*(Via PublishingExecutive.com) – In late January, longtime technology reporter Sherri L. Smith was named editor-in-chief of Laptop Mag, where she was previously the assistant managing editor. Smith is the first black woman to lead the Future plc-owned brand, and is believed to be the first black, female editor-in-chief of a major technology news publication.
In her new role overseeing editorial production, Smith says she is prioritizing e-commerce and expanding coverage into laptop peripheral categories, including audio, PC gaming, and virtual reality.
“Everything that can be plugged into a laptop represents an opportunity for us,” Smith says. “We want to make sure that your laptop life extends beyond work. You’re not just using your laptop at work; you’re using it at home, to stream, to watch Netflix, to game, and to do your taxes.”
As employees work from home through the current COVID-19 pandemic, Laptop Mag is also focused on serving readers with relevant coverage of standing desks, routers, and other mobile office tools that can ease the transition to remote work.
In the following interview, Smith shares her plans for Laptop Mag content and thoughts on representation in consumer tech media.
How does it feel to be the first black, female EIC of a major tech publication?
Overwhelming. It’s an honor. It’s also bittersweet because it’s … 2020 and this is still a first. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with this role. I want to make sure that I hire the best people, but I also want to make sure that I extend a hand to communities like mine that maybe don’t know that this job exists. I didn’t know that this job existed when I went to college. I thought I was going to be a pre-med major, but my math course said otherwise. I went from being an entertainment writer to a tech writer, to the first black woman editor-in-chief of a major tech publication.
Get the rest of this Q&A with Sherri L. S,Smith of Laptop Magazine at PublishingExecutive.com.
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