Weird Earl’s has disappeared from the main SD website, replaced by a Twitter feed. What’s up with that?
Wow, you’re right. That’s just weird. And not in a good way, like Weird Earl was.
EDITORIAL: Twitter is as great a wasteland as Facebook. Adding a Twitter feed adds no value to the front page. Deep-sixing Weird Earl’s to insert that was a bad move.
Ugh! I want Weird Earl’s back!
Me too!
Same here. Have we been so dull as to kill it?
Weird Earl’s has been around forever. Since passing links around is a common practice on social media, it seemed to me WE was no longer adding much value, and had the nontrivial drawback that it directed people away from our site. Plus changing it was one more little chore. That said, it wasn’t a HUGE chore (provided we got enough volunteers sending us WE candidate links), so I had Jerry comment out the code, as opposed to just deleting it, in case there was a hue and cry to put it back.
Which I’m willing to do. However, we need to be scientific about this and see whether the Teeming Millions really want it back, or just a handful of people. In the interest of testing the depth of sentiment on this subject, somebody - not me - should post a poll asking whether Weird Earl’s should be restored, the choices being (a) yes, (b) no, © no opinion, (d) what’s Weird Earl’s?
The test is threefold: first, somebody has to care enough to post the poll; second, “yes” needs to carry the day; and third, people need to send us candidate links, the cupboard at the moment being bare.
As for tweets, they have several advantages. First, we’ll be tweeting links to new columns, which are easy to retweet, helping to build traffic to the site; second, we want to engage readers in the struggle against ignorance, and may ask for volunteers for hideous experiments involving drugs and gunplay on short notice, for which Twitter is well suited; and third, we find we like making up 140-character smart remarks. Who knew? Anyway, I know it’s kind of a newfangled thing, but people got used to electricity and indoor plumbing, and they’ll get used to this too.
I stopped noticing Weird Earl’s long ago, because it’s “below the fold”. When I come to the Dope, I can see the current article and the Threadspotting at a glance, possible open one or both of them, and then click through to the board. I’d have to scroll down to see the Weird Earl’s link, which made it practically invisible to me. I guess I’d kind of like to see it above the fold, but if it’s going to be below, then it doesn’t make much difference to me whether it’s there or not.
I contributed a few times to Weird Earl’s, but I have to say that I think it is no longer necessary. I rarely check it if ever.
There are a ton of other sources for weird links, so it’s not a huge loss IMO. And I too have always been surprised that you’d purposely direct traffic away from the site.
I click on it rarely, every two to four weeks(?). But I’ll miss it. Sort of like a “special” on the menu; it’s worth trying once in a while.
I’ve made a few contributions, but never could come up with a snappy enough title; that rascal TubaDiva was always one step ahead of me. 
Just my 2c.
It was never really something I personally used. Submitted one IIRC. Rarely clicked and don’t miss.
If something else works better from a business perspective etc. have at it. 
Hello, I was told there would be Weird Girls.
Haven’t looked at Weird Earls in quite a while. I suspect it takes a lot more to trip my weird meter today than it did fifteen years ago when dancing babies were over the top.
I look at Weird Earl’s about every two to three weeks, which is about how long it takes to have 5 or 6 new links to follow. I would definitely miss it. Social media sites seem to promote far too many links for causes (help this kid with cancer, support that legal petition, be outraged by trivialities) and too much sentimentality (pay it forward, smell the roses, pretend like this stupid thought is actually deep and meaningful).
Weird Earl’s had links that were consistently weird, and worth following for that reason.
I agree with this. Weird Earl’s was a wonderful thing in the earlier days of the internet. When I first discovered it I can remember gorging on old links and laughing myself sick. My entry point into the SD was through submitting links to Weird Earl’s and I was inordinately pleased when my submissions were used.
But now - eh, of course there are oddball sites on the internet, it’s completely unremarkable.
Weird Earl’s is a lot better than a Twitter feed. I care nothing about Twitter, don’t subscribe to it and would rather have Weird Earl’s.
Okay, the poll is up in IMHO. So far, it’s running 100% in favor of restoring Weird Earl’s.
This. I have a twitter acct but have used it exactly zero times. Bring back Weird Earl’s, & if possible, improve it by putting up an archive with the url of the sites, not just what we’ve titled it.
As for driving people to another site, you are sending them there by having them first come to your site. WE’s is my reference point to find stupid stuff.
I think there was an archive, but now that’s gone too. Even if WE can’t be brought back, there should be some link to the archive.
Have never once clicked on a Weird Earl link.