Gawker Girl Reborn

Emily Gould, former editor of the contentious, New York-based gossip/humor blog Gawker, says she worries about whether people label her with the N-word.

"Do you think I'm a narcissist?" she asks Madeleine Brand.

Her confessional essay about working at Gawker is the cover story of The New York Times Magazine this week, and it has drawn hundreds of comments — many using that very word.

Gould scoffs at the idea that she asked to have her image plastered across the front of the magazine.

"It's all about blogging, which is all about individuals," she says, explaining why her piece is about more than just her.

Gould left Gawker in December. She says the fallout from blogging about extremely personal aspects of her life has taught her an important lesson: Think before you publish.

"I do have rules for myself now ... sometimes it feels good, like I'm protecting myself."

Sometimes, she feels limited by these new boundaries, Gould admits. She yearns to write, and publish, whatever occurs to her.

"I do think there is something special about putting something out there in a public way," she says. "Ultimately I guess maybe it's about community — a space online that's like your little publication."