The Root E&P's "Blog-Like Comments"

Yesterday there was a post on Gawker about how Editor & Publisher, where I used to work, was launching a new column for younger journalists, called -31-. The unintentional humor in the piece was that the column was going to have "blog-like comments" since the content management system at E&P couldn't handle comments, or video for that matter. The piece went on to say that due to staff shortages, hot links and other features that are common to even the simplest of blogging tools, E&P would have to post the comments manually.

In case you were wondering, I am that staff shortage. I was the online editor for E&P for nine months before I was lost in a round of layoffs at Nielsen, its parent company. My job was to make sure the site looked as 21st century as possible. From day one I complained about the CMS, which made users type in HTML code manually and couldn't handle embedded code for video. In short, it was very 1998. I complained to anyone who would listen that if they didn't upgrade their system, readers were going to go elsewhere, since web users expect a certain benchmark of basic features on a site.

There's a lesson in all this. Traffic at E&P isn't going down because the newspaper industry is in a bind. Traffic is going down because their web site lives in a time warp, and someone in the pipeline is too cheap to redesign and upgrade it. Anyone with half a brain knows that the web is not some "special project" to hand over to an intern or maybe some of the less bright members on staff. It's the first impression people have of your brand, and you should invest all you can in it. E&P is one of the oldest brands in the newspaper business, and it boggles my mind that the Nielsen company doesn't see the value in it.

New Huffington Post Blog: How To Get Along With Your Broker

I'm at it again on the Huffington Post, Check it out.

In New York City, brokers are an integral part of any real estate transaction, be it a rental or a sale. We're conduits for landlords and management companies who don't have time to deal with the general public. We run credit and screen applicants to make sure they can actually afford the places they apply for. We're gatekeepers, but above all, we're matchmakers, matching tenants to the right apartments, so that everyone leaves happy.

New Huffington Post Blog: Life After College

Perhaps it was all the coffee I had yesterday, but I banged out this new Huffington Post blog about why life after college is the best time of your life, for a lot of reasons. I know way too many people who say that college was the best, which makes me wonder what they've been up to all those years after.

Attention Graduates: Life After College Will Be The Best Time Of Your Life

It's A Double Shot of Pauline!

Here is my latest Huffington Post blog about why Fashion Week matters. (Hint: It's not just the clothes!)

Handbaggery Gets Some Press On Mediabistro

The always awesome Greg Lindsay included Handbaggery in a piece of smaller journos at Fashion Week.

The piece is behind Mediabistro's Avant Guild firewall, but here's the bit about Handbaggery.

Thanks, Greg!

The Rookie Blogger
Pauline Millard's journey down the luxury handbag rabbit hole began last summer when she shanghaied her boyfriend at the time into buying her a Louis Vuitton Speedy for her 30th birthday. (He didn't quite understand the outlay involved when he made that promise.) Her research into which bag was best for her led to test drives from Bag Borrow or Steal, Internet research, and a heightened sense of bags as socio-economic status signifiers. That led Millard, a former staff writer for the Associated Press (but who had never covered fashion) to start blogging about handbags and the luxury-industrial complex in January.

Shortly thereafter, she resolved to cover Fashion Week both as a form of self-promotion ("If I left a stack of flyers and even three people picked one up, that would three more people who knew about it.") and as grist for the blogging mill. So she Googled "New York Fashion Week," and filled in a form on the site along with her credit card number. At first, they refused her $90. "They wrote me back to say 'We're sorry, we can't offer you credentials, but if you contact individual designers, maybe they'll send you tickets for their show,'" she says. "I was really bummed." But two days later the powers-that-be reconsidered, and she was in.

Millard's experience since then is testament to the power of simply being on the list. With official recognition as a member of the press/blogger comes invitations. Lot of them, apparently. "I've been invited to a lot of smaller shows in the 'Salon,' so I'm going to all of those," she says. "I also just received an invite from an actual handbag designer who wants me to visit her showroom. I'm going to try some of the big designers, but obviously everyone want to go to Marc Jacobs. The bigger hurdle was getting inside the tents."

With that hurdle cleared, her goal is to see "if I can network a little bit and meet people I probably otherwise wouldn't," adding "I just want to raise awareness of Handbaggery's existence, and maybe explain to people that it's not just handbag porn."

Huffington Post Blog: Never Underestimate Women's Vanity

I'm at it again over at the Huff Po. This week: Why discount retailers should focus on women's need to look good, even in a recession.

Never Underestimate Women's Vanity
"In uncertain economic times women may not go to Saks to buy a pretty blouse or some perfume, but they will go to outlets and discount stores to get the same brands at lower prices. I predict that in the next few months stores such as Filene's basement, T.J. Maxx and Loehman's will see a rise in sales as people, especially women, want to maintain the mental illusion of luxury that they created for themselves when the economy was more robust."

Handbaggery Will Be At Fashion Week!

Fashion Week tent entrance, originally uploaded by Shancat.

I got word late last night that Handbaggery has been OK'd for press credentials for Fashion Week! Looks like it's the little handbag blog that could!

I don't know what shows I'll be going to yet, but...if you're a PR person reading this and can get me a seat to your show, I will be very grateful, as I will be blogging from the tents and taking photos.

Few things make me as purely happy as Fashion Week. It's as if the air if full of vaporized Ecstasy.

New Huffington Post Blog

Can We Please Stop Calling It 'New Media?

kthnxbai!

Another Huffington Post Blog!

ghost-gym, originally uploaded by milkshakepants.

They keep letting me write over at The Huffington Post. This time I complain about all the newbies at the gym in January.

The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Oil

A few days ago I had a bit of a rant on The Huffington Post because I have been trying to collect some checks for some freelance work. The shakedowns were successful, and I should see some paper later this week.

The HuffPo blog got some feedback and was picked up on a few blogs, including the Photo District News blog. Okay, fine, whoever writes that blog sits probably just a few feet away from me. (E&P and PDN are both owned by Nielsen). In the end, I hope I inspired other freelancers to stay on top of their accounting.

Huffington Post Blog: It's Freelance Labor, Not Free Labor

I have a new blog on The Huffington Post about chasing down checks for freelance work. Check it here.

La Pauline on Da Huff Po!!

I am all about the innernets this week. That said, please enjoy my first blog on The Huffington Post about bed karma.

Inspired by a true story.

Big ups to Cara and Ben for giving me all their furniture. I'm sleeping like a champ thanks to you two!

Told Ya So! Some Employers Actually Want Blogging Skills

If The New York Times says it, it must be true. It seems that having blogging skills and even the slightest grasp of all this new media stuff can be a plus if you're looking for a job.