That Good You Need Part XXI
November 10th, 2016
If you saw my update from earlier today, you know we’re going to be changing things up a bit. The weekly That Good You Need will be a collaboration among several of us on staff, which means this is the last time I get to own it. REALLY OWN IT.
As a result, I want to take the chance to highlight some of the sources that I think offer the most consistently strong material. It’s very likely that you will recognize these from the various posts I’ve already shared, but this will still give me an opportunity to explain why I go back to the well over and over again.
The Ringer
When Bill Simmons left ESPN, it seemed clear that Grantland would struggle to continue to exist as the glorious entity it was with him at the helm. ESPN, seemingly understanding this, opted to pull the plug on Grantland entirely and in doing so left an enormous hole in the Internet.
It was no surprise, then, when Simmons announced that one of his new ventures would be a website that covered many of the same topics. The Ringer provides a higher volume of articles than Grantland did, and at first this seemed to cause a bit of a dip in the quality of its written content. In recent weeks, though, it seems it’s expanded its longer-form offerings and simultaneously provided both what Grantland used to and something new.
(A brief aside to consider something. I understand that it’s obnoxious to consistently compare The Ringer to Grantland, and I understand that it is certainly something different. At the same time, it has many of the same writers, a similar tone, and covers similar topics. The Ringer isn’t just Grantland by another name, but it is almost certainly what Grantland would be had it been started in 2016.)
Add in the suite of Podcasts, video content, and everything else The Ringer is doing, and you have an exceptional internet entity with its finger on the pulse of pop culture. Exceptional long reads, fun and informational short form, and everything else you need to waste your time at the office.
Fresh Air
Podcasts are so hot right now, but the OG’s stand strong. Terry Gross has been grinding hard since 1975, when you could only get podcasts by listening to them on this thing called the “radio,” and she is still one of the strongest interviewers and show hosts around.
Not only is Terry able to bring out deep, interesting, emotional responses from her guests, she truly spans the culture with her interviews. Fresh Air consistently provides interviews from places off the beaten path, like one recently with a woman who was an expert on how dogs explore the world with their noses, and from places in the center of current pop culture, like Donald Glover.
The rest of the show, which often includes movie or music reviews and the occasional short story, is strong as well, but it’s not anything to write home about. The true magic comes from the interviews. Anyone interested in learning more should take some time to listen to Fresh Air, and anyone hoping to learn how to make an interesting, intimate, interview-based podcast or show should take a great deal of time to listen to Fresh Air.
Digiday
Working in marketing has taught me a great deal about people that work in marketing and the companies that report on them, mainly that they’re often kind of full of it. Digiday stands out as one of my favorite sources of information for all things digital media because they often take a stand against that kind of nonsense.
Through their podcasts, written work, and everything else, Digiday covers what’s happening and changing in media. When they’re doing so, though, they’re very careful to separate facts from hype and take a skeptical view of the efforts the industry is making.
This is especially important because it’s easy to be convinced that micro-influencers on Vine are the best new way to promote your product. If you take that view, though, you may not understand that on a macro level Vine isn’t making any money, and so despite the feverish fanbase it has, Vine is being shut down. Digiday takes the time to dive in and explain some of this, while still showing off the shiny new gadgets and possibilities our brave new world has to offer.
Twitter.com
Boy, do I love Twitter.com.
For me, Twitter serves two purposes. First as a connection point to all the different parts of the internet, and second as a destination where you can fall down all kinds of rabbit holes. The various communities it creates (Sports Twitter, Weird Twitter, Politics Twitter) run farther than any one person could ever really explore, but being tangentially involved with a few of them can offer someone a great deal of entertainment and information.
Twitter definitely has its flaws. There are well-documented trolling issues that it faces, and there are some really dark places there. Still, for all the bad there’s a great deal of good. Despite its financial issues, I sincerely hope that it’s able to find a sustainable place in the Internet economy. Said in not so many words, please don’t make me go back to Facebook. Please.
That does it for the solo-edition of That Good You Need’s weekly content aggregator. I’m planning on posting plenty of other material and participating in the new version of the weekly drop, and I have high hopes for our future in this space. Much love!
