"Other"

Friday, July 24, 2009
I'm a big fan of the New York Times. (" I confess, I lust after the Sunday Times," I once whispered to a friend, after spending six dollars on a newspaper. "Yeah, so do I," he said.)

I also like NYTimes.com, and since I get the Washington Post in print, I now usually read the Times on line, and buying it is a pleasure reserved for days when I need a boost, or when the front page is irresistible (as it was today, actually.) Anyway, being a fan of NYTimes.com, I agreed to fill out the Nielsen survey when it popped up on my screen, something I would normally just ignore (which leads me to wonder how helpful surveys like that are, if only loyal readers fill them out).

All was going well -- sections? I read a majority of them. Blogs? I read a lot of them How often? Seven days a week-- until I got to the part where they ask you to fill out things about yourself.

Behold:


Which of the following best describes the type of business, industry, or profession in which you work?

Click one.





Accounting


Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations


Agriculture/Farming


Architecture/Interior Design


Arts/Entertainment/Broadcasting/Publishing


Automotive/Aerospace


Computer - Hardware/IT


Computer - Software/Programming


Construction/Labor/Trades Industry


Engineering/R&D


Fashion/Design/Modeling


Finance/Banking/Investment Services


Food Service/Lodging


Healthcare/Medical


Human Resources


Insurance


Law/Legal


Manufacturing/Operations


Non-Profit (not including Religion)


Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology


Raw Materials (Oil, Gas, Mining, Lumber, etc.)


Real Estate Industry


Religion/Ministry


Retail/Wholesale


Social Services


Sports/Recreation


Telecommunications Industry


Transportation/Warehousing


Travel/Tourism


Utilities


Other


That's right: 30 choices, and I had to choose "Other." Am I "Arts/Entertainment/ Broadcasting/Publishing"? I don't think so, and I'm not "Telecommunications Industry" either. This happens a lot on surveys, but it bothered me because I'm reading the NEW YORK TIMES and there is no place for print journalists. Sigh.

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Written Pyramids is a blog written by a journalist living and working in Washington D.C.

I have left my real name off of the blog so as not to imply that the blog is somehow linked with the journalism I get paid to do. (Still, I never write about my beat on this blog, and rarely express opinions about the day's news regardless of its relationship to my beat).

I would love to hear from you. If you want to contact me directly rather than leaving a comment here, I can be reached at WrittenPyramids@gmail.com.

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Books pyramid image originally from the British website, Explore Writing.