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You may or may not be aware that I took over responsibility for putting together the Daily Slop in early July. A number of people noticed the changes in format of the daily links article at that time and commented, most of them favorably.
That said, I know very well that comments represent only a tiny fraction of Hogs Haven readers (or those of any website), and passions and opinions lean in at least two directions, even if you don’t always hear or read them.
When I took on the responsibility for the Daily Slop, I simply formatted it the way I thought it should be formatted — the way I would want it formatted if I were reading it every day.
Now that everyone has had about two months to acclimate to the changes, and with a relatively ‘quiet’ week between finalization of the 53-man roster and the opening week game against the Cardinals, I thought it would be a good time to give everyone a voice in the content and formatting of the article.
Below, I have listed each section of the Daily Slop template that I am using, with a few comments about my thinking and intent. In each section I’ve asked one or more poll questions. I will use the results of those questions to guide the layout and content of the daily links article going forward.
Closed-ended polls are limited in how much information they can convey, and the choices presented may not allow you to state the opinion that you hold, so feel free to add your opinions in the comments below.
Commanders links
Articles
The Daily Slop has always, as far as I know, included links to articles about the Redskins, Football Team or Commanders.
I always include an excerpt from the linked article
Poll
How do you feel about the formatting of links with excerpts?
This poll is closed
-
8%
I like excerpts, but yours are too long
(12 votes) -
88%
I really like the way you’ve been doing it
(129 votes) -
2%
I prefer the links without excerpts
(4 votes)
From the start, I tried to find a range of publications (newspapers, blogs, etc) that publish Commanders content regularly. I visit a mix of subscription and free sites. There are some subscription sites like the Washington Times and Richmond Times-Dispatch that I can’t access.
Poll
How do you feel about the subscription sites being included (primarily the Washington Post, the Athletic, and Bullock’s Film Room)?
This poll is closed
-
43%
I think it’s a good idea to include them
(65 votes) -
56%
I don’t like having links to sites I can’t read because they are behind a paywall
(84 votes)
Poll
How do you feel about the range of sources used each day?
This poll is closed
-
13%
It’s too narrow; you need more variety
(19 votes) -
1%
It’s too broad; you need more focus
(2 votes) -
85%
Seems about right to me
(125 votes)
If there are any sources of Commanders content that you think I should add or eliminate, feel free to provide details in the comments section.
Podcasts & videos
The internet and its users are changing rapidly. Podcasts have become very popular and provide a great source of in-depth information that can be consumed while driving, exercising, cooking, etc.
I have been including at least one podcast link per day — usually several. I have also tried to link to a variety of podcast styles.
Poll
What do you think about links to podcasts?
This poll is closed
-
54%
I think they are a good idea, but I haven’t listened to any of them
(73 votes) -
31%
I think they are a good idea, and I have followed some of the links that have been posted here
(42 votes) -
14%
They have no real value and should be scrapped
(19 votes)
If you think there are any podcasts that should be added to or deleted from this section of the Daily Slop, feel free to list your specific suggestion in the comments.
Photos
The Commanders website publishes photos of OTAs, minicamp, training camp, practices and games, and they are generally high quality. Last year I published articles from time to time during the offseason and training camp with my favorite photos, and those articles drew a lot of positive comments. I thought it would be a good idea to include a link to the photos here in the Slop, with a few sample photos in a small montage.
Poll
How do you feel about the photo link?
This poll is closed
-
42%
Seems like a good idea, but I’ve never clicked on it to look at the posted photos
(57 votes) -
35%
I like it and I’ve used the link to check out the photos on the team page before
(47 votes) -
22%
Waste of time and effort; if I want to look at the team photos, I know where they are
(30 votes)
Tweets
Occasionally, a tweet is very inviting and informative, and an article may not lend itself to a short excerpt (usually because it covers a complex topic).
I don’t do it often, but sometimes I post the Tweet linking to the article instead of the title & excerpt.
Since I also put together the daily Twitter article, I (mostly) avoid linking to ARTICLES in the Twitter post, and I avoid posting tweets in the Slop that DON’T have story links.
Poll
How do you feel about the occasional use of tweets here?
This poll is closed
-
82%
Yeah, it’s fine
(109 votes) -
17%
I’m philosophically opposed to tweets in the Daily Slop
(23 votes)
NFC East links
For years, I have from time to time published an article titled “Division Links” that linked stories from Bleeding Green Nation (Eagles), Blogging the Boys (Cowboys) and Big Blue View (Giants).
Usually, those articles received positive comments, so I thought it would be a good idea to expand the mission of the Daily Slop slightly to allow for one or more articles daily on the NFC East.
I’ve always loved the film, A Few Good Men, and one of many great scenes in that movie is where Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson declares that he lives by a certain code: Unit, Corps, God, Country.
My fandom follows a (somewhat) similar hierarchy:
- Commanders
- NFC East
- NFC
- NFL
- sports in general
I apply that thinking to the Daily Slop, assuming that Hogs Haven members are more than just Washington football fanatics; I assume they are interested in the NFL in general and the NFC East in particular.
That may not be true of everyone (or anyone, besides me).
Poll
How do you feel about the NFC East links?
This poll is closed
-
77%
I think it’s good to have links to stories about division rivals
(104 votes) -
20%
It doesn’t bother me, but I’m not really interested either
(28 votes) -
1%
It’s a bad idea to link stories about our division rivals in the Daily Slop; it’s not the place for it
(2 votes)
NFL league links
Articles
Poll
How do you feel about having links to articles that are about the NFL in general (usually things like rule changes, or stories that encompass all 32 teams)?
This poll is closed
-
74%
I think it’s good to have links to stories about the NFL in general
(99 votes) -
22%
It doesn’t bother me, but I’m not really interested either
(30 votes) -
3%
It’s a bad idea to link stories about anything other than the Commanders in the Daily Slop; it’s not the place for it
(4 votes)
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