What Makes You Tell Others About Techdirt?
from the a-conversation... dept
Over at the Verge, Nilay Patel (who just recently returned to take over the place), had a great idea: asking the readers there what makes them share something on the internet, noting that he thinks that site can do better than just trying to game Reddit and Facebook for votes and likes. While I'm sure there's some overlap in readership, and we could just read what those guys say (and we will), Techdirt is obviously a different kind of site, with different types of stories, so I'm not entirely sure what is said there will apply to us. Furthermore, I wanted to slightly adjust the question for folks here. I'm curious what makes you tell others about Techdirt itself, or any of it's stories. I'm less interested in what makes you share "something" on the internet, because the answer to that question may sometimes be "more clickbaity stories," and we've never been about that (nor will we be). The focus here is on what we do that really gets you, our community, so interested in Techdirt (or in a particular story) that you share it with others -- either in person or online.And while I'm at it, I might as well ask what makes you comment on a story? We've pointed out for years that, even though people always assume this, the number of comments does not correlate well with the amount of traffic a story gets (often because long comment threads are just a couple people arguing back and forth). Also, I know that there are many lurkers who never comment, and that's great too. But since we're having a conversation, it seemed worth discussing.
We have our data on which stories do well, but even then it's something of a mystery. There are stories I swear will go absolutely viral, which it seems like everyone winds up skipping over. There are stories that I think are probably "space fillers" for slow times, which then go insane and hit the top of Reddit. I've written over 45,000 posts (and others have written many more on Techdirt) and my ability to predict which stories you guys will really like versus which ones will elicit a giant "meh" is still fairly weak -- though it is something I think about. Nilay's post made me realize that, duh, I should just ask you guys -- though it's entirely possible you don't quite "know" either. Still, it seems like it should be an interesting discussion... Just as Nilay says, there are no "wrong answers" here. It would just be helpful to us.
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Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
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Filed Under: discussion, sharing, techdirt
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Thanks, TechDirt!
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As for commenting... It depends. If the story has a low post count, or is a very relevant topic to me, I will always go in and read the comments. 80% the time I post a comment, it is because I want to comment on the story. The other 20% of the time, it is because I want to comment on something somebody else has said. I usually will make it a point to post if my viewpoint is somehow contrarian to the direction that the comments are going (no need for another "me too" post, ya know?).
Oh, and if I think I have something funny or insightful to say (ie. a relevant joke pops into my head), and the topic has a low post count, I'll almost always post as well.
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Would be nice to get a few more stories about the UK & Europe in the balance.
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Copyright was something that I - and probably most people - never gave much thought about before the internet came along, even though I am a creator and applied copyright to my work. Thanks to Techdirt, I've become a copyright reformer, but I don't really share Techdirt that much except on Reddit, unless something happens that so perfectly exemplefies the corruption or stupidity or damage that our laws enable.
Of course, there are a lot of other websites that cover these same issues, and the reason I favor Techdirt is because of the discussion after the article. The comments are usually informative, often controversial, sometimes frustrating, and it's fun to jump in and make a point (or a lame joke) and participate in this discussion.
Because as you know, issues like copyright and government surveillance and the like are all things that the people in charge don't want the public talking about. I hope Techdirt is a thorn in their side.
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1) Someone has already said what I want to say
2) The thread is far too long for me to determine if 1) is true.
At least in Reddit I can contribute by upvoting. Also, Techdirt articles while often enraging seldom produce much chance to share personal insight (they're pretty specific and overlap each other a lot.) There just isn't much to add other than "RAWR! I'M ANGRY NOW TOO!"
I might also add that creating an account initially was very difficult and I quit a few times, but I don't remember why.
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Just take a look at Ars to see how this system was implemented in the worst possible way.
The current system on Techdirt is just fine, except for the ridiculousness of hiding a post when too many people ABUSE the system.
It's this kind of crap I can't stand, especially when the whole censorship issue gets debated.
Yes, I know there's a significant difference between taking down content vs hiding it, but to me, it's the same thing.
I can't stand it when a person's opinion is hidden in any capacity. If you don't like what someone has to say, ignore the post.
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Congressional staffer Jen Hoelzer's letter nicely pinpoints why I read and share Techdirt in general: "Techdirt's posts were consistently straightforward, easy to understand and timely. ...reading Techdirt every day was like taking a college course on the issues with every new post helping me understand a new aspect of what I'd learned previously."
Techdirt gives data and explains nuances that are often omitted from more sensational and slanted reporting; the reporting here is usually even-handed and well-informed, and exactly what sane and rational people need to see to understand the issues better. Better still, the plain and simple language makes it so much more accessible to the average person!
More specifically, the posts I am most likely to share are those covering issues important to me that I haven't already seen much about in my social circles (there's a random factor for you!), and those that rebut conclusions that I have been seeing.
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The reporting itself is very good and objective, usually from the view of the public which isn't there a large media. I think the first 2 comments touch my experience well.
Lastly I love the layout. Simple and effective without intrusive sexy adds.
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After just a couple of visits to Techdirt I was hooked. This was mostly for the reasons already listed - an anti-Fox News attitude was and is refreshing and sometimes leaves me shaking my fist in the air and shouting "SEE, I told them so...."
I come here and share the articles with those that show any interest in real reporting and a desire for real transparency. Oh yea, I also come for my Prenda fixes.
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As a retired engineering professor, I favor the "techie" stuff and as a citizen with normal proclivities for privacy even though I've really nothing to hide (I've never been one to bare my soul and I am law-abiding), I follow the whole Snowden story and its spin-offs.
I rarely read the comments on an article beyond the point of the first that is snarky or a straw man argument, but I always read your analysis of the best of the week's insightful and funny comments.
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I enjoy posting your links on mainstream news websites like CNN, when you happen to cover a topic they refuse to touch.
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As a prolific commenter, I'm not sure there's insight to be drawn from what makes me comment and what doesn't since I clearly like to talk and opine. That said, there are a number of things that influence the likelihood.
If I have a passionate response to the article or a comment, if I feel that I have something useful to say or a unique perspective, if I'm killing time or feeling frivolous, then I'm more likely to comment.
If I'm not interested in topic or if nobody's said anything I feel the need to respond to, if a comment thread has grown tiresome, if I have nothing useful to say, or if anything I could say just fuels one of the pointless old standard "controversial" debates (guns, gods, etc.) where nothing new or enlightening ever gets said anyway, then I'm less likely to comment.
Also, there's a bit of randomness -- I don't always have time to comment, I spend more time checking in here during weekdays than weekends, etc.
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The more I came here, the more I liked it and after 2010, it became a regular stop on my tour of other sites I visit. Nowadays, it is the first site I visit and I check here and via RSS on my phone frequently throughout the day.
The mainstream media has entirely too much control of information. And now that many of them are corporate owned, frequently by broadband companies that control the internet pipes into our lives, they are simply unwilling to push back against government, law enforcement and corporate malfeasance. Their behavior is simply too harmful to ignore and yet, the media who is supposed to be a check on that power, are exceedingly dropping the ball and letting them run rough shod over people.
Social media and independent sites such as Techdirt and Reddit are increasingly becoming a check against an establishment media that has collectively decided to become a press release tool for corrupt governments and corporations.
I say, keep doing what you're doing Mike. Or, just do lots more of it, even if that means doing additional types of crowd-funding campaigns to make it happen. I don't know what your traffic numbers to the site are like, but if what Jennifer said in her article is true, you're efforts here are working, even if we can't always see it.
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I lurk far more often than I comment. I comment if I think I have something I feel I must say. I read most of the comments, as I enjoy the comments as much as the articles.
For some sad reason, I find a lot of people are unaware of the issues followed here at Techdirt. Keep up the good fight.
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2) your view on this stuff
3) not having just a paragraph of your own, and then most of the article being from another article. I don't mind this as much personally, but where I share it, people there seem to mind it a lot for being "blogspam"
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You don't sugar coat your titles, your viewpoint is unique and well thought out ... and you don't compromise in your writing.
I comment when I have something I feel can contribute (generally) to the conversation at hand. But there are so many smart people on Techdirt, it raises the bar for that opportunity.
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eASY
To SHARe information
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I found Techdirt through (of all places) Slashdot. Someone there posted something from here, which I followed, which got a bookmark. Further references meant more reading, and then I found the reading essential, and came so often that it was just easier to make it the homepage.
I find when talking to friends and acquaintances that they are often unfamiliar with something current and important. I tell them about things and they say your crazy, that cannot be. Of course, the way to make them current is to refer them here, and to the links from here.
Techdirt has also lead me to a lot of the rest of my current daily feeds. Too long a list to go into here, and the type of content is broad. I do at times find it interesting that I have already read about some things before they are mentioned here, because of some of those broad links. Even so, I continue to learn about new things here.
I would like to add to the above discussion about scoring. It would be interesting to see the actual insightful and funny vote totals, after the fact of course, like maybe Monday morning?
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Keep up the good work.
Thanks
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I'm a tactless bastard who enjoys seeing people squirm when confronted with the process of making Sausages during mealtime.
To that end, Techdirt is the electronic equivalent of showing somebody the contents of the E-sausage, what gets it to their plate for consumption, and many other things that some sausage-makers would prefer us to remain unaware of.
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As for sharing, I've told a number of people to read Techdirt to get a better understanding on Corporate Sovereignty and why it has no place in trade deals. Always explained in a way more eloquent manner than I could ever hope to do.
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Similar to Jen Hoelzer (from previous story), I find TechDirt to be highly educational. You cover the stories that main-stream media won't, and you do so in what I see as being a fair and balanced way, including links to back up what you're saying and even giving opponents (not really the right word, but I can't think of a better one) an importunity to disagree. You don't censor comments for disagreeing with you. Even though I don't live in the USA, your posts are highly relevant to me. You've even managed to change my opinion of a few things (such as copyright) .. and, believe me, that's not an easy thing to do. You've done it, not by telling me I was wrong, by by simply presenting facts ... and explaining them in terms that even I can understand.
I comment on TechDirt rarely; most often, what I would say has already been said by others.
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My 2 cents
The one thing that I really dislike about Techdirt is its total blind spot to Google; and I'm not the only one noticing that. Anyway, I don't assume you agree with that. Luckily you don't have too.
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Just kidding, of course I do. Just yesterday I shared the "US DOJ wants MS Ireland server data" story on Facebook and a couple of other sites I'm on. I didn't get any responses, but I can always hope someone at least read it, and just didn't think of responding to me...
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1) Techdirt reports with little-to-no partisan/corporate bias.
2) Techdirt's content subject matter. To avoid tl;dr here, I'll just say that especially post 9/11, the US democracy is facing a growing, immanent threat originating from within its own institutions. Although the articles on Techdirt can sometimes seem to be on vastly different subjects, there is a common thread/threat that runs through them all.
3) Techdirt's distillation of the relevant content. Many of topics covered here are complex, convoluted, and have very active suppression/misinformation campaigns being run by those that seek to keep the public in the dark. Techdirt does a very good job in weeding out the most relevant bits, clearly describing their significance (and relation to other relevant bits), and presenting them in easily digestible bites.
4) Techdirt went full https. Although the PKI is not without significant issues, there's an argument to made that it's better than not. I truly appreciate Techdirt's effort.
How I share:
I primarily share Techdirt stories via word of mouth (sometimes via links in email). I view the vast majority of sharing via social media as the domain of big data commerce, the surveillance state, and the sheeple they exploit - No thanks, I opt out to best of my ability. If I support a group's work, I show it by giving them money directly.
Why I comment:
Sometimes I lurk, sometimes I comment. Best guess - I comment when I'm in the mood to comment (and apparently, if Mike asks me to).
I recommend Techdirt often. Keep up the fantastic work!!!
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Heck, I've seen fan projects for games, movies, music, TV, game mods and more get shut down by an industry that isn't stepping up to serve the market they are 'protecting'. I can't count the number of game mods or fan made games shut down with no promise of the market filling anytime soon. So I find a lot of that content rather relevant to me, and to a lot of people whom I know also enjoy this fan content.
So thats my answer ^-^
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Heck.. one of my treasured possessions is a 'Player Pin' from The World Ends With You I found at an anime convention.
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I strongly suggest NOT adding voting: write about whatever interests you, whenever it interests you. If that means 10 stories in a day about 10 topics or 1 topic: so be it.
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Quite a bit of my evangelism is based on supporting comments I make out in the world. As you know I'm a site whore, I'll post where ever it grabs me, and I have no shame in mentioning other sites where other readers can learn more if there is more detail or a different spin on something.
You never smack me down for doing that sort of thing, I still might be the first one to do a favorites of the week and went offsite for one of my picks.
I know that the staff does not believe the hype, they go digging. I remember when a few of us were collectively pitching copyright troll misbehavior... it didn't get much traction because well who is gonna take me seriously? But when what was being said started syncing with verifiable things...
I like that I can take a left turn on a topic and open peoples minds up to more things. I MIGHT see things a little differently.
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Techdirt immediately caught my attention, because of the writing style and the types of stories you report on. You report on things I never ever will read in our local Dutch newspaper.
What I find interesting about techdirt is the insight it gives into some of the inner workings of usanian democracy (yes people I refuse to call it American because there's more to the American continent than the USA alone). Or lack of democracy, maybe, depending on how you look at it. It's immensely fascinating to read about "leftwing" and discovering that over here they would be rightwing. That difference in culture hooks me.
Yet, I rarely comment, mostly because others already said what I wanted to say. I do enjoy reading the comments however, seeing people discussing with eathother. I enjoy constructive discussion over silly flame wars.
Summarized, techdirt is fascinating for its storychoices. It gives an insight into what more and more seems to be an empire in decay, a country that wants to set the rules for the world to follow but itself wants to be above those rules. Yet, in that country people themselves are just like me. Maybe I secretly am an anthropologist :)
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As my chosen handle indicates, I had expected just to lurk. Most of the time, if I bother w/ the comments at all (if they're somewhere over 30 by time I find the article, I usually don't bother; over 20 depends on how I feel), what I have to say tends to be said by others (as is the case here). When I do post, it's usually in an effort to contribute to the conversation & because I find I have something to say that hadn't appeared to have been said. Very rarely, something insightful, funny or witty pops into my head to urge me to post when I don't have something necessarily on topic to contribute.
I will say the only reason I do post when I do is because I don't have to log in. I try to minimize how much of my online activity can be traced back to my real life identity, & having to include an E-mail address makes that easier to do (so, I'm glad more sites are being encrypted). & this was before we knew the NSA was actually doing what everyone feared they could. My reasoning was more a matter of online security than paranoia (though, some may consider those the same thing). When I do post, I try to keep tabs on that post for a few days, to see if anyone replied. When I do that, I may check for new posts, so I'm glad your site does keep notes on that & doesn't use Cookies to handle it (I dump those anytime I close the browser --rarely does my browser stay open for extended periods-- sometimes before).
I also don't read every article (even some I would be interested in). Some topics I couldn't care less about, while others the posts are just too long. Though, your & Popehat's Prenda coverage (& The Oatmeal debacle) has been entertaining, so I do make a point of reading about them, if nothing else. Speaking of Ken, I think I followed a link from here to Popehat & started reading some of what Ken posts, too (again, it's possible I ran across Popehat from Google once before I found them from here, but can't be sure).
& as others have said, your linking to sources & generally backing up your take makes you appear less bias & better informed than other media outlets. As does the line-by-line/ paragraph-by-paragraph breakdowns.
As to why I share, I can't quantify that. I tend to avoid most social media like the plague, which has made keeping up w/ friends difficult (though, since they switch platforms more than I feel they ought, keeping up w/ them would be more of a pain, & would expand my online footprint, since they'd have to be able to identify that it's me). If an article is interesting to me or I feel it's important (or at least relevant to those I know), I may share that w/ people I think would listen. That's usually spoken, but sometimes I'll send ONE friend a link. I do tell people who will listen about the latest Snowden leak, which I tend to learn more about here than on TV.
Also, I may have learned about AdBlockers here... I did learn about Ghostery in the comments the other day (had always wanted to block the tracking stuff, but never took the initiative to search for an easy means to do so).
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At first, I was just reading Techdirt articles about copyright, my area of interest. It gave me visceral satisfaction to see my opinions of copyright's shortcomings confirmed by a knowledgeable third party. I was also interested in learning about the new business models people are exploring to replace copyright, especially in the area of writing. On that note, Techdirt has encouraged me to use open licenses and try business models other than "pay to read." Last month I switched one of my books to a "pay what you want" donation model and sales underwent a modest increase of ~10 - 15%, not to mention that a TON more people downloaded my book than usual.
At first, I ignored the rest of your articles about patents and police corruption and Tor, etc. But then I gradually began to get curious about the other stuff that pops up on your homepage and started perusing topics I wasn't originally interested in. Talk about an eye opener... Now I not only explain why copyright is bad, but why patents are unnecessary and we should be worried about the NSA. I also learned how to use Tor to post fanfic which satirically criticizes the franchise owner's inability to adapt to the changing world of copyright and 3D printing. And thanks to you, I also know that now I'm on the NSA's special watch list for Tor users. I think some of my friends are beginning to believe I'm a bit paranoid. But what do they know? :p
I tend to share what I read on Techdirt with my writer e-mail buddies, my fellow fans, my family, and my writing group. For example, I recently sent over your article on the Sherlock Holmes public domain debacle to a friend who is writing a novel about Holmes. I am able to tell people at my writing group why copyright is failing and what they can do to harness fanpower by use of open licenses. I tell them that if they're not taking advantage of their fanbase's creativity, then they're throwing away money.
I'd love to see Techdirt do more coverage of abuses in the area of fanfic, fan art, etc. You guys already name and shame companies who sue their Yelp critics. You should also name and shame copyright holders who crush fan creativity. Take for instance the delightful flash cartoon crossover between Thomas the Tank Engine and Transformers. It got 24,000,000 hits on YouTube, and the children I showed it to loved it. Then it was shut down by the people who "own" Thomas the Tank Engine. Someone needs to point a finger at this and say, "This is wrong. And it's also stupid. And bad business."
About the only site that covers corporate abuse of fans consistently is The Mary Sue site, and they don't have a copyright/new business model emphasis that you guys do. I've generally found that fans are aware of copyright and concerned about its impact on their work, but no one--NO ONE--has seriously tried to show them how to act on their concerns. Not to mention that the larger writing community needs to be educated on why letting fans make money from your work is a good thing. I wish you guys would run articles on stuff like how much money Stephanie Meyers lost by forcing E.L. James to barcode strip Fifty Shades of Grey. Imagine if Fifty Shades of Grey had kept Bella as the main character, and all that money had stayed inside the Twilight franchise? Instead Meyers lost it all, thanks to too much copyright control.
Maybe you could hire a writer to work on fan issues? Even just one weekly column would do wonders for the lack of attention and education in this area.
My wishlist:
1. Highlight abuses of creative fans by copyright holders in the same way you highlight abuses in the areas of trademark, censorship, and online criticism.
2. Run articles describing how authors and artists can find new ways to make money by letting fans add onto their work. There is no way a marketing team, no matter how skilled, can satisfy the individual desires of 20 million fans spread across the world. But the fan community sure can exploit all those niches! Also describe ways in which authors and artists have LOST money through barcode stripping, which effectively sends highly profitable fan creations out of franchise (City of Bones, Fifty Shades of Grey).
3. Highlight how companies abuse their fans by allowing fan creativity, but only if the fan sells their SOUL to the company and gives up all rights to their fan work in perpetuity. (Amazon's Kindle Worlds, for example.) Highlight how GOOD companies and individuals allow their fans freedom to create and publish work where, when, and how they choose.
Keep up the great work, guys! This is one special site. :)
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Very well written Jennifer.
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1. Go over examples showing why for-profit fan creativity will not harm business, but will actually help it in a surprisingly large number of ways (you'd think this would be obvious, but even some fans believe it)
2. Why fanfic publishing platforms are the Amazon of the future, thanks to bitcoin, and how this development will spawn a new generation of copyright-free publishing experiments. Also: why Amazon's Kindle Worlds misses the point of fanfiction completely in its rush to monetize. Why their platform is broadly considered a failure by fans, and why it didn't work out.
3. How James Madison, President of the United States, wrote a fanfic to make a political point. Derivative works draw on an audience's shared cultural background to make powerful points that would be hard to otherwise convey. This make them a form of free expression that should be legalized.
4. Did you know that copyright makes it legal for artists to pick and choose which fans they censor? The author who wrote the classic "The Education of Little Tree" felt keen indignation about the treatment of native americans, but was a complete bigot when it came to African Americans. Should people like him have the legal right to (say) take down fanfics that involve AAs, while letting fanfics about NAs stay up? We need to drive home what exactly censorship is capable of. How about those 20 Chinese fanfic writers who were arrested for writing slash and adult content? What about all the Chinese fan sites that shut down in a panic?
5. Creators worry that if they let fans go free, their fans will write stories and make art that becomes more popular than their own. This illustrates the anti-competitive nature of copyright (how dare you create a better product than mine!), but it also demonstrates that copyright holders are so worried about losing money that they ignore ways fans can make them money and expand their fan base to new audiences! (Fifty Shades of Grey, City of Bones, etc.)
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https://www.techdirt.com/contact.php
Just send it to "general feedback."
Thanks.
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I share stories when they explain viewpoints well. Vox has popularized "explainer journalism" but TechDirt has been doing it for years. I share something when I can say "Here is an example of why I think there are problems with copyright, or overvaluing ideas, or why all content is advertising, and on and on.
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More mainstream articles
1. Does it have a simple, obvious explanation which differs from other sites? Things like "No, [country] didn't really just [kill/embrace] net neutrality" or "No, [country] didn't just abolish software patents" are useful to send to people, because they tend to put the whole situation in perspective with background and an update for where we currently are.
2. Does it need community knowledge? If a story has a lot of snide references to past stories, I will often avoid sending it to people. I recognize your meaning, but they will not. Talking about how something has been thoroughly "debunked" in the past is not always convincing. I don't want them to be put off and think the site is just a self-reinforcing single-narrative perspective. Anything that says "nobody said" typically falls into that same bucket. You may not have said it, but that doesn't mean nobody did.
3. Does it have useful links to past stories? The lists of when things happened in the past, often included as several links-as-words in a sentence, are actually really useful for developing background.
So it looks like the things that I am most likely to send people are stories that help build background on an issue without needing community involvement of any kind. I like the site, but I want anything I send to people to be as objective, informative, and professional as possible.
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I will say that while the Prenda thing was mildly amusing, I don't understand why that one company gets so many posts... foolish company is foolish, we get it.
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That is why I read Techdirt. Insightful information that I generally can't get anywhere else, presented in glorious non-partisan wit.
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Nothing
But I do past articles to my facebook wall when they inform me and I think the info should be shared.
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What makes me share a story is when reading the story makes me think of a specific person who I believe will find the story of genuine interest. So for example I recently shared the story about the guy fired for blogging about homophones, because I have a gay friend who is interested in linguistics.
What draws me to Techdirt personally is a combination of the Schadenfreude of the Prenda saga and similar stories where bullies are hoist by their own petards, and keeping tabs on which tech companies are behaving unethically (so I can try to avoid giving them money).
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As for why I comment I don't particularly know. I've been active in very few communities in the past out of pure laziness and now due to time constraints (if I get active in another place my participation here is certainly going to drop). That said, what drives me to participate here is probably the same reason I donated: you do a very nice job here and the community is generally awesome.
As for the wow/meh posts I'd say it's the same for comments. Sometimes you write something and think "damn, this is important!" but later you realize it's more important to you than to people in general or funnier to you than to other people in general.
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Ah my Techdirt
I come to TechDirt because I feel it is an easy to reach source that encourages readers and discussions around topics and has a good collection of topics covered that I am passionate about and feel need more attention drawn to them. I tend to link to these articles when I am discussing a topic with somebody and the article was my source and it can add detail beyond what we discussed. You guys do have a very well thought out argument and while I can make most of the same points, I tend to feel I don't quite do it as well as you guys do. As such I will sometimes link people to articles written here anyways. Even if I haven't raised a discussion, if the post covers anything that I know a friend is passionate about, I will link them to it as additional news for them to cover. I know two of my friends who regularly scan the headlines here now because of that even though they don't read much.
Over the last two to three years I have posted a lot less in the comments than I used to as well. This is partially due to time restraints. I also enter a lot of articles with intent to post something, but will see that somebody said my exact thought or noticed what I noticed, and then I won't post. It was already posted and I don't want to just add a "me too!".
I used to read every single article as well during some slow times at work but over the last four years I started following more online and now I tend to skip some articles if I feel that from the title I already know what it will say. After following for so long, I have a general feel for how responses to certain items will be and not every topic covered greatly interests me (although all topics interest me at least some). The topics that greatly interest me I still read every article sooner or later for.
There was an era where I tried to shoot down the deniers and anti mikes, by replying with logic and analogies and comparisons and reason. That didn't end well for me. I won't say that they won, since there are still others here holding that torch. I did put in my time doing that though and due to having less time these days, I don't partake of that anymore really. Much thanks goes out to my fellow TDers who now make sure that baseless arguments and strawmen are not left standing.
Overall I still love TD, still love my T-shirt I got from here back when (and still wear it). Keep up the good articles guys!
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Re: Ah my Techdirt
It was a really fun class and the professor was great. A lot of people left that class with a much broader view.
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they need to know
I like to think of Techdirt as college level education that I can send to my friends that are content with their High School level education. The articles are easy enough to follow, entertaining enough to keep me coming back, and educational and thoughtful enough to expand my mind and want to learn more.
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Why
I share techdirt stories when i see people interested in copyright, patent, etc. issues but without a lot of concrete knowledge, especially if they seem to be buying the spin without really understanding the issue.
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As for me
Honestly, if Mike did not post on this site, I would not read. Unfortunately, I may have carped a time or two in the comments when Mike's schedule keeps him from frequently contributing. Sorry about that Mike. While I sometimes enjoy the other contributors work, they don't speak to me in the same clear, concise and ardent manner as Mike. So there's a bit of an echo chamber component to my visits, but reading keeps me up to speed on issues I find important. Often, if I first hear of a news item from another source, I eagerly think "Can't wait to read what Mike has to say about this".
Mike's reporting has motivated me to participate far more actively in the political process. I've stumped against SOPA, written my national reps often and even called their Washington offices a few times to speak up on issues presented here. I've learned about Aaron Swartz, Reddit, ICE copyright enforcement, Sen. Ron Wyden, James Clapper, FBI terrorist breeder programs and all the crazy state surveillance. In fact, when I lay it out this way, I feel embarrassed that I've yet to act on the many times I've thought about subscribing. I think I'll fix that right now.
Thanks for all you've done, and keep up the good work!
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I comment because it's low-effort; I don't even have an account here. I comment when I feel I have something interesting to say.
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Why I Share
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Why I Share and do not comment
The best articles to share are very succinct, and show a great example which may not be very obvious without reading it. A great example was written by a former congressional staffer a week or so ago, where she was showing other staffers about the article about why 50 cent's blog was being called a "rogue" site. This is a great example. This is not something that the mainstream internet reader would know, this is easy to understand, and doesn't need much background knowledge.
Techdirt stories are all fantastic. I've been reading for over a decade, have NEVER commented before, and only emailed Mike directly 2 times. (With his busy schedule, happily for me, he even responded to one! :) ).
I rarely comment, or even really read the comments. Comments can definitely add to a conversation, but I (sadly) don't have time to read every article, and then ALSO read every comment. So I only read every article.
I share the one's that aren't too complicated, to people who normally don't read these types of articles. I can share more with people I have already had discussions with about these types of issues.
These issues are perfect, but sometime a little more nuanced than new readers can appreciate.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks,
-Dave
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For the most part I've appreciated both the topical range and level of reporting within those topics. There are the occasional exceptions, but I generally find the treatment of Techdirt's core focus areas to be very well done. I also very much appreciate the source links, which I follow fairly often. In many cases of legislation, for example, I've found the actual text of bills and related material far quicker by waiting for the Techdirt writeup than by trying to wade through the searches on the House/Senate sites themselves!
I almost always skim the comments, at the very least, and some stories I'll follow until the threads fully dry up. I rarely post, usually finding that most of my thoughts are already expressed by others. Normally I'll only post if there's something useful I can add or if I come at it from a different direction.
As far as sharing, I'll occasionally pass along a specific article, but not much else. Most of the people I'd pass links to are only really interested in that particular topic, not the broader range that Techdirt covers.
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I never comment because I, in general, hate comments. They're usually people just shouting at each other instead of open, thoughtful discussion. I never discuss anything serious in text. There are exceptions, but the signal to noise ratio is just too terrible for my time priorities.
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If the subject matter is interesting but I don't feel like TD added much to the story, I'll just share the link to the original story rather than the TD story (though I might mention the story came to me "via Techdirt").
I will typically only comment on a story if I feel like I have something unique to add to the conversation. Usually I don't - the topic might be interesting it me, but if all I have to say is "Yeah, fuck Republicans!" then I won't waste my time or anyone else's. However, sometimes stories come up where I feel like I have particular insight or expertise, and then I'll comment heavily. (Since I'm a Canadian IP lawyer, typically this is IP stories, especially if they have a Canadian angle).
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I comment when I feel I have something to add to the discussion, which isn't often.
I read the comments when it's about a post I have interest in.
I can't remember when I first came to Techdirt, but it was probably Napster-related?
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Not all of my friends are immune to what the lame stream media puts out. For example, when the news about Edward Snowden broke, one of my very Republican friends asked me if I heard about the traitor that stole a bunch of documents from the government. I told him about the idea that this person should be considered a whistle blower and gave him my reasoning for that opinion, having just read an article in Techdirt that supported that theory. I pointed my friend to that article, and now he shares that viewpoint.
I'm not saying i agree with everything I read hear, but if I have a different viewpoint, I find that I can discuss it in a civil manner with my fellow readers, and come away satisfied, even if I didn't manage to change anyone's mind.
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I have shared verbally and sent links to friends when discussions have come up that I just know Techdirt would have covered. Like Net Neutrality and like the Happy Birthday song. Sometimes I know it is Techdirt reporting on other folks' reporting about something but I like that as well - and I consider Techdirt to be one of the few daily "one stop shop" places I go for information.
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