We poke a lot of fun at Demand Media Studios, especially their "help" website, eHow (for good reason, we might add). You have to give DMS some credit for trying to rein in the stupidity of their contributors, though: unlike most other websites, they perform a modicum of fact-checking before publishing content. An author creates the content, which is then "punched up" by one of their Content Editors. In theory, CEs are "experts" in the topic; though in reality most are journalism graduates and long-time freelancers who think they've attained expertise through some form of osmosis.
A case in point is CE Billie Jo Jannen, who edits DIY articles in eHow Home with a ferocity akin to that of a she-bear protecting her cubs. Her qualifications? her "eclectic education includes engineering and horticulture..." Apparently, however, it doesn't include much of either. Here's a segment from a Jannen-authored article entitled "How to Add Air to a Holding Tank for a Well"¹:
A bicycle pump?!? Is this woman kidding? Combine the desired pressure (as much as 60 PSI) with the volume of a holding tank (anywhere from 30 to 120 gallons, or from 4 to 16 cubic feet) and you could spend an entire day lunging up and down on a little tire pump. You'd use an air compressor, dummy! Clearly, Billie Jo saw a video of someone recharging the one- or two-gallon tank of a reverse-osmosis filter system with a tire pump and figured, "close enough for eHow!"
Not only does this dumbass write about topics she doesn't understand, she wields enormous power over the content submitted by writers, at least a few of whom do know what they're talking about! For her special category of hubris, Billie Jo Jannen definitely deserves to be the Dumbass of the Day.
¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was ehow.com/how_5948618_add-air-holding-tank-well.html
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A case in point is CE Billie Jo Jannen, who edits DIY articles in eHow Home with a ferocity akin to that of a she-bear protecting her cubs. Her qualifications? her "eclectic education includes engineering and horticulture..." Apparently, however, it doesn't include much of either. Here's a segment from a Jannen-authored article entitled "How to Add Air to a Holding Tank for a Well"¹:
"6: Connect [a] bicycle pump to the air inlet valve and add air, checking frequently to ensure you get the PSI exactly where you want it."
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| An 86-gallon holding tank |
Not only does this dumbass write about topics she doesn't understand, she wields enormous power over the content submitted by writers, at least a few of whom do know what they're talking about! For her special category of hubris, Billie Jo Jannen definitely deserves to be the Dumbass of the Day.
¹ The original has been deleted by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was ehow.com/how_5948618_add-air-holding-tank-well.html
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