Stick to being a tech site and stop with the rubbish political nonsense

[gingerbill]

It seems now techspot has become one of those tacky anti-trump political websites , seems like every few days there's a 'trump is evil headline'.

I'm not american and I don't particularly like trump but the biased articles you can find all over the net are not what I joined techspot for.

I wont visit your site again and have unfollowed and blocked on facebook. Judging by the comments I see I am not alone in being fed up with these type of stories. Stop with the one sided corporate fed headlines and stick to being a tech site which you always did well.

bye

 

[Yynxs]

Well first of all, if you've left and blocked it on facebook, I'm wasting my time replying. I'm not sure why you feel the need to declare your absence. Perhaps it's because you feel you have some intrinsic worth in the world.

The President Trump (or President Obama or President Bush or President Clinton) has a profound effect on the tech sector. If you listen to the news at all, the tech sector figures they have the right to tell him how to run the country even though they were voluble in saying they weren't voting for him and funding other candidates.

Extrapolating from your comment, you may be making the error of thinking 'tech' is gadgets and only gadgets, and not a view of the world from the 'technology' making it run. Techspot is the latter. Gadgets are a small part of the latter. If you want only news about new gadgets, may I suggest getting on the big gadget companys' news feeds. They will gladly give you all the rah rah you need on what they feel is the latest and greatest from them.

If you want to know how the new gadget fits in to the world and what it will affect, then you come to Techspot.com. Sadly this includes politics. Not because politics is clickbait, but because politics and the politically correct police poke their noses everywhere else.

If you talk about a new smart LED Lamp and you know something besides what the company feeds you, then you talk about security and internet access and controlling the lamp remotely. This leads you applications and smart phones. This leads to privacy and threats from hackers, and nation states as hackers. Privacy leads you to efforts to exploit yours and protect yours. Hackers leads you to money and securing your money. Nation state hacking leads you to politicians and elections. And of course, those lead you to Trump.

To put it another way, even to talk about the single new technology item like a smart lamp there is a direct correlation and effect from the leader of the free world. Attempting to ignore this is putting your head in the sand and saying your eyes feel gritty.

There's an absolutely voluminous firehose flood of information on the web. I know I have in the neighborhood of 350 web sites in my shortcut bars. Techspot is #4 and for a reason. When they are good, they are very very good. And when they are bad, they are only very good.

Get used to politics in the tech world. The tech world wants to get into politics and direct how the nation should be run. Techspot reports what the tech world is doing, small or large. (btw: 1, 2, 3 are IPchk, Phys.org, hackernews.com)

 

[Julio Franco]

In the past couple of weeks a number of readers have expressed their concerns/complained about political coverage on TechSpot. Moving forward I'll refer to this thread to have an open conversation, so you can have our official public stance as well as keep a channel where you can voice your concerns individually or collectively.

First things first, politics is a controversial topic in nature and the recent US election, as well as the new US president have made things even more controversial than usual which has brought up more relevant stories to cover. Personally I don't side with either party, I'm not a US citizen, neither are many of our writers. With that said, it's always been our right to perceive the news in a certain manner, report it like we see it -- it's not the first time we've been called biased, especially during the Nvidia vs. AMD GPU wars -- and express our concerns when the opportunity so deserves.

You should know, we don't actively look to cover politics. Nor are we looking for controversial stories to create buzz. We can only cover a limited number of tech stories each day and we do strive to bring only the most relevant headlines seen from the perspective of a PC & tech enthusiast (in other words: the stories we want to read). That's always been the purpose of our homepage news.

But back to politics. There are topics that are very relevant to the tech industry and we simply can't ignore them.
Before Trump, here's a small sample of "politics" stories we have covered, once again, because they are relevant to tech and because we feel they are relevant to our audience:

When certain governments block VPNs, Tor
Various Brexit stories (implications on UK companies, rising prices of tech, etc)
Hacking voting machines
Personal records stolen from a government website
Stats of H1B visas, relevant to US tech companies that hire abroad
When certain governments block social networks
Lack of diversity in tech companies
Tons of net neutrality, FCC, etc.
When John McAfee wants to run for president (this is more of a joke story )
When a certain government spies on another
Wikileaks
SOPA

 

[cliffordcooley]

@Julio Franco, No worries from me on this topic. Straight up, any jabs from me on this topic is me joking around. To be honest I find any political topic as much of a joke as the debates that follow.

 

[BSim500]

First things first, politics is a controversial topic in nature and the recent US election, as well as the new US president have made things even more controversial than usual which has brought up more relevant stories to cover. Personally I don't side with either party, I'm not a US citizen, neither are many of our writers. With that said, it's always been our right to perceive the news in a certain manner, report it like we see it -- it's not the first time we've been called biased, especially during the Nvidia vs. AMD GPU wars -- and express our concerns when the opportunity so deserves.

Thanks for responding, Julio. I think the issue isn't specifically what you're writing, or the stories you're running, but rather the way anything related to national US partisan politics (Reps vs Dems) and the presidency in general often enable a few people to constantly "hyper-react" (on both "wings") that gets old, ie, some people see tech sites almost as a refuge from the "screeching" of 1,000,001 tabloid / political sites, and honestly I do feel part of that group. Personally I'm not American either and have "no money in the game" as far as Trump is concerned either way. It's understandable why you'd want to cover news that impacts the tech industry, but as I mentioned the other day, it's also "the tone" that's what dragged Dailytech down when what started as "mild" got "heavier" that drove away a lot of readers, and that may be something to be aware about in the long run, ie, keep stuff "lightweight" and not feed any trolls looking to "kick off" on a daily basis if you know what I mean.

PS: I wouldn't worry about AMD vs nVidia or AMD vs bias accusations. That stuff is universally prevalent on most tech / gaming sites with forums and is more fanboyism that always seems to be highly specific to CPU's / GPU's from "enthusiasts" looking to talk up their own purchases. If people argued over Corsair vs Seasonic PSU's, Liteon vs LG optical drives, HP vs Epson vs Canon printers, or Iiyama vs Samsung monitors with anywhere near the same hostility, they'd generally be regarded as "having issues". It's always been an endless source of amusement to watch someone fight tooth and nail over that last $10 price difference between different brands of CPU's / dGPU one minute as if it involved starving children, then think nothing of blowing over $100 on braided PSU cables the next...

 

[Julio Franco]

Thanks for the responses so far.

So now you know where we're coming from and viceversa (for the ones that have replied here or commented in other stories regarding the same topic). All in all, I'm confident there is zero risk in TechSpot getting dragged down by politics. It's just not who we are, nor who we cater to.

 

[Kotters]

It's one thing to report on governments involved in technology, it's another to engage in political doomsaying. The entire US media are busy proclaiming the end of the world. When Trump's administration blinks, goes out for dinner, or even sits idle, it results in a story about how horrible everything is.

I've used Techspot for years, though I've not had an account for very long. Over time it's gotten a bit more clickbaity, and these stories about Trump read as just the next step. It's impossible, it seems, to be apolitical on the English internet these days. If you're not bitching about Trump, you're both missing out on clicks/page views AND potentially riling up those that accuse you of racism for not complaining. There are so few websites that have chosen to stay out of the mudslinging.

I acknowledge that Techspot is a news blog, and reporting in a sterile, somewhat objective manner is not the goal. Writers are supposed to find interesting stories that will generate clicks, and add their own opinions and interpretations. They have every right to find political stories if they wish. But I've already reduced my usage of Techspot as a result, and am returning to forum word of mouth for my news needs. Between IRC, /g/, SomethingAwful, and twitter, I'm already pretty much aware of everything that's produced here, and I don't have to make mental excuses for any of the political back and forth that might exist.

In short, I read Techspot to read about technology. Chip developments, prototypes, hardware reviews, and the like. I'm overloaded with the political stuff on literally every form of media already. The opinions are always the same. If Techspot is going to engage in the frenzy, I've not the patience or desire to join them. There is no benefit to reading the same old whining and doomsaying here as I've read everywhere else, and reblogged news isn't worth paying that toll.

 

[captaincranky]

....[ ].....I wont visit your site again and have unfollowed and blocked on facebook. Judging by the comments I see I am not alone in being fed up with these type of stories. Stop with the one sided corporate fed headlines and stick to being a tech site which you always did well.....[ ]....

The flip side of this is, you won't be missed.

And I do so hate to turn this into a "political discussion", (against your wishes.. ), but it was one of the USA's most famous presidents, who famously said, "ask not what your country can do for, but ask what you can do for your your country".

What exactly is it that you think you've done for Techspot, which bestows the hubris on you to imagine you'll be missed?

Techspot has over 100,000 members. I have to assume well over 99,000 are as pissed off as you are, considering there only about 50 regular contributors to the forum. But yet, we plod along. Whatever your "contributions" have been, you weren't even a blip on the radar. < (There's some tech talk for ya)!

Anyhow, since Techspot began accepting members directly from Facebook, all we've really gotten, are spoiled brats, who, if you disagree with them in the least, they quit.

Keep in mind it's a whole hell of a lot easier to "have friends & followers", over there, than it is here at Techspot. So, try not to embrace the bizarre fantasy, that anybody from here is going to follow you to Facebook.

BTW, There's a "gingerbill" over at UG (Ultimate Guitar), IIRC, he only logs in when he needs something, never to offer assistance. Maybe that's your "evil twin", ay?

 

[Yynxs]

The flip side of this is, you won't be missed.

What exactly is it that you think you've done for Techspot, which bestows the hubris on you to imagine you'll be missed?

Techspot has over 100,000 members. I have to assume well over 99,000 are as pissed off as you are, considering there only about 50 regular contributors to the forum. But yet, we plod along. Whatever your "contributions" have been, you weren't even a blip on the radar. < (There's some tech talk for ya)!

 

[captaincranky]

@Yyns I had forgotten how almost, but not quite funny, "Spaceballs" was. I mean, you gotta admit, those are some horrifically bad puns.

 

[Yynxs]

@Yyns I had forgotten how almost, but not quite funny, "Spaceballs" was. I mean, you gotta admit, those are some horrifically bad puns.

I think of it as akin to the heretical depth of 'Yellow Submarine'. "...Odd. You don't look Bluish...".

 

[TheTardyTachyon]

It's one thing to report on governments involved in technology, it's another to engage in political doomsaying. The entire US media are busy proclaiming the end of the world. When Trump's administration blinks, goes out for dinner, or even sits idle, it results in a story about how horrible everything is.

I've used Techspot for years, though I've not had an account for very long. Over time it's gotten a bit more clickbaity, and these stories about Trump read as just the next step. There are so few websites that have chosen to stay out of the mudslinging.

I acknowledge that Techspot is a news blog, and reporting in a sterile, somewhat objective manner is not the goal. Writers are supposed to find interesting stories that will generate clicks, and add their own opinions and interpretations. They have every right to find political stories if they wish. But I've already reduced my usage of Techspot as a result,...

In short, I read Techspot to read about technology. Chip developments, prototypes, hardware reviews, and the like. I'm overloaded with the political stuff on literally every form of media already. The opinions are always the same. If Techspot is going to engage in the frenzy, I've not the patience or desire to join them. There is no benefit to reading the same old whining and doomsaying here as I've read everywhere else, and reblogged news isn't worth paying that toll.

Yes, I too am one who looks to tech for a refuge of sorts from political propaganda. TS certainly has the right to promote the agenda of the Left if they want to, though I think it's a little silly to try and justify it as simply reporting the news or the impact of politics on tech as at any other time in the past. It's not. There will always be controversial comments, but those related to tech don't drive readers away. If anything, it attracts them. Not so with the political propaganda that is dividing the world.

I get that TS will not miss me as an individual despite my being a many year follower of its site. But, knowing that the world is somewhat equally divided between the left and right, there is a real danger of alienating significant numbers of your followers, many of whom will simply disappear without explaining. Since readership is the life blood of any news site, it's therefore not without cost that TS engages in politicising its content and promoting one-sided propaganda. I hope you find it worth it.

 

[Julio Franco]

The issue with some of your complaints is that you are not backing them up with facts. Where is the "propaganda"?

 

[Yynxs]

Yes, I too am one who looks to tech for a refuge of sorts from political propaganda. TS certainly has the right to promote the agenda of the Left if they want to, though I think it's a little silly to try and justify it as simply reporting the news or the impact of politics on tech as at any other time in the past. It's not. There will always be controversial comments, but those related to tech don't drive readers away. If anything, it attracts them. Not so with the political propaganda that is dividing the world.

I get that TS will not miss me as an individual despite my being a many year follower of its site. But, knowing that the world is somewhat equally divided between the left and right, there is a real danger of alienating significant numbers of your followers, many of whom will simply disappear without explaining. Since readership is the life blood of any news site, it's therefore not without cost that TS engages in politicising its content and promoting one-sided propaganda. I hope you find it worth it.

"...knowing that the world is somewhat equally divided between the left and right,..."
​

Where did that come from?

http://www.gallup.com/poll/166763/record-high-americans-identify-independents.aspx
January 8, 2014
PRINCETON, NJ -- Forty-two percent of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest Gallup has measured since it began conducting interviews by telephone 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008.
​

If that was what you 'knew' and that is so far from the facts of the situation, what other conclusions are you drawing that are based on erroneous or biased 'information"?

Found this:

http://www.nhgis.org/
The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2015.​

An interesting question to ask yourself and bring to the forum would be: What percentage of the population identifies itself as tech and has the training to apply rather than just use it? My wife can flip a switch to turn a light on, but she can't wire a house. Then extract the GIS info on the locations of these people and the population aggregates of the area and put that overlayed on the voting record of those locations. That should give you an approximate political leaning view of 'technical' people and their location(s). With that you can set aside the Gallup Poll's survey data and make statements like: ""...knowing that the world is somewhat equally divided between the left and right,..." and "...there is a real danger of alienating significant numbers of your followers, many of whom will simply disappear without explaining...." as an authority and source, rather than the 'political" comment you made.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/st...sh-commissioner-political-practices/98097742/
Case to abolish Commissioner of Political Practices

​

 

[bazz2004]

There has been a problem with the quality of posts for some time but hopefully the tide is turning. There do seem to be more, solid tech related posts of late. There are those on the forum who live in a very exciting world of multinational companies and state agencies who are spying on our every move. They believe that the sky is about to fall in. It's best to keep away from the rants of conspiracy theorists and more contributions from people who actually have a tech issue keeps the forum on a balanced path.

I'd love an electric car, although it's looking as if I will never be able to afford one, but the threads I briefly looked at seem to be be more concerned with attacking companies like Tesla who are blazing a trail. Maybe appoint somebody to the staff who can actually put together some well researched and topical articles rather than leaving it open to what appear to be scrappy and incendiary comments. How about a section keeping us up to date on the newest models of electric cars for example? Maybe we could even have a few road test reports and an analysis on running costs. There is, as far as I know, no magazine or online site dedicated to EVs. I'm not talking about hybrids here but pure alternative fuelled cars.