Monday, December 15, 2014

How to run a large blog


People tend to ascribe this blog to me, and me alone.  I don't blame them. I certainly give that impression. And I am the Director here. I am responsible for the content. But the reality is that a blog of such an enormous scale as this one would be impossible for just one person to put together. Through a rock steady 365 posts a year I present a casual atmosphere of spontaneous discussion of my life, the library I work at, and the world I live in, but this carefully manufactured image is the work of a huge team, a collaborative effort of astonishing complexity, all to produce something that looks off the cuff.
 
Clerk Manifesto is put together by a team of writers, compositors, animators, scribes and editors. We have a timeline consistency expert responsible for making sure the "reality" of the blog happens in appropriate sequence. There are two coders and a translator (we are mysteriously popular in Papua, New Guinea). We have an AEMD (automated e-mail deliverer) who is the person who makes sure that, if you receive this blog by email, it comes each day. We have a special effects coordinator, a person who breaks things up into paragraphs, and someone in charge of all our italics, which is a huge job around here, and they frequently request that I try to express emphasis through my syntax more often, and not take the easy way out so much. I try, but they apparently remain bitterly dissatisfied.


We keep two librarians on staff, one for research; to manage our papers and reference items, and one to make sure our library based stories are consistent with actual library procedure. There is a cat wrangler here, which is as common as you might think for people producing content for the Internet. Our moose expert is a seasonal hire, but they have a lot to do in the summer. We have a barista who consults on coffee related posts and if you're lucky might make you an occasional latte. We have a test kitchen manager, a driver who transports our blog posts across the vast Internet, a lighting specialist (just try reading this blog in total darkness!), and a music manager who, realistically, is mainly just a Dylan specialist. We also have on staff several dozen readers. Traditionally blog readers are volunteers, but our marketing and promotions staff (seven people) have assured me that that is not a realistic goal for this particular blog.


And who all is this vast and varied staff? Would you like their names, to know a bit about them, to hear their side of the story, and to know just how much they make working here? 

Well, um, all of these positions are currently filled by, er, um, just, me. But I'm sure, eventually, one day, we'll get them properly staffed.






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If you were wondering, yes, you should comment. Not only does it remind me that I must write in intelligible English because someone is actually reading what I write, but it is also a pleasure for me since I am interested in anything you have to say.

I respond to pretty much every comment. It's like a free personalized blog post!

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