To Our Friends Coming From Nightline - Consumerist Comments

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

Promethean — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 11:32:48 EDT

I tend to read until I get to the story from the last time I visited. I also don't count the single post with multiple single-sentence briefings. It's just in the past (perhaps when the site was still a newer member of the gawker family?) I could on occasion go through 2-3 days' posts on the front page.

Promethean

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

ModerateSnark — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 19:35:36 EDT

Nice piece on Nightline. Vinny got more face time (would he laugh if I said he also has more face?), but the Consumerist site got way more screenshot time, proving that the much-maligned "ugly" html template does have its advantages. The really big type in the headlines, along with Ben's inspired image selections, makes for good TV (if video taping a computer screen can ever be considered good TV).

Actually, I have to tip my hat to the person in the ABC News editing room; not only did they use every trick in the book to make dozens of shots of computer screens visually interesting, they managed--as far as I noticed--to avoid showing any "dirty" words or phrases (other than the unavoidable "sucks") in all those screenshots. The closest thing I saw was "virginal" and "penetration" (3 lines apart) on an AOL post screenshot.

Woulda been cool to see the Oozinator tucked away deep in the background somewhere, say, behind the indistinguishable black thing on top of the big black file cabinet, or whatever that was. Oh, well.

Also enjoyed the fact the Nightline was brought to us by MasterCard, as stated going into the commercial break in the middle of the report. And that the MasterCard commerical ended with two perfectly-circular zipper pulls brought together to morph into the MasterCard logo. Now if two hands had reached in to pull those zipper pulls apart again...

As for the 18 daily stories, Ben recently commented elsewhere it's usually 12 Popken, 6 Brownlee, another clue for anyone making a game of trying to distinguish between the writings of the two ConEds. (Of course, when Brownlee is in Ireland, time of day is a clue, too.) I haven't counted posts, but I've noticed that--partly due to those big headlines--a day's posts normally don't fit on the front page. Visit only once a day and you'll miss stuff (unless you continue to the next page or use the RSS feed).

ModerateSnark

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

RandomHookup — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 17:07:01 EDT

Promethean, you know we have company over, so we need to be on our best behavior for our guests. It's really inappropriate to talk about Ben's unhealthy obsession with Anne Hathaway and his dressing up like her in The Devil Wears Prada.... oh, sorry, nevermind.

RandomHookup

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

Bonedaddy — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 13:58:16 EDT

Good job on the Nightline that aired last night --- appropriate combination of snark/swagger.

Bonedaddy

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

Ben Popken — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 10:34:14 EDT

Calm thyself. There were some irregularities this week but we will be back to full posting strength on Monday. Let's not exaggerate, there were absolutely no days that had only 4 or 5. The lowest was Tuesday, with 9.

Ben Popken

To Our Friends Coming From Nightline

Promethean — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:37:17 EDT

"We post at least 18 individual stories every weekday"

You've got be kidding me. I call BS on consumerist here. I like the site-- it's one of my daily stops along with other gawker outlets, but it seems to average the fewest posts. After counting, the past few days average 10 at the most, and some days I see maybe only 4 or 5.

If this is all there is of interest to post on a given day, or on average-- fine, sure that's ok. But let's not go exagerating this for the possiblebennefit of new readers.

Promethean