Taboola crap and a strange Citroen: Thank you for once!

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 02/06/2020 at 09:32 • Filed to: None

0

11

We all know-and loath-Taboola ads. If my anti-Taboola presentiments were not so strong, I would want to click on that bottom right ad. But  Google exists and I easily turned up this:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

It was apparently some kind of super wear creating tire tester! Thank you, Taboola, for showing me something cool for once. You are still friend- zoned (or worse).

Ugh. Most of the car ads I get are for cheap SUVs for seniors, accompanied by a photo of some absurd concept car. This time, they had the good sense to show a near production Mercedes that is most certaintl y not cheap. And next to it, some trashy story about an enviable situation. I wish I had a Corvette, even if my restoration failed because I didn’t put the wheels on. And finally, a beautiful Z3 M that I already had opened in another tab. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

More 50 worst cars? I wouldn’t want to drive around in some center seated pyramid car, but it obviously was never sold to the public. Above that, we find the obscure boutique manufacturer GM. Hmmm. I already had the Accord Coupe open in another tab, so !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I didn’t know V6 manuals could be had so cheap now.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/06/2020 at 10:49

4

Ugh. I remember us editorial staffers   pushing back on the addition of Taboola as a lot of the spammy articles it linked out to would bomb our credibility. I think we eventually won out on establishing a blacklist, but it l ooks like the new-owner herbs might’ve gotten rid of that  and simply don’t care. Those Yeah Cars links to two different “worst” listicles are a prime example of the kind of bullcrap we didn’t want next to our articles. (Am I surprised that the herb’s old haunt, Forbes.com, appears in these clickbait roundups? Absolutely not.)

I hate the recent site changes so much. Taboola chumboxes full of actual clickbait are more noticeable than the related links under articles that link within the site network now that the mini-topshot thumbnails have been replaced by an easy-to-skip bulleted list. We used to be able to pick which posts or topics linked out, but I guess that got lost in The Herbening.

My farewell post that I still have pinned to the top of my Twitter used to feature about nine posts that my coworkers picked out as a “best of” list, and now that seems to have been replaced by a random list of articles I didn’t even write that don’t even have anything to do with the post above it:

Oh, and they got rid of the drop-down previews that—again—linked within the network. I wasted so much time clicking on stuff that was popular on other pages that way. But alas, not anymore, because I don’t see it unless I visit each site individually. It’s as if heavy cuts to staff and an inability to listen to people who know better really hurts a website!

P.S.: Fire yourself y vete a la mierda, Jim Spam-feller.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/06/2020 at 11:04

1

For all the shit people gave Flo on the Progressive commercials I have to say she was infinitely better than the guy they are using now as the main character. Just seeing the top left tile makes me want to install an ad blocker.

For Sweden > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/06/2020 at 11:16

1

Ah yes, the Jack Baruth Edition

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Stef Schrader 02/06/2020 at 11:39

1

Any sign of PG?  Or is he still in an FBI safehouse in “an undisclosed location”?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader 02/06/2020 at 14:13

1

I was genuinely angry when I first saw that bulleted list. Why would you cover over the rabbit hole? The site has really lost its luster but I keep coming back despite the increasingly uncredible format to hear a few of my favorites. Also, I still cannot get ungra yed so don’t forget the good old days were crappy too. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > For Sweden 02/06/2020 at 14:15

1

The only ads for individual cars I’ve seen have always been open in another tab. Someone is selling my data in real time!

Stef Schrader > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 02/06/2020 at 14:15

1

He’s over at The Drive, mostly heading up the show. Not sure if he’s written anything yet, though.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/06/2020 at 14:18

1

“Also, I still cannot get ungrayed so don’t forget the good old days were crappy too.”

;)

(use it wisely)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Stef Schrader 02/06/2020 at 16:08

1

Thanks. I see your stuff, which I appreciate. Haven’t seen anything from PG yet, so wondered if that was just a cover story...

...Or, if the State of Virginia exercised some long-forgotten right-to-extradite.

Stef Schrader > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 02/06/2020 at 19:38

1

Virginia: NO!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Stef Schrader 02/06/2020 at 20:21

1

Biopic coming to Cannes this year.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!