Verena Says

A Nice Note From Dan (via Charitini)

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:27:00 -0400

Earlier today, Dan sent a really nice note to the whole extended Mediaitemishpocha giving props for a great last month of traffic and work. I asked him if I could publish it here because I agree with him about the awesomeness of the sites Mediaite has spawned in the last year - Geekosystem, Styleite, Sportsgrid- and the awesome peeps who run the joints. This was just an internal note so Dan used first names only but what the hell, I’ll boldface here, in order of appearance: Robert Quigley, Susana Polo, Verena von Pfetten(Canadian!), Ruthie Friedlander, Justin Fenner (I don’t even know ‘er!), Andy LoCasio, Dan Fogarty, Glenn Davis, Colby Hall, Glynnis MacNicol, Steve Krakauer, Tommy Christopher, Frances Martel, Jon Bershad, Video Jon (yes he has a name, but why spoil it), Andrew Cedotal and Scott Smitelli. Dan also shouts out to our kissing cousins at Gossip Cop (and if you say we actually kissed them, they’ll apply the truth-o-meter): Michael Lewittes, Daniel Jacobson, and Shari Weiss. Dan also shouted out the terrific crew of interns we have across the sites this summer, and I’ll name ‘em here: Jocelyn Rousey, Steven Jessop, Rika Nurrahmah, Meenal Vamburkar, Hilary Frazier, David Helene, Jamie Block and Michael Suen. Also, to the person I inevitably forgot: There’s a half-open bottle of vodka on my desk. If you’re over 21, you can have it.

I wrote on this blog a few months ago of how bizarro it was to remember back to when the first little knot of us were working out of Dan’s living room - that was three offices ago as we’ve grown and grown. Now we’re a stone’s throw from Gawker, HuffPo and, er, Forever 21. Okay maybe that last one is just relevant to me. But still. Point being, it feels good - and it feels especially good to get a nice note like this as a reminder that we’re all part of something bigger. With the subject line “Congrats!!” here is the email Dan sent to us this morning…

I just wanted to send everyone a quick note of congratulations. The
month of July was a record month for all of our sites! One year in and
all the sites are vastly exceeding expectations.

First I want to congratulate Robert, Susana and the truly fantastic
interns on the enormous growth and success of Geekosystem. The site is
trending at well over 800k unique visitors per month after just six
months! Robert has been so smart in his leadership there, picking the
right stories, writing them in a funny and compelling manner and then
picking great SEO titles. Someone could write a book on how to make a
blog work using Quigs as the model (uhh maybe I will).

Styleite also had a record breaking month having grown a whopping 90%
from last month. Styleite did just shy of 500k uniques with fantastic
page views last month. In fact, Styleite is doing better page views
per visitor than any site we have! Hard to believe its only four
months old! Congrats to Verena, Ruthie, Justin and the rest of the
interns, they really are nailing it and quickly becoming a “go to”
site for anyone in the fashion world!

In the words of our guru Andy L “Dan you know that Sportsgrid is
growing faster then any other site did.” Yes Andy I know! After just
two months Sportsgrid is already a “player.” Dan and Glenn (of course
with the guidance of Colby) have worked tirelessly to get Sportsgrid
to where it is today doing 340k uniques last month. Its amazing that
in that competitive arena, so to speak, they are already getting major
pickup on their stories. That is a testament to their smart and
strategic choices and writing.

All of the sites have benefited from the old work horse and largest
site, one year old Mediaite, linking to them. Mediaite had its most
page views ever last month, according to our internal numbers, just
shy of 8 million page views. Colby, Glynnis and Steve have really
figured out what works and Mediaite has become influential enough that
they have really come to help define the national debate. Tommy
continues to dazzle with his unique and smart takes, while Frances and
Jon. B are in many ways the heart of the site, cranking out compelling
stories at a dizzying pace. Video Jon is more than just a secret
weapon, he is a serious workhorse who also has a terrific sensibility
for what will make for the most interesting clips of the day. I can’t
emphasize how important that is (and he is) to the success of the
site. And, of course, we continue to have the not so secret weapon of
Ms. Rachel Sklar writing, advising, making us think, and representing
us to the public at large. Finally let me say a special congrats to
all of the Mediaite interns who have also been really great this
summer.

I also want to thank Andrew, just because we have to thank Andrew for
any successes we have. And Scott for continuing to make us look and
work better.

Finally, our partner site Gossip Cop also had a record breaking month
(and their first Drudge link). Michael is doing a million uniques per
month over there and page views that would make most entertainment
sites salivate. Congrats to Michael, Daniel and Shari.

Here is to overachieving next month as well!

Dan Abrams

p.s. It’s amazing how many of the incredible above-mentioned people we found through Craigslist. For reals.

Fuck Yeah, French Bulldogs!

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:37:00 -0400

Fuck Yeah, French Bulldogs!:

And now, a break from my regularly scheduled absence to promote a blog featuring nothing but photos of French Bulldogs.

An Update On Oleo, Chip-In, And All The Awesome Donations.

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:12:00 -0400

I just want to say a big thank you to all the people who have donated. We’ve raised $700 in the last 3 hours, and though there’s still a ways to go, it literally warms my heart. I’m astounded at how quickly and enthusiastically people have responded. Tumblr is actually more awesome than I remember.

I’ve had a couple people point out to me a few things about Chip-In and the account.

1) It uses Flash which poses a problem for mobile donation — this sucks and I don’t know how to change it at this point, but just hope people who were inspired to donate from their cells feel equally inclined when they get home. :)

2) If you have any concerns about donating, please e-mail me. (verenasays@gmail.com.) If it tells you the account associated with the Chip-In is overseas, this is because the woman who spearheads the rescue group my sister works with is from London and works part time in Los Angeles. Again, if you have any concerns, please email me and I’d also be happy to put you in touch with my sister.

3) The donation / payment process occurs via PayPal (which means it’s secure), but they use Chip-In because it’s the easiest to set-up, it creates allows for a paper trail (for legal purposes) for the donations, and it’s trustworthy.

Oleo is at my sister’s house still and he has an appointment with a specialist tomorrow for his broken (well, honestly, shattered) leg and dislocated elbow. The vet my sister went to earlier today was unable to get it back in. He’s on painkillers and is currently sleeping — and my sister sends you all the most heartfelt thank yous.

Sorry if this post reads as really cheesy, but I’m just really amazed at what a little blog post can do.

Click here to read about Oleo.

Click here to donate.

Hi Everyone! I know I haven’t used Tumblr in a very long...

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:38:53 -0400

Hi Everyone! I know I haven’t used Tumblr in a very long time, so trust me when I say this is important. My sister is part of a rescue organization in Los Angeles, and about 10 days ago she rescued this dog, Oleo, from a kill shelter. In spite of having spent his entire life tied to a tree and abused — you can see where his skin grew over his collar — he still loves and trusts people. My sister found him a foster home, and thought all was well. Yesterday, Oleo dug his way out of the yard of his new home and was lost. My sister drove around his neighborhood looking for him for 4 hours until she found him. He’d been hit by a car. She’s taken him in but he is seriously injured and needs surgery.

She has set up a Chip-In account which is a secure, quick, and easy way to donate. Any small amount you can give, or any reblogs would be much appreciated. There are so many dogs, animals, and yes, people, out there that need our help — but if we can all give a little bit to Oleo, we can save his life.

I haven’t been a part of the awesomeness that is the Tumblr community in a while, but I haven’t forgotten what it can do. Please help.

Click on the photo or the link above to donate.

Top 5 Diane Saywer TV Moments

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:01:52 -0400

Top 5 Diane Saywer TV Moments:

Diane Sawyer has interviewed a chimpanzee, made Britney cry, and talked crack-quality with Whitney Houston. If that’s not worthy of a listicle video round-up, I don’t know what is.

For Context

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:28:37 -0400

For Context:

Jeff just blew up my Gchats.

Jeff Rosenthal On Levi Johnston's Johnson

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:27:10 -0400

1:59:59 PM Jeff Rosenthal: you've gotta have some johnson.
2:00:21 PM Jeff Rosenthal: PAUSE NO HOMO, etc.
2:01:00 PM Jeff Rosenthal: i'm guessing it's a dude posing for women.
2:01:09 PM Jeff Rosenthal: YOU'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO UNFOOOLD SOME THINGS.
2:01:42 PM Jeff Rosenthal: "i don't look at that shit."
2:01:52 PM Jeff Rosenthal: i like how levi wants tank there.
2:02:01 PM Jeff Rosenthal: THEY ARE IN LOVE.
2:02:08 PM Jeff Rosenthal: i want you to be my right-hand man.
2:02:11 PM Jeff Rosenthal: PAUSE
2:02:14 PM Jeff Rosenthal: EVERYTHING'S A PAUSE.
2:02:26 PM Jeff Rosenthal: just two dudes, talking about getting naked/johnsons.
2:02:35 PM Jeff Rosenthal:
2:02:48 PM Jeff Rosenthal: #alaskin
2:04:25 PM Jeff Rosenthal: also: this: http://twitter.com/spencerpratt/status/3713873539

"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:23:32 -0400

“Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy.”

- Milan Kundera (via hydeordie)

This is Dewey. My sister is currently fostering this adorable...

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:28:22 -0400

This is Dewey. My sister is currently fostering this adorable mop of a dog. But he needs a home. In her words:

Dewey was found wandering studio city last week. He’s (we think) 6 months old…was totally matted and we are looking for a home for him….I will be the foster until we find his forever home.

Dewey is neutered
Fully house-trained
Plays fetch
Loves people
Other dogs
And kids! It really is unbelievable. He’s the FULL PACKAGE!!

She’s in LA (Laurel Canyon) so I’d love it if we could pass this around to some of the LA Tumblrs. If you’re interested, or know someone who is interested, email me! verenasays [at] gmail [dot] com.

tarastiles: Doing some jungle move that seemed right at the time...

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:04:17 -0400

tarastiles:

Doing some jungle move that seemed right at the time in Jamaica.

If I may make a recommendation - go to Strala Yoga. It’s the most laid-back, down-to-earth, no om-ing, free fruit-having, ass-kicking studio I’ve ever been to.* If that’s not enough, the owner and main teacher is my buddy Tara Stiles, who may or may not be kind of a big deal. (At least Vanity Fair thinks so…) And if that’s not enough to get you there, then at the very least, follow her Tumblr. She’s a ball of fun. She’s also great at handstands. (And taking hot bikini photos.)

*I’ve only been to like 2 yoga studios in my life, but the fact that I’ve found myself dedicated to some form of physical activity should speak mountains. (Is “speak mountains” even a saying? Or did I just make that up? Whatever, you get the point.)

lfarm: Last night. Verena and I had a phenomenal dinner at The...

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:06:47 -0400

lfarm:

Last night.

Verena and I had a phenomenal dinner at The Smith, where we ran into Daniel Meade, Kelly Reeves and Jeff Baum. I had beer, corn on the cob and mac & cheese. Verena had beer, baked beets and fried chicken & waffles.

Following our meal of champions, we took it downstairs to the Photo Booth. This was only my second time in a booth, and we succeeded in a major way.

Then we met Sarah down at Donnybrook for a nightcap. It was a great night.

I may be the world’s most inconsistent blogger, but there is no doubt in my mind that this deserves a reblog. Also, I said it before (like 3 minutes ago) and I’ll say it again: I will own my own photo-booth.

And he’s all mine.

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:52:17 -0400

And he’s all mine.

Such a big world for such a small dog.

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:49:42 -0400

Such a big world for such a small dog.

I Am Trying To Upload An Adorable Photo Of My Dog

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:51:36 -0400

And it will only show up sideways. WHY.

How am I supposed to share his Disney-level cuteness if I can’t get the photo to upload correctly? Help please.

My interns are awesome, and people in Union Square are...

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:43:12 -0400

My interns are awesome, and people in Union Square are hilarious.

There is so much I love about this image. Photoshop credit goes...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:26:59 -0400

There is so much I love about this image. Photoshop credit goes to @danielshea.

This Makes Me Sad, If Only Because I Regularly Flout The Law And Bring Dumbo On The Subway Sans Bag. (What? He's Heavy.)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:56:00 -0400

This Makes Me Sad, If Only Because I Regularly Flout The Law And Bring Dumbo On The Subway Sans Bag. (What? He's Heavy.)

Let's Talk This Out

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:43:00 -0400

So, yesterday, I wrote this. And, as some of you may or may not know, I used to work here. And knowing how these things work (because I used to work there) and knowing the platform HuffPost offers and knowing that because it’s my piece and because neither Air America Media nor HuffPost care whether or not I’d published it on their respective sites, I chose to re-publish the aforementioned piece, in its entirety, on HuffPost. Then I promptly went on with my day.

Until I got a Google alert directing me to ASSME.org - you’ve heard of them, you might be going to their fundraiser next week, and heck, like me, maybe you actually worked with one of its editors over here - to see that Drew Grant had written a post about my cross-published piece.

Her post reads:

So lets see: Air America’s website published this story about how you can actually learn stuff by watching how Lauren Conrad navigated her career on The Hills …and the Huffington Post thought that this was so inspirational that they did one of their patented copy-and-paste deals and took Verena von Pfetten’s entire article to reprint on their site.

I’m not sure why I’m coming to the defense of my previous employer who, most undoubtedly, does not need defending, and to be fair, Drew’s post seems to, in a somewhat condescending way, be coming to my defense, but here’s the thing: why was there no effort to get the facts straight?

Would it have been so difficult to email me to, I don’t know, just ask if HuffPost had stolen my content?

Because the answer - if anyone had actually cares - is, in fact, no.

That’s all.

I start my new job tomorrow.

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:41:00 -0400

I start my new job tomorrow.

We're A Dying Breed

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:58:00 -0400

Like any 21st century, self-obsessed person, I have a Google Alert on my name. And like most 21st century, self-obsessed people, there’s no real reason it. Most of the alerts I get serve as unnecessary reminders that I’ve just published something for the site at which I work or that some spammy robot in the farthest regions of the internet has linked to my piece, my blog, or something someone else wrote about me 8 months ago.

And then there was today’s, which — though biting — has provided me with the best qualification of my job description I’ve ever read:

Huffpo welcomed [Bo Obama] with meandering, tepid columns of regurgitated nothingness last week: Dr Patricia Fitzgerald wrote 1000 words on how cool the Obamas were for promoting the wellness pets bring their owners; Wendy Diamond is ga-ga over how hip and jazzy the name “Bo” is (“BO!!! As in Bo Diddley, curious — when did Malia and Sasha Obama start listening to Bo Diddley?”; and finally, Huffpo’s “Living Editor” — that’s presumably as opposed to the now-dead one who authorised the budget for this crap — Verena Von Pfetten contributed this phenomenal sentence to the discourse: “Oh, look! There’s a photo of him running with Obama! Squee!!”

(Emphasis mine.)

That said, NewMatilda, you’re funny and above all, not necessarily wrong, but two things: you forgot a parenthesis, and you’ve managed to miss one of the most over-publicized facts about HuffPost, which is to say: we don’t pay.