Adam came on board as the youthcentral Content Editor at the end of May 2006. Though he was a touch nervous about filling the big boots that his predecessor wore, he calmed down long enough to answer a few of our more burning questions.
How do you feel about being the new Content Editor for youthcentral?
It's a big challenge to be able to understand everything that goes on under the youthcentral banner, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the site backwards. I'm also looking forward to working with the production team, who seem like a swell bunch of folks, as well as all of the writers on the site, who are already inundating me with great ideas for stories and articles.
What does the Content Editor do?
The Content Editor looks after all of the writing on the youthcentral site, from the news that gets posted in each Right Here, Right Now section to the articles and reviews in Get Involved to the information pages that cover everything from careers advice to how to manage your finances.
That means that I'm the one who makes sure all the spelling is correct, who chases down and vaporises inappropriate apostrophes, who works with the roving reporters and local content teams to come up with ideas for stories and articles, and who works with the other production staff to get those ideas and stories up live on the actual website.
What attracted you to working with youthcentral?
I worked as a writer on the original version of youthcentral, so I was familiar with the site and I really liked the way it had evolved from its inception. I have a history of working as an editor with young writers - I used to be the editor of Voiceworks magazine (new window) back in the dim, dark mid-nineties - and the prospect of working alongside creative young people once again was an enticing one.
Do you have a favourite section of youthcentral?
I'm always hesitant to answer that kind of question, because I don't want to upset any web pages that I might forget to mention. A surly webpage giving me grief about feelings of neglect - be they real or imagined - can make an editor's day that little bit longer and more stressful.
Let's just say I think of all of the pages on youthcentral as my children, and I love them all equally. But if I was going to recommend a place for people to start exploring youthcentral I'd probably suggest that they start with either the Get Involved or the Jobs and Careers pages and take it from there.
What new experiences do you bring to the Content Editor role?
I don't know about new experiences, but I've worked as a book editor, a web site editor and a journalist for heaps of different organisations including the Big Issue, InPress, Lonely Planet, Crumpler and others too boring to mention. I've also had a novel and two poetry books published, as well as putting out my own zines and comics.
I think that all of these experiences have allowed me to develop a pretty good understanding of what's involved in researching, writing, editing and publishing, and I hope that that understanding will contribute in one way or another to my new job as youthcentral's content editor.
What are you hoping to achieve as Content Editor?
I hope it doesn't sound too cliched, but I'm hoping to be part of creating interesting and useful new content on the site, content that will be regularly updated. I'm also looking forward to helping our enormous team of editors and roving reporters to become the internationally famous and talented writers that I know they all can become, given the right opportunity. That's me - starmaker extraordinaire.
Check out the Our team page to meet our roving reporters and local content teams and find out how you can get involved with youthcentral.
