Those were the days... (Best of OPPO)

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
10/29/2019 at 17:30 • Filed to: None

Thanks, Matt, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for letting us all have a chance to be a part of it, at least for a while. We should really do it again sometime.

FYI, the soul of The Best of OPPO still lives on at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !

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DISCUSSION (51)

Matt Brown > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2019 at 17:37

Those were good times, when you could write a good post and maybe it would be front page’d.

You’d feel like real auto journalist for a moment until the PR department at the car company you worked for would send you an email clarifying their communications policy.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 17:40

LOL

Here’s my first FP hat tip. Worth a listen if you’ve never seen it!

https://jalopnik.com/let-the-soothing-words-of-david-e-davis-drift-you-into-1274337226?_ga=2.120485773.489055870.1572384325-1530708084.1572278293

ranwhenparked > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 18:45

Also the photo rights issue, that was a big problem.

RallyWrench > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 18:53

It was a pretty damn cool feeling the one time I managed it, if surprising to wake up to a bunch of randos in your notifications.

Matt Brown > RallyWrench
10/29/2019 at 18:56

What was your post? Do you have a link?

RallyWrench > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 19:05

Found it, our very own Stef was kind enough to share it with the Jalopniverse back in 2014:

https://jalopnik.com/2014-nurburgring-24-hours-in-photos-1698638646

Matt Brown > RallyWrench
10/29/2019 at 19:10

Nice photos and descriptions, definitely FP worthy!

RallyWrench > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 19:30

Thank you! It was a big deal personally for me to be there, and I love writing. It was great just to share with Oppo, but t o have the post shared was icing on the cake, really cool.

sony1492 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2019 at 19:38

It’s kinda sad recognizing usernames and profile pics that dropped off the map years ago.

Sometimes a google search will land me into old oppo with all the names that existed when i started lurking as a teen

His Stigness > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/29/2019 at 20:12

Kinja'd!!!

Boxer_4 > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 20:24

I believe I made it 3 times over the years. It was always an amazing feeling, and was one of the only things to push me to actually write long pieces ( look at me now, past high school English teachers! )

Proud of Boxer: 50 Years of the “Modern” Subaru

A New Generation of Utility Vehicle: 20 Years of the Subaru Forester

Subaru Justy: A Tool to Expand Your Own Range

* Edit : Apparently, it was 4 times:

Subaru Fun Fact: Pedestrian Safety

Slant6 > Matt Brown
10/29/2019 at 20:34

Do they not do that anymore? I think I made FP about 2 or 3 times back in the day (2013-2015). Remember when we were oppositelock.jalopnik.com?

Matt Brown > Boxer_4
10/30/2019 at 00:16

Those are great. I like the 50 years one. S uper in depth.

duurtlang > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 03:45

It was a much better forum back then. People had an incentive to put some effort into writing something interesting. Additionally we had a constant influx of new blood.

Stef Schrader > ranwhenparked
10/30/2019 at 05:37

I think the Oppo posters who asked for press cars “for Jalopnik” may have been one of the last straws. Either those hosers or complaints about Oppo content being stolen/uncredited/inaccurate going to the editors of Jalopnik.

Stef Schrader > Slant6
10/30/2019 at 06:17

Sadly, no. I loved it, too—my dumb little track day posts sometimes got featured! It led to a part-time role writing, that later became a full-time role! But there were a few issues, which is why it hasn’t returned:

1. Lack of control: Oppo posts don’t get edited by site staff before publication, so sometimes the copy wasn’t as clean as we’d like. Some facts might be off, too, or maybe there would be a lack of attribution for images—we tried hard not to feature those, but Jalopnik’s editors still seemed to get the complaints when something was ripped off or misrepresented on Oppo regardless of whether it was shared. There was no enforced style guide of what was okay to post and how to attribute those things, so quality could be all over the place. As authors here, you guys could also tweak things after publication if you wanted, whereas someone posting to the main page directly would have to add a formal correction.

In theory, you could start off with a well-written piece on Toyota Corollas, and then edit it after the share to replace everything with a page full of dicks. No one ever did that as far as I know, but you could have if you wanted to. (Pretty sure it’d get unshared, but it’d be mighty embarrassing in the meantime.)

Worst of all, it was too hard for people to tell the difference between staff- and user-created content as Oppo looks largely like any other blog on the network, so whenever a post was a little messy, people assumed Jalopnik couldn’t edit its own stuff. That was no bueno.

And as Matt Brown noted above, it was hard to tell which one of you guys might have an undisclosed conflict of interest...like working for a car company, haha . Jalopnik’s very adamant about avoiding conflicts of interest to the point where doing brand-related work can prevent you from contributing to the main page. (I recently took a break from my usual freelance bits to do Studio @ Gizmodo and Inventory work, for example—both of which are biz-side, and thus, preclude any involvement in editorial here.)

2. Lack of payment: User-generated content was supposed to be the future! Thankfully, the future decided to focus more on paying people fairly for their work instead. I can’t remember when Gawker went through its issues with unpaid intern labor, but it seems like that was around the time that writers started wising up to the fact that labor is worth money—even labor you do for fun on the side because your real job sucks. (Hello!)

In that context, sharing content made for free almost felt exploitative after a while, even though that wasn’t the intent. A lot of the shares were full-on blogs that would’ve earned a full-on blog rate if they’d have been pitched through official freelance channels. The only difference is that they were posted for free on Oppo in hopes of getting those sweet, sweet share clicks.

3. Bungholes: It also got hard to keep track of which users simply weren’t bungholes. There was one I remember that posted long, involved posts that were awfully tempting to share to the main page, but apparently the guy hated us all behind our backs? Whatever, dude. A few others would get mad if their content wasn’t shared for some reason, like they felt they were entitled to a share after putting so much work into it. Of course, there were also the folks who attempted to get press cars “for Jalopnik,” only they were writing an unassigned, unedited post on OppositeLock.

Honestly, part of me misses the front-page Oppo shares. Oppo is one of the better car communities online, and it got extra visibility from appearing on the main page. It rounded out the main pages’ content with events we couldn’t attend, new voices that otherwise went unheard and other cool stuff we weren’t doing ourselves. More people put more effort into their Oppo posts when there was a chance that it’d end up on the main page, so Oppo itself became a really quality read.

I was just using Oppo mainly as it was intended—as a user forum for car nuts and also procrastination—so it felt more like a user-community share than working for exposure on my end, but I can see where the rub was for the more in-depth articles people were writing on here.

If Oppo shares ever return, though, it’d almost mandate a full-time social media-type role just to keep everything straight (I loved the “Best of Oppo” format, for one). The really involved posts ideally should be syndicated for compensation, edited, and then posted as native on the main page—but not shared over as-is, unedited, with the outside chance of edit-dickery.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > duurtlang
10/30/2019 at 09:04

OPPO is still a great community, but I miss some of the awesome content that was produced back then, because of Best of OPPO and the potential to make it on the FP. Plenty are still contributing great stuff here, but the ROI is just much, much lower.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 09:08

Thanks for all this, Stef. Would be amazing if the scenario you present in your final paragraph would come to fruition (wishful thinking, I know).

Mercedes Streeter > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 09:35

I joined Kinja at its launch specifically for the ability to have my own blog. The idea that my writing could get shared was icing on the cake. IIRC, my ( not my best work as it was the second article I’ve ever written ) article on the smart fortwo’s crash rating with the ADAC was one of the first shared! :D

Then I found Oppo and gave up on trying to write stuff to get shared on the FP. lol

Looking back nowadays, it did feel a bit exploitative even though the intent was good. Oppo and GT were almost free content farms for their respective FPs, where someone would otherwise get paid. But I’m sure most of us were just fangirling over having our stuff on the FP to care.

The community still does get involved nowadays. One of my favourite Splinter readers got to post her journey directly to Splinter and a few Oppos got similar opportunities with Jalopnik.

fintail > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 09:50

I find it funny that (certain, anyway) FP editors would have an issue with facts being off.

This place is good as it reminds me of the old days, before FP became kind of a youtube/barstool hybrid comment section and before the mods became self-important and heavy-handed.

Nothing > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 10:29

I had one post FP’d.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/the-grandest-car-show-youve-never-heard-of-1634883244

Funny to look at the views/comments. I’ve had more of each on mundane 4Runner posts. At one point I tried to have decent content, but anything over about a paragraph loses people. I’m still bummed that same of the decent content authors have shifted to video. I’m old school, I’d much rather read than pop on headphones and watch someone for 5 minutes.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nothing
10/30/2019 at 10:35

I remember that post well - still need to get out for the Grand!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nothing
10/30/2019 at 10:41

I’m definitely the same way about preferring to read, but don’t mind listening to good audio/video content (the Everyday Driver guys, for example).

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nothing
10/30/2019 at 10:41

What are the dates for the 2020 Grand?

Nothing > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 10:49

It’s usually the 3rd weekend in September, so it should be Sept 18-19 (it also coincides with Oktoberfest in Vail village) . The past two years I’ve been unable to go because it’s coincided with my son’s hockey tryouts. Next year, he’ll be in a different age bracket that has tryouts a couple of weeks earlier, so I’ll be able to go again!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nothing
10/30/2019 at 11:13

Vintage cars and Oktoberfest? Going to have to grab my brothers and make this happen... Maybe I’ll see you there!

DutchieDC2R > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 11:52

Its a great community, but the quality of the content has gone down the drain.

I mean, why write some actual, meaningful content that people could even learn something from when your post gets drowned out by all the 'LOOK AT MY HOSPITAL FOOD' articles?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DutchieDC2R
10/30/2019 at 12:03

Yeah, it’s tough, especially when you spend a couple hours on something and all you get it a couple stars and a comment... I’ve definitely been there, and my motivation to spend any time writing or taking/editing photos to share here is pretty low because of that . OPPO’s always been “off topic” and there’s always been shitposts, theme days, etc. with pure gold sprinkled in. I wish there was a better way to capture the good stuff and expose it to more readers & eyeballs. OppoBlog exists, but it doesn’t get much traffic. Maybe I need to commit to resurrecting DasWauto’s old “Best of OPPO” format...

RallyWrench > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 12:08

This should just be reposted every day, some great old stuff is being brought up. Holds the Force in balance. ;)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench
10/30/2019 at 12:12

Speaking of great stuff, please share some [content]. I follow you on Instagram, remember, I know you’ve got material. =)

DutchieDC2R > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 12:14

If you ever need help with that, please, let me know. I love what youre doing for this community and if I can be of any assistance in any way, I’d gladly help.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DutchieDC2R
10/30/2019 at 12:25

Thanks - could actually use another Euro hand... You’re in!

Sent you an invite. Once you accept, all you have to do is, when you come across an OPPO post that you feel qualifies for the Best of OPPO, share it to OppositeBlog. Super simple - it’s really just collecting all the good stuff in one place.

With enough of us doing this, we already have a good selection of stories for a monthly/biweekly/weekly Best of OPPO post. It would just take someone (or a few of us) willing to spend the time to put it all together and do the formatting similar to what DasWauto used to do.

He also would always do a great lead graphic like this:

Kinja'd!!!

RallyWrench > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 12:30

Working on something right now, doing a drive report on that rally last weekend!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench
10/30/2019 at 12:31

Sweet!

DutchieDC2R > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 12:38

Im not that great at photo editing, but I will abs olutely give it a try. As far as sharing posts to Oppo Blog, no problem, I’ll keep an eye on the good (Euro) stuff.

So....there's no pledge or ceremony or something??

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DutchieDC2R
10/30/2019 at 13:00

Was that too easy? Guess I could’ve made you work a little harder... FWIW, I did look through your posts before giving you the green light!

Don’t limit yourself to sharing Euro posts. Share whatever you come across that you think is good. Only mentioned Euro as you might see things when I’m asleep.

Stef Schrader > Mercedes Streeter
10/30/2019 at 13:36

The community still does get involved nowadays. One of my favourite Splinter readers got to post her journey directly to Splinter and a few Oppos got similar opportunities with Jalopnik.

Man, I love that. I know it’s essentially writing for fun like any other personal blog now , but it is heartening to know that your posts here can be noticed and someone with the freelance budget can still go, “Hey, wanna do stuff for us?”

I did fangirl hard when I got FP shares, though.

DasWauto > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 13:37

If you ( or someone else) does want to resurrect the best of Oppo posts on a weekly/whatever basis you have my support. I can probably find and freshen up the template I used for lead images and share it.

Stef Schrader > fintail
10/30/2019 at 13:39

If they got something wrong, send them a polite email about it. I valued corrections more than you guys probably knew, and well, that’s their job. If the email’s not listed, tips@jalopnik.com should reach everybody, but I still think it’s nicer to contact the author directly.

(...and for ‘Lump’s sake , please do not compare anything here to that hate site thinly disguised as “ sports ” content—that’s just not sporting, man. The occasional chud is bad, but thankfully, there aren’t a barrage of chuds rolling in to harass the hell out of anyone they don’t like as their is, ahem, elsewhere .)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DasWauto
10/30/2019 at 13:50

Thanks, W. I actually might have the time to commit to doing it right now (this week/month), but my job situation is currently in flux and that could really change any time. If I decide to restart it, I really want to be able to keep it up at whatever interval for a good long time. We’ll see...

Is it a Photoshop file?

DasWauto > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/30/2019 at 14:00

I think weekly is probably the most I’d aim for, given the pace of good content these days. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make it happen, you’ll tire quickly if you do . If it does become a reality , I’ll help however I can.

It can be made into one. I used it as a .png layered over a pair of images pulled from posts included that day’s compilation.

I’ll probably remove the martini stripes and simplify the colour scheme and can send it to your in whichever format you prefer. I use Affinity Designer these days but I think the export options are pretty complete.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DasWauto
10/30/2019 at 14:05

Ah - gotcha. Yeah, if you can clean it up and just get me the PNG, just so I have it, that’d be great. Thanks!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DasWauto
10/30/2019 at 14:11

Maybe I could start by committing to monthly, then, if that works okay, move to biweekly, and eventually get back to weekly (I only shared 12 posts to OppoBlog in the past week) . Thanks for offering to assist. Might just have to actually do this.

Mercedes Streeter > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 14:14

So long as this whole Splinter and Deadspin thing doesn’t harm Jalopnik, you may see me on the FP in the nearish future. That’s all I’m willing to say publicly for now. :P

But I'm so with you on that FP attention is all kinds of fangirling. Too bad I don't live anywhere near NYC because I bet the authors are a blast in real life.

Stef Schrader > Mercedes Streeter
10/30/2019 at 15:16

Ha, I lived in Austin the whole time. A couple others (Alanis and PG) lived in Austin around the same time, but for the most part, I was pretty alone.

Also, YES! I’ve always wanted to reach out to you about the Smarts, for what it’s worth, and if those aren’t already the subject of something, let me know.

I’m also going to keep treating the Jalopnik staff as if it’s business as usual until I hear otherwise . They deserve that, at least, as a common professional courtesy. I’m sure this garbage has completely upended some things even though they’re not the public target of the executive failsons’ wrath. It’s really sad, and the entire network deserves far better than this.

Mercedes Streeter > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 16:59

The closest Jalop author to me is David, he’s roughly only 5 hours away and recently came as close as 30 minutes from me. lol

You can definitely feel free to reach out about smarts! They aren’t specifically the subject of anything, though they’ll certainly be included in it if the green light is still on. :)

I entirely agree, the family of sites here deserve way better than the hand they’ve been dealt, and I’m sure they will stand up for themselves all the way through. Thankfully, aside from some avatar changes it seems things remain business as usual.

Stef Schrader > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 17:03

*there is elsewhere, I mean.

i rite gud, i sware!!1

(I blame the dreaded insomnia/migraine combo. But hey, I’m now up to using a computer that’s not on night mode, so look at me go !)

Stef Schrader > Mercedes Streeter
10/30/2019 at 17:05

Smarts are so cool. I’m still kicking myself for not renting a first-gen ForFour when I was in Stuttgart a couple years ago. It was even manual, and in that awesome lime green metallic that was everywhere in the early 2000s. It was PEAK ForFour. I wanted to experience it. I wanted to be INSIDE it.

Mercedes Streeter > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 18:44

Weird, it seems Kinja is eating my recommends right now. Blue star appears, doesn’t stick. Argh.

Those first gen forfours were really just fancy Mitsubishi Colts. That’s actually a compliment given homegrown smarts didn’t have all the hot of powertrains back then. But they had a neat lounge concept, full panoramic roofs, and some other bits that did eventually carry over to newer smart models over the years. In 2010 I saw one for sale at an IAAI auction in Texas with minor suspension damage . Someone imported it then attached the VIN of a 2005 fortwo to it. To date that’s the only forfour I’ve ever seen in the states that was theoretically “legal” . I take it they couldn’t find parts to fix whatever they broke. Ah, if only that car was for sale nowadays. lol

Stef Schrader > Mercedes Streeter
10/30/2019 at 18:59

Oh man, that’s neat.

We didn’t get the Colt, either, which is why I was so eager to drive it anyway . How well does Mercedes fancy up a Mitsu?

fintail > Stef Schrader
10/30/2019 at 22:06

I don’t know, a snarky email should also be OK when one is posing as an expert, but really have no greater knowledge than the commentariat :) But I understand, they are sensitive kids.

Unfortunately, I see plenty of trash on FP, maybe not as loud about misogyny or racism as that pseudo-sports site , but some real YT or FB quality stuff no less. When I was ghosted for correcting a blogger there, it wasn’t a loss, and when I check the place out every 6 months or so, I am not too impressed - it has aged like fine milk.