Comments on: Gawker Media Launches Drudge-type blog

Gawker Media Launches Drudge-type blog

Duck_Lips — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:05:13 -0800

Sploid.com , a new tabloid style website aimed at the Drudgereport, is launched by Lockhart Steele founder of Gawker Media, home of Gawker and Wonkette. Looks a lot like the recently relaunched National Enquirer (Will 'enquiring minds' accept The Equirer's move to New York and British editorial makeover?

By: amandaudoff

amandaudoff — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:09:49 -0800

FYI- Lockhart is not the founder of Gawker, Nick Denton is.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:15:19 -0800

SPLOID EDITOR FREQUENTS LOW-CLASS WEBSITE UNDER NOM DE PLUME

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:20:37 -0800

THE BIG HEADLINE TEXT REMINDS ME OF A DRUNK TALKING LOUD AT A DINNER PARTY ! .... ouch.

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:22:10 -0800

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF GAWKER MEDIA? THEY HAVE BLOGS!! Denton Blue?

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:34:31 -0800

GodDAYAM that's one butt-ugly site.

By: geoff.

geoff. — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:40:12 -0800

Gawker is only cool because it approaches it in a very disassociated away. They approach celebrity news as if you're at a lunch with a friend who's gossiping about an extended circle of friends. Perhaps it is the New York attitude they bring, with a hint of gay wit. At least for me, a guy, I enjoy digesting it where I wouldn't even touch National Enquirer or this Sploid.

By: lock

lock — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:40:43 -0800

Founder? No -- just a toiler in the salt mines. We're allowed to play on MeFi when we've been good.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:42:54 -0800

That site really looks like crap. But then again, that ain't stopped Drudge.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:43:47 -0800

I ACTUALLY KINDA LIKE THE DESIGN... ahem, yeah I do though, might be a good one. I wish there was a way to make money besides ads though. I'm actually really feeling the little subscription dealie idea these days. But I guess it's harder to sell if you've got the mini-blog-empire dealie going, because there isn't so much save Old Mr. Coopers farm with a community bake sale appeal there. billysumday, Do you not like this post? I heard of neat way to express your displeasure. Send me $2 in cash and SASE and I'll hip you to it.

By: Mid

Mid — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:45:27 -0800

Lock -- Matt Hale did not kill a judge. He unsuccessfully tried to hire somebody to kill a judge. Your headline is wrong.

By: Remy

Remy — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:46:40 -0800

I don't mind the design, but the syndicated feeds are fairly worthless. I guess you really do need the giant text to get the full effect.

By: ph00dz

ph00dz — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:50:39 -0800

What a name... that d00d should hang out with Ransom Love.

By: gurple

gurple — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:51:22 -0800

BANDA ACEH is not what I'd call ABANDONED, at least according to a friend of mine who went there a couple weeks ago as part of a humanitarian effort. But hey, you know, whatever sells the copies -- er, brings in the revenue from scary Frodo-looking ads.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:51:31 -0800

I thought Nick Denton was the guy who started Gawker Media. Am I wrong?

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:55:01 -0800

Divine_Wino -- It's not that I didn't like it as much as it sort of seems like free advertisement for Denton, and since he makes quite a good bit of money off his blogs, it bugs me. If someone linked to a blog on Nike's page or to a webpage about the newest soft drink by a big company like Pepsi or something, mefites would probably get mad. I guess it just seems like the Gawker Empire comes out with a new blog every couple of weeks now, and I'm wondering if there has to be a post about it here everytime that happens. Again, seems like free plugs for Denton. But if you want to give me your address, I'll try to send you a postcard or something.

By: tpl1212

tpl1212 — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 10:59:16 -0800

So this site just links to news stories through lopsided, inflamatory, and/or poorly summarized 95-point headlines? "SHUTTLE CAN'T EVEN ROLL ON GROUND" = "...not an issue that would impede rollout." Etc etc...as pointed out by folks above. I don't get it. What's the point? It's like I sat next to some smelly guy at a bar late at night and started screaming to me about last Monday's Boston Herald.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:00:07 -0800

The shouty design is rather nice, I think. The links to rather dull news items, with witless descriptive headlines, less nice. Or maybe it's just that US tabloids don't have the groaning pun headline tradition of UK ones? Best ever (sports): Super Cali Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious!

By: lock

lock — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:00:24 -0800

Mid, thanks for the tweak. Even as a tabloid, we're all about this, er, accuracy thing.

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:01:10 -0800

this news that Ken Layne's Tabloid has made a comeback is the news of the day. It's long over-due and if you never had the chance to enjoy it in its heyday (97-99), click around the waybackmachine for tabloid.net here's some classic examples of Sploids' BIG HEADLINE predecessor. Tabloid, btw, featured such fine contributors as Reason's Matt Welch and The Daily Show's Jason Ross... before they got their cush gigs.

By: dios

dios — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:02:16 -0800

This *has* to be a self-link.

By: chaz

chaz — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:04:10 -0800

I liked tabloid.net a lot. I think this has potential... they need to get more outrageous on the political side, I think, with gossip, innuendo, and some actual reporting. If it's just a blog that looks like a tabloid, it won't go far. But if they, like Drudge, actually dredge up a story of their own once a month or so, then it's got legs.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:09:53 -0800

Billy I hear ya, I just don't think there's a line to be drawn here. What you are saying is don't link to something that makes someone money, I think in the end that doesn't make much sense and reaches the Delta Vee of absurdidty pretty quickly. it's a meh kinda post and should go into like a metafilter sidebar, links also of interest kinda deal maybe, but that ain't how we do things around here and I don't want to be on the good enough to post subcomittee so fuckit. I'm of the if you don't like it move on school and I shoulda applied that to your comment.

By: cushie

cushie — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:12:13 -0800

I actually think Sploid is nasty. In the same way that The Sun [UK tabloid to which I refuse to link] is nasty. The Sun sells tons of papers so maybe Sploid will work. Referring to Hastert is a Fatty is mean-spirited I think. There are plenty of more substantive ways to criticize him. But I'm glad they think it's funny that he's got kidney stones.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:12:59 -0800

From the bottom of the page: Sploid is a news site with a tabloid mentality -- top stories up top, played big, as fast as they break. If there's a political line, it's anarcho-capitalist: sniffing out hypocrisy and absurdity, whether from salon left or religious right. Heh. You know what's absurd? This entire concept.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:14:49 -0800

Do yourself a favor: Click on the "Newest Stories" Button Hippies Go Crazy At Anti-Ahnold Protest

By: billysumday

billysumday — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:17:33 -0800

Ok, Divine_Who, point taken. Though to clarify my previously muddled comment, I don't mind linking to something that will make someone money as much as repeatedly linking to things that make someone money. I'll just wait for the next metafilter post about the next Denton blog and until then I'll be real quiet and even then I won't say anything and I'll take your advice and just move on and ok, I'll be leaving now, ok, bye, sorry.

By: matteo

matteo — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:17:38 -0800

GAG ME WITH A TABLOID SPOON

By: Mid

Mid — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:18:34 -0800

Lock: love the judge-kill plot. Nice fix.

By: liam

liam — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:22:48 -0800

GAG ME WITH A TABLOID SPOON Alternatively for Gawker Media: SPOON ME WITH A TABLOID WHORE.

By: idontlikewords

idontlikewords — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:34:28 -0800

What in the hell is that thumping noise when you click on the Enquirer homepage?! It doesn't seem to synch with any of the ads...

By: BT

BT — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:39:01 -0800

It's pretty bad as it stands. Ugly design aside, the problem is that we don't at this point need more "fast takes on what's breaking" sites. The field is pretty crowded with cleverly headlined takes on whatever is popping up on your newspaper's website of choice. A little more depth -- either of the serious kind or the well-thought-out-snarking kind -- is required to get me to visit yet another news-oriented site.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:45:37 -0800

You don't have to take my advice, chief or be sarcastic, do what thou wilt and all that.

By: Duck_Lips

Duck_Lips — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 11:49:08 -0800

Sorry, I should know the diff betwixt "founder" and "editor" I screwed up, Mea Culpa. Plus I have loads of typos on the post. I think all the big bold graphics on the site boggled me senses. I feel worse about being such shill, I assure you I'm no claque for the above commenting lock and reynolds. But I do support new ventures, so best of luck you two. On the QT, (or for today, a pectore) I am a shill for the Enquirer.

By: j.p. Hung

j.p. Hung — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:11:26 -0800

Wow is that an ugly ass site - it's just missing some annoying gifs. Although others here actually like the design (to which I say...huh?), I think it's just that aspect of this site that will find it passed over more often than not. Why try so hard to look like a dime store tabloid? I don't know many people that put much stock in what a tabloid has to say. Whether it's right or left leaning is unimportant really. Any design elements are prone to have an un-anticipated effect on the reader. If design overpowers the viewers need for content, they won't come back. This site does just that. Drudge works well because it's not about design, it's about news links - although some might argue that point. You can basically see every article at a glance. No need to scroll, no competing design overwhelming the 'news' articles. It's stupidly simple, and for most readers of Drudge, that's probably what they want.

By: RJ Reynolds

RJ Reynolds — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:14:28 -0800

SPOON ME WITH A TABLOID WHORE. too long for a t-shirt (or a hed). i'm thinking SPOON TABLOID WHORES. or maybe, SNUGGLE TAB WHORES. or, you know, in tribute (sorta) to zipf's law: SNUG TAB HOS.

By: eatitlive

eatitlive — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:22:59 -0800

GAWKER MAKES A RUN FOR THE 'POST' Can bloggers best 'BUSTED PUSSY' scribes?

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:31:18 -0800

Jesus. That site looks like vomit in text form. Is it trying to be a parody of itself or something?

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:36:05 -0800

xquz, yes.

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:52:57 -0800

Yeah, as the commentor said above, the amazing return of Ken Layne is the big story here. Guy is awesome.

By: homodigitalis

homodigitalis — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 13:37:49 -0800

Bad news sites like these are much easier to ignore on da intranets then on the streets.

By: Postroad

Postroad — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 13:38:00 -0800

This tabloid/hemmeroid/drudgeroid needs the idea posted above for annotating the NY Times and then it would be All the Shit that's Fit to Print

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 14:55:22 -0800

Fark does better, and doesn't give me a headache.. didn't bookmark this one.....

By: kaemaril

kaemaril — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 15:40:48 -0800

The design of the website is indeed "best of the web" ... or it was, back in - oh, I don't know, let's be generous - 1996 :)

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 15:47:18 -0800

i seriously doubt you'd have bookmarked Fark on their first day, HuronBob or even MeFi for that matter :)

By: FunkyHelix

FunkyHelix — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 16:06:59 -0800

Bah. Ugly, ugly, ugly site.