9 Powerful Moments In The Day Of A Viral Web Editor At BuzzFeed : All Tech Considered Every day, all day BuzzFeed scours the Web for click-happy material like photos of corgis and Ryan Gosling. We spend a day with Matt Stopera, one of the minds behind the popular social news site, and see what goes into making content viral.

9 Powerful Moments In The Day Of A Viral Web Editor At BuzzFeed

9 Powerful Moments In The Day Of A Viral Web Editor At BuzzFeed

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/155585035/155727945" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

NPR's Audie Cornish recently spent a day at the offices of BuzzFeed, the popular social news site, to find out how Web content goes viral.

So in honor of BuzzFeed — known for lists like "21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity" and "48 Things That Will Make You Feel Old" — here's our list of the nine powerful moments in the day of a viral Web editor at BuzzFeed, starring senior editor Matt Stopera.

1. Read 200 Tumblr posts, Google Reader updates and blogs before 9 a.m. In your Brooklyn apartment. In jorts (jeans + shorts).

Andrea Hsu/NPR
Matt Stopera
Andrea Hsu/NPR

2. Plummet into the Internet abyss. "You kind of like fall into this, like, hole, and then you're like, 'Where am I right now? I'm looking at asylum pictures!' "

Andrea Hsu/NPR
Matt Stopera
Andrea Hsu/NPR

3. At the office, don purple headphones to listen to Justin Bieber's new album while writing a post about how hot you are.

Audie Cornish/NPR
Matt Stopera
Audie Cornish/NPR

4. Brainstorm upcoming posts on the following possible topics: triumphs of the human spirit, defying expectations, celebrities declaring their support for gay rights, and heartwarming pet reunions. "The cats and the tornadoes — those always get me."

Andrea Hsu/NPR
An editorial meeting at BuzzFeed
Andrea Hsu/NPR

5. Enjoy this framed, crocheted cat with your co-worker Jack Shepherd, BuzzFeed's community manager who's also in charge of BuzzFeed Animals.

Audie Cornish/NPR
Jack Shepherd
Audie Cornish/NPR

6. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of Ryan Gosling. "We're very pro-Ryan Gosling. But Ryan Gosling's also like an untouchable celebrity, which is one of those celebrities that everyone kind of loves."

BuzzFeed editors love actor Ryan Gosling. Sean Gallup/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

BuzzFeed editors love actor Ryan Gosling.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

7. Laugh with your CEO Jonah Peretti — you know, the founder of BuzzFeed and co-founder of the Huffington Post who The New York Times called a "viral marketing hotdog" — all casual and stuff.

Andrea Hsu/NPR
Matt Stopera (left) and Jonah Peretti (right)
Andrea Hsu/NPR

8. Return with great focus to any number of the topics you've declared big on the Internet: Ryan Gosling, '90s nostalgia, celebrity time-travel photos, "anyone in the public eye with weird zoo animals is always a plus," and corgis. "I love corgis. That's like my favorite thing in the world. The Internet loves corgis."

Audie Cornish/NPR
Matt Stopera, a senior editor at BuzzFeed combs the Internet for potentially viral content.
Audie Cornish/NPR

9. Obviously.

BuzzFeed editors also love corgis. Wendy Sayer hide caption

toggle caption
Wendy Sayer

BuzzFeed editors also love corgis.

Wendy Sayer