CollegeHumor shuts down • Hacker News Board

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#51

Post by mikepurvis » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 4:58 PM UTC

slg wrote: post #42

echelon wrote: post #24

CollegeHumor is blaming this on Facebook for faking viewership numbers. This isn't the first time Facebook killed culture, and it won't be the last. We really need to de-platform or find a way Facebook can't steal value.

Facebook faking viewership numbers is really an under-reported story. So many publishing companies had moderately successful business models. Then Facebook came along with their amazing viewership numbers. Everyone "pivoted to video", switched to targeting native Facebook views, and chasing those unbelievable viewership totals. The views ended up being well lower than reported which means the promising revenue never…

Relevant Twitter thread from Adam Conover ("Adam Ruins Everything"):

https://twitter.com/adamconover/status/1183209875859333120

An article about the settlement, including a link to the document itself: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/facebook-pay-40-mi...

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#52

Post by michaelt » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 4:59 PM UTC

sulkie wrote: post #9

jannes wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are also blaming it on Facebook: > “In order to beat YouTube, Facebook faked incredible viewership numbers, so [CollegeHumor] pivoted to FB,” former CollegeHumor writer Adam Conover presciently tweeted last October. “So did Funny or Die, many others. The result: A once-thriving online comedy industry was decimated."

Would there be significant disadvantages in using both platforms at the same time? Or does "pivoted to FB" also imply that the content was adjusted to FB audience?

I think "pivoted to FB" means "Instead of putting the videos on our site and posting links to our site on FB, we posted native videos on FB"

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#53

Post by rchaud » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:00 PM UTC

echelon wrote: post #24

CollegeHumor is blaming this on Facebook for faking viewership numbers. This isn't the first time Facebook killed culture, and it won't be the last. We really need to de-platform or find a way Facebook can't steal value.

Platform giveth, platform taketh away. There used to be a time where you actually had to go to collegehumor.com to watch the videos. Once everyone turned into sharecroppers on FB, Youtube or whatever, this was the risk they took.

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#54

Post by 3xblah » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:00 PM UTC

MisterTea wrote: post #46

40four wrote: post #36

Unrelated... but on the Washington Post I clicked through to the page that sells subscriptions, only to find that they hijack you back button and do not allow you to go back in your browser history. What a joke. Makes me want to never visit their site again. That is unacceptable.

The bigger joke is a web page can hijack your browser.

This joke must be too highbrow because no one seems to get it.

https://github.com/luruke/browser-2020

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#55

Post by yoz-y » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:02 PM UTC

notyourwork wrote: post #44

yoz-y wrote: post #33

Why does the article start with a false premise that "internet used to be fun" and "bygone era". Come on, if you don't want to follow Twitter drama just go to some other place. Ugh.

I try not to judge people by their respective comments but in this case I would venture to guess you are below 25 years of age.

Missed that by almost a decade. I just feel that there is a lot of nostalgia for the old times whereas nothing is actually preventing people from doing what was done before.

Replying a bit transversally here, but I was on IRC 18 years ago and still am every day. Any game you have played before can be played now, easier than before, heck we are just organizing Worms I tournament. Youtube is still full of funny stuff and reddit communities exist, RSS didn't go anywhere and there are many many hobbyists blogs out there still.

Sure stuff got piled on top of all that but nowadays it's easier, cheaper and more accessible to do what we were doing "back then".

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#56

Post by madamelic » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:04 PM UTC

badrequest wrote: post #32

dmos62 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the most damaging to society While I agree that content archival is important, I would strongly argue that lost content is not on the same level as for example anti-competitive practices, even in terms of cultural impact.

Especially not CollegeHumor content, most of which was scattershot hope-something-goes-viral bro humor.

I disagree strongly.

Maybe some of their skits had bro humor but it always seemed like either generic humor or geek centric than anything.

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#57

Post by RandomBacon » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:05 PM UTC

rchaud wrote: post #53

echelon wrote: post #24

CollegeHumor is blaming this on Facebook for faking viewership numbers. This isn't the first time Facebook killed culture, and it won't be the last. We really need to de-platform or find a way Facebook can't steal value.

Platform giveth, platform taketh away. There used to be a time where you actually had to go to collegehumor.com to watch the videos. Once everyone turned into sharecroppers on FB, Youtube or whatever, this was the risk they took.

IF Facebook didn't fake their numbers, then I would be inclined to agree.

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#58

Post by rchaud » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:05 PM UTC

spamizbad wrote: post #5

bhouston wrote: post #2

I can not read the source article. But I guess its costs were too high such that if it just distributed it all via YouTube it couldn't make any money?

They allegedly fell victim to the whole "pivot to facebook video" craze caused by Facebook misreporting their video engagement figures. Whether some business unit inside Facebook did this intentionally or not, it's a big reason why I think media companies have turned against Facebook as they feel like they got ratfucked.

It is completely intentional, and a company-wide initiative. I have been to several digital marketing conferences and at the big ones there is always a FB speaker/panelist that's there for no other reason than to shill for "video marketing" on FB.

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#59

Post by linuxftw » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:06 PM UTC

rchaud wrote: post #53

echelon wrote: post #24

CollegeHumor is blaming this on Facebook for faking viewership numbers. This isn't the first time Facebook killed culture, and it won't be the last. We really need to de-platform or find a way Facebook can't steal value.

Platform giveth, platform taketh away. There used to be a time where you actually had to go to collegehumor.com to watch the videos. Once everyone turned into sharecroppers on FB, Youtube or whatever, this was the risk they took.

I agree. They deserve to fail. They had a major hand in the consolidation of the internet onto the major platforms.

Re: CollegeHumor shuts down

#60

Post by sirzarmo » Wed, Jan 15, 2020, 5:08 PM UTC

When Jake and Amir was canceled I was quite disappointed, When they made an awful soulless return in the form of an anti-trump video, my fury was immense. they held out for quite a while making original content and as of recently once in a blue moon they made something interesting but the company became very corporate, and their main product was incompatible with that, compatibility is a feat I think only Adult Swim can manage today...