Why Everyone Will Totally Read This Column
Neetzan Zimmerman doesn’t like to be called a machine. That word implies something cold and inhuman about how he works, and Mr. Zimmerman believes that what makes him so good at his job is precisely the opposite sensibility: Unlike a computer, he understands the emotions that might compel a human being to click on something online.
Mr. Zimmerman is a 32-year-old editor at the news-and-entertainment site Gawker, where he’s responsible for posting “viral” content — videos, photos, crazy local news stories — that readers can’t resist sharing with everyone they know. “Mom Fined $140 Every Day Until She Circumcises Her Child” or “Black Man Arrested Dozens of Times for ‘Trespassing’ While At Work.” With his posts generating more than 30 million page views a month, Mr. Zimmerman may be the most popular blogger working on the Web today.
