Hacker Noon Editors: Superheroes without Capes

Have you already been published on Hacker Noon? Good! Do you plan to get published? Are you working on your new story? Good!

John Hacker LenNoon - IMAGINE

Imagine that every new contributor has to be a Hacker Noon Editor for a day, first. Oh no, that's too much, too long, and too stressful. How about one hour?

In another life and another time, I used to be a part of the good old corporate world. A long, but invaluable, business story short, all newbie employees had to go through a two-week "basics" program. This was a big European corporation with a long history and a powerful brand.

And, when I say everybody, I mean it, literally. From a new CEO to the new entry positions, all new employees had to hear a story about the company, and more importantly, get their hands dirty, just like the founders did themselves almost a century ago.

At the end of our paid two-week intro course, we all got a "souvenir." A company's product made by our own hands with the help and guidance of our experienced instructors. You may and think, oh what an unusual "welcome to the team" ritual, but I assure you, it worked.

We learned our lesson that was all about - respect.

A Day in a Hacker Noon Editor's Life

How many new stories are published on Hacker Noon every single day? I have no idea. However, based on the number of new tweets that pop up almost every couple of minutes, my guess is - a lot.

That's a lot of stories to be processed and published. That's a lot of editing work.

And, I'm not talking only about the overwhelming volume of new stories, but also about the different categories. On paper, Hacker Noon is a tech publication, but in readers' reality, it can be about everything and anything.

Now, whether or not Hacker Noon editors are rocket scientists, or specialists in particular fields, such as programming, startups, cryptocurrencies, gaming, AI, business, management, and so on, is beyond me.

They also have to deal with the "technicalities" too. With a reputation of one of the top 6K websites in the world with 3M readers, give it or take, they have to make sure the content is plagiarism and grammar errors free.

Let's not forget the content itself. Is it relevant, accurate, and properly structured?

I remember when HN 2.0 was launched. The most "popular" community category, undoubtedly, was the one about the pending stories.

When I'm going to get published? Why hasn't my story been published yet? How long do I have to wait to get published?

How does it feel? They must have nerves of steel.

Nothing Can Prepare Editors For The Crazies

Sometimes, I wonder what Hacker Noon Editors think of me? Hey guys, there's a new editor on our team. Let's give them the latest Nesha's story. Let's have some fun.

And, much sooner than later, they realize that my countrymen are Nikola Jokic and Novak Djokovic. It's not malice at the Hacker Noon palace, but one look at some of my most controversial stories, and you get the picture. And, Hacker Noon Editors be like:

Unfortunately for Editors and luckily for Hacker Noon, I'm not the only one. Only here you can read some of the stories no other "most popular" publications that are hiding behind the paywall don't dare to publish.

To paraphrase and "adjust" Parzival from Ready Player One:

People come to this Oasis in the publication desert for all the stories they can read, but they stay for all the contributors who can get published, only here.

Imagine again, not only that you are responsible for editing a quality story, but you have the power to decide whether or not some idea packed in a story would ever see the light of day.

Thank You For Your Service, Hacker Noon Editors!

All Contributors Gave Some Stories, Some Editors Gave All Their Hearts

Kudos to every single member of the Hacker Noon team for keeping an independent no-paywall publication dream alive. Yes, it's a big deal, more than we know and sometimes more than we appreciate.

Also, in another life and another time, I used to wear a military uniform. There was a catch if you wanted to be a paratrooper. The first crucial and non-negotiable condition was that you have to volunteer.

Skydivers are a special kind of people, aren't they?

Story-divers at Hacker Noon are something special too. "This one goes out to the one I love," by R.E.M. A great song. This story goes out to Hacker Noon Editors. Cheers!