EDITORIAL: The trouble with ComicBookMovie.com

EDITORIAL: The trouble with ComicBookMovie.com

Eleven months after I signed up to this great resource, things have changed... I haven't been here the longest, and I am not the best writer - but here is my two cents on the trouble with CBM.com...

Editorial Opinion
By hovis5818 - Sep 24, 2011 04:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic

I am not the longest member on this site, in fact I only discovered it about 11 months ago but I have noticed a big change even in that time.

I dabbled in writing some articles while I was off work with a back injury and I really enjoyed it - right up until I wrote an article with an updated high resolution image from an article previously written by an editor who had uploaded a shot taken from a camera phone on his article - only to have my article deleted and the image added to his own because his appeared first on the news page. Fine, I was annoyed, but if those are the rules... But what really annoyed me is that they went on to post a number of 'UPDATE' articles where they uploaded high resolutions images that other members had shared in low resolution and made that an article.

The trouble with CBM at the moment is the amount of articles added that are not relevant to CBM's, the main page is saturated with them - just looking at the main page right now I can see:

-Shawn Levy Updates On Frankenstein & Fantastic Voyage, Could We See Him Direct A CBM?
-Another DVD Cover For Super 8 Revealed!
-First Blu-Ray Featurette From Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2!
-Seven Amazing New Real Steel Clips Released!

When I started coming here this was the place to come for news on upcoming CMB's, full of relevant information and fun editorials. There is a site, run by the same guys called EarthsMightiest that I visit, and these articles would be much better suited over there I think.

Nothing against the people who wrote these but while these articles have some relation to the type of thing you will generally also have an interest in as a CBM fan - they are not main page material in my opinion, and 11 months ago this wouldn't have happened... They would have been kept on site, but under the 'News' tab only.

The trouble with the site is the power and influence the editors have - if they like something its main paged, if they write something - regardless of how relevant or irrelevant it is, it will inevitably get main paged. Some of the best and most interesting articles I have read have never been main paged, why not? Because someone has to deem that article good enough. This website is touted as a community of CBM fans, and to some degree it is - but if anyone speaks out they will generally be flamed by everyone else. In reality CBM has become very elitist, run by a handful of people who really hold the control.

Not wanting to be someone who has a moan and has no alternatives to offer up - I have a suggestion.

Why not main page an article once it has generated enough buzz? You could main it once it has enough thumbs up or comments, and this should be done automatically - not by a person. That way the main page would be populated by articles/editorials/scoops that people are really interested in. Is this a hard thing to do?

Editing is about preparing articles to be main paged, fixing grammar, spelling etc, and there is a need for that on a site like this - with so much traffic the articles on main need to look good - that’s what an editor should be doing...

DC & Marvel Team Up In Awesome Fan-Created Infinite Crisis Video
Related:

DC & Marvel Team Up In Awesome Fan-Created "Infinite Crisis" Video
Bill Cosby Says He Wants To Be In A Superhero Film
Recommended For You:

Bill Cosby Says He Wants To Be In A Superhero Film
DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?
Want to contribute?
1 2
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 9/24/2011, 5:37 PM
Couldn't have said it better myself. Good article there is way too much non comic related stuff on this site and most of it is crap news. I don't mind some non comic things but it needs to be worthwlile.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 9/24/2011, 5:37 PM
"CBM has become very elitist, run by a handful of people who really hold the control."

Wow...do you really have nothing better going on in your life that you had to take the time out of your day to write all this nonsense?! Why not try coming up with some of the, "news on upcoming CMB's, full of relevant information and fun editorials" you mention?

However, I must confess that I find it pretty funny that you pointed out an article where the director talks about his interest in directing a comic book movie as not being relevant to comic book movies, lol. Seriously, this whole main page discussion has been done to death...why are people still whining about it? Yes, there happens to be a small group of regular editors who post the most, but how do you think newer guys like nailbiter11 and GraphicCity rose to that same position so quickly and gained the power to move their stuff straight to the main page? If this all bothers you so much, stop whining and start contributing because this is just BORING.
superotherside
superotherside - 9/24/2011, 5:39 PM
Good idea about the comments thing, that would probably work... idk... CBM is under some changes some of what you said may actually happen. About the pics, well, if everyone that found pics just posted em, do you know at how many articles in just a few hours would come up? Some with only less than 5 pics on em? This would clutter up the main even more, lol, so sometimes it is good to have an editor add it to his article or something, and that is why I believe. Now what should have been done is that editor should have mentioned you for the heads up, that would be nice.

You have a good point, still it's very hard being an editor, a lot harder than you think, so don't judge them to fast. A lot of times it's a totally different story on the other side.

Still good article, you wrote it well and you have a valid point. :)
JusticeForAll
JusticeForAll - 9/24/2011, 5:48 PM
@ Josh Wilding: Callum G is expressing his feelings towards this site in a very reasonable, rational, and calm way. He is clearly not "whining" as you say. For you to assail him for trying to express his opinion in hopes of making this site more fair is uncalled for. Would you like to know why people are still talking about the main page issue? Well perhaps this example can refresh your memory:




Then you proceeded to post an article titled "No Ordinary Family Star Reggie Lee Joins The Cast Of The Dark Knight Rises?". You even mentioned that the information came from IMDB, yet you put it on the main page anyway.

You've made it clear that some of the editors don't play by the rules that they create, and that is what is upsetting people.
LucasMend
LucasMend - 9/24/2011, 5:50 PM
just have to work hard to get as many interesting cbm news as you can, so who knows eventually you will always get your stuff on main, what you think I am trying to do with so many news I posting lately lol

About the pics thing, the editor who doesn't gives credit for who found the pic, should do it.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 9/24/2011, 5:56 PM
Haha, nice job taking an exchange out of context in order to prove a completely irrelevant point JusticeForAll. Either you have an incredibly good memory, or you're sad enough to take screenshots of my conversations on Twitter for future reference...either way it's pretty sad. Now, the difference between what I posted, and what MovieMaster asked about up there was that the rumor that Cobie Smulders was playing a Skrull called "Anelle" had ALREADY been debunked because the information came from a someone who claimed to have seen the script, and then admitted they were lying on the IMDb Forums - that's what I was referencing, not their reliability for casting news in general. The news that Reggie Lee had been cast had not debunked and was worth making an article out of in my opinion. Nice try though!
bleedthefreak
bleedthefreak - 9/24/2011, 5:59 PM
Ho ho ho, if I had a dime... This shit grows old. Though you aren't going bat shit crazy over this like most seem to, you should take the time to realize that this site has posted non cbm stuff for a damn long time before you came here. I would rather Real Steel news over every [frick]ing set pic for a cbm rehashed in 30,000 articles, but that shit happens.

As for the editor comments, all I can really say is this; you are wrong. You just see freguent posters as system abusers, when really they are just people who busted their asses (mine still bleeds...heh...get it?) From their work. So we get rewarded with some nifty little promotions.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 9/24/2011, 6:01 PM
As for making CBM more fair, there's nothing wrong with the system as it is. As I mentioned above, both nailbiter11 and GraphicCity are proof that if you contribute good articles, you will be rewarded with "Trused User" or "Editor" privileges. Bitching about the fact you don't like certain types of articles being on the main page and acting as if there's a conspiracy among the "elitist" editors is pure whining. I will admit that Callum G was seemingly treated unfairly, and that he has some good ideas, but articles such as this one serve no purpose other than to make CBM look bad.
JusticeForAll
JusticeForAll - 9/24/2011, 6:22 PM
@Josh Wilding: Uhh...actually, it really wasn't out of context or irrelevant considering that we were talking about the controversy of what is put on the main page and what isn't. The only "sad" thing about this whole issue is you trying to cover up your own hypocrisy. If you really didn't want that Cobie Smulders article posted because it was already debunked, you would have made that clear in your original tweet. So, in other words, you're lying on the spot and your excuse is BS.

And this article does not make CBM "look bad" as you say. The only thing that makes CBM look bad is when editors like yourself contradict themselves and utilize this website for their own pathetic adsense profit as opposed to sharing the spotlight with regular contributors.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 9/24/2011, 6:30 PM
JusticeForAll: Uh...wrong again! As I've already explained above, you've taken that Tweet completely out of context in what was a lighthearted exchange - did MovieMaster ever post that article? Not as far as I can recall! Quite frankly, I don't need to explain myself to you and if you have that much of an issue with myself or any other editor, take it up with the sites owner. ([email protected]) You're trying to prove a point by coming up with a scenario which is ultimately a pure assumption on your part. Regardless, I really would love to know why you're going around taking screengrabs like that from my Twitter account - it just seems weird. One question though, did my "pathetic adsense profit" stop regular contributors like those I've mentioned above getting the spotlight? Nope. They produced quality work and got promoted, just like the rest of us. Grow up and get over it.
LuthersLaw
LuthersLaw - 9/24/2011, 6:41 PM
Wah wah wah. What a baby. And @JusticeForAll you really need to get a freaking life if your picking fights with some guy on a user contribution based website about what gets on the front page. It really matter that much???
JusticeForAll
JusticeForAll - 9/24/2011, 6:54 PM
@ Josh Wilding: Okay, you obviously still don't understand what I'm trying to illustrate. Yes, it was a lighthearted exchange, but you still contradicted yourself. The fact that MovieMaster didn't post that article doesn't matter. You're trying to defend yourself by saying that the Cobie Smulders article was debunked and that it wasn't worth posting. BUT, you didn't say that before! Therefore, whether you like it or not, you made yourself look like a huge hypocrite.

Now I take screengrabs whenever I see something that is worth calling out. Kind of like how The Daily Show takes bits from FOX News to show their unfair bias. Basically, I am the Jon Stewart to your Sean Hannity. It's a lot of fun if you think about it...

It's simple, Josh.
JusticeForAll
JusticeForAll - 9/24/2011, 7:03 PM
@FatsMcLemlich: You and Josh Wilding are both absolutely right that the people who contribute the most will be rewarded. However, to gain editor status, I believe that one should have a good sense of judgement as well, which seems to be scarce amongst most of the editors. Not only should they report stories, but they should look at all of the different sections (including features, editorials, etc) on CBM for material worthy of the front page as well, which you and I both know isn't exactly the case.
headlopper
headlopper - 9/24/2011, 7:04 PM
This is getting good!
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 9/24/2011, 7:12 PM
FatsMcLemlich: Well said. :)

I'm not sure whether it's because I post more than everyone else, or because people simply don't like me or my articles, but as of late, I seem to have become the poster boy for what many seem to consider the "elitist" (hell, let's just say "evil") editors. What these same people forget, is that I contributed fan casts and editorials for a long time before I started posting news, and even then, I didn't become a "Trusted User" for at least a year after joining the site (maybe more) and I certainly wasnt an editor for a good few months after that. It took me a long time and a huge amount of work to get to this point, and it sickens me when I have to read this type of thing directed at myself or my fellow editors. I've been lucky for the past few years to have had the time to post a hell of a lot on this site, and as CBM has grown, so has the need for more "Trusted Users" and "Editors". If you consistently post good quality articles, there's no reason why any of you can't be given the privileges which come with those titles. Hell, even PollMaster (TheWitness?) gained main page powers for his polls and features!

And if it does seem as if the main page is dominated by a certain group of users, it's only because we know where to look from experience. When I started up, the only sites I checked were MTV Splash Page, SHH and IGN. Now I look through 15+, Twitter accounts, forums, Google News...and yet, I still have no clue how DCMarvelFreshman always finds big stuff like trailers before the rest of us. The truth is, there is no conspiracy - it just requires some dedication and time. It really wouldn't hurt sone if you to actually be GRATEFUL for the hours we spend finding every shred of comic book movie news and the time we have to take editing and categorising articles to make them main page worthy. Either way, I'm done with commenting on CBM, because I'm bored of putting up with this sort of thing.
ROMACK
ROMACK - 9/24/2011, 7:19 PM
You know I like posting the occasional fan fic, editorial or poll, but don't have time to hunt down breaking news. I feel priveledged to be allowed to add whatever I want(within reason) to this site. I have never made main, but have probably produced less than twenty articles, and they were just fun stuff to share with those of us who lurk in the back pages. Who knows maybe I will have something one day that warrants being on the homepage, but I am okay if my fancast doesn't make it on main. I am just happy to share my ideas here.
Destroyer14
Destroyer14 - 9/24/2011, 8:12 PM
Putting it simply, the editors are the leaders of this site, it's up to you whether you respect them or the rules. They've earned their status, I recently become one, because I earned it. Sometimes a well-written editorial might slip by, but for the most part, everything is fair. Plain and simple.
95
95 - 9/24/2011, 8:15 PM
People once questioned why big food corporations sell the products that they do when they are potentially harmful to the consumer. The answer was simple... because people still bought them.
golden123
golden123 - 9/24/2011, 8:57 PM
@3D: That may possibly be the smartest comment I've heard this month on this site.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 9/24/2011, 9:09 PM
this article makes as much sense as this




if you don't like something, don't bother with it then. Leave, don't bitch about it because its not the way you like it
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 9/24/2011, 9:29 PM
I'm sorry, did comicbookmovie.com suddenly change ownership and is now controlled by Callum G? Because I didn't get that memo. Your rant is basically stating that you don't like the way Galactus has organized his website and the system he has in place. I'm sorry to say but your article reeks of jealousy as do a number of these attacks in the comments section. The site has a very clear policy and track record when it comes to main paging contributor articles. If you want to be on main as a contributor then you have to post significant articles first. If you're first, another Editor will not delete your article 99.9% of the time. And .1% only occurs if the article is poorly written.

And as for editorials and features, there's a tab called Most Popular and Most Active where often times those types of article show up, if they are good.

Furthermore, this site has become so big that it's evolved to cover other genres closely related comic book movies. Hence why the site is now going by the moniker CBM in lieu of comicbookmovie.

Lastly, you don't have an inkling of what editors go through to find the news we post. Often we are the first site to post news and the other so-called "big" sites often look to CBM to find their news stories, yet, we often times receive no credit. Plus, we have to jump through hoops and hurdles to get the occasional interview, scoop and exclusive. That sh#*@ doesn't come easy, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. If you're so dissatisfied with this site, that you feel the need to post a derogatory article then go start your own website and let me know how that works out for you. For every person that complains about the content we get a 100 new visitors that discover the site because of our expanded coverage.

P.S. @JusticeForALl Dude, did you really save Josh's tweets from a month ago? I don't even know what to say to that.
Fastestmanalive
Fastestmanalive - 9/24/2011, 9:34 PM
I gotta go with JoshWilding on this one and more generally with the editors of this site.

While u may not agree with how everything is run on this site this is a damn good site and very "user friendly"

I used to go to Superherohype.com for years until I found this site about 9 months ago and havent gone back. This site has tons more news and it comes a hell'eva lot faster, u may not think alot of news items belongs on here and I agree with that, but u know what I do? I just dont click on them and only click on the articles that interest me, simple enough no?

I really enjoy this site for the fast news, for the interesting debates among users, although sometimes it could get brutal, and yes even for the polls sometimes.

And I don't mean to sound like a kiss ass or anything but the truth is this is a great site and alot of work goes into running all of it I'm sure, so I think its a bit ungrateful and kind'ave an "injustice", for lack of a better word, to bitch and moan about such a great site, that people are putting a great effort into for us for no charge at all.
I for one appreciate it greatly.

Just sayin.
JusticeForAll
JusticeForAll - 9/24/2011, 10:02 PM
@GraphicCity You're one of the few editors that I respect because, in my opinion, you do your job with rationality in mind. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that you're defending Josh, especially since you once questioned the integrity of the editors on this site:




Now with all due respect, I'm curious as to what caused your change of heart, because you and I both know that some of these editors still don't play by the rules. DCMarvelFreshman is infamous for bookmarking articles like that.
hovis5818
hovis5818 - 9/25/2011, 3:45 AM
As the writer of this article (for some reason my name on comments doesn't match my name as a contributor) I knew what would happen.

Thanks to guys who agree/sort of agree and the suggestions you have also offered up!

JoshWilding I really didn't expect you to have the emotional maturity at your age to take any criticism on a professional level, as always you have taken it as a personal attack and immediately brought it to a case of you vs. us... That is not what this article was intended to be. This article was an observation of how things have changed.

Wow...do you really have nothing better going on in your life that you had to take the time out of your day to write all this nonsense?! Why not try coming up with some of the, "news on upcoming CMB's, full of relevant information and fun editorials" you mention?

Wow - in the second comment we see an example of exactly what I meant when I said if anyone speaks out they are flamed. Was there a need to bring this to a personal level?

but how do you think newer guys like nailbiter11 and GraphicCity rose to that same position so quickly and gained the power to move their stuff straight to the main page? If this all bothers you so much, stop whining and start contributing because this is just BORING.

I guarantee you Josh that these guys had to work much harder than you did to become an editors because they have to deal with the current system that's in place, so I have a lot more respect than them than I do for you.

bleedthefreak

As for the editor comments, all I can really say is this; you are wrong. You just see freguent posters as system abusers, when really they are just people who busted their asses (mine still bleeds...heh...get it?) From their work. So we get rewarded with some nifty little promotions.

I understand that editors bust their asses - but I see a lot of submitting blank or copy/paste articles on the page as a holder, then editing the article after that - just to make sure they are first.

Surely it is better that no ones gets a 'nifty little promotion', and that anyone who submits an article that people like get their story on main?

GraphicCity

I'm sorry, did comicbookmovie.com suddenly change ownership and is now controlled by Callum G? Because I didn't get that memo. Your rant is basically stating that you don't like the way Galactus has organized his website and the system he has in place. I'm sorry to say but your article reeks of jealousy as do a number of these attacks in the comments section.

Firstly, I think this article is well written and balanced, I offer up alternatives rather than just moaning about it. Jealous? Not really. I would be the first to admit I don't really have the time to keep up with you guys when it comes to breaking news, but I would like to know that if I do submit something that people like enough it will be main paged, rather than if an editor likes it.

In short, I really don't know what the editors are worried about - if your articles really are relevant and as good as you believe, under a new system most of your articles would still end up on main right?
hovis5818
hovis5818 - 9/25/2011, 4:05 AM
JoshWilding

Was just on Twitter and saw this:

@RorMachine One of your articles gets a mention. You should check it out, especially as their point makes no sense! comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Other…

Rallying the troops? The article I mentioned of RorMachine's was an article where they person being interviewed said "there's a lot of comic book movies DC are trying to make". Levy's response? "You know where to find me" is that really a reason for this to become a main page article - any director could say that...
hovis5818
hovis5818 - 9/25/2011, 6:26 AM
What some people may find interesting is that if the main was populated using the 'Most Popular' or 'Most Active' method Josh Wilding would have 3 or 4 articles on main, as it stands right now with self promotion, its 11 out of the 25 that appear on main.
MovieMaster
MovieMaster - 9/25/2011, 6:29 AM
Ooh, people have been talking about me. How fun. I didn't post that article because I knew that it was fake because I knew that the Skrulls aren't gonna be in The Avengers. I agree with the editors in the comments that they do bust their asses doing their work and i applaud them for that, but I do think that it would be nice for user articles to get put on main. And when you said that editors place 'holder' articles with a few lines in the article, well i know that most users do that aswell because they want to be first. I don't know why editors do that when they've found plenty of other interesting scoops anyway but it makes sense as a user to post something as a holder and then edit it so that you can be first. And @JusticeForAll- why are you saving tweets from months ago so that you can post them in the comments, because that is pretty sad. And @JoshWilding- please don't stop commenting, I often get attacked in the comments but I haven't stopped commenting. But if you want to stop commenting, that's fine as it's your desicion.
MovieMaster
MovieMaster - 9/25/2011, 6:32 AM
And adding to that, I know that I will probably never reach 'Trusted User' or 'Editor' status. Because I've said, and it says in my fansite that the majority of my posts will be editorials/fanfic. But if i find a piece of news that an editor hasn't posted yet, then I will post it and hope that it gets on main. If it doesn't, fair play. But if you think that this article will make a difference then you're wrong because there has been countless articles the same as this for months.
Facade
Facade - 9/25/2011, 7:19 AM
This site had ALWAYS shown questionable journalistic ethics/integrity. Inevitably, users will attack CG for stating his opinion and the site owner will say something like, "if you don't like it, go create your own site."
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 9/25/2011, 7:53 AM
I'm going to say this and let it rest.

1.) That twitter conversation between me and Josh was not about Josh but another editor so it's taken out of context here.

2.) Believe it or note, Galactus keeps a pretty close watch on what goes on. Pretty sure he's watching this article as we speak. You guy's complaints are always discussed and strategies are being devised as we speak to try and smooth out the tension between contributors and editors. Why there's tension I don't know. In my opinion, the #1 complaint here is that "my article didn't make Main". That's really not what this site is about. It's not about making yourself popular or getting people to read what you write. This site isn't a blog for you to post your personal thoughts and have people comment on them. The chief purpose of this site is to post news about comic book properties and related genres. That is the mission of this site. In this respect, it doesn't matter who posts what and gets on the front page if you are just interested in seeing the latest news.

3.) How are we showing questionable journalistic ethics/integrity? We don't make fake news, like a tabloid or a certain Marvel fan facebook page. All we do is find the news and post it. Along with the occasional original editorial or feature piece.

4.) Lastly, the mechanism you chose to voice your complaint was absolutely inappropriate. As JusticeForAll has proven, all the Editors are on Twitter and easily accessible. There's a big contact option in the upper left corner of ever article as well. The proper way to go about this would've been to do so in private not in a public article where you can gather other trolls and you can come after editors with torches and pitchforks.

@Justice for All That's just creepy, man. I'm not a celebrity or important person. It's truly creepy seeing someone post my tweets.
hovis5818
hovis5818 - 9/25/2011, 8:20 AM
GraphicCity

Funnily enough I use the contact contributor button quite regularly - but I have never had a reply.
Hawksblueyes
Hawksblueyes - 9/25/2011, 8:41 AM
While work has kept me somewhat silent on the site for a while, since I did manage to find a few minutes this morning to read this write up, I thought as an Editor this article is well worth commenting on.

First off.....good write up. I disagree with what you are saying but good write up none the less. I also happen to disagree with some of the previous commentors that say you should have kept this to yourself and that this write up is unappropriate. THAT's why we have an Editorial section. For opinions and views.

Now.....

"Editing is about preparing articles to be main paged, fixing grammar, spelling etc, and there is a need for that on a site like this - with so much traffic the articles on main need to look good - that’s what an editor should be doing..."

You are correct sir. However, personally, I have edited many articles that were so atrocious that by the time any one of us (as Editors) took the time to make in "Mainworthy" it would no longer have anything within it's content that even remotely resembled the original poster's original article. THAT is why many articles that may have possibly been first, get dumped. No, not all.

I can also attest to the FACT that 3 out of every 4 articles I personally delete, are my own. Even when time affords me the opportunity to browse the site and edit daily, I find that it is impossible to catch every article posted (amazingly this even counts for articles which have been on Main and every other person on the site has read.) I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I have put a great deal of time into an article just to have the first comment be "This is old news" or "This was alreaqdy posted." Delete, delete, delete.

Some of your other suggestions have not only been discussed but could show up on site relatively soon. As others have mentioned, keep posting and keep digging, even as an Editor I find it difficult to keep up with some of the other Editors who find these great news items at an incredible clip BUT it's not a competition.

As I said earlier, I don't happen to agree with most of what you said but it's well written and posted in the appropriate place.
Xandera
Xandera - 9/25/2011, 9:19 AM
I don't agree but, as Hawks just said above... at least it was well written.
MovieMaster
MovieMaster - 9/25/2011, 10:04 AM
^^ woah, i didnt know that you became an editor! of course im not going to be able to become an editor because the editors and other better contributors than me will get to the news first, and i dont have the time to stay in all day looking for the news. i would love to become an editor, but i cant.
1 2
Related Headlines
Latest Headlines

Hot Headlines Hot Headlines

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Anime & Manga

Gaming

Horror

Cartoons & Animated Features

Action Movies & TV

Pro Wrestling & MMA News
View Recorder