
Happy Anniversary, Deadsplinter! It’s been a hell of a year. We sure have come a long way since Splinter was obliterated and Deadspin’s staff defected leading to the herb shutting down the comment section only to follow up by threatening personal and group blogs on Kinja (which sucks) after worm-holing our SplinterRIP and DeadspinRIP handles which led to this here site.
Sure they opted out of following through with that threat (thus far), but we’re still here because Deadsplinter doesn’t suck!
Why?
Because there is no who’s who, no greys, and everyone is someone.
The community is the point.
From the way-back-when of the pre-Kinja days all the way through the Kinja era to the sorry death throes of its herbalised slow demise and the birth of Deadsplinter the thing that has provided the through-line for me has always been the community those things represented. I cannot even begin to express what this community means to me so I will spare you.
You know when you’re in school or a work setting and everyone has to go around and introduce themselves? Well this is kind of like that, but instead of name and fun facts, we’d like to share Why Deadsplinter Doesn’t Suck.
Let’s hear from some members of the community.
Elliecoo:
DeadSplinter content is the bee’s knees and I read (or listen to) it all: DUAN, DOT, Food You Can Eat, Wednesday Steel, Happy Hour, Strange But True, the listicals, the long reads. However, it is the community that makes the website. I am so in love with this smart, opinionated, funny, and exceedingly clever group of authors and commenters. DeadSplinterites are supportive, engaging and kind – this website is perhaps the only one of its type that isn’t laced with mean, snarky, or cruel comments. it is an honor to know you. I’ll be there for you, (’cause you’re there for me too).
Hannibal:
Deadsplinter is all the good things about Kinja without the, well, Kinja. It’s a great community of smart, funny people, many who are Kinja refugees. There are no ads, no herbs, and no greys. I never have to wonder if I’m going to be able to comment. On the rare occasion that there is a technical glitch, report it and someone will actually correct the problem. There’s something for everyone: excellent music and entertainment recommendations, sports, recipes, politics, and amazing amaranthine alliteration. Along with everything else, there have been several heartfelt, brave, personal stories that have made me so proud of the writers. And appreciative of the trust they placed in this online neighborhood. That’s what Deadsplinter feels like, a neighborhood. One where the asshole across the street doesn’t have his guests taking my parking spot!
butcherbakertoiletrymaker:
When I first came over to Deadsplinter after the Great Exodus of 2019, it did kind of suck. There was no content, no community, no interesting shit. Now look at us. First and foremost, I would say that this site is more community than content—and I think that’s a feature, not a bug. The complete absence of trolls is a breath of fresh air after the hellscape of the Kinja comment section. I’m sure there have been some pitched battles involved in keeping them out and for that I express my gratitude and appreciation to our site administrators. We’re supportive without being sycophantic and we can disagree without being disagreeable. Plus, there are some funny motherfuckers here that make me laugh out loud multiple times a day. The community that has been built here is one of the bright spots in my daily life. Here’s to Year Two, and all the fun that comes with it.
farscythe:
Deadsplinter is awesome coz ya’ll have been pretty nice to me…and im frankly amazed i havent got in trouble for spamming music all over the place yet…and i kinda love yous for that.
Hello America:
Deadsplinter was a natural next step for those finally forced out by the Herb. When it all seemed to be crashing down, commenters were quickly searching for a life raft so we didn’t lose each other. The sites were only a secondary loss. When Deadsplinter arose out of these ashes, with a sense of mutual respect and no need for clickbait, it had solved a lot of the problems by simply taking money out of the equation. Yes, we are not a community of journalists, but we are a community of readers who have a space to discuss things, which is really what the Kinja sites were to us in the first place. I know I haven’t been around much – mostly lurking – but it has given me a comfortable place to be during hell on earth and I’ll always appreciate it.
Cousin Matthew’s Tingling Leg:
Deadsplinter most certainly doesn’t suck because you start every day with SplinterRIP’s and Meg’s links, which are sure to jolt you out of bed, and you end every evening adding to your store of musical knowledge via DUAN. The perfect way to bookend a day. As if this weren’t enough there are other really fun and informative features and no coverage of z-list celebrities or influencers, which is a welcome change from some other sites…
MemeWeaver:
I’ll keep this pretty simple. The reason Deadsplinter doesn’t suck — and really is pretty great — is the people who are putting their time into the place. Myo, RIP, Meg, Elliecoo, Keitel, LoveShaq, Farscythe, Butcher, Cousin Matthew, Jonee, KC, Hannibal, Earendil, Boop, TragicallyChic, Luigi, Polly, Lemmy, Emmer, Manchu, Black Rod, Blue Dog, Yellowbird, and whoever else is here and reading this. Please forgive me if your name is not in here. Everyone has contributed to this community and we are better for it. We’ve even managed to avoid Kinja’s trolls! We’ve lost a few since we started, but I hope folks like Constantine, Bellaluna, Iwillnotcalmmytits, and others will rejoin us as their lives and situations permit. Lots of love and thanks to you all.
Loveshaq:
When Deadspin turned to crap, I was distraught. When Splinter shut down, I was lost. Even though I had a hard time getting “out of the greys”, I really enjoyed reading the comments of certain like-minded posters. When I was told about Deadsplinter it was like being thrown a lifeline. The amazing writers and caring community created here has become like an extended family and a safe space from Trumper trolls. I hope this site lives forever and continues to grow and flourish to keep me sane in this insane world.
TragicallyChic:
Deadsplinter means a lot to me because I have met a lot of awesome people from all over the world(!) and have made some new friends. It’s great seeing all of the articles about news, politics, and sports, as well as wonderful food recipes. Every night I look forward to seeing what the DUAN will be about and seeing what videos people will post. Deadsplinter was definitely a huge success in the way that it has brought people together. The hours and days and weeks and months of effort it took some to bring it to fruition were totally worth it. Happy one year anniversary, Deadsplinter!!!
Lymond:
I remember back in the days of the OG Gawker – you basically had to audition to get your comment posted. The author of the post got to decide who was pithy and sarcastic enough to be brought into the black/highlighted/starred/whatever they did in the old days. Apparently, I was neither, so for all of those years, I mostly just lurked and lanquished in the purgatory of uncool.
I really only started commenting when Splinter was up and running and even then – rarely. Gawker was the only website I really paid attention to for years and when it got shuttered, I followed a lot of the high volume commenters to Splinter. When it got shuttered, I latched on to SplinterRIP and followed them here basically. I tried the Discord, but that was really chaotic and felt like I had fallen back into purgatory.
Here at Deadsplinter – even if I’m not pithy or sarcastic – at least I don’t feel like I’m completely “uncool”. And, it’s a very nice group of people with really excellent taste in music, so there’s that.
Also, I’ve been waiting this past year to see who SplinterRIP actually was from the Splinter commenters.
Bae Bae Watt:
This place was born as a reaction to something that deeply, deeply sucked, from the minds of people who were furious about a wonderful community being stolen from them. It gave us an outlet, a spot to lick our collective wounds, and assure us all that even if things weren’t going to be the same as they were, at least we could all be mad at it together. And if that’s all it ever turned out to be, it would’ve been enough, and its purpose would’ve been served wonderfully. Instead, it’s turned into something so much more than that. The continued success is a testament, not just to the undying energy of those who run it and the people that support it, but to the ideas that it stands for.
These last 12 months have been defined by loss. The last 7 months, especially have taken so much from us all that the first 5 seem trivial. Everyone’s lost something, be it a job, a relationship, the entire year, or a loved one. No matter what you’ve lost, it’s too much. I find comfort looking at something gained, no matter how small it seems. Sometimes you just need a win. DeadSplinter is good. Long live DeadSplinter.
SplinterRIP:
Things Kinja has that Deadsplinter doesn’t:
– an overabundance of shit-posting idiot assholes
– management that seems to think that’s a feature not a bug
– an overabundance of herbs & a lack of spice
– slightly less than zero discernible respect for its users…much less its commenters, whose contributions they seem determined to make ever harder to so much as see
– just a shit-ton of ads & other attendant bullshit that makes it a chore to even scroll through an article
Things Deadsplinter has that Kinja doesn’t:
– a discernible lack of assholes with posting privileges
– “management” that is if anything overly concerned with bugs & considers adequate anti-troll moderation not to be beneath them (I say them…we all know it’s basically more of a him when it comes to the stuff under the hood…the rest of us just hang out here & shoot the shit)
– regular instructions on the appropriate use of a variety of spices & even sometimes the good kind of herbs
– a degree of respect for its users (& in particular its commenters) so pronounced as to be a foundational principle in a literal sense
– just a complete lack of ads or other attempts to convert your clicks &/or eyeballs into any kind of financial revenue stream
Thank you for your continued support of Deadsplinter!
Well said, everyone!
…sorry…couldn’t resist…the truth is I never really expected it to be particularly a secret…or necessarily that hard to figure out…but at the time it seemed like one of those discretion-is-the-better-part-of-valour things…& I suspect it’s not a coincidence that at this point my original burner account is the only one I can really use if I want to avoid being logged out of any of the kinja mainpages I might go to…or have the account dashboard work…or really be able to do much of anything without it being an unusually enormous chore to be honest…which, all things considered, is perhaps not a prize worth defending at this point…but all the same I guess I’d rather not find out that some poor kinja tech had been required to keep tabs on this place just so they could finally bork that, too
…if you really want to know, though…this place does allow for private messages if you can find the option in the drop-down where your avatar is up at the top of the page & I’d be happy to ‘fess up anytime?
I was thinking of Lymond when I read your piece from yesterday. I thought maybe it was a pretty good long response to the inquiry?
That said @Lymond by all means send the PM…the response you get might turn out to be significantly longer than yesterday’s piece, mind you.
Haha! I certainly don’t want to blow your cover. One day in the future, I might pm you though.
Pictured: The dick we really should be thanking.
…too soon?
…nah…it’s our birthday, after all
I was a long time lurker on Gawker and it’s sister sites. The comment section was great but I never felt comfortable putting in my two cents. When I discovered DUAN on Deadspin it was a great feeling. I love music but didn’t have many people to talk and share with. Most of my friends that were into music when we were in school drifted to other interests.
DUAN gave me a place to hang out with like minded people who didn’t think my taste in music was shit. I was exposed to different styles of music that I would not have sought out on my own. It was just a great place to be myself.
When everything went south on the site it was heartbreaking. Some of us swapped emails and started looking for another place to hang out. I don’t remember how I got turned on to this site but I’m glad I did. When DUAN pt. 2 started here it was very basic. It would only post links to the videos and there was no stars. Luckily we have our own Oz who was able to bring this place to life and provide a place for us to be ourselves with all our little quirks.
I feel lucky to have been able to stay in touch with the old gang but grateful for the new one as well. Just a side note on what DUAN means to me. There was a commenter named looschud on Deadspin. He moved a couple of years ago and faded from the site. Every so often I send him a message on kinja hoping he replies. I want to tell him about this great place to hang out. This is what this site means to me.
I remember the early part of the post-Deadspin apocalypse. It felt like what lots of other people have said: that there were a bunch of people who were suddenly cast into the wilderness and trying to find a way to band together again. I think I first heard about the Discord link in one of the Kinja comment sections that was still operating, and from there I was directed to the site. Haven’t used Discord since then and actually didn’t know about the Reddit page until today (I’m obviously not a big Reddit user). Our little life raft has turned into quite a nice schooner.
…the reddit thing is more of a curiosity really…there were a few posts put up there & since I’d lurked reddit since I-can’t-remember-when I think I was probably expecting to spend some time there before I got side-tracked by the less monochrome ways of this place
…which had the added bonus of not meaning I had a username that matched the name of the place since that does tend to seem like one might be putting on airs, as the saying goes
…I think it was IBrainYou that set it up though…& I must say I took it as kind of a compliment that it ever came to exist?
Thank you to all you awesome, beautiful people – from the *staff* to the commenters to the lurkers.
…..i’ll just leave this here
I have a recording of Bobby McFerrin leading a concert hall full of rich, snobby, assholes in a rousing rendition of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. I was in the control room recording and couldn’t stop laughing.
Deadsplinter doesn’t suck because it hasn’t been corrupted with shitbags.
I fear though, that this place may become a Yogi-ism :
“No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded “
Jeez, I take the afternoon off and I miss the group hug.
Which is OK, because I’m not a fan of group hugs, especially these days.
But good work y’all and youse.
You’re a valued member of the community so holy shit am I ever glad I switched the image I originally had scheduled atop this post:
Agreed. We are all so awesome.
Which is good because the water-cooler is busy with hushed rumors of the demise of Oppositelock the Beloved. A recent graduate from Oppo to full front-page authorship has sounded the alarm about personal blogs on Kinja being removed. So it appears that Oppo is indeed being sold to the great scrap heap in the sky and everyone is panicked on where to go. Apart from Aquila121 and Farscythe, I’m not sure many others would be a good fit for this community so I am keeping us a secret. Other brave Oppos have started potential routes for us to gather, so we should find a new home eventually.
Smooches. You’re all fucking amazing.
…best of luck with the other avenues & all…but if they don’t pan out feel free to use our name in vain
…we’re mostly pretty big on the idea that the communities on kinja deserve a shot at not dying so if the oppo folks start looking like they might end up homeless by all means loosen those lips?
Will do. I have been reluctant to spread the word as there is a small contingent among Oppo, that while they tend to be quiet about politics unless pressured to respond, they would not so readily agree with our hot-takes on all things and a couple would even strive to defend the worst among our ‘elected’* officials.
So this is not to say that I am intolerant of other’s views, nor that I cannot have civil discussions about how our views may differ. Only that I enjoy the lack of ire around here since we all have roughly the same sense of morality and integrity.
*Also anyone “elected” to office in a district that gerrymandered to hell doesn’t really count in my book. We need to fix this, and it will take a long, tiring slog to make even the most modest of changes.
…good points, all