I Reached Out To G/O Media

"mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/" (mxxxxxm24)
11/04/2019 at 12:35 • Filed to: G/O Media, Oppositelock

No response yet, but will update when I hear back. I hope they can clear up what is happening here. It seems everyone is freaking out and abandoning ship, but from their statement, I don’t see how it will affect Oppositelock and other “ off topic” kinda sites.

It seems that they are only going to delete our personal user blogs, which makes sense if they are trying to downsize and simplify what has grown significantly over the years. I never post to my own user blog and really don’t see why it would ever be necessary. I don’t author on here for any recognition or personal gain as I don’t believe that is ever what this should be about.

I don’t think it would be in G/O Media’s best interest to push all of us away. I know that I for one would never return to Jalopnic, Kotaku, Lifehacker, etc. if I wasn’t able to post on here as part of our community. G/O Media’s interest is making money and they would certainly loose money by alienating themselves from all of their non-staff bloggers. Really it would make more sense to oust their paid authors/staff.

If I’ve missed something and details have been confirmed, please set me straight.

DISCUSSION (60)

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:37

Oppo is technically a user blog, albeit a very populated one. T hus the concern.

MonkeePuzzle > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:37

I suspect your email may be a shout into the void.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:38

I sent a similar question asking about the fate of oppositelock.kinja and if it qualified as a “user” page.

I’m also saving down as much old content as I can because who knows about the future with them anyhow.

I agree I would definitely click on less articles without OPPO existing.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
11/04/2019 at 12:38

Is this a fact? Or conjecture?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:39

RacinBob was not incorrect in his hypothesis that trashing ownership on Oppo would possibly lead to unfavorable consequences.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > MonkeePuzzle
11/04/2019 at 12:41

Well maybe but if enough people are shouting into the void, maybe something comes out of the void and either destroys us all or doesn’t. It seems we are getting somewhere with their latest sticky note.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:41

I know a guy who knows a guy who said so.

jimz > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:41

from a strictly business point of view, I can kind of see why someone would have proposed doing this. personal/unofficial blogs don’t run ads, but G/O still has to shoulder the costs of hosting everything we post on them. if they’re trying to scrape up nickels, that’s where they’d look first.

ttyymmnn > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:42

It is a fact. It belongs to an individual user Porsche (some bunch of numbers). It morphed into Oppo over the years.

StingrayJake > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:42

Anything with a kinja URL is considered a user blog by the system . That’s a fact. That was a driving decision behind Jalopnik dropping the Jalopnik URL from Oppo several years ago. People were abusing the association even though it was always a user-driven blog.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
11/04/2019 at 12:42

Good deal. I would say all of us should never return to view a single post if they close us down.

facw > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:42

I emailed as well.

But as I said elsewhere, these messages are only popping up on some sites, so it stands to reason that they are the sites that would be affected.

Additionally Oppo is still just a user blog, it’s hard to see why it would have special standing.

And there’s really no technical reason to kill personal blogs, but not the group blogs. Either way, the resources they use will be in line with the number of people who use them.

It’s hard to see this as about shutting down critical pages, and those are just as possible on group blogs as on personal blogs.

Mercedes Streeter > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:42

I’ve maintained a transition diary on my own blog for a number of years. I’d be pretty upset if that just got deleted. Having my own blog was the reason I joined Kinja at its launch. I don’t so much use my own blog anymore but, still...

Also, G/O has made it clear that they are willing to straight up delete blogs and shadow ban users. Do not for one minute believe this place is not on life support. So long as the Kinja reader revolt continues (and today’s stunt isn’t helping), the more actions G/O will take against us.

I believe the reason today’s actions were being taken was because of people doxxing Spanfeller on their personal blog pages. Nuking all personal blogs definitely takes care of that...

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > jimz
11/04/2019 at 12:44

To be honest I wasn’t sure if they ran ads on here or not . I use a blocker. But rather than alienate their users, why not invite them in so as to gain ad revenue from us as well?

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/04/2019 at 12:46

Truth.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > ttyymmnn
11/04/2019 at 12:47

A h I did not know this. Interesting.

HammerheadFistpunch > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:48

The question becomes “what is a personal blog”. Is oppositelock? it was assigned to a person (who as far as I know has been on kinja for some time). What about Overland.kinja.com? LaLD? oppositeblog.kinja.com? What’ s the line? I think this is why they are “ reconsidering”. Trying to figure out a way to limit the purge to sites that don’t house a large user base for them, at which point the question becomes...whats the cutoff of usefulness?

jimz > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:48

it was ads that started the whole kerfluffle with Deadspin.

HammerheadFistpunch > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:49

to be honest...that’s the plan. No to be vindictive, but because I would have no reason to be on kinja.

His Stigness > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:49

I find the timing particularly interesting. Ernie leaves just a short while ago and now they’re talking about closing the blogs.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > StingrayJake
11/04/2019 at 12:49

Ah yeah I do remember that. They didn’t like us taking away from their staff authors.

MrSnrub > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 12:49

I don’t think it would be in G/O Media’s best interest to push all of us away.

This is true, and even obvious. But have you considered that G/O Media is owned by idiots?

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/04/2019 at 12:52

They aren’t targeting Oppo though. This is presumably still fallout from Emma’s Herb blog. They are willing to take out everything to prevent another instance like that from becoming a thing, regardless of whether the blogs are compliant or not.

Regardless, if the powers that be are really that thin skinned, I think going elsewhere is really a better solution than tippy- toeing around in our criticism.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > facw
11/04/2019 at 12:53

Good deal. I haven’t been on any other sites to notice. Oppo would have special standing because of its large user base. They lose all or at least the viewers with principals and they lose all that traffic. I guess we’ll see.

Urambo Tauro > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
11/04/2019 at 12:55

I sent an e-mail for clarification too . They’re probably getting a butt-load of question s, that could have been minimized if they had just been more clear up front.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Mercedes Streeter
11/04/2019 at 12:58

Fair. I see why you and other’s would be upset about losing your personal blogs being that you have content on there that is meaningful to you. I just never used it that way/at all. I’m not aware of anything about Spanfeller tbh lol, but even if we talk shit about their staff or sites, we still are a large portion of this king community and they can’t ignore that.

Chariotoflove > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 13:02

I was thinking on my way into work of doing the same. Whether or not these user pages are worth keeping around ultimately depends, I think, on whether or not they can be made profitable in some direct or indirect way.

So Oppo , would you be willing to accept pop-ups and auto-play vids on your blog to keep it alive? How far would you go?

Berang > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 13:03

I suspect deleting the blogs and associated costs of having people maintain them (they seem to have been pretty buggy ever since Univision jettisoned the site) would appear to make a “profit” on paper. Remember, these owners are not in it for the long run. They want something they can sell, but they’re doing a spectacularly bad job at it, since everything has trended down since they took over.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > HammerheadFistpunch
11/04/2019 at 13:05

True there are many many niche blogs/personal pages on here. I guess they can see how many people have lashed out in anger about each specific blog/user page’s demise. Seriously though they will have to make a decision as to if they can afford to lose all of us from there traffic. I would hope no one would return to kinja in general if they oust us.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > jimz
11/04/2019 at 13:08

I’m not aware of this kerfluffle. I usually ignore most of the political bs lol.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > HammerheadFistpunch
11/04/2019 at 13:10

Good call. Hope others will join. I'm down for opposite lock.com.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/04/2019 at 13:10

You act like oppo is the only kinja blog to trash ownership

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > His Stigness
11/04/2019 at 13:10

Ernie?

Berang > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/04/2019 at 13:11

I doubt they posses competence enough with a computer to find every one of posts trashing jimbo’s mismanagement . Kinja blogs are mostly likely, to their clueless eyes, just so much dead wood. Current management has demonstrated they have no idea how to engage or build readership. They probably don’t understand what the blogs have to do with getting people on the site and keeping them around. All they see is deleting everything will save a few pennies, so why not? It’s been made abundantly clear they don’t understand marketing in the current internet age and think readership spontaneously generates to view the ads they sell.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > MrSnrub
11/04/2019 at 13:12

You’re right lol, but even idiots can be reasoned with when they are shown correlation with a loss of revenue.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MrSnrub
11/04/2019 at 13:14

This should have all the stars.

jimz > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 13:14

it honestly wasn’t politics-related, believe it or not. Cliff’s notes:

- G/O sold a company on an ad campaign and promised a certain rate of impressions/views

- the ads weren’t making the promised numbers, so G/O made them auto-playing videos

- people bitched

- an author/editor (probably from Deadspin) published a post that said “we hear you, we hate them too, contact these people at G/O with your concerns.”

- G/O pulls that post from all sites

- G/O tells Deadspin to “stick to sports” and in the ensuing “conversation” told Barry Petchesky to hit the bricks

- Deadspin’s other staff editors/authors quit en masse in protest

- G/O decided to start taking a hatchet to everything

and that’s where we are right now.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Chariotoflove
11/04/2019 at 13:16

Well they are certainly indirectly profitable. They may be beginning to see that now. As far as running ads on oppo... I’m not sure. I guess it would depend on how intrusive they are.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Berang
11/04/2019 at 13:19

True they are dangerous now with their backs against the wall. However they are also vulnerable. Now is the time to be a part of either reshaping opposite lock as we know it. Will we want to continue here or start over with opposite lock.com? That is all of our choice.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > jimz
11/04/2019 at 13:25

Ah now this is starting to make more sense. G/O has begun self destruction . Damn.

Chariotoflove > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 13:32

Yeah, I mostly threw that out to be a wise guy, but I would accept a lot. After all, this is a free product we’re using. Regardless of my feelings about these particular owners, in general I can’t begrudge a business it’s profit for the service, especially one that provides the server space to store our image and vid postings in perpetuity.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Chariotoflove
11/04/2019 at 13:40

I would agree to downsizing and maybe limiting posts if that would help cut down on server costs . I.e, no more hour rule posts or goodnight/good mornin, etc.

I see it a little differently though. I see Oppo as staff they don’t have to pay. They do get revenue from us as we visit jalopnic and other sites and see the ads there. Whether they feel that’s worth it or not we shall see

Chariotoflove > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 13:54

Yeah, I think there is a good business case to be made.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
11/04/2019 at 13:54

Where did I say that? No where.

His Stigness > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 14:15

Ernie was the master of Kinja.

https://fmgdata.kinja.com/ernie-the-prince-of-kinja-has-left-the-building-1838942775

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 14:17

Years ago Jalopnik was very closely associated with Oppo. We were sort of their bleeding edge blog and articles or information from our articles would hit the front page frequently. We even had a link on their blog... We became more of a clubhouse after they disassociated, but we still have authors that cross over between the communities (Stef being a prominent one) and we still get referenced from time to time.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > His Stigness
11/04/2019 at 14:38

Ah yeah definitely fitting

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
11/04/2019 at 14:41

Oh yeah I remember those days. There was always talk of being ‘front pages’ and jalopnic authors were stealing our information and pictures to use as their own . Good times haha.

Ernie Deeb > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/04/2019 at 17:15

Kinja'd!!!

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Ernie Deeb
11/04/2019 at 17:22

The master returns!

Chuckles > jimz
11/04/2019 at 17:47

Your summary is pretty accurate, but it's worth noting that the Deadspin staff were fighting with management about what they could or couldn't post before the autoplay ad bullshit started. Just look at Megan Greenwell resigning.

jimz > Chuckles
11/04/2019 at 18:29

Oh ok. I wasn’t really a big deadspin reader; their hockey coverage was sparse at best and I’m not all that into other sports

Chuckles > jimz
11/04/2019 at 19:23

If you haven’t read it, I recommend Megan Greenwell’s last piece before she resigned:

https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/the-adults-in-the-room-1837487584/amp

Chuckles > jimz
11/04/2019 at 19:28

Also, hockey is the best sport. It's a shame it doesn't get more nationwide coverage.

jimz > Chuckles
11/04/2019 at 22:03

I disagree with one thing in her piece- Gawker wasn’t “murdered by a vindictive billionaire.” It committed suicide by picking a really stupid fight.

Chuckles > jimz
11/04/2019 at 22:11

Mistakes were definitely made in the Gawker days. My main point was that whatever was going on between Spanfeller and the Deadspin staff was rooted in much bigger issues than some pop up ads.

StingrayJake > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/05/2019 at 10:57

Ehhh I think it was more the people who would apply for media credentials to press events claiming they worked for Jalopnik even though they’d only ever been on Oppo.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > StingrayJake
11/05/2019 at 15:38

Haha people did that? That’s pretty great lol. But it does bring about a question as to what really qualifies as media. I mean technically someone authoring on Oppo is no different from someone authoring on Jalopnik. I do believe that freelance writing can be legitimate media. However now a days anyone can start writing online and even if they are not bringing anything of worth, they might convince themselves otherwise. Though a lot of paid media isn’t bringing anything of worth either so... it’s all really just a mess.

StingrayJake > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/
11/12/2019 at 13:28

I don’t totally agree with you, but I see your point. However, a pproving a media credential for Jalopnik vs. approving a credential for a small community-driven auto blog are two very different things. Does Billy-Ray’s Big Conservative Blog deserve to be at a White House function?

Also, consider that Oppo authors applying for credentials in Jalopnik’s name was them outright lying . They were never Jalopnik employees and their presence as an Oppo author was never vetted by anybody on the Jalopnik staff.

FWIW, I’m freelance in sports media and I’d never claim to be working for a publication I wasn’t actively working for at the time. It’s dishonest, unethical and a good way to get all future access revoked.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > StingrayJake
11/12/2019 at 14:45

I was more playing d evil’s advocate than anything haha. I do stand by my question as to what qualifies as legitimate media in this day and age , however I also share your sentiment on ethics. I thought it was funny people were claiming to be Jalopnik journalists, who were really just Oppo bloggers. Funny because Jalopnik has stolen work from Oppo in the past so they got a taste of their own lack of ethics. Having said that I have never and would never be a part of that dishonesty. I believe the most important thing a person has is their integrity.