# Where Did Weird Earl's Go? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 19, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633 "2014-12-19T02:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/41 "2014-12-22T16:13:18Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > For one thing, most of us don’t really check out the front page all that often, Who are these “most of us”? I, and the other people I know IRL who post here, check it daily. ---
**Author:** ![BuddyG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@BuddyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuddyG)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/42 "2014-12-23T01:29:12Z")
Ed, Ya **GOTTA** bring back Weird Earl ! Put the links each week back on the homepage, or as you suggested, make it an ongoing thread. > [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > …an ongoing Weird Earl’s thread on the board… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/43 "2014-12-23T02:51:18Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Somebody in the poll thread gave me an idea: why not just an ongoing Weird Earl’s thread on the board? If people like it they can keep it going. Eliminates the middleman. I could live with that compromise. But really, the New Additions list on the main SD page is quite long. It seems to me it could be trimmed ever so slightly to make room for Weird Earl’s. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/44 "2014-12-24T16:53:04Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Do you think it’s about you? There are a couple hundred million Twitter users. There are 30 people who responded to this thread and a couple complaining about how much they hate Twitter. Ed already said one of the reasons is to build traffic. One way to do that is to go on social media to a site that has 200 million users. And it’s on the front page so it’s about the column not the message board.It’s not about anyone already here. Why would you think that? The Twitter feed is easy enough to ignore if you don’t care about it. But…but…you’ll bring in the “wrong” sort of people! (Yes, I’ve seen that argument before, when they started the facebook sharing button, I believe. Seriously.) Christ, people, just have them both. (And Twitter can be cool. If you read some celebrity twitter accounts, they’re seriously funny. Not to mention parody accounts! And you don’t HAVE to have a twitter account to use it! Sometimes, I wonder why yinz are on the freaking internet itself) ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/45 "2014-12-24T19:54:55Z")
Although I already voted, I think that TPTB would be more likely to read this thread. Please bring back Weird Earl’s! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/46 "2014-12-25T01:00:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Constant zappings and now this. I’m starting to regret I recently reupped for two more years. Can I get a refund? I’ll gladly donate the equivalent amount of money to charity if you’ll stop the Luddite whining about stuff like this. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So far, a plurality votes Yes. And among the straight Yes and No votes, the majority goes for Yes. I’d say this is decisive. > **[Definition of DECISIVE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decisive)** > > having the power or quality of deciding; resolute, determined; unmistakable, unquestionable… See the full definition Fewer than 70 people in a message board with a couple thousand active users? Really? This shouldn’t be about what a bunch of people who clearly don’t understand Twitter think about Twitter. It should be about what might bring new people to the board and generate revenue. I highly, highly doubt that WEs brings us any new users. Twitter very easily could. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/47 "2014-12-25T01:13:24Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > This shouldn’t be about what a bunch of people who clearly don’t understand Twitter think about Twitter. It should be about what might bring new people to the board and generate revenue. I highly, highly doubt that WEs brings us any new users. Twitter very easily could. It’s been said before, but why can’t both be on the front page? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/48 "2014-12-25T01:18:45Z")
> [@Wallet](#): > > It’s been said before, but why can’t both be on the front page? Of course they could. But then someone would have to do the work of updating the link every week and checking all of the submissions first to make sure that they are good and appropriate. It doesn’t sound like very many people even looked at them so it’s work for nearly no benefit. It also doesn’t seem like the person who did the work is interested in continuing to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/49 "2014-12-25T03:27:55Z")
Now in the poll, it’s well over a third of voters who want Weird Earl’s back. And the straight Yeses are leading the straight Nos by 50%. (No word yet on the gay ones.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/50 "2014-12-25T04:48:31Z")
Honestly, it’s fine with me either way. Just realize that you are voting for and demanding that _someone else_ has to do a bunch of work that doesn’t benefit the bottom line of the board when that same amount of effort (Twitter feed) could very likely bring in revenue. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/51 "2014-12-25T13:46:34Z")
Okey-doke. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/52 "2014-12-25T19:16:24Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Now in the poll, it’s well over a third of voters who want Weird Earl’s back. And the straight Yeses are leading the straight Nos by 50%. (No word yet on the gay ones.) But of course the no plus don’t care is over 60%. When deciding whether it’s worth their trouble you can see why that number might matter more to TPTB. Also a couple of the yeses are dubious too reading the comments in the thread here. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/53 "2014-12-25T22:32:54Z")
Just having an ongoing Weird Earl’s thread makes a lot of sense to me. Weird Earl’s fans can of course bookmark the thread for convenience. I don’t see much added benefit of having it on the front page. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/54 "2014-12-26T06:47:08Z")
I’ll take the risk of being thought of as a Luddite if someone will tell me what “zapping”/“getting zapped” means. Please, guys. Don’t make me go to urban dictionary and learn it on the street, the way I had to with “felch” and “squicking.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/55 "2014-12-26T07:12:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’ll take the risk of being thought of as a Luddite if someone will tell me what “zapping”/“getting zapped” means. > > Please, guys. Don’t make me go to urban dictionary and learn it on the street, the way I had to with “felch” and “squicking.” You won’t find it anywhere else. It’s from the thread about board problems, and means having all posts suddenly marked as read despite still being active. **Siam Sam** seems to get the worst of it, to the point where he is, I believe, the first Doper allowed to have a sock, which they used for testing to see if they could pinpoint the problem. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/56 "2014-12-26T07:14:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Honestly, it’s fine with me either way. Just realize that you are voting for and demanding that _someone else_ has to do a bunch of work that doesn’t benefit the bottom line of the board when that same amount of effort (Twitter feed) could very likely bring in revenue. What’s with this either/or thinking? There’s no reason Weird Earls have to mean being without Twitter. And when the owner himself asks you what you want, it’s kinda stupid to call it “demanding.” “Would you like a cookie, Sarah” “Yes, mommy!” “Well stop demanding cookies!” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/57 "2014-12-26T17:09:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What’s with this either/or thinking? There’s no reason Weird Earls have to mean being without Twitter. > > And when the owner himself asks you what you want, it’s kinda stupid to call it “demanding.” “Would you like a cookie, Sarah” “Yes, mommy!” “Well stop demanding cookies!” What’s with this either/or thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/58 "2014-12-26T21:23:06Z")
OK, we’ve gotten close to a couple hundred poll responses, and so far “yes” to restore Weird Earl’s is running an anemic 37%, with everyone else voting no, don’t care, or don’t know what we’re talking about. Bear in mind that I have to pay someone to review WE submittals and post links on a scheduled basis, and while any one instance doesn’t take a huge amount of time, over the course of a year it adds up - and I can put the $ to better use. (Example: looking for good Threadspotting candidates, which we don’t always get enough nominations for, but which draw people into the stickiest part of the site. And yes, I know there’s a thumbs-up plug-in for vBulletin; one discussion at a time.) The posted comments generally confirmed my impression that WE makes the site look dated. So I’m not going to bring it back. Still, I know WE has its fans. There’s an obvious solution: a Weird Earl’s thread in (presumably) Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. WE lovers need merely post new links to this thread on a regular basis (no bumps, please) to keep it on the front page. In MPSIMS, judging from current traffic, this would mean a new link every couple days, same as we used to do on TSD’s home page. To get the ball rolling, here’s a link to the WE archive, if the thread starter (Sam?) cares to use it in post #1: [http://www.straightdope.com/weirdearls](http://www.straightdope.com/weirdearls) I concede one shouldn’t go to one’s grave without having seen this: [http://rubegoldbergphilly.com/videos/](http://rubegoldbergphilly.com/videos/) (top video) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/59 "2014-12-27T01:40:01Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > OK, we’ve gotten close to a couple hundred poll responses, and so far “yes” to restore Weird Earl’s is running an anemic 37%, with everyone else voting no, don’t care, or don’t know what we’re talking about. Bear in mind that I have to pay someone to review WE submittals and post links on a scheduled basis, and while any one instance doesn’t take a huge amount of time, over the course of a year it adds up - and I can put the $ to better use. (Example: looking for good Threadspotting candidates, which we don’t always get enough nominations for, but which draw people into the stickiest part of the site. And yes, I know there’s a thumbs-up plug-in for vBulletin; one discussion at a time.) The posted comments generally confirmed my impression that WE makes the site look dated. So I’m not going to bring it back. > > Still, I know WE has its fans. There’s an obvious solution: a Weird Earl’s thread in (presumably) Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. WE lovers need merely post new links to this thread on a regular basis (no bumps, please) to keep it on the front page. In MPSIMS, judging from current traffic, this would mean a new link every couple days, same as we used to do on TSD’s home page. > > To get the ball rolling, here’s a link to the WE archive, if the thread starter (Sam?) cares to use it in post #1: > > [http://www.straightdope.com/weirdearls](http://www.straightdope.com/weirdearls) > > I concede one shouldn’t go to one’s grave without having seen this: > > [http://rubegoldbergphilly.com/videos/](http://rubegoldbergphilly.com/videos/) (top video) Thank you, Ed. It’s a Christmas miracle! 😃 > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’ll take the risk of being thought of as a Luddite if someone will tell me what “zapping”/“getting zapped” means. > > Please, guys. Don’t make me go to urban dictionary and learn it on the street, the way I had to with “felch” and “squicking.” > [@BigT](#): > > You won’t find it anywhere else. It’s from the thread about board problems, and means having all posts suddenly marked as read despite still being active. > > **Siam Sam** seems to get the worst of it, to the point where he is, I believe, the first Doper allowed to have a sock, which they used for testing to see if they could pinpoint the problem. I think poor **jabiru** actually gets the worst of it. But the thread in question is [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=729865). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633/60 "2014-12-27T01:59:20Z")
Okay, the Weird Earl’s link is now [up and running here in MPSIMS](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=18006241#post18006241). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-weird-earls-go/707633.md?page=4)