I know I've seen it mentioned elsewhere,

"zadtheinhaler" (zaddikim)
12/19/2013 at 22:04 • Filed to: None

But is it time to spin Oppo off from Jalopnik? Maybe Jalopnik should cut ties with the Denton Gang!

I like it here, I really do. So please don't misinterpret what I'm proposing (not that others haven't).

It's just that the on-going tweaks to the Gawkerverse (go check out the gongshow that is Valleywag's comment sections) aren't really adding anything to our collective user experience. Slave2anMG posted about it, and when I checked it out, I was confused, and saw familiar elements.

Click on a conversation? You see only the first post. Click on "More"? It zooms up to the top, and messes around a bit. Then you have to scroll down to find the page re-arranged. It's like when Kinja was first introduced, only far worse.

I get that there's a relentless push to advance things, and I get that there's a push to generate more revenue, otherwise the monkeys don't get paid, so the monkeys code. But with no apparent oversight, testing and, I don't know, conversing with the people who use this place (I haven't checked out the sub-blogs too much lately on the other Gawkerverse pages, but I can't imagine the frustration is any less), who's going to drive the traffic if we peel off to Hooniverse, or Oppo+, or even start populating the /r/oppositelock sub on reddit?

Do Denton et al. actually have a plan? Do they care about anything other than pageviews and revenue? Do keep in mind - I've nothing but respect for the editorial staff of Jalopnik.com- knowledgeable, funny, witty (no, they're not mutually inclusive...) and they love their cars. But with all of the monkeyfucking around that's going on, making pages render badly, comments showing up and if the VWag thing going on is any indication, comment threads being all but unparsable, I can't see where they're going with this.

Or maybe I do, but I've blocked it out, because I don't want to acknowledge what is going on.

Disclosure: I've had the flu since Sunday, and reddit/Oppo is all I really have for social stimulus. I love this place, I really do. But I'm getting RSI from F5'ing every goddamn tab, I'm hungry, thirsty, and I just want things to work.

Is that too much to ask?

DISCUSSION (21)

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 22:08

So you're for the Separation of Gawker media from the Kinja platform, not anti-Jalop.

Okay.

lone_liberal > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 22:13

It's worked for Consumerist, but they were bought out by the Consumer Reports people.

Leadbull > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 22:15

Once Juan Barnett sells his "Bluetooth Roulette" idea for half a billion dollars, he can buy Jalopnik.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 22:16

Oppo have started to spin off.. I'm not sure I like it though.. But we have an IRC Channel on freenode.. We are bunch of fuckers... But gawker do have some great workers on the tech side... ernie and steve work work and work...

Fred Smith > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh
12/19/2013 at 22:18

As the owner of Oppo, I shall have it be known that Tinychat, and not IRC, is the official chatroom home of Oppositelock.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Fred Smith
12/19/2013 at 22:21

That is why we named it ##oppositelock, but if you feel that we intrude on your domain we'll change it :)

NoahthePorscheGuy > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 22:39

Personally I like the fact that our stuff can be shared to the FP

55Buick, Oversteer Scientist > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 23:04

Somewhat related: are there other off-topic gawker sites? Like Jalopnik has Oppo, jez has something (forgot what it's called,) but are there others?

PRBot II > 55Buick, Oversteer Scientist
12/19/2013 at 23:13

Gizmodo has whitenoise .

zadtheinhaler > 55Buick, Oversteer Scientist
12/19/2013 at 23:17

Io9 has ObservationDeck. Valleywag is a Gawker thing. There's a bunch of neat ones out there.

Skif6996 > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 23:22

I just wish my "Compose Post" button would work. I can reply but I havent been able to post anything for two days. I am getting real fornicated-off.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > zadtheinhaler
12/19/2013 at 23:44

Just wondering, when did oppo start?

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > Fred Smith
12/20/2013 at 04:26

What does that mean, you "own Oppo? Can you save us from Kinja?

zadtheinhaler > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
12/20/2013 at 07:20

I'm reasonably certain it was about four years ago. I just got up, and am coffee deprived, I'll look it up when my brain works.

zadtheinhaler > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
12/20/2013 at 08:47

We can only wish. He's one of the mods, if not THE mod, so he's one of the ones who can bestow authorship amongst other things.

zadtheinhaler > Leadbull
12/20/2013 at 08:48

Sounds like a plan to me! If we could only have a true voice in how the site actually gets designed...*sigh*

zadtheinhaler > lone_liberal
12/20/2013 at 08:49

Still better than being under Denton's boot.

zadtheinhaler > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
12/20/2013 at 08:50

Hell no, I am NOT anti-Jalop!

Yeah, the Gawker platform is seriously starting to go downhill. Have you even tried looking at Valleywag comments? Don't eat anything before going there.

zadtheinhaler > NoahthePorscheGuy
12/20/2013 at 08:51

That's a neat feature for sure - some people's comments are fucking gold, and need to be shared. I'm not sure that's enough reason, and it can be replicated in so many ways.

Cajun Ginger > 55Buick, Oversteer Scientist
12/20/2013 at 08:52

Jez has groupthink.

Fred Smith > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
12/20/2013 at 14:33

Sadly, my powers don't stretch that far. Even if they did, though, I wouldn't, as Jalopnik (And the connection it has to Oppo through Kinja) is what keeps Oppo so strong.