NPR's Audie Cornish recently spent a day at the offices of BuzzFeed, the popular social news site, to find out how Web content goes viral.
So in honor of BuzzFeed — known for lists like "21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity" and "48 Things That Will Make You Feel Old" — here's our list of the nine powerful moments in the day of a viral Web editor at BuzzFeed, starring senior editor Matt Stopera.
1. Read 200 Tumblr posts, Google Reader updates and blogs before 9 a.m. In your Brooklyn apartment. In jorts (jeans + shorts).
2. Plummet into the Internet abyss. "You kind of like fall into this, like, hole, and then you're like, 'Where am I right now? I'm looking at asylum pictures!' "
3. At the office, don purple headphones to listen to Justin Bieber's new album while writing a post about how hot you are.
4. Brainstorm upcoming posts on the following possible topics: triumphs of the human spirit, defying expectations, celebrities declaring their support for gay rights, and heartwarming pet reunions. "The cats and the tornadoes — those always get me."
5. Enjoy this framed, crocheted cat with your co-worker Jack Shepherd, BuzzFeed's community manager who's also in charge of BuzzFeed Animals.
6. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of Ryan Gosling. "We're very pro-Ryan Gosling. But Ryan Gosling's also like an untouchable celebrity, which is one of those celebrities that everyone kind of loves."
7. Laugh with your CEO Jonah Peretti — you know, the founder of BuzzFeed and co-founder of the Huffington Post who The New York Times called a "viral marketing hotdog" — all casual and stuff.
8. Return with great focus to any number of the topics you've declared big on the Internet: Ryan Gosling, '90s nostalgia, celebrity time-travel photos, "anyone in the public eye with weird zoo animals is always a plus," and corgis. "I love corgis. That's like my favorite thing in the world. The Internet loves corgis."
9. Obviously.
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