June 14, 2006

FPPs and Linking: Just a general guidelines question. After reading this post I wondered: When making a FPP is it better to link to the original news report or to a blog entry about the news report?

posted by ?! to editorial policy at 02:37 PM - 50 comments

From the guidelines:

A good link is sports-related and encourages discussion among the community. SportsFilter is not a place to ask a question or merely state an opinion. Links should be about something new related to sports—such as a breaking news story, an interesting commentary, or a noteworthy sports site. ... A bad post on SportsFilter ignores the guidelines above in one of the following ways:
  • It doesn’t link to something new. Example: A link to ESPN.com with a question about whether a coach is about to be fired.
  • It doesn’t link to something noteworthy. Example: A link to your favorite team’s web site with your prediction they will “kick major tail this year.”
  • It links to old news. Example: A link to a week-old story on CNN.com about a prominent athlete’s drunk-driving arrest.
My rationale for the cited post was that DFA'ing Ortiz (as sorry as he is) could further pitch the trajectory of the DBacks win/loss column. As for why I went with a blog post rather than the news item; there has been prior discussion about trying to steer clear of major media outlets (CNN, ESPN, FOXSPORTS, etc.) to get a more nuanced look at the issues involved in the post. A blog post from a Rockies blogger about a former Rockies pitcher being DFA'ed after signing a large contract with a division rival seemed to fit the bill. I now await the damning of my selection.

posted by lilnemo at 02:56 PM on June 14, 2006

Scratch that former Rockies GIANTS pitcher. I could have just as easily gone with: ESPN The San Francisco Chronicle (my 2nd choice) Or the AP story thats showing up everywhere from the LAT to Forbes.

posted by lilnemo at 03:17 PM on June 14, 2006

I don't know. I liked the blog link. If it was an ESPN link, I would have wondered why a story about an underachieving pitcher getting sent down (other details notwithstanding) was on the front page. But the whole question of how a player as currently marginal as Ortiz becomes so hated in his own market is actually kind of interesting, and the blog entry reflects that part of the story better.

posted by chicobangs at 03:33 PM on June 14, 2006

thank you señor bangs

posted by lilnemo at 03:35 PM on June 14, 2006

Is there an IMDB for pr0n? 'Cause I'm betting a "señor bangs" credit shows up more than once.

posted by yerfatma at 05:33 PM on June 14, 2006

I think the blog link was ok in this case. But that's my puny opinion. I'd rather see a link to a decently written blog than a link to a box score. I have had the hiccups for like 2 hours.

posted by jerseygirl at 06:50 PM on June 14, 2006

lilnemo, I wasn't damning you at all. Your post just brought up my question. I haven't't seen the discussion regarding staying away from the major news outlets. That sounds like a great idea. However, I will say that the blogger's paragraph really didn't add anything to the story. His was just a summary of the SI story without any additional information Since he was an ex-Giant wouldn't a link to a Giants blogger have made more sense? For that matter, maybe a link to a Diamondbacks blogger who thinks Ortiz could have turned it around?

posted by ?! at 07:38 PM on June 14, 2006

I have had the hiccups for like 2 hours. This happens once in a while when I've been drinking. It results in me punching myself in the stomach as hard as I can out of pure frustration (cover story: trying to stop/ change the spasm in my diaphragm). For the record, that solution does not work.

posted by yerfatma at 08:13 PM on June 14, 2006

The best solution I have found was holding your breath while plugging your ears for 30 seconds. However it is still only about 25% effective. Another one was filling a cup about 1/4 full of water, light a match, drop it in the cup and hold your hand over the cup. When it fills with as much smoke as it is going to, lift your hand just enough to sip the water. I never have matches so I'm not sure how effective it is. I thought it was a good question ?! The guideline does say, "an interesting commentary", doesn't a blog count as that (depending on the blog anyways) ?

posted by MrFrisby at 08:28 PM on June 14, 2006

I would have wondered why a story about an underachieving pitcher getting sent down (other details notwithstanding) was on the front page. It's believed to be the most money ($22 million) that a team has ever been willing to eat in cutting a player. I'm in no position to judge posts, but for what it's worth... for my part, I have no problem with blog links overall. I think lilnemo's rationale for choosing a blog for this story, in general, is solid. I didn't love this particular link because I felt it missed the most interesting points of the transaction. While it did mention what was remaining on the contract, it didn't specifically point out that the team stands to eat the $22 mil with nothing to show for it, or that it is believed to be the largest hit a team has ever absorbed by dropping a player.

posted by BullpenPro at 09:00 PM on June 14, 2006

I think this thread is egregiouser (for reasons I mentioned in the thread). At the very least, lilnemo is a trusted and valued contributor so his post didn't raise any alarm bells for me.

posted by gspm at 10:25 PM on June 14, 2006

I have had the hiccups for like 2 hours. Tilt your head back, hold your nose, and drink an entire 16oz glass of warm water. You can thank me later.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 05:26 AM on June 15, 2006

What does it matter how much the glass weighs?

posted by JJ at 07:55 AM on June 15, 2006

What are hiccups? I've always found a tablespoon of Raw Sugar usually gets the desired result. However the central question remains. What's a Blog?

posted by skydivedad at 08:19 AM on June 15, 2006

Everybody knows that you have to use this! Or just stand on one foot and bark like a dog. Either one works...

posted by wingnut4life at 08:36 AM on June 15, 2006

I didn't think too much of this last post from lilnemo, but I am in no way bothered by it (who am I to judge) Plus all the ill posts during the NBA playoffs make up for this sub par one.

posted by HATER 187 at 08:37 AM on June 15, 2006

Haha. I wasn't keen on drinking more water, since downing a bottle of cold water too fast is what I think got me in the hiccup situation to start.

posted by jerseygirl at 08:39 AM on June 15, 2006

So, in answer to my question, the consensus is that when making an FPP it is better to blog an entry about a warm glass of sugar water?

posted by ?! at 10:21 AM on June 15, 2006

yes. Many FPPs will also make you want to hold your nose.

posted by jerseygirl at 10:37 AM on June 15, 2006

At the very least, lilnemo is a trusted and valued contributor so his post didn't raise any alarm bells for me. *Imagines ways of exploiting valued contributor status* Excellent!

posted by lilnemo at 05:07 PM on June 15, 2006

Now you can put "Trusted and Valued Contributor to Sportsfilter.com" on your business cards.

posted by jerseygirl at 05:42 PM on June 15, 2006

Sweet deal. Its going on my resume as well. Double trouble.

posted by lilnemo at 06:40 PM on June 15, 2006

Like it just doubled your resume?

posted by yerfatma at 07:37 PM on June 15, 2006

I liked your posting, too, lilnemo. I'm a regular over on the Baseball Toaster (although mostly DT) and they regularly put out a quality bloggy product. It was nice to see them FPPed.

posted by ninjavshippo at 08:47 PM on June 15, 2006

Just concentrate on telling someone in the room with you that you are ABOUT to hiccup, you must concentrate and tell them immediately before you actually hiccup. AS odd as it sounds, this truly works....

posted by elovrich at 10:14 PM on June 16, 2006

Now I have the fucking hiccups. Thanks, dick.

posted by yerfatma at 10:16 PM on June 16, 2006

What about this self post, with a taunt about deadspin included in the comments?

posted by jojomfd1 at 11:51 PM on June 19, 2006

I don't think that was a taunt, but it's hard to read tone, I suppose.

posted by yerfatma at 06:20 AM on June 20, 2006

It wasn't a taunt really, but it was snide. I know snide. That was snide. I don't like when people try to twist the "make good sports conversation" into an excuse for self-linking. Write a column, Slick.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:54 AM on June 20, 2006

Oh, is that what you think? I am sooooooooo interested. Tell me more. Now that's snide.

posted by yerfatma at 11:21 AM on June 20, 2006

so is this

posted by garfield at 11:23 AM on June 20, 2006

Seriously. I mean, the site only has, like, five posted rules. 1. Link to something new. 2.Link to something noteworthy. 3. Don't link to old news. 4.Don't post a link on the front page to your own site or any other page you had a hand in creating. 5. Don’t discuss etiquette issues here—if you have a complaint about a member’s conduct, contact us. You would think these yahoos could follow these few simple guidelines. Sheesh. That isn't a swipe at the site. I just love irony. Is that snide?

posted by BullpenPro at 11:32 AM on June 20, 2006

We consistently break #5 though.

posted by jerseygirl at 11:37 AM on June 20, 2006

Aren't rules 1 and 3 the same thing?

posted by HATER 187 at 11:42 AM on June 20, 2006

We consistently break #5 though. Every one likes to gossip, no one really likes to be a snitch. Rule 1 tells you what to do and Rule 3 tells you what not to do? I can live with #1. Screw rule #3, I don't like being told what not to do.

posted by tselson at 12:00 PM on June 20, 2006

Eef Barzelay.

posted by yerfatma at 12:03 PM on June 20, 2006

Rules That Didn't Make it to the Top 5 List 6. Ignore rule #5 7. Please don't link to anything that is not current. 8. There is no "buts" to Rule 4. 9. Rules apply, even on Sunday, if the site is slow and if you really want to discuss pencil fighting as a sport. 10. Don't link to news that may not be considered fresh. 11. Sportsfilter.com is not a valid story link just because you can't help yourself from discussing Kobe. 12. DON'T WRITE IN ALL CAPS. 13. REALLY. 14. Don't abbreviate you as "u", because as "cuz" or sucks as "sux" please. If you do this, we'll only think its cuz u sux. 15. Make sure you're linking to a new story that would be considered timely.

posted by jerseygirl at 12:04 PM on June 20, 2006

you can't help yourself from discussing Kobe. Nobody can help themselves from discussing Kobe. See last paragraph.

posted by tselson at 12:22 PM on June 20, 2006

I think we should ban people who use thier e-mail as a user name. I can't locate these skid mark's profiles but you all know who I'm talking about.

posted by HATER 187 at 12:22 PM on June 20, 2006

Seconded! Also, what about being mean to the abos when no one is looking?

posted by yerfatma at 12:31 PM on June 20, 2006

Shit is bananas.

posted by lilnemo at 04:26 PM on June 20, 2006

Pssst. Anyone notice that some threads are getting a bit... touchy?

posted by lilnemo at 04:38 PM on June 20, 2006

"Is there an IMDB for pr0n?"

Good news and great news.

First the good news: IMDB does do pr0n.*

Which brings me to the great news: Chico, your porno alter-ego is apparently still up-for-grabs. It's always good to have foreign language aliases to fall back on when times get rough.

To keep this somewhat on topic; I prefer the analysis of the blogs and smaller news outlets to ESPN, Yahoo, AP, and the big name papers.

*Some titles may be NSFW.

posted by redsnare at 04:49 PM on June 20, 2006

This post had a topic? Oh, yeah. Hiccups. But, thanks, for answering the original question. I would love a well written, fact-loaded blog entry over ESPN, SI, or AP any day. But, I can't say blog over news outlet every time. If the entry just copies a few facts from the news article I'd rather see it directly from the source.

posted by ?! at 08:20 PM on June 20, 2006

What just got deleted?

posted by yerfatma at 08:21 PM on June 20, 2006

yerfatma: Nothing to see here. I screwed up trying to edit my comment.

posted by ?! at 08:25 PM on June 20, 2006

I think there should be a list of topics that are just straight up taboo to put on the front page. I'll start us off: 1. Anything about a football player going to jail 2. Anything with God, Jesus, Allah, Zeus, Odin, The Infinity Serpent, Set, Baal, Buddah, Vishnu, or Moses in the headline.(I have been guilty of this several times) 3. Here's a new one, Homosexuality. 4. Pete Fucking Rose and the baseball hall of fame 5. Motorcycle accidents 6. DWI, drug addiction, domestic violence, beastiality, armed robbery or battery. 7. Re-naming a possibly offensively named team Its not that these are bad topics (in fact some of them are pretty fun) but they seem to draw out some of the dumbest fucking people.

posted by HATER 187 at 03:56 PM on June 22, 2006

1. Fine, as long as I can still talk about basketball players going to jail, or football players failing a drug test. 2. No problem, there's still Karma. 3. What are you, a homophobe? 4. Won't that take away from the Bonds threads? 5. Not even if it was in a motorcycle race? 6. Crap, I guess I can't talk about a football player failing a drug test. 7. What about rcade's Oklahoma Sexuals?

posted by MrFrisby at 04:12 PM on June 22, 2006

If you don't like the dumbest fucking people I'd be more concerned about the Bonds and T.O. threads. Of course in the Bonds' threads, after the 150th comment you may be able to find the rare and ellusive rational discussion.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:46 PM on June 22, 2006

I haven't read a Bonds or TO thread in quite a while so they slipped my mind. Consider them number 8 on my list.

posted by HATER 187 at 08:39 PM on June 22, 2006

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