(A sprinkling of things we think you ought to know…)

Slate‘s Twitter guru offers rules for tweeting during catastrophe– Jeremy Stahl, the guy who runs Slate‘s official Twitter account, has a piece with the DOs and DON’Ts in using the medium after a crisis like the Boston Marathon bombings. “First, media outlets need to turn off their automated Twitter feeds to ensure that frivolous and/or off-topic items don’t get sent out by mistake,” Stahl wrote, noting that Slate wouldn’t want one of its edgy “Dear Prudence” advice columns to go out during a crisis. “Second, use first-person eyewitness accounts and official sources like the Boston Police department’s Twitter account or official press conferences.” (The New York Post reported that 12 had died in the Boston bombings; the actual count was three). Lastly, he said, “Keep your tone as serious as the occasion merits, even if you are in the business of opinion journalism or cracking snarky jokes.” Stahl links to tweets from The Daily Caller‘s “Jim Treacher” and BuzzFeed‘s Andrew Kaczynski as examples of ill-conceived tweets. Treacher had said “You’re going to hear the word ‘tragic’ a lot over the next few days. Not once will it be used correctly.” Kaczynski received three links to his tweets, two of which have since been deleted. One of the tweets questioned an AdWeek headline (“Boston Marathon Tragedy Shows Why Brands Need Human Touch On Twitter”).

Are you a ‘virgin’ or an ‘ultra’?– British bank First Direct conducted a month-long study on people’s social media usage and found a way to separate them into 12 different categories, according to PR Daily. The categories: Ultras, which are Facebook and Twitter addicts (TIME‘s Zeke Miller, Essence‘ Sophia Nelson); Dippers, infrequent users (Matt Drudge; Bill Clinton); Deniers, those who pretend social media doesn’t mean as much to them as it actually does; Virgins, first-time users; Lurkers, the watchers who rarely interact (we’ve heard RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is one); Peacocks, those who amass followers and fans like its their job (Fox News’ Dana Perino, CNN’s Jake Tapper); Ranters, users who have little to say until you put a keyboard at their fingers (Commentary‘s Jon Podhoretz; sharp-tongued Big Mouth Jay Rosen); Salon‘s Joan Walsh; Changelings, users who pretend to be someone else on social media (take your pick of any partisan blogger); Ghosts, anonymous users (“Southpaw” and “Fake Jim VandeHei”); Informers, those who love being first to share news (Yahoo! News‘ Chris Moody); BuzzFeed‘s Ben Smith; Quizzers, users who ask open questions to strike up conversations (hello, Marty Rudolf?); Approval Seekers, those who cannot sleep until someone “likes” or “retweets” their posts (Politico‘s Ben White admits he’s among them); NJ‘s Ron Fournier; Slate‘s Dave Weigel.

Schock defends company which once made food he would likely never eat– Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), known for taking his shirt off for Men’s Health magazine, writes in a column for Politico that anti-obesity campaigns by the government are hurting American job creators, like sugary snack-maker Hostess. “When a company like Hostess — which employed hundreds of employees in my congressional district — dedicates millions of dollars to market its products, it shouldn’t have to worry about the company’s tax dollars being used against it to dissuade the public from buying its products,” Schock says. Hostess closed down in late 2012.

WaPo reader wonders if she should settle for unmotivated dud boyfriend– In Carolyn Hax‘s WaPo advice column, one woman writes in for feedback on her post-divorce predicament: “I thought I wanted someone to push me to do more and be the best me I could be, but he’s very different from that — more tortoise than hare. I’ve come to realize that to some extent it’s good that he’s gotten me to slow down a bit. However, part of me just worries that I’ll slow down too much. Also, it’s my first relationship after a 20-year marriage, and I worry that I’m just rebounding.” Let’s hope the tortoise boyfriend doesn’t read WaPo, lest he find out what a tool his girlfriend suspects he may be. As for Hax’s advice, it could have come from anyone. “Think of relationships as having only these two states — enjoy his company, don’t enjoy his company — until you sort out the other stuff,” she says. Shorter version: Take some time to figure it out. That’s some sage relationship advice. Is Hax also tasked with fostering bipartisanship on Capitol Hill?

It’s well known that Politico obsesses over having its stories linked by the traffic-driving Drudge Report. Reporters at Politico churn out items, often tiny and of the most inane content, all for the bit of prestige and tons of clicks that come with a Drudge hit.

For that, we match up Matt Drudge himself with Politico Executive Editor Jim VandeHei on this Valentine’s Day. A fitting name for their beautiful bundle of joy virtual little girl: Traffica.

“Who’s Pareene?” asked Michael Goldfarb of The Free Beacon. He tweeted the question yesterday linking to a Salon column that named The Drudge Report‘s Matt Drudge as 2012′s No. 5 biggest media “hack.”

Assuming it was a serious question from Goldfarb, Alex Pareene, whose mustache sometimes makes him look like a porn star, is a writer at Salon and the news world’s favorite ginger. Each year he names his personal 10 “hacks” in news media that are “hurting America.” While the not-that-much-anticipated list is harmless, it causes a buzz for directly and brazenly (or, as brazenly as can be done sitting at a keyboard) calling out big names in news.

Over the last two days, the list trickled out full of the kind of angst generally reserved for misunderstood teenagers in high school courtyards. In the end, we couldn’t help but think that in a few places, Pareene colored outside the lines.

No. 1 on the list is Politico, which Pareene said is founded on “a myth” that its reporting is “exclusive” when in fact it’s the same old Beltway journalism.

He specifically named Executive Editor Jim VandeHei and White House Correspondent Mike Allen as the driving forces behind Politico‘s hackery. Of Allen, who writes the widely-read Playbook tip sheet, Pareene said he is “paid a fortune” for emailing out “a bunch of links to day-old news stories.” It’s a business model Pareene has apparently mastered so well, it’s a wonder he’s not making his own fortune copying it. Or, maybe he’s pissed he didn’t think of it first?

Pareene dismissed all of Politico‘s election coverage. “No one reading any of these pieces … gained any genuine insight into the state of the presidential race,” he said. And yet, even after the election, Politico maintains high web traffic (though on election night, traffic climbed to 2.2 million page views an hour) which brings in money and allows the publication to expand.

In case Pareene wasn’t aware, it turns out there’s an audience for people who want to read about politics– in fact, every teeny tiny detail on the subject. Pareene doesn’t understand it. He’s kind of like a gorilla frustrated that he can’t make the star-shaped block go through the square-shaped hole.

It’s the audience he should hate. They’re reading Politico. Even if he doesn’t see why they should.

Moving on to No. 2 on the list… Read more

Quotes of the Day

Spoken like a true gentleman with bad hair

“Pervert alert. Rep. Weiner is back on twitter. All girls under the age of 18, block him immediately.” — former possible thought about it for 20 minutes GOP Presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

A fitting ending

“Back row by toilet on last shuttle out of Boston to DC – election 2012 version of last helicopter out of Saigon.” — The Daily Mail‘s Toby Harnden.

Important Q to Ponder: “Whats the going rate that the tooth fairy gives for a baby tooth these days?” — ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper.

Compliments from Manhattan

“BuzzFeed DC killing it today, which is good bc some of us are barely functional up here today.” — BuzzFeed Political Editor Ben Smith.

Moving on (sort of, not really)

“State Dept press corps cracking jokes today about how many Congressional hearings on Benghazi we’ll have to cover, fueled by GOP vengeance.” — McClatchy foreign policy reporter Hannah Allam.

And now for the more important things in life…

“Garrett’s Caramel Corn. If you’ve had it, I need not say more. Just raise a hand and smack your lips. Yum!” — NPR’s Michele Norris.

“A fun evening out at @washingtonian‘s Whiskey Fest. Finally got to taste Vermont’s own, Whistlepig Whiskey.” — Washingtonian Editor Garrett Graff.

The Movie Critic?

“OVERRATED 007! Caught show in London last week, Marble Arch. Low budget comes thru on screen, no gadgets, locations by Priceline.com.” — Matt Drudge.

GOP’s eat their own

“Bill O’Reilly is totally full of crap in his analysis.” — Conservative blogger and former TWTer Robert Stacy McCain on the FNC host.

Want to join Glenn Beck in jumping off a cliff? Also: The gay harassment of FBDC’s Peter Ogburn’s continues… Read more

Matt Drudge, editor of the Drudge Report, has been accused of playing favorites in the Republican presidential primary race. It has been suggested by Politico (here, here, here and here). On Sunday’s NBC “MTP”, former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Drudge is in the tank for Mitt Romney and anti-Newt Gingrich. He said Romney’s campaign staff “got Matt Drudge in their back pocket.”

Monday morning, Drudge responded on his site using a photo of Thompson (sporting a peculiar goatee) and a series of emoticons: “;D   ;O   $$”

Each emoticon linked to an older front page of the Drudge Report that gave favorable, top headline coverage to Gingrich and his campaign. “NEWT ON TOP,” one headlined declared. “NEWT RISING,” read another.

Quick, someone alert MSNBC contributor Meghan McCain that Drudge is demonstrating what an emoticon is on his website. As it happens, an emoticon is a face illustrated through text and not a synonym for “a tiny amount,” as McCain seemed to think earlier this month.

Don’t be surprised if you can’t reach your contacts at the DC Examiner today.  We suspect that Stephen Smith and most of his staff have chosen to celebrate this most sacred of holidays at home with close friends and family.  It is after all Matt Drudge‘s birthday.

Yes indeed, the man responsible for funneling millions of readers to Washington news sites each and every day is celebrating his 45th this rainy Thursday morn.  Drudge shares his b-day with Kelly Osbourne, Marla Maples, and Huffington Post’s Michael Calderone.

Thanks for the memories.  Thanks for the links.  Hats…er, fedoras off to you!

GOP pundit and author Ann Coulter was recently interviewed on the mean streets of Washington. Or was it mean Coulter interviewed on the streets of Washington?

The Daily Caller‘s Ginny Thomas interviewed her, but you won’t see Ginny on camera or even hear her pose the questions. It’s Coulter, Coulter and more Coulter rallying on about her love-hate relationship with MSNBC and NYT. She hates it.  She loves it. She loves Matt Drudge and she hates the NYT some more: “The NYT is a great newspaper besides getting the enemy playbook delivered to my door every morning. … You put that aside, and they really are great reporters. It’s frustrating to those of us who like the informative parts of the New York Times.”

Her heroes include FNC’s Brit Hume and Juan Williams and comedian Dennis Miller.

The interview is not as out there as Coulter can go, but still decent. But even The Daily Caller doesn’t give it top billing. In the morning roundup, it’s #10 on their list of priority reads/watches. That’s three slots before news of Elizabeth Olson allegedly turning down a role in a possible “Sex and the City” film.

The Daily Caller‘s Matthew Boyle is the subject of an office prank that began this weekend when a colleague switched his Twitter avatar to an old picture of Boyle in a fake tux. The publication’s TV media writer, Jeff Poor, says he refuses to change his picture back to his own until Boyle removes his current avatar, although he concedes he will grow tired of seeing Boyle’s picture every time he tweets. “We advised him not to use a screen shot from TV as his avi (seems douchey) and he did it anyway,” Poor told FishbowlDC, explaining the joke’s origin.

Boyle, meanwhile, isn’t having his life hijacked by his coworkers. He’s holding fast to his new avatar, a picture of an appearance on Fox News.

You Be the Judge: We’ve acquired other options for Boyle and we’d like you, dear readers, to cast your vote on which he ought to use. Send the corresponding number to FishbowlDC@mediabistro.com or FishbowlBetsy@gmail.com. Explain your choice. We’ll print the best answers.

1. This is the photograph that Poor is currently using as his avatar. Immature? Maybe. But it’s his expression of outrage. The picture (at left) is front and center in Boyle’s parents’ living room. It’s Boyle at the tender age of 18 in a fake tux prop the photog used for the shoot. He’s now 23. Poor has been getting all kinds of reaction, including, “You’re looking rather boyish this morning.” He replied, “Thanks for noticing.”

2. Boyle’s new avatar (at right) was taken from a screen shot of a recent appearance on Fox News.

3. A shot of Boyle (at left) with background faces cut out for no explicable reason. Legal maybe? http://twitpic.com/5ockz2

4. A dressed to impress but blurry Boyle (at right).

5. Here Boyle dons a Matt Drudge-style Fedora. Halloween costume? This is our top choice. We like that it allows for a glimpse into his closet.

UPDATE: Boyle would like the following photograph to be added for consideration.

6. Boyle with a cigar. Maybe he’s trying to join the ranks of famous people who’ve smoked cigars, including Winston Churchill, Mark Twain and, of course, Jack Nicholson.

Apparently Ann Coulter isn’t the only one who sends her book covers to Matt Drudge for approval.

Last night, at a party for Andrew Breitbart‘s new book “Righteous Indignation” hosted by The Daily Caller and Americans for Tax Reform, Breitbart admitted to doing the same.

Drudge told Breitbart he looked “like [he] went 10 rounds and won.” He also sought the advice of former Daily Caller columnist S.E. Cupp of GlennBeck.com, who said, “You look like Rip Torn when he got caught with his D.U.I.”

In brief speeches at the soiree, ATR’s Chris Butler said the book was “wonderful” and that he’d “devoured it,” while Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson called the night an “opportunity to bask in the glory of Andrew Breitbart.”

Breitbart then took the mic. Some of the best quotes:

• After cursing a few times: “My enemies are those who wouldn’t allow these expletives at a conservative party.” Carlson shouted “Fuck yeah!”
• “I know you’re supposed to be polite in this town.”
• MSNBC’s Martin Bashir “planted the seed of suicide in Michael Jackson‘s head.”

The party, at ATR’s downtown office, featured an open bar and free copies of Breitbart’s book, which he signed: “Fight the man!”

Among the hundreds of guests: Politico‘s Mike Allen, HuffPost‘s Jon Ward, Weekly Standard‘s Stephen F. Hayes, Republican pollster and CNN contributor Kellyanne Conway, NMS’ and formerly Washington Examiner‘s J.P. Freire, Cullen Murphy of the Atlantic, Human Events‘ Jason Mattera, Tony Blankley, CNN contributor Amy Holmes, recent Daily Caller hires Ginny Thomas and Publicist Kurt Bardella, ATR’s Grover Norquist, and Washington Examiner‘s Byron York, Tim Carney, and “Yeas & Nays” columnist Nikki Schwab. Also in attendance were TWT’s Liz Glover and Wonkette‘s Riley Waggaman, who were hoping to speak with Breitbart about the recent Wonkette controversy over a story the site published mocking Trig Palin.

We hope they made it home safely.

UPDATE: Waggaman emailed to clarify that Glover was there representing TWT, not Wonkette, and that her editors had other questions for her to ask Breitbart. He also said he had no plan to ask Breitbart about the Wonkette story. “When I am at an event with Breitbart, my primary objective is to get a silly photo with him, or maybe even let him squeeze my ass,” he wrote.

Conservative pundit and frequent TV commentator Ann Coulter spoke at GWU Wednesday night to a large crowd of Republicans, a few Democrats, and at least one angry Libertarian, who gave her the finger when she told him she wasn’t a gay marriage supporter. The speech was usual Coulter fare, but one quote stuck out.

Asked by one student about marijuana legalization, Coulter said she was going to have to disappoint most of the room. She’s opposed. Primarily this is because men who start smoking pot early tend to have a “sunken chest” and wind up being about as tall as Bill Maher.

After the speech, Coulter spoke with a small group of reporters. She addressed one question about why her new book, Demonic, due out June 7. It doesn’t feature her mug on the cover as most of her past books do. Beside the fact that the title wouldn’t fit with her “smiling face”, a sample cover with her photo didn’t get the Matt Drudge seal of approval.

“I sent the cover to Matt Drudge and he hysterically said, ‘No, no, no! Just the title, just your name.’” Coulter didn’t think her publisher would be cool with it, but asked anyway. “I tried, and they accepted it, and we all loved it,” she said.

Coulter said she’d happily come as a guest to some fancy schmancy WHCD parties, but there was a catch: “Will it help me sell books?” Fishbowl promised 10,000 books sold if she’d come. Whoops.

In other Coulter news you won’t want to miss…

Read more