What Culture! What Happened?!

As I write this it has been ane twenty-four hr catamenia less than a twelvemonth since What Culture - the amusement website close movies, ga...

As I write this it has been ane twenty-four hr catamenia less than a twelvemonth since What Culture - the amusement website close movies, games etc. - approved me as a contributor to their website. That contributor condition was today revoked in, I tin only assume, roughly other travail at the site remaking its image. In the email informing me of my removal from the site, the What Culture editorial explicate that they are looking to role a "smaller, to a greater extent than dedicated" squad of writers going forward. This I experience is a error that is the latest inwards a long trace of changes that I experience may live damaging to the site.

To anyone from the What Culture editorial who may live reading this I tell delight exercise non run into this as an educate on from a disgruntled one-time contributor, but instead roughly sincere words of advice close the hereafter of your bang-up site from an outsider's opinion. There were many frustrating events inwards the lastly few months of my What Culture career as well as directly it seems unlikely I volition live a business office of the site going forward, I only wishing to vocalism roughly concerns as well as opinions on the site as well as its recent changes.

"a smaller, to a greater extent than dedicated team"

First, I wishing to address the biggest alter inwards What Culture's management yet: the reduction of its writing staff. That is, after all, why I'm able to write this letter. When I was accepted into the What Culture community of writers, ane of the best things close it - aside from the larger audience than that of this weblog - was that it was at that topographic point whenever I wanted it. Currently I am inwards full-time didactics studying to exercise my AS Levels adjacent month, as well as as a number I don't own got huge amounts of fourth dimension to write articles. However, on schoolhouse holidays I would almost ever choose the fourth dimension to write an article for the site because I did savor it, as well as I'm hoping to pursue a career inwards Journalism post-A-Levels.

I am sure that I'm non the only aspiring Journalist on the What Culture team, as well as I am as sure I'm non the only author who is silent inwards didactics live that school, 6th form, college or university. To bar entry for people inwards my seat who are unable to write ofttimes for the site due to unfavourable circumstances, I believe is highly unfair. Dismissing a author from your squad should live done if that author is non writing well, non if the author cannot post regularly. The proverb "quality over quantity" comes to mind.

I experience that it is a bang-up shame to take these less active, but silent passionate, contributors as it non only limits them inwards price of what audience they tin reach, but it likewise damages the site's image. One of the best things close the site is that it is run past times volunteers predominantly, people who write articles for the site because they honey to write amongst no fiscal motives whatsoever. While at that topographic point volition silent live unpaid volunteers I'm sure, the fact that at that topographic point volition live far fewer is disheartening. It doesn't brand What Culture await to a greater extent than professional person (I assume that was the thought behind the reduction?), but it does brand them seem similar they exercise non assist close their writers. And having written a couplet of e-mails to the editorial squad (who ensure yous inwards their e-mails that if yous own got whatsoever questions, "don't hesitate to ask"), only to own got been ignored, I'm non solely surprised.

Shifting Focus

Another displace for work concern inwards the novel era of What Culture has been the website's shifting focus specially towards what the site is calling "Offbeat" articles. While the website itself silent manages to strike a fragile residue betwixt most sections of the site, the What Culture Facebook page has been devoting a lot of its fourth dimension lately to these offbeat articles. Take a glance at the What Culture Facebook posts of the lastly few weeks (March 20th to Apr 10th) as well as you'll run into ii posts linking to music articles, three to TV articles, ix to cinema articles, as well as 21 to "offbeat" articles. This foreign emphasis on the "offbeat" department of the site is puzzling. 

I tin only assume that this department of the site is beingness spotlighted as it allows for to a greater extent than mainstream articles, peradventure bringing to a greater extent than visitors who exercise non own got an involvement inwards the somewhat niche genre of movies, games as well as comics. While I don't own got a work amongst the site expanding its plain of report matter, it should non live to the detriment of other parts of the site - parts that own got given the site the popularity it has today.

Case inwards point: the comic majority department of the site. In my fourth dimension as a contributor the department I posted to most was the comic-book one, as well as inwards the brusque fourth dimension I was at that topographic point I saw it live harshly tossed aside. While a contributor I requested to write many comic reviews, almost all of which were denied to me due to the reviews evidently getting a depression amount of views. The frustrating thing close this is that field the department has never been the most pop business office of the site, it sure as shooting had its fans as well as those fans I'm sure would grow had the editorial made an travail to revitalise the section. Instead they seem to own got given upwards on it. The site currently only posts comic-book articles that are lists, amongst editor of the comic-book department Noel Thorne the only ane amongst the mightiness to issue comic reviews, as well as beingness only ane human being the reviews are pocket-size inwards number.

Had the What Culture editorial encouraged comic reviews, they could own got been able to grow a comic department the size as well as popularity of IGN's, or Newsarama's. However, it almost feels similar they own got a vendetta against the comic majority department going as well as thence far as to take it from the listing of sections on their homepage. To wrap-up this department of the letter, what I am proverb is don't fail a loyal audience who own got long been a staple of the What Culture website, inwards guild to pursue a novel audience that frankly seem a footling out of identify inwards a website close entertainment.

This time, it's impersonal

An interesting frustration I had amongst What Culture inwards my lastly few months there, was at that topographic point potent reluctance to include whatsoever personal touches to their articles. Using "I" or "I'm" inwards a review is evidently forbidden as well as it puzzles me as to why. To lay this inwards context, ane of the only comic reviews I was able to write earlier What Culture's determination to cease them was of New Avengers #14. One of my opening sentences inwards the post I sent to editorial was the following:

"The majority went through a brusque stage where it lacked direction, a stage which I'm happy to say, is coming to an end."

Upon viewing the published article, this had been changed to a to a greater extent than grammatically incorrect, but infinitely less personal sentence:

"The majority went through a brusque stage where it lacked direction, a stage which happily to is coming to an end."

This I convey upwards only because it is yet roughly other bizarre determination past times the What Culture editorial. Reviews are after all the sentiment of ane somebody as well as the role of "I" is mutual inwards reviews from many outlets because of this. I could perhaps sympathise the wishing to alter the "I'm" to "I am" inwards guild to come upwards across as a footling to a greater extent than formal, but to take "I" completely replacing it amongst a judgement that makes no grammatical sense is exactly odd.

5 Great Things About Lists (and a hundred annoying things)

My concluding as well as perhaps most pregnant frustration amongst What Culture comes from their over-reliance on lists. Aside from a few reviews, as well as occasionally a tidings storey (if the tidings is large enough), What Culture is comprised solely of lists. But why? Lists sure as shooting own got their identify inwards a website, as well as I'm non proverb they shouldn't post lists, but it does confuse me as to why they confine themselves as well as thence strictly to lists. Why non editorials? Why non to a greater extent than tidings articles? These would give the site a lot to a greater extent than variety, as well as would stand upwards it upwards against to a greater extent than established amusement tidings outlets to a greater extent than fairly.

Additionally, roughly of the lists thought of past times What Culture staff for their Unclaimed Assignments page, are as well as thence ridiculously esoteric that a author would demand huge amounts of fourth dimension to enquiry the data necessary for ane entry, allow lone five, x or silent many they are asking for. This in ane lawsuit again bars entry to anyone who has other commitments exterior of writing for the site, whether that is education, work, children or whatsoever other time-consuming things.

I actually intend that What Culture are doing themselves a disservice past times relying as well as thence heavily on these lists, as well as would inquire them to consider injecting roughly to a greater extent than diverseness into their website sooner rather than later.

To conclude

I in ane lawsuit once again would similar to stress that I own got no bad blood amongst What Culture. They gave me an chance to make writing for a much larger audience than this weblog volition probable ever give. However, I needed to larn the points inwards this alphabetic character off my chest, as I had been bottling my frustrations amongst the site for a long time. I experience it is probable - specially after this post - that I may non own got the chance to write for What Culture again, as well as thence I would similar to tell give cheers yous for the opportunity.

David Craig, Editor of TEN