Trisha Hershberger is Joining The Escapist!
- Thread starter ffronw
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You see, I don't think that argument is correct. 90 seconds of work gives me three different web traffic analyses:Therumancer said:
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/escapistmagazine.com says that the Escapist had a spike in relevance around Gamergate and is currently settling at just above pre-GG traffic (and a marked improvement over the low in the summer of 2014).
http://www.similarweb.com/website/escapistmagazine.com says that the monthly visitors spiked during GG and are now slightly below where they were before.
http://www.trafficestimate.com/escapistmagazine.com says that there was a huge traffic spike because of GG and we're just now coming down off of that height.
Where are you getting your numbers from? Because everything I can find says that the Escapist is doing about as well as it was in the past, and possibly much more (though that one seems unlikely). I agree that having a variety of content is a solid business plan[footnote]though lots of places seem to do well by focusing on critiques, and most of the people who did that on the Escapist were pretty good. I doubt that there will be a dearth of that, though right now only Shamus and Yahtzee seem to be doing it regularly[/footnote], and it's what the Escapist seems to be going with (No Right Answer is making a new animated show, Red's cosplay series which will hopefully start soon, Hershberger probably doing something news-related given her record, etc.). The company doesn't seem to be flailing or failing, just going in a new direction.
The same way people can be a fan of NBC, or Fox, or Time Warner, or any other conglomerate? They like the types of projects that those overlords support and encourage and the style of corporate management. I just looked on Defy's website and found out that they're not only behind a bunch of geek things like the Escapist and Screen Junkies, but also the health site Blisstree, women's fashion at the Gloss, and parenting tips at Mommyish. I never really gave Defy much thought, but apparently they're very good at collecting diverse brands and keeping them going, which is a good sign if you're looking for freedom in your writing.MinionJoe said:
Funny, I thought it meant you were responsible for holding animal feed and babies, including but not limited to Jesus.Archon said:
Serious? That sounds like the lamest PR stunt ever, just reminds me of todays popstars. "I'm devoid of talent so (almost) look at my boobs while I dupe you into believing I have something to do with music".Eiv said:
Edit: Oh lawd, I checked out her vlog. Not for me, at all. Thanks but no thanks.
But me not knowing about Defy's network is more a reflection of my own lack of awareness than anything else. Someone who tried to pay more attention to the media they consume (especially someone in the industry) would probably know a lot more about relationships that are just slightly obscured. I can see your point, but I know some people who are opposed to News Corp. because they don't like Murdoch's policies or that business with News of the World, so it's not hard to imagine that there are people who support it for other reasons.MinionJoe said:
Really? That makes me super bummed then. I hate wall of text movie reviews as opposed to a video format. Oh well, at least I have red letter media for that. I never read any of the wall of text articles from video content providers. Just their videos.Johnny Novgorod said:
I'll give his articles a shot though. Who knows.
ill second that. i havent heard of any contributor on the escapist before they got here, not even the LRR guys/girls, so not having heard about it before really says nothing to me.Skeleon said:
i too would instead like to know what will she be doing.
there is no NSFW content on youtube, they dont allow that. they are so rigit about it as you cant show a nipple of a videogame character from 2004 in a video.remnant_phoenix said:
the most you see on her videos from what i can see is shoulders and above. you dont even know of she is naked since you only see shoulders really, she could be lieing for all we know.
This is not true. Jim Sterling and Miracle of Sound both left on their own accord. Also LRR guys did decide to keep Feed Dump of the site themselves. Lisa left because she got busy elsewhere.Therumancer said:
Quick to judge, quick with the scathing speech but I hear rarely folks on these forums with any sense. There are a few, yes but for a large part, at least vocally, all I read is knee-jerk reactions of folk who seem not to use whatever intelligence they seem to think they have. Overjudge their own worth, underappreciate the worth of others. Sad, it is and also makes me wonder why these folk stick around if they deem this site so bad.
I've not heard of her, but most of the people who've contributed here in the past I've not heard of either. The folks from LRR were complete unknowns to me, and they (and the LRR community that they foster) are some of the nicest, least judgmental folks as well as being comedy gold. I feel richer in having spoken to them by way of chat, twitch and IRC and even had I not had any of those chances, I'd still yet feel richer just having experienced their work. Jim Sterling was a name I was not aware of prior to him coming to the Escapist and since his arrival and departure, I feel again richer as a person for having experienced his unique viewpoints. Maybe I don't always agree with him, but I do value him as a source of information, and as a person.
Miracle of Sound, Gavin Dunne, was a complete unknown to me as well, but thanks to Escapist hosting his work until his own self-departure, I feel my life has again been enriched.
Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's work is what drew me here in the first place and while I didn't always agree with his reviews, I value them all and am happy he has decided to continue.
Critical Miss, Shamus Young... all things that have made life better for me in ways I can't rightly explain
The Escapist, in my experience, for the past 7 years I've been coming here, has enriched my life with their content for the most part. And even some of the forum members, those who are open to discussion without being jackasses about it, have enriched my life. I've been here since Greg Tito, Susan Arendt and their predecessors, though in part lurking rather than being active prior to Susan's predecessor who's name unfortunately escapes me at the moment and I am not looking it up.
So many other contributors have enriched my life, the part of it that has to do with gaming and the surrounding culture, and a lot of them have come from this site.
I remember the fallout with Extra Credits, I did not depart because of it. Business is business and what happened between them and Escapist Magazine is not mine to judge.
I welcome new talent, new voices with open arms. I hope Trisha Hershberger has a voice that will also enrich my life and the lives of others who come and dwell here.
To the rest of you who've more cynicism than optimism, I feel sorrow for you and wish you only the ability to grow as a person and give people a chance before you immediately write them off, and subsequently this site itself. It has not died, and does not seem to be dying as of yet, and I'm of the mind that it is only changing forms and evolving. If that means its dead to you, then by all means leave the "corpse" to rot and find elsewhere to bray your cynical words. They help nothing, add nothing, and detract from the experiences of the rest of us, be us few or many I cannot say.
So again, I say welcome to this new contributor, wish her all the success and well-being I possibly can and hope she lives up at least to her predecessors. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
Shame though on the rest of you pre-judgmental folk. Shame upon you and your family names for not even giving a person a chance to speak before you bring forth your rotten tongues to speak ill.
I may be fast becoming one of the elder gamers, though for my age I shouldn't feel that way, but I do. I've seen things born, grow, evolve, die, ashes forge anew... and I still remain positive for the future, not just for this site because it is but one piece of a whole that is the gaming community. I'd wager that a lot of you folk weren't here for the initial rise of internet gaming sites and the purge that happened nearly seconds (in a macro-view) after their births. Many rose, few remain, and of those few some are yet again dying off. It is the way of things, especially in digital terms, for things to change and grow or die off and be purged but I've yet to see the signs that this site is nearing its end-cycle.
I've hope for the future, and faith in the people who remain and contribute. And those who remain and do nothing but detract, naysay and downcast what comes forth, you folks are a cancer and rot and I hope you end up reaping exactly what you've sown if you choose to continue down such a path. If not, if you've the courage to look forward, have some hope and faith and not just choose the ease of cynicism, then perhaps as people you can grow too. I hope, for your sakes you choose growth.
Anwyay, welcome ma'am, hopefully your stay is pleasant and engaging and fear not the vocal cancers, they shall rot and fester themselves into oblivion with their own futility.
I've not heard of her, but most of the people who've contributed here in the past I've not heard of either. The folks from LRR were complete unknowns to me, and they (and the LRR community that they foster) are some of the nicest, least judgmental folks as well as being comedy gold. I feel richer in having spoken to them by way of chat, twitch and IRC and even had I not had any of those chances, I'd still yet feel richer just having experienced their work. Jim Sterling was a name I was not aware of prior to him coming to the Escapist and since his arrival and departure, I feel again richer as a person for having experienced his unique viewpoints. Maybe I don't always agree with him, but I do value him as a source of information, and as a person.
Miracle of Sound, Gavin Dunne, was a complete unknown to me as well, but thanks to Escapist hosting his work until his own self-departure, I feel my life has again been enriched.
Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw's work is what drew me here in the first place and while I didn't always agree with his reviews, I value them all and am happy he has decided to continue.
Critical Miss, Shamus Young... all things that have made life better for me in ways I can't rightly explain
The Escapist, in my experience, for the past 7 years I've been coming here, has enriched my life with their content for the most part. And even some of the forum members, those who are open to discussion without being jackasses about it, have enriched my life. I've been here since Greg Tito, Susan Arendt and their predecessors, though in part lurking rather than being active prior to Susan's predecessor who's name unfortunately escapes me at the moment and I am not looking it up.
So many other contributors have enriched my life, the part of it that has to do with gaming and the surrounding culture, and a lot of them have come from this site.
I remember the fallout with Extra Credits, I did not depart because of it. Business is business and what happened between them and Escapist Magazine is not mine to judge.
I welcome new talent, new voices with open arms. I hope Trisha Hershberger has a voice that will also enrich my life and the lives of others who come and dwell here.
To the rest of you who've more cynicism than optimism, I feel sorrow for you and wish you only the ability to grow as a person and give people a chance before you immediately write them off, and subsequently this site itself. It has not died, and does not seem to be dying as of yet, and I'm of the mind that it is only changing forms and evolving. If that means its dead to you, then by all means leave the "corpse" to rot and find elsewhere to bray your cynical words. They help nothing, add nothing, and detract from the experiences of the rest of us, be us few or many I cannot say.
So again, I say welcome to this new contributor, wish her all the success and well-being I possibly can and hope she lives up at least to her predecessors. Beyond that, we'll see what happens.
Shame though on the rest of you pre-judgmental folk. Shame upon you and your family names for not even giving a person a chance to speak before you bring forth your rotten tongues to speak ill.
I may be fast becoming one of the elder gamers, though for my age I shouldn't feel that way, but I do. I've seen things born, grow, evolve, die, ashes forge anew... and I still remain positive for the future, not just for this site because it is but one piece of a whole that is the gaming community. I'd wager that a lot of you folk weren't here for the initial rise of internet gaming sites and the purge that happened nearly seconds (in a macro-view) after their births. Many rose, few remain, and of those few some are yet again dying off. It is the way of things, especially in digital terms, for things to change and grow or die off and be purged but I've yet to see the signs that this site is nearing its end-cycle.
I've hope for the future, and faith in the people who remain and contribute. And those who remain and do nothing but detract, naysay and downcast what comes forth, you folks are a cancer and rot and I hope you end up reaping exactly what you've sown if you choose to continue down such a path. If not, if you've the courage to look forward, have some hope and faith and not just choose the ease of cynicism, then perhaps as people you can grow too. I hope, for your sakes you choose growth.
Anwyay, welcome ma'am, hopefully your stay is pleasant and engaging and fear not the vocal cancers, they shall rot and fester themselves into oblivion with their own futility.
The stats that The Escapist apparently pulls from themselves (or at least apparently has linked to the site's source code [http://i.imgur.com/1xDHsPN.png]) show about a 30% drop in unique visitors around November 2014, which has yet to rebound.[footnote]https://www.quantcast.com/escapistmagazine.comThunderous Cacophony said:
Set "Uniques (Global)" to "Month" and "Date Range" to either "1y" or "All" to see what I'm talking about. I wouldn't mind the March stats too much yet, though. For the record, the slump coincides almost directly with Jim Sterling leaving the site.[/footnote]
That may not necessarily be 100% accurate either, of course, and there are a few spikes hidden in between the average, but it's still looking like an abnormal slump that's not getting better. EDIT: With any luck, an influx of new content creators should be able to help.
Oy vey.
Just watched her Naked Truth episode on Fantasy
Disclosure: The "naked woman!" gimmick had me rolling my eyes from the get-go, which may have pre-disposed me to dislike her. I picked her "Fantasy" episode purely because it seemed the most relevant to the escapist ("how to flirt" didn't cut it).
That said, holy crap, she's ramblingly vague and shallow. Every statement seems to have a bunch of qualifiers at the beginning and end. Doesn't seem to want to make any sort of firm statement or want to say anything controversial. She leaves video games off a list of types of art at the beginning, then falls over herself making sure we know she does include games as art.
But generally, a rambling, unfocused bit of monologue. Like this bit:
"I know that there will be people out there, and I'm sure there's more of you out there that feel this way and disagree with me a little bit on this that fantasy is a good type of escape. I know that there's a lot of people that kinda side with the more Machiavellian "good does not conquer evil, evil conquers good" and that that's just kind of a realistic way to look at life. And to that argument's credit, I have seen often, in real life, where people, who step on other people and people who use people do appear to get ahead more quickly. It's like ruthless is the way to success, but in my heart, I can't believe that's true. So I love seeing these stories where yes, there are great losses along the way, these aren't fairy tales where "oh, the good guy wins, the end." If good does conquer evil, which a lot of time it does, but not always, look at Game of Thrones right now, but I like to believe still in the fan theories that will happen. No spoilers! Don't read fan theories if you don't want to know what people think will happen!"
Like I said, not really an in-depth analysis of anything, just sort of rambles incoherently. Hopefully she's got more going on and is bringing something to the site other than an off-screen nudity gimmick to draw in viewers to her stream of consciousness on the topic of the day.
Just watched her Naked Truth episode on Fantasy
Disclosure: The "naked woman!" gimmick had me rolling my eyes from the get-go, which may have pre-disposed me to dislike her. I picked her "Fantasy" episode purely because it seemed the most relevant to the escapist ("how to flirt" didn't cut it).
That said, holy crap, she's ramblingly vague and shallow. Every statement seems to have a bunch of qualifiers at the beginning and end. Doesn't seem to want to make any sort of firm statement or want to say anything controversial. She leaves video games off a list of types of art at the beginning, then falls over herself making sure we know she does include games as art.
But generally, a rambling, unfocused bit of monologue. Like this bit:
"I know that there will be people out there, and I'm sure there's more of you out there that feel this way and disagree with me a little bit on this that fantasy is a good type of escape. I know that there's a lot of people that kinda side with the more Machiavellian "good does not conquer evil, evil conquers good" and that that's just kind of a realistic way to look at life. And to that argument's credit, I have seen often, in real life, where people, who step on other people and people who use people do appear to get ahead more quickly. It's like ruthless is the way to success, but in my heart, I can't believe that's true. So I love seeing these stories where yes, there are great losses along the way, these aren't fairy tales where "oh, the good guy wins, the end." If good does conquer evil, which a lot of time it does, but not always, look at Game of Thrones right now, but I like to believe still in the fan theories that will happen. No spoilers! Don't read fan theories if you don't want to know what people think will happen!"
Like I said, not really an in-depth analysis of anything, just sort of rambles incoherently. Hopefully she's got more going on and is bringing something to the site other than an off-screen nudity gimmick to draw in viewers to her stream of consciousness on the topic of the day.
