The Public Access Weekly: Squad goals
Happy Friday everyone! This week has pretty much zoomed by, so let’s dive right in: Tomorrow, I’ll be the guest host on ICYMI so look for my mug to show up on the Engadget home page. A hearty thank you to everyone in the comment system who has been diligently flagging spam. That is genuinely helpful, so please keep it up! Also, a quick heads up to those who are registering for Public Access — some of our reply emails with your confirmation codes are getting caught in spam folders, so if you’ve registered and haven’t heard back from us please check there! (And if you still haven’t received anything, give us a holler here for assistance.)
Speaking of Public Access, how about some stats from last month?
- 174 posts went live on Public Access in July, making it our best month ever! That’s even better than June, when 125 posts were published. I can’t lie — I’m pretty excited to see what y’all put up in August, so keep ’em coming!
- 65 total Public Access members wrote and published stories, including 34 new members. Congrats and welcome to those folks!
- The Public Access member with the most posts published in July is: Dianna Labrien (again!) with 13 posts, followed closely by Amit Sen with 11, and Allan Smith and Lovisa Alvin who are tied at 9.
The top 10 most read Public Access posts for July (not counting the Public Access Weekly posts) were:
- How Technology Has Evolved in 2016? by James McArthur
- Employee Tracking Tech by Leona Henryson
- Taping Over Your Laptop Camera – Paranoia or a Smart Move? by Michael Harris
- Pokémon Go is a Nightmare for Driving by Andrew Ressler
- 6 Coolest Cameras Available Today by Dianna Labrien
- 4 Tech Tips to Help Millennials Get Off Their Assets and Start Investing by Cosette Jarrett
- Things That Suck About The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge by Chandrakant Isi
- The Tech Guide To Living a More Mindful Lifestyle by Dianna Labrien
- A Closer Look at the Reality of Cord-Cutting by Sarah Pike
- DMCA And Copyrights Claim – Is There Need For A Revision? by Lou Rushford
Congrats everyone!
Looking for something to read? Checkout:
Sometimes I get a ride home with Roberto Baldwin when he’s testing new cars. Sadly, I did not get to experience the passenger seat of the Tesla Model X SUV he just reviewed, so I guess “Exit a car with Falcon wing doors in slow-mo while a Jay-Z song plays in the background” is still on my bucket list.
Kris Naudus reviewed the “Impossible Burger“, a lab-developed patty that contains no actual meat (just plant proteins). Whether you’re a hard-core carnivore or a Level 5 vegan, you know you want to find out what it actually tastes like.
Our review of the Xbox One S discussed the upgrades to the new system, which include 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray player, as well as the console’s physical characteristics and the differences between the One S and the older systems. It also, predictably, ruffled a few feathers in the comment system. Overall, the system scored an 85 from our editor — but if you would like to submit your own review, you can do that here.
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
Facebook is increasing its efforts to detect and demote articles that are considered ‘clickbait.’ In this instance, Facebook considers something clickbait-y if the headline appears to withhold information or is misleading. What do you consider to be the definition of clickbait? How do you avoid clickbait? And, since so many folks are eager to call us out, what is the most clickbait-y story you’ve ever seen on Engadget? Bonus: What information or details would you have added to keep the story from delving into clickbait territory?
Apple recently made some emoji upgrades, which included switching out the revolver emoji for a bright-green water pistol instead. This… was not a popular decision if the comments to that story are any indication. Meanwhile Microsoft went the opposite route and changed its toy gun emoji to an actual pistol. Weigh in with your thoughts: Should the revolver emoji be changed or phased out? Why or why not? Is a gun emoji of any kind an issue, or just silliness to argue over?
Okay, I know I’m about to open a Costco-sized can of worms with this one but: GIF or JIF? How do you pronounce the acronym for Graphics Interchange Format?
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