Hi there.
I was going to write this last night but was interrupted when my elbow bumped the metal straw in my cocktail which was sitting precariously on the armrest of my recliner. Of course, the cocktail tumbled directly onto my laptop seeping into all the little crevices. Maybe if it had just been straight whiskey I could have put it in a box of rice, I don’t know. But it was whiskey mixed with ginger beer, a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of habanero salt (the salt really makes the drink but probably extra destroys the laptop). I tried to rescue it. But, yeah, it was very sticky and smelled like it was drunk so I gave up. The guy at the Apple store was very kind to say that he too had destroyed a laptop with a beverage- a glass of red wine. He was probably lying to make me feel better but I’ll take it. Anyway, AppleCare now covers cocktail related incidents, in case you need to know that.
Normally, I’ll mostly be writing about work. I’m a community manager. My professional history is with Redditgifts, Reddit proper, and Imzy. After taking a couple years off, I’m currently working with two niche communities, one a wee fledgling (you won’t see much there) and another that’s ten years old and needing a community for their very dedicated users. The difference from working on something meant for literally everyone to working on things focused on very specific groups is pretty drastic and, honestly, I love being so focused. If you know what a group of people needs, you can probably provide it. If you need to provide everything for everybody, someone will always be unhappy. I mean, unhappiness knows no borders and I’m sure I’ll still encounter it but I highly doubt I’ll be getting graphic rape threats from a group of yoga practitioners or parents of kids with special needs who just want to find each other and receive support- even if I’m not perfect. Honestly, that in itself is truly exciting. My work is so much better in every way when I’m not in a constant state of heightened anxiety… fear even. The funny thing is how surprised I am nearly every day by feeling respected and appreciated for what I’m doing. It’s a whole new world.
I might also occasionally write about birds and how they rescued my mental health while at Reddit. Birdwatching, no matter how casual, is healthy.
(The view from my desk at Reddit June 2, 2015)
One more thing, if you’re like me and you think about titles and meanings and whatnot and you’ll sit here for a while wondering what steps one and three are and why should you skip them and what does it all mean!!!! I’ll tell you now. It means nothing*. It’s from a song called… wait for it… Skip Steps 1 and 3 by a band called Superchunk. It’s been getting stuck in my head for decades now so I’m putting it to use. I like it. If early 90’s indy pop-punk is your thing, I recommend checking it out.
What can you expect in the future?
Massive community platforms vs. a platform for one community
User safety and my love of RULES AND POLICIES AND UPHOLDING THEM CONSISTENTLY OMG (Spoiler: You don’t have to accommodate nazis- no matter what Jack fucking Dorsey says).
The beauty of working remotely when one has a chronic illness (multiple sclerosis, to be specific)- this one means a lot to me.
Thanks for joining me. Hope to see you again.
Jessica
*I’m sure the lyrics are meaningful. There’s just no real context here. Just that one line in the chorus going through my head for eternity. Enjoy.