We make fun of eHow.com (and of all those niche sites Leaf Group has created for eHow content) on a regular basis. Why? Mostly because they deserve it!
But seriously: those who know the way eHow works are aware that in the site's initial incarnation, self-appointed freelancers grabbed "titles," performed online research, wrote their content in accordance with nitpicking style guidelines, and submitted their work to a content editor (CE) who -- supposedly -- checked the content and either OKed it as is or sent it back, once and only once, for corrections of substance, style or both. Usually, the CE had no familiarity whatsoever with the topic: that's the basis of this tale...
Things were slow at eHow, so Leaf Group decided to put some of their writers and CEs to work on a project: building the new headquarters building. The managers chose a group of the "most versatile" freelancers, i.e., journalism graduates, to do the framing work and selected some CEs (other j-school grads) to supervise.
As the journalism types were nailing up siding, a CE came around a corner and spotted one doing something strange. The writer would reach into his nail apron, pull out a nail, look at it and toss it aside. Then he'd pull out a second nail and use it to nail the siding in place. The CE watched for a while, and each time the journalist pulled a nail from his apron, he either tossed it or used it more or less at random.
"Why are you throwing away those nails?" the CE asked him.
"Because the head is on the wrong end!" the writer told her.
"Dummy! You're supposed to save them for the other side of the building!"
TO
But seriously: those who know the way eHow works are aware that in the site's initial incarnation, self-appointed freelancers grabbed "titles," performed online research, wrote their content in accordance with nitpicking style guidelines, and submitted their work to a content editor (CE) who -- supposedly -- checked the content and either OKed it as is or sent it back, once and only once, for corrections of substance, style or both. Usually, the CE had no familiarity whatsoever with the topic: that's the basis of this tale...
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| nails |
As the journalism types were nailing up siding, a CE came around a corner and spotted one doing something strange. The writer would reach into his nail apron, pull out a nail, look at it and toss it aside. Then he'd pull out a second nail and use it to nail the siding in place. The CE watched for a while, and each time the journalist pulled a nail from his apron, he either tossed it or used it more or less at random.
"Why are you throwing away those nails?" the CE asked him.
"Because the head is on the wrong end!" the writer told her.
"Dummy! You're supposed to save them for the other side of the building!"
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