# What Now-

*Hello friends! If my numbers are true, this is the first newsletter for
many of you. I send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of
stuff I'm working on and the best reading from around the web—all ending
with a sweet flag. See past
issues [here](http://tinyletter.com/blanda/archive?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).
Now, to the newsletter:*\
![New Zealand Scene](../images/2e7a54fdb3fc.jpg)*I spent the last
three weeks touring around New Zealand in an RV (hello from the Auckland
Airport!). Here is a view from Highway 4 in the North Island, a few days
after [an earthquake rocked the
country](http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2016/11/13/5-things-to-know-about-the-new-zealand-earthquake/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now)
and our car. *\
\
***Now what?***\
\
Two weeks later, and I’m sure you’re tired of reading takes on the
election. So I’ll be brief and, hopefully, unique:\
 \
An election is a headcount. A chance for (usually) two competing world
views to make their case, and for people to subsequently line up behind
the one they identify with most. If the results of an election surprise
you, it’s a good time to do some introspection: How’d I miss this? What
can I do differently to make sure I better understand? How can I ensure
my desired outcome happens next time?\
 \
The most frustrating aspect of our post-election world for me is the
lack of such introspection. Those that got it so wrong are seemingly
disinterested in reassessing their worldview, instead preferring to
engage in dead-end squabbles on stuff that absolves everyone from asking
hard questions ([like fake
news](https://twitter.com/SeanBlanda/status/799024471206076416?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now)!).\
\
The result also was a judgement of sorts on the effectiveness of certain
social networks and news outlets. It's clear that the same people are
talking to the same people in a feedback loop that puts one in an
alternate universe. As a result, for the next few weeks I hope to do
less broadcasting online and more one-on-one chats in-person or over
email. In that spirit, if you feel ways about this election,** reply to
this email and let it all out**. I’d love to hear your take. Were you
surprised? Vindicated? Terrified? Totally stoked? Let me know.\
 \
***And below, links separated by election content. Election
stuff first!***\
  \
**If you were shocked about the election, it's reasonable to be angry.**
But it's in your interest to (when you're ready) open back up to your
counterparts and reassess your world view. Why?** **So you're heard
(even if you think the Other Side is absolutely awful). From
the *Washington Post*'s [interview with Researcher and Author Kathy
Cramer](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/11/08/a-new-theory-for-why-trump-voters-are-so-angry-that-actually-makes-sense/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now):

> *People are only going to absorb facts when they’re communicated from
> a source that they respect, from a source who they perceive has
> respect for people like them. And so whenever a liberal calls out
> Trump supporters as ignorant or fooled or misinformed, that does
> absolutely nothing to convey the facts that the liberal is trying to
> convey.*

And also, candidly, because "they" won this round. [From Freddie
deBoer](http://fredrikdeboer.com/2016/11/13/theyre-going-to-keep-losing/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now):

> *People don’t seem to understand this: you need to adapt and change
> and look outside of your tiny enclaves not out of some moral
> obligation, but because you are losing on every imaginable front. You
> don’t have to get in touch with the rest of the country because that’s
> the right thing to do. You have to get in touch with the rest of the
> country because they’re kicking your ass.*

—\
\
If you're looking to switch up your media habits post-election I'm
currently [enjoying the analysis of Current
Affairs](https://www.currentaffairs.org/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now),
[Michael
Tracey](https://twitter.com/mtracey?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now),
[Slate Star
Codex](http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wolf/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now),
and [Zaid
Jilani](https://twitter.com/ZaidJilani?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).  \
\
***Sort-of-about-the-election stuff:***\
 \
**Just before the election, the emails of Clinton’s campaign chief were
released via Wikileaks**. Politics aside, it was a [fascinating look
into how the powerful
communicate](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/31/the-podesta-emails-show-who-runs-america-and-how-they-do-it?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now)
and the connected help one another. [Search the emails for
"son/daughter" or "internship" or
"resume."](https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now)\
\
**It seems quant now, but I wrote a thing for Quartz** before the
election about [why we should let people change their
minds](http://qz.com/809367/changing-your-mind-doesnt-make-you-weak-it-shows-youre-confident-enough-to-confront-your-biases/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).\
\
***Not-at-all-about-the-election stuff***\
\
**Back in the day, you put ads on your editorial site and the dollars
came flowing like water\***. Now, publishers are multi-platform with
custom ad units, native advertising, and a suite of options. So how can
one brand possibly manage all of this? [The Verge kindly offers a look
into how they do
it](http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/31/13479070/refreshing-the-verge-vox-media-hymnal-concert-revenue?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).

##### (\*This was never ever ever true.)

**I like my web traffic like I like my platforms...** Earlier this year
a wave of publications (Awl, Ringer, Think Progress, etc) migrated to
Medium. It was widely reported they received some cash incentive to do
so. [As my buddy Aram Zucker-Scharff pointed
out](https://twitter.com/Chronotope/status/795290928751710209?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now),
it doesn't seem to be going so well. [Digiday offers a similar
observation](http://digiday.com/publishers/several-publishers-medium-seen-traffic-drop/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now)
but with some caveats: comScore may not be counting app traffic, among
other factors. And just this week, Deadspin [reported that the Ringer
only saw 420,000 uniques in
October](http://deadspin.com/bill-simmons-isnt-too-big-to-fail-1788556607?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).
From a reader perspective, it seems the monetization efforts from
Medium-hosted publications are modest. So what happens when the cash
incentive runs out? What happens if Medium goes out of business? \
\
***Official newsletter flag (for now):***\
![Flag of the Philippines](../images/6f71f5486b7d.png)This is the flag
of the Philippines, where I'll be heading to next. (Have any suggestions
on what to do? Let me know!) Unique feature of this flag: it always
communicates if the Philippines are at war. If it's being flown blue
over red, all is peaceful. Red over blue? War. In fact, the U.S.
committed the faux pas of accidentally flying it upside down in 2010
[and had to
apologize](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315370/U-S-apologises-flying-Philippine-flag-upside--sign-nation-war.html?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=what-now).
Also: The sun has eight points, one for each province that rebelled
against the Spanish.\
\
Dear reader, you're the sun that lights up my life. Thanks to allowing
some space for this newsletter in your crowded inbox. More non-political
links next time. \
\
— Sean\