Why is this news!!? Why did you post that? Who is this band? Who cares. I've been running some variation of a "news posting" website for over 10 years now (side-bar: holy balls, I can't believe it's been that long). I've seen just about every incarnation of the above questions, statements, and borderline accusations. Most of the time I just roll my eyes at it. I've answered the question "why" so many times I just don't have the energy to copy and paste anymore. However, I think it's worth putting on the record a few statements about just how and why we post the news that we post. I'm not sure what our current FAQ reads about this question, or even if it addresses it -- it's quite outdated. However, I know what the new one says. So let me give you the two most definitive answers to "why is this news" and how we decide what we want to post about on a daily basis:
1) Because we decided to post it as news. Seriously, that's it. If a staff member decided to post something - that's probably the most thought that's gone into it. We don't expect you to like 100% of the stuff we post. That's why there are news filters to ignore the crap you don't like.
On the new website you will literally be able to block any tag we post about. You will also be able to favorite any tag we post about. Using these two methods (and a few other gems) you will be able to customize your reading experience on the website. These will be great tools to help readers find the signal through the noise. We know not everything we post is for every reader. We hope to offer those looking for a more customized experience the tools to achieve this. And then we also want to post things we like.
2) Because it's something we would want to read. When I, or a staff member, post something on the main page it's usually through the process of 'what would I want to read if I wasn't the one running the website.' That's how we decide what it is we write about. If it's a story I find interesting (even if it's 3 months old and we missed it the first time) or a topic I'd like to talk about -- then I'll post about it.
We're not some robotic algorithm sitting in a dark room calculating exactly what to post - when to post it - and the implications of each article. We enjoy what we do. To make sure we continue to enjoy what we do ... we don't like to create insane rules all over the place. The passion for the "job" should come from each writer. You should be able to see the opinion, the love they have for the music that moves them and the sentiments that make that individual author unique. The stories they enjoy. The bands and topics they crave to cover. We post what we want to read.
We live in an increasingly "open" world. The advent of twitter and facebook has allowed conversations to start, based around direct quotes and access, that never would have happened just five years ago. We can argue the merits and detriment of this new digital society until we're blue in the face. The truth is: it exists. Some websites will give you the vanilla news, perfectly calculated to draw no ire, have no spark, and keep the machine running. Good for them. I believe that's a perfectly valid way to run their business if they so choose. But that's not me. That's not our writers. Roger Ebert once wrote, "If it isn’t subjective, there’s something false about it." That's my take. That's why we do what we do.
I have never understood why people complain about what is posted on here. If the story doesn't appeal to you, don't read it. Someone is bound to be interested in it, so just elave it be.
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