Literally 2 Cents About Content!

Liz’s website: lizmakesstuff.comLeft Anchor: https://www.leftanchor.comStrunk and White’s Macho Grammar Club: https://www.thedailybeast.com/strunk-and-whites-macho-grammar-clubNeil Patel, who doesn’t read: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ny-times-bestselling-author-torn-145614266.html Get full access to The Content Lab at www.content-lab.agency/subscribe

Alex and Liz talk about the one topic you can never ever write about at content mills. Also included are two on-air readings of archetypal content mill content, except we break that taboo and write about He Who Shall Not Be Named. Liz’s website: lizmakesstuff.comAlex’s “Here’s what “content” from a content mill looks like” post: https://toosolid.substack.com/p/heres-what-content-from-a-contentThe legendary “knife alien” tweet: twitter.com/athleisure_monk/status/738618427909111808Background on “The Fish Files”: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fish-files-the/Popula article (again): https://popula.com/2019/01/28/how-to-suck-at-business-without-really-trying/ Get full access to The Content Lab at www.content-lab.agency/subscribe

Alex and Liz talk about algorithms and how they select and serve content, with an extended riff on an academic paper about bureaucracy (don't worry! we make it easy to understand). Also, if you've ever wondered what recursion is, we've got you covered with a simple definition and some basic examples.Liz’s website: lizmakesstuff.comEssay “The concept of algorithm as an interpretative key of modern rationality” (view-only; no PDF download without premium sub): https://www.academia.edu/6470892/The_concept_of_algorithm_as_an_interpretative_key_of_modern_rationality Get full access to The Content Lab at www.content-lab.agency/subscribe

Alex and Liz talk about IMDb What to Watch, a new app for trying to find that one pearl in the sea of "endless streaming content," through gamification. Will it work? We’re skeptical. And wasn't consuming content supposed to be fun at some point? The thing is: When there's too much to watch, everyone falls back on their preexisting favorites, or gets trapped in a loop of algorithmic selection and decision anxiety. We also examine how tricky it is to find exactly what you're looking for via Google Search, due to similar issues, namely the dominance of opaque algorithms and the excessive amount of online garbage, er, content, that is constantly being churned out by content mills every day.Made with Forecast: overcast.fm/forecastLiz’s site: https://lizmakesstuff.comIMDb What to Watch: https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/5/23059025/amazon-imdb-app-games-fire-tv-exclusiveEpisode 002b, with a more in-depth look at algorithms, is coming next week! Get full access to The Content Lab at www.content-lab.agency/subscribe

Welcome to Literally 2 Cents About Content!, the podcast about what it’s like to write thousands of words per day for literally two cents per word! In our first episode, Alex tells Elizabeth all about the origins of the content industry, what the word and concept of “content” really means, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the role of the (in)famous Microsoft founder in presaging (and creating!) the industry itself. We have so much content planned for this podcast, and we hope you enjoy our first foray into our literal two cents about content! Made with Forecast: overcast.fm/forecastLiz’s site: https://lizmakesstuff.comJeff Jarvis on too much content: twitter.com/jeffjarvis/status/1525785035424546816Bill Gates on “content is king”: https://medium.com/@HeathEvans/content-is-king-essay-by-bill-gates-1996-df74552f80d9The internet as space vs. the internet as medium: http://screengrab.blog/2015/01/31/space-quest-6-and-the-internet-as-space-vs-medium/AOL-Time Warner hearings transcript: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-106shrg78185/html/CHRG-106shrg78185.htm“A toiler on a content farm”: https://popula.com/2019/01/28/how-to-suck-at-business-without-really-trying/ Get full access to The Content Lab at www.content-lab.agency/subscribe