FishbowlDC Turns Six Today

Today is the sixth anniversary of FishbowlDC. So we give you answers to our most frequently asked questions. Do you guys have an office? No, we work out of cafes, our homes and/or an office for another job. Cafes can be less or more irritating depending on the day, time and who is there. The main office of Web Media Brands (the company that owns us) is a space located in midtown Manhattan that has a warehouse feel. Cubicles occupy most inches of the space. We visit on occasion. Mediabistro (the name that comprises all the blogs, the job board etc...) offers a slew of excellent classes (I took one taught by a Self Magazine editor. Was well worth the three hours). Who owns you? As mentioned above, Web Media Brands. Mediabistro is the company Laurel Touby founded. She sold the company for $23 million in July 2007. She still plays a part in Web Media Brands and comes into the office at least a few times a week. Do you all get along? Of course. Like peas in a pod. But we don't reveal our sources - not even to each other. There is no way to do this job and not get along with your playmates in the Fishbowl. There's also a clear bond that comes with reading scathing anonymous emails that at first (and still sometimes do) make you want to unleash a torrent of profanity because you can't answer back. The Fishbowl is its own weird world where laughter and joking is essential. Past editors: 2005 Garrett Graff (A common misconception is that Washingtonian's Editor created FishbowlDC. He did not, but he was its first editor. Touby came up with the idea for the blog.) 2006 - 2009 Patrick Gavin (He now works for Politico) 2009 Matt Dornic (Currently co-edits FishbowlDC and works for QGA), Christine Delargy (Works for CBS News). Kenny Day wrote briefly for FBDC during this time frame. When I first came on board, Washingtonian Editor Graff so kindly offered his two cents about working for FishbowlDC. Later I wrote about his Scotch junket that he failed to mention in a story about Scotch (and that didn't go over so swimmingly). Here's what he "advised": Hey Betsy, Congratulations, by the way, in inheriting Fishbowl. It's one of the great gigs in Washington, I believe, if used correctly. My one piece of advice, which I've given to every successive FBDC editor since I left, is to remember that the blog is the definitive voice on DC media: Don't give people anything they can get elsewhere. Keep your focus laser-like on Washington media. Cheers, Garrett

Fishbowl

FishbowlDC Turns Six Today

Betsy Rothstein

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Betsy Rothstein