// the field guide

Notes from the noise.

Practical writing on listening, trends and sentiment — plus the occasional dispatch from building Babel42.

Listening 101·28 May 2026·2 min read

What is social listening? A plain-English guide for 2026

Social listening sounds like enterprise jargon, but the idea is simple: know what the internet is saying about the things you care about. Here's how it actually works — and how to start for free.

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Playbooks·2 min read

How to find the journalists who'll actually cover your launch

Spray-and-pray PR is dead. Here's how to use social listening to find the handful of reporters and creators genuinely interested in your story — and pitch them something they'll want.

22 May 2026

Playbooks·2 min read

Don't Panic: a founder's guide to handling a reputation wobble

One bad thread won't sink you — but ignoring it might. A calm, five-step playbook for spotting, sizing and steering a reputation moment before it becomes a crisis.

15 May 2026