“All this bookstagramming has led to a thriving space for book lovers on social media, and that’s been a good thing for independent bookstores too — because it plays to their key strength: creating community.”
— Instagram is helping save the indie bookstore (Vox)
The uniformity of visual pop culture
“Ultimately, the uniformity of visual pop culture is far too ominous to consider when planning a gathering, the announcement of a milestone, or a flat lay.
— Home is where the photo booth is (The Ringer)
In an online environment where accounts live and die by engagement, modifying our households to be public facing, rather than personal, is rooted in the simple desire to look nice and be noticed.
A few shimmery streamers from Amazon, a $250 letter board, or a faux marble pattern will get you there, no matter how far from the reality of your living space.”
Not saying we considered this while renovating our kitchen… but we may have considered this while renovating our kitchen. 🤷♂️
Digital media’s swift path to profitability
“A swift path to profitability tends to come from brands that own, rather than rent, their audience. The majority of recent deals have involved highly-focused, subject-specific verticals. New acquisitions are quickly tucked into the margin-sensitive organization’s wider office space, ad-tech stacks and other back-office functions. Overlapping costs are largely stripped out, rather than continuing to operate the assets as separate, adjacent businesses.”
— The age of the operator (Digiday)
Feels like digital companies, from SV-based startups to NY-based media brands, are coming ’round to practical business models. We’re finally seeing some sticker shock from “growth at all costs”.
How the Bauhaus survived
“Ultimately, the Bauhaus survived because it left the building. The Bauhäuslers were scattered all around the world in exile. Germany’s loss was as numerous as other countries’ gain as teachers and students took the design ethic with them, to places like Tel Aviv, Chicago, Detroit, Tokyo, and Amsterdam—through architecture, art, and industrial design.”
— How the Bauhaus Kept the Nazis at Bay, Until It Couldn’t (CityLab)
Visiting the Bauhaus museum in Berlin was a highlight from our trip to Germany a couple years back. The building is under renovation until 2022 and I’m grateful that we got in before the close.
The context of search queries
“Knowing that a term is informational only gets you so far. If you miss that the content desired by that query demands a list you could be creating long-form content that won’t satisfy intent and, therefore, is unlikely to rank well.”
— Query Syntax (AJ Kohn)
Understand what people want when they enter a search query, lest you waste time on creating things that don’t solve for what they need.