Gawker Media rolled out a new design recently. It’s clearly aimed at freeing up more ad space, at the cost of giving consumers what they actually want. The site’s web properties (Gawker, Deadspin, Jezebel, and more) have been redesigned and the feedback has been lukewarm, to put it nicely. We at Cosby Sweaters have decided to put down some money on a simple over/under bet. The bet is Over/Under (30) on how many days it will take Gawker Media properties to scrap the new design. Here are the bets with some comments from our staff:
The Doctor: OVER. There will be about six weeks of meetings to look at the metrics and suggest that the real issue is engagement through social media channels before someone stands up and says “let’s get real guys, we launched the New Coke of web sites, time for Gawker classic.”
The Diplomat: UNDER. The sites make me feel like I drank a fifth of Jack Daniels and spun around in a chair 45 times. I want to vomit on their new design. Then it would look better.
Iceman: OVER. “Deadspin’s new design is absolutely terrible. I’ve been to the site once and it makes me feel like I’ve been doing whippets out of a propane tank. What’s worse is that those no-talent ass-clowns have been stealing our content for months and have never given us credit. The joke is on them now.” The design blows, period. You can turn it back to classic mode by clicking a button at the top. I’m sure they’ll use that as the main metric to decide whether or not to abandon the design. It’s doubtful they’ll change it when you see that they have already done it for a few of the other Gawker sites.
The Ruffian: OVER. I also think this could be a Facebook-esque, oh-shit-they-changed-my-homescreen moment. So they might keep it around for good. Either way, I’m putting money on that empty space in the top left getting filled with ads pretty soon.
Big Skeezy: OVER. It’s obvious that these guys don’t give a fuck about anyone but themselves. “Well we think it’s awesome sauce so naturally all of our fans will, too! If they don’t, who cares?” That being said, the site stays and they secretly make a list of everyone who clicks the “classic” button so they can have them destroyed.
And there you have it. We will check in in 30 days… or less.
About Chris Partlow