December 11, 2007

post dump: i posted a link on December 6th that was deleted. It was about Barry Bonds finally having to show up in federal court in San Francisco. And low and behold, i turn on my trusty spo-fi this morning and there's a post from rcade about Michael Vick getting sentenced. I see no difference in either post. So why was mine deleted? I've had links deleted before but i thought this would have been a good discussion. Surely, both the Vick link and the Bonds link are comparable. My bad, i guess.

posted by texasred to editorial policy at 06:58 AM - 5 comments

Post in question. They're not quite the same: while both contain links to wire stories, rcade's post is supported by a couple of extra links that try to shape the discussion. The Vick story was going to get posted and had/ has a good chance to get ugly, so I'm guessing that's why rcade posted it first.

posted by yerfatma at 07:27 AM on December 11, 2007

I'll let Gary address the deletion of your link. I posted the Vick story because his sentencing was a major milestone in the case. I dug for some extra info on the football side of the issue because I thought it would be of interest. My take on your Bonds link is that it would've been better to post after he entered his plea. Hearing the media guess at what someone is "expected" to do is less interesting than hearing what they actually did. Especially in a court case as publicized as this one. Also, as yerfatma suggested, your post could've used more links.

posted by rcade at 09:10 AM on December 11, 2007

As a reader, I'm really wary of speculation-only links, especially around off-field issues. There's enough troll fodder on the front page naturally that I'm not interested in seeing more more fuel for it. (That's what the Yahoo and ESPN boards are for.) At least tie the links to an actual development in the case, like an indictment, conviction or release. There are going to be 50 more Barry Bonds posts over the next year or so as it is. Sorry, texasred. I kind of agree with the deletion.

posted by chicobangs at 11:40 AM on December 11, 2007

Texasred, I'm sure you know we've had a lot of discussions on bonds. We could have one almost every day. The vick story is another story we've followed closely. Rcade's post basically ends it. It's the conclusion. Vick is sentenced and heads to jail. The bar is set a little higher for those type posts. Your bonds link was basically a rehash of old information and the story of his appearance. There's not much new, not much to discuss. You said that it would bring good discussion, but if you read what was there before I deleted the link I don't see that happening. I know it sucks to have a link deleted that you feel is discussion worthy. I would have emailed you and explained why I deleted the post but you don't have an email listed in your profile.

posted by justgary at 12:26 PM on December 11, 2007

Thanks for the input guys. I stand corrected. Let's wait until his verdict comes in and then we'll discuss.

posted by texasred at 07:37 AM on December 12, 2007

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