What does your job involve?
The day-to-day editorial process is mostly supporting our team of journalists with their stories, helping find the news that matters and getting their features online for our readers to enjoy.
This involves scouring online sources, working through our email submissions and making sure the right stories end up with the relevant journalist.
Beyond the day-to-day, there is a fair amount of planning, forecasting and bringing long-term projects to life.
The focus of your site is “good news” rather than the types of stories that typically make the news; how easy is it to find applicable stories?
It has got much easier over the past few years. Initially, when Good Things Guy was founded a decade ago, it was difficult because people were not sharing the good things happening in their communities online.
The way people share their lives online has changed, and today we get hundreds of good news submissions from people who are wanting to highlight the good happening around them.
The good news is easy; the hard part is picking only 20 stories a day.
What were you doing before you began your work at Good Things Guy?
I was in a totally different field, working in the jewellery wholesale industry, but I kept my passion for writing alive by running a successful hobby blog. I was committed to sharing insights and experiences within the beauty realm, focusing on nail art, reviews and beauty guides.
Working in the wholesale space definitely helped me with the planning and forecasting skills that I use to this day. I was able to really hone my administrative skills, which play a vital role in managing a team.
What do you think makes you good at what you do?
I lead with my heart in most cases, which can often be seen as sensitive or emotional, but those attributes make it easier to connect with the people we feature. Many of the stories we tell come from struggle and hardship, so having a connection to that makes telling the story more personal, and our readers really connect with that.
What is the best career advice you have ever received?
Don’t read the comments and don’t engage with negative commenters. Not everyone is going to see the world the way you do, and sometimes people say things just to get a reaction out of you.
Your peace is worth more than trying to change the mind of someone who is only commenting to feed their own narrative.
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