Gawker Media Launches Drudge-type blog

April 6, 2005 10:05 AM

Sploid.com, a new tabloid style website aimed at the Drudgereport, is launched by Lockhart Steele founder of Gawker Media, home of Gawker and Wonkette. Looks a lot like the recently relaunched National Enquirer (Will 'enquiring minds' accept The Equirer's move to New York and British editorial makeover?
posted by Duck_Lips (45 comments total)

FYI- Lockhart is not the founder of Gawker, Nick Denton is.
posted by amandaudoff at 10:09 AM on April 6, 2005

SPLOID EDITOR FREQUENTS LOW-CLASS WEBSITE UNDER NOM DE PLUME
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:15 AM on April 6, 2005

THE BIG HEADLINE TEXT REMINDS ME OF A DRUNK TALKING LOUD AT A DINNER PARTY ! .... ouch.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:20 AM on April 6, 2005

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF GAWKER MEDIA? THEY HAVE BLOGS!!

Denton Blue?
posted by billysumday at 10:22 AM on April 6, 2005

GodDAYAM that's one butt-ugly site.
posted by DenOfSizer at 10:34 AM on April 6, 2005

Gawker is only cool because it approaches it in a very disassociated away. They approach celebrity news as if you're at a lunch with a friend who's gossiping about an extended circle of friends. Perhaps it is the New York attitude they bring, with a hint of gay wit. At least for me, a guy, I enjoy digesting it where I wouldn't even touch National Enquirer or this Sploid.
posted by geoff. at 10:40 AM on April 6, 2005

Founder? No -- just a toiler in the salt mines. We're allowed to play on MeFi when we've been good.
posted by lock at 10:40 AM on April 6, 2005

That site really looks like crap. But then again, that ain't stopped Drudge.
posted by ColdChef at 10:42 AM on April 6, 2005

I ACTUALLY KINDA LIKE THE DESIGN...
ahem, yeah I do though, might be a good one. I wish there was a way to make money besides ads though. I'm actually really feeling the little subscription dealie idea these days. But I guess it's harder to sell if you've got the mini-blog-empire dealie going, because there isn't so much save Old Mr. Coopers farm with a community bake sale appeal there.

billysumday,
Do you not like this post? I heard of neat way to express your displeasure. Send me $2 in cash and SASE and I'll hip you to it.
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:43 AM on April 6, 2005

Lock -- Matt Hale did not kill a judge. He unsuccessfully tried to hire somebody to kill a judge. Your headline is wrong.
posted by Mid at 10:45 AM on April 6, 2005

I don't mind the design, but the syndicated feeds are fairly worthless. I guess you really do need the giant text to get the full effect.
posted by Remy at 10:46 AM on April 6, 2005

What a name... that d00d should hang out with Ransom Love.
posted by ph00dz at 10:50 AM on April 6, 2005

BANDA ACEH is not what I'd call ABANDONED, at least according to a friend of mine who went there a couple weeks ago as part of a humanitarian effort.

But hey, you know, whatever sells the copies -- er, brings in the revenue from scary Frodo-looking ads.
posted by gurple at 10:51 AM on April 6, 2005

I thought Nick Denton was the guy who started Gawker Media. Am I wrong?
posted by spicynuts at 10:51 AM on April 6, 2005

Divine_Wino -- It's not that I didn't like it as much as it sort of seems like free advertisement for Denton, and since he makes quite a good bit of money off his blogs, it bugs me. If someone linked to a blog on Nike's page or to a webpage about the newest soft drink by a big company like Pepsi or something, mefites would probably get mad. I guess it just seems like the Gawker Empire comes out with a new blog every couple of weeks now, and I'm wondering if there has to be a post about it here everytime that happens. Again, seems like free plugs for Denton.

But if you want to give me your address, I'll try to send you a postcard or something.
posted by billysumday at 10:55 AM on April 6, 2005

So this site just links to news stories through lopsided, inflamatory, and/or poorly summarized 95-point headlines?

"SHUTTLE CAN'T EVEN ROLL ON GROUND" = "...not an issue that would impede rollout."

Etc etc...as pointed out by folks above.

I don't get it. What's the point? It's like I sat next to some smelly guy at a bar late at night and started screaming to me about last Monday's Boston Herald.
posted by tpl1212 at 10:59 AM on April 6, 2005

The shouty design is rather nice, I think. The links to rather dull news items, with witless descriptive headlines, less nice.

Or maybe it's just that US tabloids don't have the groaning pun headline tradition of UK ones? Best ever (sports): Super Cali Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious!
posted by jack_mo at 11:00 AM on April 6, 2005 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mid, thanks for the tweak. Even as a tabloid, we're all about this, er, accuracy thing.
posted by lock at 11:00 AM on April 6, 2005

this news that Ken Layne's Tabloid has made a comeback is the news of the day. It's long over-due and if you never had the chance to enjoy it in its heyday (97-99), click around the waybackmachine for tabloid.net

here's some classic examples of Sploids' BIG HEADLINE predecessor.

Tabloid, btw, featured such fine contributors as Reason's Matt Welch and The Daily Show's Jason Ross... before they got their cush gigs.
posted by tsarfan at 11:01 AM on April 6, 2005

This *has* to be a self-link.
posted by dios at 11:02 AM on April 6, 2005

I liked tabloid.net a lot. I think this has potential... they need to get more outrageous on the political side, I think, with gossip, innuendo, and some actual reporting. If it's just a blog that looks like a tabloid, it won't go far. But if they, like Drudge, actually dredge up a story of their own once a month or so, then it's got legs.
posted by chaz at 11:04 AM on April 6, 2005

Billy
I hear ya, I just don't think there's a line to be drawn here. What you are saying is don't link to something that makes someone money, I think in the end that doesn't make much sense and reaches the Delta Vee of absurdidty pretty quickly.

it's a meh kinda post and should go into like a metafilter sidebar, links also of interest kinda deal maybe, but that ain't how we do things around here and I don't want to be on the good enough to post subcomittee so fuckit. I'm of the if you don't like it move on school and I shoulda applied that to your comment.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:09 AM on April 6, 2005

I actually think Sploid is nasty. In the same way that The Sun [UK tabloid to which I refuse to link] is nasty.
The Sun sells tons of papers so maybe Sploid will work.
Referring to Hastert is a Fatty is mean-spirited I think. There are plenty of more substantive ways to criticize him. But I'm glad they think it's funny that he's got kidney stones.
posted by cushie at 11:12 AM on April 6, 2005

From the bottom of the page:

Sploid is a news site with a tabloid mentality -- top stories up top, played big, as fast as they break. If there's a political line, it's anarcho-capitalist: sniffing out hypocrisy and absurdity, whether from salon left or religious right.

Heh. You know what's absurd? This entire concept.
posted by ColdChef at 11:12 AM on April 6, 2005

Do yourself a favor: Click on the "Newest Stories" Button

Hippies Go Crazy At Anti-Ahnold Protest
posted by ColdChef at 11:14 AM on April 6, 2005

Ok, Divine_Who, point taken. Though to clarify my previously muddled comment, I don't mind linking to something that will make someone money as much as repeatedly linking to things that make someone money. I'll just wait for the next metafilter post about the next Denton blog and until then I'll be real quiet and even then I won't say anything and I'll take your advice and just move on and ok, I'll be leaving now, ok, bye, sorry.
posted by billysumday at 11:17 AM on April 6, 2005

GAG ME WITH A TABLOID SPOON
posted by matteo at 11:17 AM on April 6, 2005

Lock: love the judge-kill plot. Nice fix.
posted by Mid at 11:18 AM on April 6, 2005

GAG ME WITH A TABLOID SPOON

Alternatively for Gawker Media: SPOON ME WITH A TABLOID WHORE.
posted by liam at 11:22 AM on April 6, 2005

What in the hell is that thumping noise when you click on the Enquirer homepage?! It doesn't seem to synch with any of the ads...
posted by idontlikewords at 11:34 AM on April 6, 2005

It's pretty bad as it stands. Ugly design aside, the problem is that we don't at this point need more "fast takes on what's breaking" sites. The field is pretty crowded with cleverly headlined takes on whatever is popping up on your newspaper's website of choice. A little more depth -- either of the serious kind or the well-thought-out-snarking kind -- is required to get me to visit yet another news-oriented site.
posted by BT at 11:39 AM on April 6, 2005

You don't have to take my advice, chief or be sarcastic, do what thou wilt and all that.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:45 AM on April 6, 2005

Sorry, I should know the diff betwixt "founder" and "editor" I screwed up, Mea Culpa. Plus I have loads of typos on the post. I think all the big bold graphics on the site boggled me senses.
I feel worse about being such shill, I assure you I'm no claque for the above commenting lock and reynolds. But I do support new ventures, so best of luck you two. On the QT, (or for today, a pectore) I am a shill for the Enquirer.
posted by Duck_Lips at 11:49 AM on April 6, 2005

Wow is that an ugly ass site - it's just missing some annoying gifs. Although others here actually like the design (to which I say...huh?), I think it's just that aspect of this site that will find it passed over more often than not. Why try so hard to look like a dime store tabloid? I don't know many people that put much stock in what a tabloid has to say. Whether it's right or left leaning is unimportant really. Any design elements are prone to have an un-anticipated effect on the reader. If design overpowers the viewers need for content, they won't come back. This site does just that.

Drudge works well because it's not about design, it's about news links - although some might argue that point. You can basically see every article at a glance. No need to scroll, no competing design overwhelming the 'news' articles. It's stupidly simple, and for most readers of Drudge, that's probably what they want.
posted by j.p. Hung at 12:11 PM on April 6, 2005

SPOON ME WITH A TABLOID WHORE.

too long for a t-shirt (or a hed). i'm thinking SPOON TABLOID WHORES. or maybe, SNUGGLE TAB WHORES. or, you know, in tribute (sorta) to zipf's law:

SNUG TAB HOS.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 12:14 PM on April 6, 2005

GAWKER MAKES A RUN FOR THE 'POST'

Can bloggers best 'BUSTED PUSSY' scribes?
posted by eatitlive at 12:22 PM on April 6, 2005

Jesus. That site looks like vomit in text form. Is it trying to be a parody of itself or something?
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 12:31 PM on April 6, 2005

xquz,

yes.
posted by tsarfan at 12:36 PM on April 6, 2005

Yeah, as the commentor said above, the amazing return of Ken Layne is the big story here. Guy is awesome.
posted by inksyndicate at 12:52 PM on April 6, 2005

Bad news sites like these are much easier to ignore on da intranets then on the streets.
posted by homodigitalis at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2005

This tabloid/hemmeroid/drudgeroid needs the idea posted above for annotating the NY Times and then it would be All the Shit that's Fit to Print
posted by Postroad at 1:38 PM on April 6, 2005

Fark does better, and doesn't give me a headache..

didn't bookmark this one.....
posted by HuronBob at 2:55 PM on April 6, 2005

The design of the website is indeed "best of the web" ... or it was, back in - oh, I don't know, let's be generous - 1996 :)
posted by kaemaril at 3:40 PM on April 6, 2005

i seriously doubt you'd have bookmarked Fark on their first day, HuronBob

or even MeFi for that matter :)
posted by tsarfan at 3:47 PM on April 6, 2005

Bah. Ugly, ugly, ugly site.
posted by FunkyHelix at 4:06 PM on April 6, 2005