay a few years back about the ensh*ttification of platforms. Since the essay was published, the phrase has taken on a life of it’s own and to my mind, says a lot about a lot of the platforms and tech we engage with and the companies that now run them.
Did our culture go too far when it was declared that the be all and end all of capitalism was the return on shareholder value? Did that mean that companies forgot that they needed to not only serve the investors, but the customers, the employees and the communities?
I think the Milton Friedmans of the world got it wrong. It’s was not only the investor class that takes a risk. Employees take a risk because they’re hoping the owners and managers are doing their jobs wisely. The community where the company is based is taking a risk that the company will be there for the long haul and will offer decent jobs to the community and that it will behave responsibly.
Over the past few weeks we’ve had some remarkably weird service from a variety of companies (Unlike Taskrabbit) and what brought all of this to a head was the news release that Adam Neumann, late of WeWork, is still in business, still in real estate, and just purchased the incredible, amazing, indie magazine Whalebone (see below).
Ideally you want to go through life as an optimist. As someone who sees the best in things. Who believes in second and third chances. That redemption arcs are a thing. It’s always best to avoid descending into cynicism. But honestly, and this is only my opinion, I think about the story of WeWork and this new company Flow and I think, “How?” And I think about a really great indie publication like Whalebone and I think, “Why?”
One__Whalebone Magazine purchased by Adam Neumann’s Flow. Because…
After the former co-founder of WeWork was ejected from his company, Adam Neumann went back into real estate and founded Flow. An apartment rental company that, like WeWork, is supposed to change the way we live and work.
OK.
Business Insider reporter Ben Bergman reported last week the Flow has purchased Long Island based Whalebone Magazine. The publication will be re-branded as “The Flow Trip” and will be some sort of in-house content or brand extension.
OK.
two__David Pecker, Donald Trump and JFK, Jr.? Yes, that was a thing
MediaMix and Ankler journalist Claire Atkinson has written an absorbing long form piece about the unexpected business relationship between former National Enquirer CEO David Pecker and the only son of former President John F. Kennedy.
At the time, Pecker was the CEO of the US branch of French magazine publisher Hachette Filipacchi. At the time, Hachette was the publisher of titles such as Elle and Metropolitan Home and Pecker agreed to partner with Kennedy on his new “political lifestyle” magazine George.
The whole piece is an incredible timeline and a reminder that before he leveraged the purchase of the former AMI publishing company (At the time, the owner of the National Enquirer and Star tabloids), Pecker was the CEO of a very influential and well regarded magazine publishing company and had worked for some time in the business.
I’m a child of Massachusetts and when I was growing up the Kennedys were still a thing. I was too young to remember the assassinations, but JFK, Jr. and I were about the same age and I remember, vividly, the launch of George and I remember, vividly, the day his plane went missing.
Claire Atkinson wrote a really great piece.
three__Did The New Yorker commit contempt of court in the UK?
Can an American published magazine commit contempt of court in another country if that publication is imported into the country (both physically and electronically)? What if the publisher is not based in the country but does maintain a corporate entity?
Lucy Letby was convicted last August of murdering seven babies in the UK. She is facing a retrial this coming June on one count of attempted murder and the UK court system has a court order restricting press coverage of her ongoing trial.
However, the May 20th edition of The New Yorker has a story about the trial and its print edition was imported into the country and was available for purchase at newsagents. While the web version was restricted from the country, it could be picked up by library app Libby.
So will there be a showdown between Condé Nast and the UK court system? The ultimate opinion seems to be that it would be difficult, but the situation has ruffled some feathers.
four__Student authors in Alabama publish a poetry magazine
I absolutely love coming across these kinds of stories. Elementary students at an Alabama grade school put together a poetry magazine titled “We Speak Poetry.”
The magazine was put together by the students and adult volunteers and featured submissions from more than 60 students. This former staffer of the Classical High School Scribe hopes that they continue to write.
five_Sports Illustrated fails to publish a May issue. Will go bimonthly for June & July
I bet you thought all the controversy and uproar over the fight between the Arena Group and Authentic Brands was over and Sports Illustrated would sail along under new management publisher Minute Media.
Well, you’d be wrong. ‘Cause billionaires gotta billionaire.
While Minute Media has re-hired SI writers and editors and plans to publish a June/July issue, former publisher Arena Group is holding tight to the subscriber list. The article cites speculation that Arena may be holding onto the list as leverage while Authentic Brands sues them for $48million for breach of contract (Arena didn’t pay their bills.)
While Minute has rights to and published the Swimsuit edition of the magazine, not be able to service the subscribers is clearly putting financial pressure on the company and in my opinion, endangers the future of the print version of the publication.
As I frequently remind my clients, read your contracts and have them reviewed by real contract lawyers.
Your moment of magazine zen…
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Hey! Did you know that today is National Memo Day? Our freelancer permalancer WFH Sign-Off AI Editor has a few thoughts to leave you with regarding this very special day…
“Greetings esteemed colleagues,
On this momentous day, National Memo Day, I would like to impress upon all of you the paramount importance of ensuring crystal clear communication within our interdepartmental epistolatory endeavors.
By adhering to the principles of perspicuity and conciseness in memo composition, we can synergistically optimize the comprehension of the intended audience. Ever mindful of our overarching strategic objectives, let us strive to maximize profitability, prioritize operational efficiency, and invariably adhere to established hierarchical communication protocols.
In conclusion, let us leverage this opportunity to elevate the art of the memo to new heights of effectiveness.
Also, there’s pizza in the break room and I’m an AI so I can’t eat anything…”
