Photos
Please sit down, you guys. It’s early June, so it is time for our annual 6-month performance review, even though we have never actually done one of these before, at least not in June, we’ve kind of done them at the end of the year around the holidays, but we’re doing one now, so please sit back down. This is not just a review of your performance, it is also a review of our performance. Performance is a two-way street, as they say. Well, I am running this meeting and I say that they say that. Look, the point is, we are past due for a taking of the Videogum temperature. So, let’s.
It seems like things are going pretty well for the most part. Kelly is here! And I think, personally, that she is doing a great job! But that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you guys about. This is an exciting time for Videogum to start trying new things and mixing it up IN THE BLOG STREETS. There are two people working here now, so, you know, NO RULES. I mean, mostly just rules. There are still only two people working here now. But that is double the number who were working here a few weeks ago. So, how can we use this to our benefit? Let’s make the most of what we’ve got! We’ve got some ideas of our own, no duh, but we still would like your input. There IS “input” in TEAinputM! SO: What is missing from the site? What would you like to see more of? What would you like to see less of? Why won’t you friend us on Facebook? What happened to the Videogum Monster Book Club? Do people still use the chat? Why not? What do we need to do to regroup and strengthen the community? Questions like these and then other questions. Basically, let’s use this post, please, to get some fresh blood pumping into this old dinosaur. Blogs are out but people are texting each other “no more animals.” This guy knows what I’m talking about.
So, I’m going to write a figure down on a piece of paper and slide it across the desk to you, and you let me know what you think. The figure is: ONE MILLION HELP US OUTS WITH YOUR THOUGHTS!
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Oh, goodness. This has become a THING, huh?
Well, I think I’ve been commenting on Videogum since nearly the very beginning (I noticed a link on BestWeekEver and followed it here and the rest is HERstory) and – yea – a lot of things have changed and – yea – I stopped commenting altogether for months before guest blogging and – yea – I’m not sure I GET a lot of the new inside jokes (mystery butt?), but Videogum is great and I love it and it’s literally the first blog I ever bookmarked and started to read everyday and this is the longest sentence ever.
Anyway, there’s a new crop of commenters in town (not really new at all in that they’ve been around forever and all the old commenters have just kind of faded away, [but hey! I see a lot of you have weighed in on this post!] – I JUST WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!) that are still Very Funny HAHA, but the feel is markedly different than when I came to this blog, which is – of course – to be expected.
And I don’t know that Videogum needs to change anything. Gabe’s writing is still HILARIOUS and he’s got one of the most distinct writing styles on THE ENTIRE INTERNET, which is saying something – and that is why we are all here. That hasn’t changed and it’s still very funny to me. And I was a fan of Max Silvestri and Rich before Videogum even existed, so any time their work pops up on the site, it’s just GREAT.
Part of what’s kept me interested in Videogum for the past 3+ years is the comments – and for whatever reason, I’m not as engaged as I used to be. It feels like a contest now and I’m not at all interested in trying to BEAT anyone at blog commenting. I was around before The Ball or even registered accounts. All of a sudden it was like the industrial revolution and I’m still spinning bedsheets out of barley with a foot paddle or whatever happened to old timey people when things got less old timey. I guess I’m pining for a time that wasn’t even that great? Like when people want “the good old days” to come back and then are like “oh right, everyone was suuuuuuper racist then.”
Oh – and I like gifs! I don’t use them ever, but sometimes they just work and are Very Funny. I know a lot of my fellow OG commenters don’t agree, but I’m willing to stick my neck out on this one (what? there are literally NO STAKES here). I don’t really understand the friction – but I’m also averse to conflict – so instead of getting pissed off, I just generally distance myself. I hid in a dark corner of the internet and cried until VforVgum was over and then I just pretended like it never happened. I’m a child of an ugly divorce, which is a non sequitur that’s not at all related to what I just said about Videogum.
But yea – Videogum is the best. Don’t ever change.
“Nobody gives a shit.” – the script that put my comment on page 2.
I came on a few weeks before Lindsay left and then the Monster’s Ball was introduced not long after that, and I remember your comments stood out as just enjoyble, spot-on, friendly comments, and that was back when your avatar was Susie Carmichael from Rugrats, if I’m remembering correctly. I too was drawn by the hilarious topics being blogged about, and the REALLY fun comments and feeling of community in them. I had never signed up for an entertainment blog before, and after about two weeks of lurking I proactively signed up and left a nervous, “Um, hi. I’m new here and please don’t yell at me, but that was really funny and I liked it”-type comment.
I too eased off of Videogum recently. I didn’t have much to say. Didn’t feel like reading. Didn’t feel as funny, like my humor is disjointed and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before (I have mentioned this before), but my syntax is driving me crazy these days. I haven’t expended any energy trying to pinpoint the why’s and how’s. Time passes, things change, you feel differently, you go back and enjoy something again after not partaking in a while. It’s the exact opposite of any semblance of a big deal.
Other than that sentiment, I’m pretty much on the exact same page as you, Becca. Gifs are fun, the comments are fun, and I’m not sure Videogum needs to make any sort of drastic changes or reboots (DC Comics, I’m looking at you, not that I read you or anything [Anyone hear the DC news? Anyone? It doesn't matter]).
Your comment may be on page 2, but it is at the TOP of page 2. (and also thanks to Chris Trash for bringing Becca’s comment to my attention on twitter)
This is another example of things that I find great about this site:
I hadn’t heard about the that new DC move and although I honestly won’t really give any more thought other than “hmm”, you brought it up in a smart way that could actually spark a side discussion.
UGHHH Reboots. So frustrating. Not that I’m much of a DC reader (except for that brilliant noir-ish run of Catwoman — seriously check it out. I think it was Brubaker and Cooke? I could look it up, but Videogum is already taxing enough on my work computer, and I’m scared to open another tab).
You are great, Becca. Good job over on Splitsider btw.
I love you Becca, but Mystery Butt is the choice of champions.
My heart broke when Lindsay left. She was just as funny and distinctively-voiced as Gabe.
I just wanted to say that.
Gabe, I think you do a wonderful job as head writer and Monsters I think you do a wonderful job as commenters. Kelly I am excited to see what more comes from you. Great start! I second a lot of opinions stated already, but overall I just wanted to say that I find the atmosphere of this site is wonderful.
I think it is a real testament to the sense of community here that comments rarely show up over on stereogum posts. There is a direct and static link to the sister site up top and yet the two couldn’t be more different.
I hope nobody gets hurt feelings from this thread and the site does improve and grow.
One handy feature that I have seen used on other sites is a dialog box that alerts you if a post has been made while you are typing your own post. This could possibly alleviate a lot of the double posts and subsequent comments. An edit button could be helpful as well as/or a preview button. Those are all things typically reserved for message boards rather than comments, but perhaps it could work on here as well.
Keep up the good work everybody.
Dan
Thank you for your recent interest in our VIDEOGUM. The VIDEOGUM has been created to serve you and your family. One thing we would like more of at VIDEOGUM is videos found on the internets along with clever commentary from our current employee GABE. Thank you for your time and interest and we here at VIDEOGUM are working hard to make sure your needs are met.
Like a lot of people have said in here, I’ve read for a long time, find my interest slightly waning, though I still very much enjoy the site. (Personally, I really peaked before the redesign when we could log in as any name we wanted (which sometimes helped with jokes) and one of my comments in a Lost recap got quoted on NY Mag and then Gabe shouted it out in the comments #SWAG.) I do think that the site has somewhat suffered from the lack of more regular pieces: Double Dog (not so regular but always great), The Hunt (which seems to take long breaks now) Lost and Entourage recaps, WUWTG (always super insightful), to name a few, and I think having those things to look forward was always a strong motivator for me to check in more regularly. As much as I think videos of cats falling asleep are cute, it’s not something I really care to use my down time at doing. I also happen to think the more personal writing on the site is always very strong and like when that is incorporated.
As far as the community goes, though I’ve been around for a while, I never really became super involved. Not because of gifs or anything like that, just because I somewhat agree that it seems the same handful of people keep most of the conversations going between themselves and I didn’t really feel like trying to squeeze my way in. Not saying that in a pissed off way, that’s just how it shook out, and I’m generally fine with it. But that’s not to say I didn’t read and enjoy a lot of the comments or comment on my own. And my community expands to outside the site as well, where I often talk to friends I introduced to the site about a recent post, etc.
As long as we’re sharing (and I can hear you now: ‘we? wait, who are you?’): a couple of months ago I first started to get the feeling that Gabe was getting… well, tired of us. Or of this. Or something like that. Possibly just paranoia on my part, but I kept sensing a certain exhaustion, a certain shortness on his part, like he was tiring of being our dancing, recapping, suffering, link-sharing monkey–and then we had not one but two guest weeks, and now Gabe has hired on a (lovely, welcome) assistant…
I hope I’m wrong. I really do. But I’m still getting that feeling regularly, and it does make me a little less eager to come to the site. If it’s a true feeling, then I hope things get better. If it’s just me being paranoid, then… well, I still hope things get better, but for me instead?
Please don’t hate us! (Us? Who are you?)
I only have one question at this juncture.
Gabe, where did you get your ideas?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND… That’s a wrap, everybody!
Ooooookay, my two bits:
Videogum is great for all the reasons we all know — the voice, the writing, the community. But something has, in fact, changed since I started reading, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a thing.
For a long time, Gabe and company posted the very most hilarious recaps and reviews on the entire interwebs. I feel like all of us regular monsters really looked forward to the weekly Lost and Gossip Girl posts, among others. It kept me coming back over and over, just to read the comments section; the length of the posts made me spend tons of time staring at the site, which I’m sure looks great on a traffic meter; and it bolstered the community because it was a place for all of us to get together and make fun of the things we saw (and loved) (and hated).
Now, I know we still kinda sorta have this with the Glee-caps, but aside from that, I can guess more or less why the recaps aren’t as prevalent. The first reason is that it’s hard to write them! With all of the screencaps and GIFs and thousands of words Gabe was writing each week, I can see the appeal of never doing it again forever. The other reason is the lack of a good unifying show — Lost was perfect, Gossip Girl was fun, but I mean, it’s not exactly like Mad Men lends itself to lighthearted critique and lots of next-day-laffs. Our Thursday Night TV thread has a communal thread to it, but you can’t do recaps because there is so much funny that making additional jokes out of it is harrrrrd (and sad because jokes tend to be critical).
An extension of this is the Videogum Movie Club and the TWMOAT reviews, which I feel have become less frequent (I haven’t studied the statistics to see if this is actually true, I’m going with my GUT, you NERDS). These had the same sort of unifying and hilarious effect, and I love each week when Gabe posts them.
The bottom line is this: there are lots of destinations on the internet for fun YouTube videos, but there are very few places where you can get laugh-out-loud-funny, smart, insightful commentary on the larger pop cultural events that most monsters experience. Sure, there are plenty of too-serious movie reviewers and bad TV show recappers, but I don’t want to read what they say, I want to read what GABE says.
This is by no means a rallying cry against Videogum or the “direction” we are heading — I love the site and come here every day! This is just the one thing I wish there were more of, and the one thing that I’ve noticed change over the last year or two.
Thank you everyone for such an amazing and vibrant site that seems to speak to me directly, I sincerely feel that there is no place like this out there. Oh captain my captain! Et cetera.
so whats everybody up to down here, in this section? im at work eating a banana and wondering why i even buy bananas because i dont enjoy them at all and they are kind of a stupid nutrient-poor fruit.
Tons of potassium! And also easy access to sexual innuendo.
It’s true, the potassium is more valuable than you may think! You can’t get it just anywhere, you know. And yeah, you know, like… penis. Also, the thing that I notice about bananas is that sometimes they are just good and yummy and I don’t think about it at all, and other times it weirds me out how sticky and mushy they are and I think it’s strange that I’m eating food like that. And to answer your question, I am currently in my cubicle eating NOTHING because I forgot my damn granola bar and so all I have is coffee and my life is a living hell *these guys* literally know what I’m talking about (link to starving children).
Yes! Eat a banana before you go to bed if you’re scared you might have a hangover. Totes helps. Totes potassium.
Also, I will only eat bananas if they are still sort of green. Mushy ones make me feel ill.
Wait, really? Does it help to eat a banana while you have a hangover? I have both a hangover (made worse by spending the first hour of my day reading 300+ comments to this post) and a banana in my office, so this is important.
It doesn’t hurt, but in my experience it works better if you eat it before bed.
Videogum Everywhere trip report: results are inconclusive. I did eat the banana and I do feel better, but I also took several excedrin and drank about a gallon of water.
http://youtu.be/gJnjrxCc_Ws
Ok, I guess it’s my turn, I’ll repeat some things that have already been said.
I like Videogum. I will probably keep coming here.
I like Gabe’s writing. That is the main reason I like Videogum. The way the commenting has grown into a community, with generally a lot more intelligence and positivity than elsewhere on the internet is a bonus. Sometimes I just need a few minutes on VG after reading some stupid argument by people who just don’t get it on another site.
I have mixed feelings about voting on comments and the weekly ceremony for the “winners.” On the one hand, I’m competitive and it sometimes stimulates me to be just the cleverest and smartest bastard I can be, and if I don’t win (again), I’ll just have to deal with it or try harder. I like that, it makes me try harder.
On the other hand, I’m very curious what the comments would be like without voting. I have a feeling it would be (well, would feel) more inclusive, and would improve the already pretty welcoming and open atmosphere we have here.
As a practical suggestion: why not have a thread without voting every now and then? Just to see what would happen? Maybe around a theme, to give people a chance to get serious, to take a little more time to say what you want to say, and to take the competition aspect out of it.
One more thing: Like some other people have said, I too am almost always late to the comments. Like now for example, I’m on PAGE TWO for crying out loud. But from reading the other comments, it turns out that I’m not the only one. So what do you say we just keep the threads alive a bit longer? Ok, we’re not on the top of the page, we don’t get the high votes, but if you comment on a thread from yesterday, when Gabe and Kelly and the popular crowd have long moved on, I will probably still read it. There are a lot more lurkers and low-profile commenters here than there are superstars. Let’s just ignore the frantic activity in the first few minutes after a post, and have a calm conversation at the bottom of yesterday’s trampoline accident.
And in closing, I would like to offer some wise words. But what are you gonna do.
More Jukt Micronics references.
FIRST!
I’m way late, but here goes – I’ll be brief
The regulars are great! Maybe sometimes the inside jokes last a little too long (the frank CSI thing probably has, but I still laugh every damn time – thus my office mate probably hates it) so basically this comment has no point and keep on doing your thing, all.
Lately it seems some posts are just there to fill space (here’s a trailer, it looks ok, that’s it) – the writing and opinions are the best part of this site – everyone seems to have pretty great taste and I’d like to read more about it, not just see a dumping ground for that the crap is out there.
Sometimes too much “hey this is terrible” stuff? As I stated last, those involved in the site seem to have great taste in things – and there’s too much crap on the internet, which is posted everywhere – the good stuff is hard to find. Hopefully I made some sense, although being on the 3rd page it probably won’t be read anyways… just throwing it out there.
FUCK YOU. BoOnDock SAinTS is THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER. You fagz just dont undirstand.
God, you are awesome P.E.
People are still reading this? Whatever, losers
OK: in descending order of preference:
(1) The Not-Jobes expand/contract a thread idea above
(2) I (really)x10^23 miss “Replies to your Comments” on the Profiles page.
(3) Maybe because I’m old, but I’m almost never on the Facebook page or Videogumblr (I don’t have a tumblr so maybe people who are actually love it? But it seems to be doing parallel work without the ad revenue) or even chat, or anything that’s separate from the site. I would probably hate the result, but integrating all that stuff in one location might make some sense.
(4) It seems like someone should think harder about the mobile version of the site: it’s really awkward to navigate. (If you don’t like the gifs, though, check it out.) This is coming from someone who never wants to see it and gets frustrated when it comes up (which is my problem: I should know by now not to click on a link from Twitter/Reeder on my phone). So: people who
should probably be the ones to weigh in on this?(5) I’ve been enjoying the guest hosts and their sensibilities (especially Mans; I am sorry he internet-died), and could see a once-every-couple-of-weeks post by a commenter being fun: but from Gabe’s perspective, maybe that’s a nightmare pandora’s wormcan (this is the kind of metaphor you might expect from me if I ever guest host).
(6) This has been said above, but fix “Remember me” or if not make it so when you click it, it plays that Sarah Mclaughlin song
I agree with point 5. I liked the Guest Bloggers, and I want Patrick M as Guest Blogger.
I second this! Patrick M for Guest Blogger!
Ditto.
For TV shows to recap, I humbly submit My Super Sweet 16. I’d like to see Gabe vivisect it.
I would appreciate more stuff that Gabe likes versus stuff that Gabe hates. Seems everything is a nightmare and awful and I just don’t see things that way. More kids making inspirational speeches about riding bikes and less “Bring on 2012, let’s just end it now.”
Woah guys. 400+ comments!
I am a long-time v-gum reader. . .like from the beginning. I miss Lindsey (sry). But Gabe, I just wanted to say that you have done something totally awesome and amazing, which is create a smart, friendly, and welcoming little corner of the internet that makes it better. It is wholly different from every other blog I’ve ever read. Good work!
- VGum parties in other places, like Canada. So like a VGum world tour.
#canadagum!
My swedishness forces me to concur with all previous speakers.
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Well you got one thing right, accusations of being fat and living in one’s parents’ basement were definitely missing from the debate.
I agree with most people here that having to sign in over and over again is a drag. But sometimes, it’s worth the effort. Like now, when I went out of my way to sign in, just so I could downvote this. Thanks for the motivation, hugh!
Wow.
Very late with my comments, so feel free to ignore them:
I am still a big fan of videogum and I love reading the comments.
I don’t like the videogum posts of tweens and younger kids and even older teens (basically any kid under the age of 16 or 17 – definitions! who cares!) doing something that is startling or unusual. It feels mean to have a laff at their expense. They will probably be fine, because I spose we assume that they have massive self confidence and a big support network to post the clip on youtube to begin with, but maybe not. If I see a youtube of a kid, I’m either clapping my hands and saying hooray, or I’m ignoring it. Because they are kids.
When it comes to kids, either say something positive, or stfu. That doesn’t always happen on videogum though.
Still, I am a big fan and I love to read the comments. You commenters should get paid:)
That is my one criticism. I don’t like the kid youtubes.
Like most people, I also REALLY enjoyed the recaps. But when I started reading all the comments here, the first thing I thought was exactly what Max said: Aren’t recaps a time-consuming pain in the ass? Are all these requests realistic?
So maybe… there could be some mini-recaps? Like, something simpler than full episode recaps, but more substantial than the Thursday Night Open Threads? I’d like that! For me, the Open Threads are too all-over-the-place. A mini-recap would give the post more focus, but also be simple enough to let the monsters run wild. And we’d still get a nice dose of that wonderful Gabe Delahaye wit. Just a suggestion!
Like a lot of monsters, I also spend (slightly) less time here at Videogum. For me, this comes down to one thing…
When I first started reading Videogum, I was AMAZED at the quality of the writing. The LAFF-quotient was off the charts. EVERY post was hysterically funny, because every post felt unique to me.
Of course, Videogum is still very, very funny. But, I find that each post is less mind-blowingly fresh. Because a lot of the posts are recurring features. They’re like SNL sketches that have been done a bit too much. (Bill Hader’s Stefon on SNL is hilarious! But it was more hilarious the first few times.)
I used to RELISH every feature (Teen Korner, That’s Your Boyfriend, Duh Aficionado, etc) but now they’re just not as funny to me. Not because the writing is any less sharp (because it’s still very sharp), but because I’ve seen it a lot.
I was sad when “What’s Up With Topher Grace?” went away. But at the same time, I felt like the joke had run its course. So, maybe it was a good thing that the segment had been retired before it got old.
I’d like to see some brand new features. Brand new premises. Brand new points-of-view.
But look, I’m realistic. I know that coming up with new features on a regular basis isn’t easy, ESPECIALLY when you have to craft 8 posts a day, 5 days a week. TV writers get a long hiatus every year to refresh creatively. Gabe doesn’t get that luxury. Which is a shame, I think. I, for one, wouldn’t mind if Gabe could take a few long breaks every so often, so he could come back with brand new comedy GOLD.
All that being said, no matter what happens here. I LOVE Videogum. And I love you, monsters. This is the best place on the internet. I hope it stays that way for a very, very long time.
i never won anything on the monster’s ball, so i just fucking gave up. jerks. ps. lol. and topher grace sucks.
BRING BACK LOST