Oppositelock Orphans

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
05/09/2015 at 09:45 • Filed to: None

Not every piece written gets front-paged. Sadly, some never get picked up and simply get pushed to the bottom of the page here. Before you know it, they are gone.

What I often wonder about is why that is? I know there is no answer, really. It’s just that some pieces I have written performed the opposite of what I had expected (and certainly hoped). Then again, if anyone could figure this out they’d win the internet.

Here are pieces I wrote which faded into the sunset (the bottom of the Oppositelock page is the horizon) before their time.

One I wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! out of Arizona. It eventually got a few thousand views but look at all the cool art I put into it (I had a ton left over from my book on this technology.).

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I guess !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! aren’t sexy. But there were a few lessons here about how to handle a repeated malfunction in a USED car. And it had a happy ending.

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I guess the one I did on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a bit too self-indulgent? I thought it was funny.

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Weekends can be tough. Sometimes the photospreads get picked up and sometimes they don’t. I think it was a shame so few people saw !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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I thought !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! had potential. It’s like the origin story of a comic book character!

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What got me thinking about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I wrote yesterday. Got a couple hundred reads and faded away.

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Can’t win ‘em all. But you can recycle ‘em. Thanks for listening to me whine.

Follow me on Twitter: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Hear my podcast on iTunes: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 23 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.

DISCUSSION (21)

yamahog > SteveLehto
05/09/2015 at 09:57

Basically, if you want something FP’d, publish it on the weekend. In your case I’d probably just give the Jalopnik author of your choice a heads up and a link too.

SteveLehto > yamahog
05/09/2015 at 10:01

I’ve found the opposite to be true. The stuff I write on weekdays does a lot better than the stuff on the weekends. I know everyone has their theories. That’s why it seems more like alchemy and less like science.

f86sabre > SteveLehto
05/09/2015 at 10:32

It happens. I’ve had things I worked hard on picked up and totally ignored. It’s hard to tell what the mood of the day will be.

I was bummed very few people saw this one on my son’s point of view of the Hot Rod Power Tour last year. Seemed like a neat idea.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/hot-rod-power-…

SteveLehto > f86sabre
05/09/2015 at 10:56

Very nice. I did not see that at the time (it was probably on Oppo for three minutes before being pushed off.)

My only criticism would have been to 1) put the pic of the photographer as the header (people like pics of people) and 2) add some commentary from the photography. His comments would probably be as cool as the pics.

Thanks!

TheHondaBro > SteveLehto
05/09/2015 at 12:59

That’s happened to me a lot, especially with posts I put effort into.

f86sabre > SteveLehto
05/09/2015 at 14:17

Worthy notes. I'm conflicted about putting too many pics of him front and center on the net. I included one in there, but not a full on face shot. Getting his notes would have been a fun idea.

DasWauto > SteveLehto
05/09/2015 at 14:27

This is the main reason OppositeBlog exists, to cut through the randomness that is Oppo and try to bring some more exposure to posts that deserve it. It’s a more continuous version of the Best of Oppp, which I’ve fallen behind on again (sorry, lack of time) and I know the editors use it to grab Oppo posts to FP from.

In the end though, it happens, there is so much posted here and on Jalopnik that not everything can be featured. C’est la vie.

KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8 > SteveLehto
05/11/2015 at 04:32

I like reading most of your stuff. But then, I'm considering going to law school...

SteveLehto > KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8
05/11/2015 at 07:07

Are you in undergrad now?

Maxxuman > yamahog
05/11/2015 at 13:02

I expect you’re right that the chances of getting FP’d are greater on the weekend, when there’s less prime content to compete with, but since there are less people looking you won’t have as many views, comments, etc as if you make the FP on a weekday.

Maxxuman > f86sabre
05/11/2015 at 13:09

Your son did well - may want to watch his reflections though. Any idea what the “flxible” badge was on? (at least that’s all I can make out from it) With the ‘patina’ (rust) and the distinctive badge I’d love to have something like that to photograph and your son did a good job on it.

Maxxuman > SteveLehto
05/11/2015 at 13:16

Kinja'd!!!

So which story has the ‘Cuda’s in it?

SteveLehto > Maxxuman
05/11/2015 at 13:19

Oh, sorry about that. I saw that Cuda in a car collection I have not written about yet (same guy that owned the Superbird).

Maxxuman > SteveLehto
05/11/2015 at 13:21

What, me jealous?

f86sabre > Maxxuman
05/11/2015 at 16:09

Some old GM product of some sort. Wish I knew more.

KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8 > SteveLehto
05/11/2015 at 19:58

Yes. I have an associate's degree, took about 5 years off, finally decided to go back to school, and just completed year 1 of 2.5 for a bachelor's. I currently own a tech support company and mostly enjoy that, and I'm going back to school for more computer related topics, but I've also successfully sued companies for Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations (robocalls to my cell phone), a client for non-payment, and a restaurant when my tooth got chipped all on my own, without attorneys, so you could say I'm interested =P

P.S. Can you un-gray me? =D

SteveLehto > KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8
05/11/2015 at 20:21

You aren’t gray when I see you.

I handled three cases before I went to lawscool too. Not as fun now, but then again I’m handling cases for other people. Always more exciting when it really is your money on the line.

KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8 > SteveLehto
05/11/2015 at 21:13

Must be only gray on homepage stuff? Or maybe other Gawker blogs? I dunno.

Anyways, the beauty is, all I ever stand to lose is court costs, and the potential gains are quite nice. I just opted out of the Capital One TCPA robocalling class action where each class member gets a measly $40!! and am going to fill out the paperwork to start a case for the full amount over the coming weekend. Part of me just likes sticking it to the big corporations... suing a non-paying client was just a sad necessity =\

I also just completed an intro to business law class and did quite well in it - mid 90%

SteveLehto > KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8
05/11/2015 at 21:31

I have no idea how the gray-black thing works. I’m still in gray 99% of the time I comment on other pieces.

KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8 > SteveLehto
07/12/2015 at 21:16

Hey Steve,

I don’t really know how else to contact you, since Kinja doesn’t seem to have a messaging option, but I have a question for you.

I have a 2008 Mazda 3 that I’ve owned since new. The undercarriage splash guard was improperly designed from the beginning. The access hole for the oil filter is in the wrong spot. Long story short, every time I have the oil changed, they have to remove the splash guard, and over the years it has weakened to the point of destroying all of the plastic underneath the car. The bumper has also been damaged during an attempt to fix it.

Being that this is a design flaw, do you think I have any sort of claim against Mazda? I plan on getting an estimate from a local body shop I trust to have all of the plastic replaced, as well as the bumper, since it got damaged while trying to repair the plastic. If you think it's worth it, I'd send a demand letter first, give them 30 days, and then file in small claims court.

Thanks!

-Kyle

SteveLehto > KJabs got a Chevy SS!!! - no longer needs a Pontiac G8
07/12/2015 at 21:26

You can always email me : lehto@kennon.com