1 min read

Crap, not stuff

It's not everyday that I'm the lead in an article, but I just wanted to point out a few things from it. Other than these points, it's a good article and I sincerely hope Newspaper publishers are listening to the cries of annoyed users everywhere. We're trying to send you a message, and I hope you're listening.

1. The author attributes my most heated comments to the NYTimes, but it was the LA Times I was talking about. Look at their insane registration screen, which is the most invasive news site I can think of. The little red "required" asterisks are on almost every option, including your annual income. That's downright hostile to your readers, and why I used to always avoid LAT, but more recently I use bugmenot if I it's a must-read. I remember specifically telling the reporter that the NY Times catches a lot of flak for their registration (they were one of the first), but that it's largely unfounded since theirs is innocuous compared to morons at the LA Times.

2. I don't recall saying I hadn't registered at anything in two years. I probably said something more along the lines of "I hadn't registered for a news site since bugmenot came out" but I don't think that's two years, and I register for discussion boards and e-commerce sites all the time.

3. In this quote:

Thanks to the shared information, Haughley avoided the bother of registering again. "Who wants to fill this [stuff] out," he says. "I just want to read your dumb story."

Anyone that knows me personally knows what I said in place of stuff. It's my favorite word. I say it all the time, and use it as a non-specific noun in almost every sentence. It's crap. Crap, crap, crap. I think you can handle it.

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