Monday, June 25, 2012

MKMOT (June 25, 2012)

Well, we got that out of the way. Let's get down to business.

Less is more up here today. There should be plenty to talk about down there. 

Without further ado, the floor is yours. It's open.




115 comments:

  1. Well, one thing I didn't see anybody bitching about beforehand was the complete loss of our commenting histories. Ouch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm guessing (hoping) that's a temporary glitch. We'll see.

      Anyone interested in a Kinja preview can read any Gawker article. It's up and running there.

      Delete
    2. I took you advice, Echo. This is what I saw.

      http://gawker.com/5921006/lonesome-george-the-worlds-rarest-giant-tortoise-found-dead?comment=50377265

      (deep sigh)

      Delete
    3. I haven't really been following this all that closely -- did they ever say why they went from Pow Wow to Kinja? Are those two products from the same company (if that question makes any sense -- I assume they outsource this shit but maybe they created this all in-house)?

      Delete
    4. I don't know what happened to PowWow, but Kinja is apparently a Gawker thing:

      "With the intention of making web logs more accessible to the public, Nick Denton of Gawker Media and Meg Hourihan of Pyra Labs created Kinja, which began as an investigation into the navigation of web logs. It was dubbed Kinja in October of 2003."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinja

      Delete
    5. I'm just glad they didn't name it kinjo, which is currently the top listed hobby in West Fucking Virginia.

      Also, your comment history lives on - however briefly - if you swing over to lifehacker.

      Delete
    6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  2. Looks like it might be time to switch to an avatar more easily distinguishable in those tiny thumbnails.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, I'm going to need to bite my tongue until I give this a bit more time.

    What's that? Oh Jesus, I'm sorry. I could have sworn that was my tongue.

    ReplyDelete
  4. All my comments are now being summarily dismissed. I suppose bugs are unavoidable though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just noticed this. The comments with multiple +1s are shoved down to the bottom. You got so many so quickly that it was dismissed. This happened with PowWow: an initial dismissal meant all your subsequent comments were also dismissed. The question is whether it's a bug or whether the short, uninteresting nature of +1s devalues comments in this algorithm. I think it's the latter, unfortunately. I'll have questions for Tommy.

      Delete
    2. No, no. I mean DISMISSED. Check out my history, I'm commenting into the void now.

      Delete
    3. Yeah, sorry, that's what I meant. I don't know if it's permanent, but I think the auto-dismissal is actually working as they want it to, unbelievably.

      Delete
  5. Mantis Toboggan, M.D.June 25, 2012 at 10:48 AM

    Well my Kinja career is off to a fucking roaring start.

    For the record, my comment on the Venus Williams post was in response to the original picture that accompanied the story, which depicted Venus putting a towel over her face. Classic.

    Then again, now it appears that you can't even see the comment anyway. And V8, I have no clue what happened with your +1, but you and I both know I'm not in the business of rejecting validation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the comments are off to the right. You have to click the little arrows and then you get a drop down menu of comments, or at least the commenter's avatar.

      /bites tongue
      //really bites tongue
      ///passes out

      Delete
  6. I initially thought it would be ok, slightly worse than the old system. But then I realized I was missing a big aspect of it - there is a dimension of comments that I didn't even realize was there. As if I was a Flatlander experiencing 3-D for the first time.

    What I thought it was:

    Story
    Comment 1 thread -> Comment 2 thread -> Comment 3 thread
    with each comment thread starting with the original comment and showing all the replies

    and I was ok scrolling from comment thread to comment thread

    But then I realized it's:
    Story
    |
    -Comment 1 thread
    |
    |
    Subcomment 1 (reply to original comment), with a string of replies to this particular subcomment
    |
    |
    Subcomment 2 (reply to original comment), with a string of replies to this subcomment

    As an example, the "Welcome to the New Commenting..." post currently has 82 posts listed. The 2nd is Sharting's comment, which generated 4 comment responses, but you can only see those 4 comment responses by clicking through the individual subcomments. The only thing you can see initially is that Raysism and Always Winning replied in one subcomment thread. I couldn't even figure out that Always Winning, Erg, and IMG had also replied to Sharting's original comment.

    3-D chess is an accurate description. It sucks. (Not 3-D chess - I assume that's awesome.) And I know I've only played with it for a few minutes, but it's enough to know it sucks. One big reason is that originality matters, and it's just too damn hard to figure out if someone has already said the clever, awesome thing I want to say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, I tend to think this is spot on. Even if we all eventually learn to navigate the thing, it's going to be infinitely harder to find gems in the earlier comments and to see if your joke has already been attempted.

      On the upside, I can now just wait until I see AzureTexan's avatar, copy and paste, and no one will be the wiser.

      Delete
    2. Totally agree on the originality piece. Someone is going to steal a good joke, and it won't be their fault.

      Delete
  7. Wow, this requires a lot of clicking. I may get bored of this sooner than later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. Diablo 3 doesn't even REMOTELY live up to the hype.

      This commenting system looks pretty terrible, too.

      Delete
    2. Hah! +1

      I got a late start on D3. All my L60 friends have stopped playing due to the 1.03c patch.

      Delete
  8. Deadspin Editorial Staff Meeting
    6/25/12 - 8:15 A.M.


    Craggs: Alright boys, today's theme is "Rapid fucking fire." The more posts we get up, the less time the commenters will have to realize what a clusterfuck the new system is. I'll start off with an announcement to the commenters.

    Drew: (via Skype) Shit yes! I saw a movie once.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well, it's been real. I don't have the patience or desire to fucking click around all the time trying to figure out what's going on who said what.

    I'll be around here somewhat I guess.

    Bye, Deadspin commenting. I had fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I may be right behind you. It's a cool idea, but having to click twenty times to see shit -- and still have no idea who said what first -- seems a nonstarter to me. I haven't even read the last two posts, so someone tell me if someone says something funny.

      Delete
    2. I'm still up in the air, but I think that one big thing that Denton completely overlooked in the redesign was the time commitment required to read through the comments. Most of us - myself included - comment while at work, and when we had a one-page system, it wasn't terribly time consuming to read through all of the comments on a post.

      With this new system, it seems like it will take entirely too much time to click through and read everything, which was important for the comedic nature of DS commenting.

      Delete
    3. If someone actually thinks that system is better somehow, I'd be surprised. Oh well, I could stand to be a little more productive anyway.

      Delete
  10. This is so stunningly bad that I now think it's likely that it will return to the old setup. I just can't understand how this will benefit Denton in any way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I did get a kick out of one of you idiots posting as "Guy Who Explains Jokes".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the one thing I'm looking forward to is more "Guy Who" burners.

      Delete
  12. For those opposed, who monetize a dis
    Pete tell 'em: "Monetize this!"

    ReplyDelete
  13. Guy Who Thinks It's Time For Kinja ActionJune 25, 2012 at 11:39 AM

    Since kinja is great for leaks, wouldn't you love to see a bunch of "I was molested" burners on the Dana Jacobson post? Wouldn't that just make your day?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Serious Question: does every click on a different avatar or subcategory count as a new page view? And if so, does it also reload all the data hacking your mobile data usage through the roof?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would assume. That's the only conceivable reason for this bullshit.

      But it's self-defeating, of course, in that it will ultimately drive pageviews down. And I can't imagine advertisers will be fooled by this pageview inflation for very long (if at all).

      Delete
    2. If, as we suspect, the point is to sell ad space on individual comments, then it would have to count as something, at least. It may not be a full page view, but that's the paradigm Denton is trying to create, and if you sell ads you gotta have views. It stands to reason that those are all individual page views.

      And I don't know how mobile data works, but the Kinja interface is (thankfully) neutered on my phone. It actually looks like a refreshed, non-starred version of the old system, which looks pretty good. But I would assume it doesn't reload the page for all the nested replies. Unless it did that before.

      Delete
  15. So,you guys see Raysism dismiss BronzeHammer??? MEOW!!!

    Do tell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The funny thing is that I didn't dismiss him -- I see that he left me a latin reply, but then when I click on it, it says it's been removed. So I don't know who did it.

      Delete
  16. Ok. So, there was apparently a misunderstanding as to how +1's were going to be treated in the new system. At first obviously they were to be discredited and stopped, essentially. But then it seemed like the tech people had dropped that bit of it. Obviously they had not.

    Craggs just went to bat for the commenters getting screwed by this and got them to change the algorithm (whatever that means, honestly) so that +1's are now neutral and the system will be able to "see" them and not immediately ignore and therefor discredit them. This was not something they wanted to do but I guess Craggs convinced them. They may consider giving them positive weighting in the algorithm at some point but who knows. It sounds like this should take effect pretty soon if not already.

    As for the Guy Who burner accounts, do you guys who realize what you're doing? Remember all the fun Deadspin commenters had invaded other sites and making a fuckstorm out of their comment sections? Good times right? You're basically cannibals now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the inside scoop, Sean.

      As far as Guy Whos, I like them here (for the most part) but over there it could turn into a real shitstorm.

      Delete
    2. CRAGGS SAVED DEADSPIN!!!!!

      Seriously. That's good.

      Delete
    3. Yeah, I was about to make a Guy Who joke over there, but kept it here. I'm frustrated with the system, but it could easily spiral out of control.

      Delete
    4. Thanks for the update, Sean.

      And, let me add my voice to this, please do not troll Deadspin. Remember that's what we were all concerned about. You can troll here. This is the lawless zone. Deadspin has rules and fucking respect them. I know we all are adjusting and have concerns but this is like shitting in your own bedroom because you don't like how it was repainted

      Delete
    5. Let me know if they remove the 'auto dismiss any comments from SbV8' part of the algorithm.

      Delete
    6. Couldn't the comment, um, [sighs] fairies be taking care of this?

      Delete
    7. Agreed on the Guy Whos. Fine over here, but we don't need them taking over DS comments and making it a completely hostile environment.

      Delete
    8. SbV8,
      I think you should be in the clear because, I think, your comments were getting pushed down because of the +1's. The system was interpreting them negatively and pushing it further down and then maybe interpreting that as originating with you?? I don't know, but this should fix it shortly if it hasn't already. If not, drop me or anyone else a line and we'll try to sort it out.

      -Sean

      Delete
    9. Gamboa,

      For the most part they want editors and moderators to focus on promoting good shit and not indulging the garbage. I guess this makes the system more effective. So, it will require restraint from everyone involved. Commenters, mods, editors, etc.

      I only mentioned it because I found it to be a pretty funny commentary on people who supposedly "Get it."

      Delete
    10. I emailed gawker help. But it won't even let me post anymore. Every attempt goes straight to dismissed.

      Delete
    11. I'm sure the Guy Who thing will die down pretty quickly, but the mere concept of burner accounts practically begs for similar shenanigans.

      Everyone knows where I stand. An active ninj squad is good for all.

      Delete
    12. And I'm back. Thanks Sean.

      Delete
    13. "Guy Who" isn't always a troll. Sometimes "Guy Who" brings hysterical satire.

      Delete
  17. Guy Who Had A TracheotomyJune 25, 2012 at 12:14 PM

    I found my voice, Raysism. It is't fun!! Kinja, more like JERKAS

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey DJ, gimme a beat. No, not that one. Over one. No, dude, look, you have to click the icon to the right. I know, it's fuckin' stupid. Just do it for me. There it is. Aight, let's do this.

    YO! It’s the rap machine
    Schoolin’ balogs like the Deadspin dean
    Have you ever seen Baloggert get down?
    Harper Bryce says bro question, clown
    Oh yeah, run that last line back
    Palindromic lyrics ‘cause I got the sack
    Used to rock, the comment space
    With the humor of a younger Chevy Chase
    Kinja, you’ll know we ain’t playin’
    When you see the pink spider or the mantis that’s prayin’

    Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! NO NO NO NO!
    No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO!
    NO NO NO NO!

    Kinja, must be a trap
    Can’t comment so I wrote the KINJA RAP
    “Dismiss”? Do you know what that means?
    Fuckin’ up, all our joking routines
    It’s broken, comments devoured
    Longin’ for stars hour after hour
    A balog emcee, I ain’t a beginner
    And like all you a resident ‘Spinner
    Hatin’ on Kinja like never before
    A brand new kind of Internet war, it’s the

    Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! NO NO NO NO!
    No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO!
    NO NO NO NO!

    Burners, better run and hide
    If we ever hit our Kinja stride
    Denton said, the new system is slick
    But I’ll get carpal tunnel with just another mouse click
    Rockin’ the balog the way it should be rocked
    With a Kinja roundup like my name was Shitehawk
    Slow to figure this out I’m a Kinja turtle
    But as you just heard, my raps remain fertile
    The system blows but just hold on,
    Or boycott this shit ‘til Kinja’s gone, that’s

    Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! Kinja, Kinja, RAP! NO NO NO NO!
    No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO! No Kinja, No Kinja, NO!
    NO NO NO NO!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I know very little about viruses, hacking, etc.

    What are the potential threats to the security of our accounts and the functions they're linked to (In my case, gmail.) with this new commenting system?

    ReplyDelete
  20. After going through two posts, my wrist is fuckin' killing me. I'm done with reading comments until I can "View All."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you on fleshbot, by any chance?

      Delete
  21. I stopped reading Gawker comments when they changed to Kinja a couple weeks ago. Maybe that's the point. Maybe they want fewer comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that must be it. And maybe Denton is part of an Illuminati backed shadow government responsible for everything from the Iraq war to the assassination of President Kennedy.

      Or maybe they just thought this would freshen things up?

      Delete
  22. The Amazing SneijdermanJune 25, 2012 at 2:08 PM

    FreemanMcNeil with the first legitimate dismissal! Come on forward if you had him in the pool.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Someone emailed me to ask if that was me posing as comment_ninja with a burner account. Lest I be blamed for such shenanigans, that is 100% not me. The only comment I've left today was a question in the Kinja open thread.

    I don't want to get blamed for shit I'm not doing. I really don't like the new system right now, so I've barely been over there, though (as my question pointed out) reading the comments on the iPhone seems far superior than the laptop right now.

    Thanks for listening.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Guy Who is done with thisJune 25, 2012 at 2:39 PM

    You know, as a formerly starred commenter I wish I could support this system or at least pretend to support it. But all evidence suggests that the only way I could do that would be to take on a low paid junior editor position.

    Who would have thought that one would be forced to sell their soul after leaving the legal profession?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The important thing is that you gave it a fair chance. It's been 4.0 billable hours and all.

      See you back in two weeks!

      Delete
    2. Hey man, if you've paid attention, I've defended each and every iteration of commenting systems (well before I ever had any position at Deadspin) for the same reason: It's different, but just deal with it. If that's a problem for you, then go right on ahead and be done with it. You can join the Afinos and Yostals and Ukrainenotweaks of the world who decided the same thing and who you likely replaced.

      Take care,

      -Sean

      Delete
  25. Guy Who knows a flack when he sees oneJune 25, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    For those who want to complain but are late to the game, let me summarize the Deadspin defenses:

    1) "We've changed many times but it always works out"

    [I've been here for 6 years. The old changes were either purely about navigation or were quickly reversed (e.g., when replies weren't nested for about 2 months). This is fundamentally different in that it is a calculated attempt to drive page views rather than increase page load time or usability.]

    2) "You haven't even tried it yet."

    [Yes. Yes, we have. It doesn't take too many tastes of shit-flavored lollipops to decide that you don't like shit-flavored lollipops.]

    3) "This has been well thought through"

    [So much so that we abandoned the PowWow version after 3 weeks.]

    4) "This isn't about page views."

    [Can you please run one more Bleacher Report parody so we can be sure?]

    ReplyDelete
  26. Who runs the Deadspin twitter feed? Whoever does is being kind of an ass.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well I just got totally shit on by whoever does the Deadspin Twitter account. Classy customer service.

    https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/217330196947279872

    Not saying I didn't deserve it, but my point is this - I read 100% of what's on Deadspin. I comment like never, anymore. It's disappointing that I can't read it anymore because it's unreadable. The commenting itself, well that works just fine. Reading the top comments, it looks great. I like the look and feel of it. I'm just asking for a chronological list, like everybody else.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saw it in real time. That was bush league bullshit, right there.

      Delete
    2. I hate to say it, but - could the "Cincinnatus" reference have come from anyone but Tommy?

      Delete
    3. That was absolute shit. I said so on Twitter. I said so to Craggs a few minutes ago in the "comment" post. And, I'll say so here.

      I can deal with changes to the commenting regime. I've tried to be respectful and accept the evolution of the site, but lashing out at valued commenters is just bush league.

      Delete
    4. Craggs has brought up Cincinnatus before. And as Steve U said, who the hell else would talk like that?

      http://deadspin.com/mike-leake/

      Delete
    5. Whoa whoa, "valued"? Way to make a guy blush.

      Delete
    6. Polk's a friend and his work has generated more mainstream publicity for Deadspin than just about anyone else, so he has my respect, but I guess I don't see it as out of line. It didn't come until after he turned down a polite invitation to join the chat, and it wasn't like he got called a shitpile. It was an attempt at humor, and I thought it was a funny retort without any genuine malice attached.

      - Guy Who Wrote A Profile of Polk Panther that Mocked his Fight With Cancer

      Delete
    7. Guy Who pegged this all alongJune 25, 2012 at 3:23 PM

      @Steve U

      Is there any doubt that it is Craggs? The guy has an inferiority complex which he has rightfully earned after being beaten down by multiple commenters in the last few years. He is the classic example of a guy of mediocre intelligence who can write a nice sentence and stumbled upwards after everyone more talented left. How many people go from a fumbling/bumbling appearance at a competitor's meeting ("OMG, Norby is TOTALLY LOOKING AT ME") to editor without having some sort of complex?

      Delete
    8. Dubai at Night: I would have loved to see that comment, but, well, you know.

      Delete
    9. Guy Who is Sick of IMGs Dick SuckingJune 25, 2012 at 3:25 PM

      Jesus Christ IMG! You know they'll cast you out just as fast as they did the cancer guy, right? This is embarrassing - just quit your job, sign up for a weekend editor position, and let us all know where you stand. At least Sean has transparency on his side.

      Delete
    10. All Apologetics: I tried to find it, but I can't even find my own comments any more. Sorry - but I promise it's there!

      [looks up]

      [not sure I want to participate in this any more]

      Delete
    11. FWIW IMG, IDK if you saw I did comment LOL - http://deadspin.com/5921087/?comment=50384032

      /sorry
      //gtg

      Delete
    12. All Apologetics, here is the link:

      http://deadspin.com/5921087/?comment=50384806

      I do respect him for engaging. This is a tough situation - the PolkPanther reply was purely bush league, but I'm willing to write it off as an ill-advised response. We've all had them.

      Delete
    13. Guy Who won't be cowedJune 25, 2012 at 3:49 PM

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    14. To be completely fair in my evaluation of this - I'll partially defend Kinja too. It looks good. I actually prefer the way it nests replies in the default view, because it's easier to track who is talking to who compared to the old way (although it's still inferior to a Reddit-style collapsible tree). The fatal flaw is in the magical non-chronological algorithm, and making it completely impossible to scroll through comments.

      But then, I was about the only person who liked the redesign. So what do I know.

      Delete
    15. Congratulations, buddy.

      You finally got me to delete. As everyone knows, I love a little controversy if it adds to readability.

      Yours didn't, and it certainly wasn't needed today.

      Toodles!

      Delete
  28. I'm stupid, I know, but how do I read the comments? The Craggs post ... about comments ... says it has like 280 replies. I found about 50 by clicking on avatars. When it says "one reply to" and there is one listed below, is that the reply, and do I click elsewhere? I don't get how this system works. Granted right now I am very sick and failing at basic things, but this is ridiculous.

    Oh, and PolkPanther, that bullshit on Twitter on you being able to work Photoshop but not the new comments section? Lame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't you remember the version of Photoshop where you had to click through four menus, solve a rebus, remember all of your pets' names in order, and answer a trivia question about ancient Roman politicians in order to resize something?

      Delete
    2. Cicero! The answer is always Cicero.

      Unless the question is "Which dude pulled his own bowels out," that was Cato.

      Delete
  29. Good news everyone. I think we're going to be okay.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What's the over/under on the number of times Miserable Shitehawk would have to click in order to prepare a daily rundown that is anywhere near comprehensive?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Welp, comedy pyramids are indeed worse with the new system.

    In response to Freeman McNeil's Dial soap pun, I made an Ivory soap pun in reply. Since people only see two examples before they click around, they don't know what's going on so now I have to dismiss replies such as, "An ivory tower of not making rape jokes, wow what a pretentious douchebag" (cool, it's just like Yahoo! sports) and "to consider rape jokes unfunny and tasteless you must live in an "ivory tower"? what's next, do you also sit on a "high horse"? thanks for the lack of insight, bro."

    Yeah, it's just a mild pain the ass, and pun pyramids aren't the greatest thing in the world, but there's no way this idiot (troll?) would've been approved to comment before kinja.

    Obvious response: just ignore it. Obvious reply: it just shouldn't be an issue on a site that had a well-vetted commenter base.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, I should've proof-read that but you get the gist.

      Delete
    2. I thought the same thing about that post. Pyramids are gonna be pretty clumsy.

      Delete
    3. I really don't like the Kinja setup. It's tough to find the doubles of jokes. Good job on the Ivory soap pun. I was hoping to start something like that to see if piling on would help us understand the change better. I was wrong.

      Delete
    4. I very much enjoyed the Dial and Ivory jokes, @Freeman and @Always.

      It's getting a little tedious to click through, but I guess it's just how it is! I really would love a different ALL view whenever they can program it.

      We'll have to see how DUAN stacks up tonight.

      Delete
    5. I enjoy pyramids quite a bit, probably too much. They have led to some of the best examples of Deadspin commenting (the figurines and Bangladeshi jerseys come to mind). It will be a shame if Kinja cannot accommodate them.

      Delete
    6. The confusion is the problem. The inability to have one cohesive and collective commenting section, like the one we had fewer than 24 hours ago, will lead to more confusion and worse comments.

      I'm not kidding, the commenting free-for-all is just beginning over there.

      Delete
  32. Well, don't know what I did wrong today. Deadspin kept asking me to sign in to post, even though i was signed in. Different browsers tried. Or, hm, maybe someone has blocked me forever...

    newfat-leaveher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ironically, I have "No Idea."

      Delete
    2. Thank you for your interest in newfat-leaveher. We will get back to you when he stops trembling.

      -newfat

      Delete
  33. Welp, I'm frustrated.

    I pretty rarely comment anymore, but I do enjoy reading the comments. I'm doing my absolute best to be patient and try to learn the new commenting system, but it seems to be an absolute clusterfuck.

    I've already had to install a freaking script on Firefox just to be able to view stories in chronological order. That's annoying enough as it is.

    But now we've got a commenting system that's basically like "Here's a bucket. When you make a comment, it goes into the bucket. When someone wants to read a comment, they stick their hand into the bucket and feel around until they can grab one out and read it. If they want to read another comment, they can reach back into the bucket and pull out another one."

    This seems like a wonderful system for someone who has schizophrenia or some sort of memory disorder. For the rest of the people on earth who are used to seeing things organized in at least *some* sort of reasonable order, it's confusing as hell. It discourages conversation. It makes for a ridiculous amount of clicking and mousing around just to read comments, 90% of which have no payoff.

    I also wanted to mention how I appreciate the "rollover preview" of each comment, so you can block your view of the comment you're reading with a partial view of another comment that you may or may not have already read. I liked the previous commenting system, but I always felt it was lacking in the ability to read garbled portions of two comments at the same time. Now, we can finally enjoy that.

    I hope I'm either missing something or there are some changes coming because this doesn't seem very usable and I don't think I'm going to be able to download and run another script to fix it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jesus Christ. You're even hysterical when you're complaining.

      Everything will be fine. Just make another Keith Hernandez joke, and watch all the +1s drag your comment down into obscurity.

      Delete
    2. I don't comment much and never comment very well, but I have to say, I find the prospect of dropping a new, original comment into the bucket-o'-comments to be, well, pointless. As Greg the IT guy pointed out in the Kinja thread, they don't really want us making "standalone" comments anymore, just replying to each other. So, if I have a different joke to make, I'm basically casting it into oblivion, by design. Which, you know, sucks.

      I simply don't believe anyone working for Deadspin can be genuinely optimistic about this. I understand cheese-mac and Tommy and the rest have to put on a brave face and project optimism, but I can't imagine how Deadspin's commenters can continue being funny and making jokes when Kinja, by design, only encourages discussion threads.

      This is all really, really depressing.

      Delete
    3. Both Tommy and the tech guys mentioned a 'view all' option would new forthcoming. That'll put everything in chronological order and should completely resolve everyone's major, and completely reasonable gripe.

      Delete
  34. Greetings everyone. The new system is giving me a migraine. I hate to say it, but my only reading and commenting at Deadspin and Gawker will now be entirely by mobile. It's a pain in the ass, but at least, for now, the threads are chronological.

    I guess I should thank Denton, since instead of spending hours reading your guys' (hilarious) comments, I now have time to go home and pack for a move back to Boston in a week.

    Hope it is okay to follow ya'll here.

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  35. Thats a clown move, broJune 25, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    Nothing says, "we have no fucking clue what we're doing" like trying out a new commenting system on the worst and then, after not liking what you see, the best commenters you have. Basically, we're guinea pigs for the realization of Denton's coke-fueld daydreams about doing for comments what Google did for search.

    drops mic

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  36. There's a debate in the Pam Shriver post about the correct pronounciation of a particular call in tennis, as well as who said it. All I can picture is the red-shirt guy from the World of Warcraft Q & A.

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  37. I'm reading DS stories on my laptop and the comments on my phone. Now I gotta figure out how to change my goddamn Google sign-in name here. Getting drunk first. Love the site, Mikey!

    Prick Top

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  38. Triumph of the Will ClarkJune 25, 2012 at 7:36 PM

    There's no reason that the Deadspin comment section can't be recreated on this site or some other one! All that's needed are well written articles by articulate writers!

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  39. JustLikeTomThumbsBoozeJune 25, 2012 at 8:15 PM

    So I missed most of the fireworks today, but I've just spent an hour trying to run through today's stories (keyword: trying). That used to be enough to not only run through every story from the day, but also allow time to check every commment and laugh my ass off for the extra 45 minutes I had in that hour. As one unfunny but earnest commenter to a bunch of truly funny, hardworking commenters on this site: hopefully it's cool that I check in on these threads every now and then. I just don't have the time to sift through all of that bullshit. And man, there is some serious crap clogging up Deadspin right about now.

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  40. Another reason to hate Hot Pockets.

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  41. I just went back to Deadspin -- seems to be working better now.

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