Moira Redmond
From:
To: Posted Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001, at 12:20 PM ETWho is this person?
Hot news for keen Diary readers. This morning I got an e-mail with the title “Would a BMW do?” Someone very important at BMW North America (it’s a make of car that I clearly recall liking very much) reads Slate and the Fray and doesn’t understand why I would even want a Mercedes (see Tuesday’s entry). I don’t see any vehicle out front yet (he may have been joking), but my new friend sounds a splendid chap.
As if that wasn’t enough to brighten my morning, when I opened the Diaries Fray I was charmed to see half a page of posts from people who had tailored their names and post titles to suit yesterday’s rules. I was particularly glad to see Carol Maudie May Darling, the Satanism Ph.D., posting some helpful hints.
Related in Slate
Related on the Web
That was the good news: The bad was that the More By This User feature had gone slightly crazy, and a number of posts had been deleted in solving that problem, and then the Fray had crashed for a couple of hours. I hate it when readers are disappointed and frustrated in this way. I’m also sorry that there are still problems (other than getting used to a new system) with the redesign for some users, particularly those on Netscape. The technical staff are trying to sort this out. One reader (look down below in the box) thinks I must be secretly furiously angry about all this and am just pretending to be insouciant. While I wouldn’t say this has been the happiest week I’ve spent on the Fray, and I have been on the frontline for readers’ dismay, there is no one for me to get angry with. We just all want it to work.
In answer to more questions: The Fray is very important to Slate. It attracts and keeps a lot of readers and generates a large number of page views. It helps create the magazine’s unique feel. It should be an enormous benefit to the writers—Android says, “The instant reader feedback … keeps authors honest.” For instance, any factual error will be spotted immediately by the Fray and can be corrected onsite very quickly. Believers in the Fray—and I am one of them—think that the writers should enter into more of a dialogue with readers, really use the unique interaction. But I have to stress what a big change it is from other media, where if you as a writer got five letters a week you’d be surprised. Two might be fan letters, two might take you to task over something or argue a point, and one might be from someone who seemed to be insane. You would assume that all the other people who read or heard your piece and didn’t write in—well, probably they quite liked it. Getting 5,000 messages on one article, many of them unpleasant, can be a shock to the system, and we’re still all getting used to it.
******
After work I had two children bouncing off the walls waiting to go trick-or-treating. Some people asked if it was more worrying this year, but mine are young enough that we’re with them all the time—it may be different for those with older kids—and I couldn’t quite think what to be scared of anyway. In fact, the first Halloween after we moved here from England was much worse, because we have no such tradition, and I found it terribly embarrassing to go traipsing round the neighbors begging. (The children had no such scruples, and the neighbors made it easy.) The bunch-of-grapes costume survived—thanks to the Fray readers for their tips on that one. Link was repeatedly mistaken for Robin Hood, but the candy seemed to make up for that.
******
After yesterday’s entry appeared I realized that my knowledge of Slate office life is confined solely to Redmond. For all I know, N.Y. and D.C. are volcanoes of active life, resembling in every detail old movies about journalism. Jodi Kantor, the New York editor (who, by the way, says “thank you” to the Fray for prodding me with questions, as it saves her from having to do it), may be even now perched on the edge of her desk, wearing a cocktail hat, wisecracking with Jacob Weisberg. And D.C. always did sound like it was the party office—I can imagine a certain amount of raucous repartee there, perhaps even unhealthy lifestyle activities. Perhaps a D.C./N.Y. Slate person would care to post in the Fray to clarify?
From:
To: Posted Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001, at 12:20 PM ETMoira Redmond is
Slate's Fray editor. E-mail her at .
Answers to Questions:
Ender: First, I noticed you replied to a few posts as Fray Editor. Force of habit but it occurred to me that it might be more appropriate to post as Moira Redmond for the duration of your diary.
MR: So noted, so implemented.
Do you have an all time favorite post?
MR: About ten or 15 of them. I might feature them in Best of the Fray sometime.
Do you ever have a desire to post on topic or join a discussion? Are you restricted from doing that?
MR: Only by my own conscience. I have strong views on almost everything, but think professional ethics require that I bore my friends with the political ones, not foist them on the Fray. (People who disagreed with me might find it hard to trust me.) I do occasionally post on music and books and suchlike subjects, giving my own opinions and getting into discussions. I just posted on Arthur Stock’s dogs.
If you took a better job tomorrow, would you still read the Fray, i.e. become a Frayster? MR: Could there be a better job? I can’t imagine life without the Fray now. I would certainly read. Posting: it might be unfair on whoever took over my job to do that (especially if I kept my fabulous Fray superpowers--double star for my every post etc.)
Name a current Frayster whose style/politics/demeanor/etc. is most similar to you if you were to become a Frayster.
MR: No comment (go on, you’re dying for me to say Amber aren’t you?)
Have you ever experimented, posting anonymously, just to see what it is like from the other side?
MR: No, I would feel obliged to be transparent.
Do you spell check yourself?
MR: yes on Fray Notes and Best of Fray, not on email. Don’t have enormous faith in spellcheck anyway. U.S. spelling still occasionally catches out this Brit.
Have you ever written a caution to posters who are behaving badly, thought twice about it and decided that it was too harsh and opted for a more composed warning? If yes, do you still have it and can we read it?
MR: No, what I think is what you get. There was a famous open letter to a certain poster: I put it in the Fray, and people saved it and re-circulate it from time to time, saying “This is what she’s like when she’s really angry.” I have, however, occasionally written email to other Slate people, saved it in draft, and thrown it away the next day. I hope that will please those who wanted more tough talking and anger
Which Frayster do you feel you know best?
MR: There’s a bunch of star posters that I email with. Not saying more than that.
If Fraysters were the last men on earth, who do you think you would be happiest with?
MR: No comment.
If you had to choose one of us to fill in for you the next time you went on vacation, who would you pick?
MR: Well, there are those (possibly including those who have filled in for me) who would think I should pick someone I dislike (2nd prize: two weeks as Fray Editor!) so I’d better not say. I will always have a soft spot for Claude Scales for writing his ‘Moira is away’ haiku (and generally for being a great human being).
Do you think if you gave the ghost of a-z a star she will leave Publius alone?
MR: No
Do you think we are too hard on Robert Wright sometimes?
MR: No comment. Or possibly: yes but he doesn’t care.
--Ender and Moira Redmond
(To find or answer these two posts, click here and here )
(11/2
Notes From The Fray Editor:
[Conflict of Interest Declaration: I wrote the diary, I’m choosing the comments.] RonK hit us where it hurts, and we like the Frayster’s diary. We’ll try to find some tough talking for Reader—no-one has ever accused us of being too mild before, it’s very disturbing.
Reader Comments:
100 emails a day, huh? But far fewer Fray posts to read! Things always work out for the best, don't they?
--RonK of Seattle
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
Your explanation that it caused an overload in your email box was mild. I think you’re fooling your diary. Don’t you have any harsher words?
--Reader
(To find or answer this post, click here .)
Eventually there'll be a Frayster's diary up here:
Monday, bored at work, decided to see how my posts from Friday were doing. The exegesis of those Shinto texts wallowed ignored in Chatterbox, but my quip about Renee Zellweger had a checkmark next to it.
I clicked around Ballot Box and the all-but-abandoned Breakfast Table Fray, trying to dig up an interesting thread. Amber was doing something sexual; the ghost of a-z had something on crystalline structures. I jumped over to Frame Game, where Zeitguy had gotten 63 responses to his thoughts on the Carter administration. I thought I might add my own. 30 seconds later, I was on fire.
--BML
(To find or answer this post, click here .)
(10/30)
What did you think of this article?
Join The Fray: Our Reader Discussion Forum
SPONSORED CONTENT
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAIL
RSS
RECOMMEND...
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUpon
Most Fast Food Restaurants Thrived During the Recession. Not Arby's.
Did Anti-Communists Really End Communism? Two Historians Say No.
Dear Farhad: How Does Facebook Know I'm Gay?
What Ever Happened to Hood Ornaments?
Are Doctors Allowed To Say They're Sorry?
Hitchens: Let's Not Get Sentimental About Communism
Answers to Questions:
Ender: First, I noticed you replied to a few posts as Fray Editor. Force of habit but it occurred to me that it might be more appropriate to post as Moira Redmond for the duration of your diary.
MR: So noted, so implemented.
Do you have an all time favorite post?
MR: About ten or 15 of them. I might feature them in Best of the Fray sometime.
Do you ever have a desire to post on topic or join a discussion? Are you restricted from doing that?
MR: Only by my own conscience. I have strong views on almost everything, but think professional ethics require that I bore my friends with the political ones, not foist them on the Fray. (People who disagreed with me might find it hard to trust me.) I do occasionally post on music and books and suchlike subjects, giving my own opinions and getting into discussions. I just posted on Arthur Stock’s dogs.
If you took a better job tomorrow, would you still read the Fray, i.e. become a Frayster? MR: Could there be a better job? I can’t imagine life without the Fray now. I would certainly read. Posting: it might be unfair on whoever took over my job to do that (especially if I kept my fabulous Fray superpowers--double star for my every post etc.)
Name a current Frayster whose style/politics/demeanor/etc. is most similar to you if you were to become a Frayster.
MR: No comment (go on, you’re dying for me to say Amber aren’t you?)
Have you ever experimented, posting anonymously, just to see what it is like from the other side?
MR: No, I would feel obliged to be transparent.
Do you spell check yourself?
MR: yes on Fray Notes and Best of Fray, not on email. Don’t have enormous faith in spellcheck anyway. U.S. spelling still occasionally catches out this Brit.
Have you ever written a caution to posters who are behaving badly, thought twice about it and decided that it was too harsh and opted for a more composed warning? If yes, do you still have it and can we read it?
MR: No, what I think is what you get. There was a famous open letter to a certain poster: I put it in the Fray, and people saved it and re-circulate it from time to time, saying “This is what she’s like when she’s really angry.” I have, however, occasionally written email to other Slate people, saved it in draft, and thrown it away the next day. I hope that will please those who wanted more tough talking and anger
Which Frayster do you feel you know best?
MR: There’s a bunch of star posters that I email with. Not saying more than that.
If Fraysters were the last men on earth, who do you think you would be happiest with?
MR: No comment.
If you had to choose one of us to fill in for you the next time you went on vacation, who would you pick?
MR: Well, there are those (possibly including those who have filled in for me) who would think I should pick someone I dislike (2nd prize: two weeks as Fray Editor!) so I’d better not say. I will always have a soft spot for Claude Scales for writing his ‘Moira is away’ haiku (and generally for being a great human being).
Do you think if you gave the ghost of a-z a star she will leave Publius alone?
MR: No
Do you think we are too hard on Robert Wright sometimes?
MR: No comment. Or possibly: yes but he doesn’t care.
--Ender and Moira Redmond
(To find or answer these two posts, click here and here )
(11/2
Notes From The Fray Editor:
[Conflict of Interest Declaration: I wrote the diary, I’m choosing the comments.] RonK hit us where it hurts, and we like the Frayster’s diary. We’ll try to find some tough talking for Reader—no-one has ever accused us of being too mild before, it’s very disturbing.
Reader Comments:
100 emails a day, huh? But far fewer Fray posts to read! Things always work out for the best, don't they?
--RonK of Seattle
(To find or answer this post, click here.)
Your explanation that it caused an overload in your email box was mild. I think you’re fooling your diary. Don’t you have any harsher words?
--Reader
(To find or answer this post, click here .)
Eventually there'll be a Frayster's diary up here:
Monday, bored at work, decided to see how my posts from Friday were doing. The exegesis of those Shinto texts wallowed ignored in Chatterbox, but my quip about Renee Zellweger had a checkmark next to it.
I clicked around Ballot Box and the all-but-abandoned Breakfast Table Fray, trying to dig up an interesting thread. Amber was doing something sexual; the ghost of a-z had something on crystalline structures. I jumped over to Frame Game, where Zeitguy had gotten 63 responses to his thoughts on the Carter administration. I thought I might add my own. 30 seconds later, I was on fire.
--BML
(To find or answer this post, click here .)
(10/30)