Submission + - Is Slashdot out of date?
Crayon Kid writes: Independent journalist Kieren McCarthy wonders whether Slashdot is on its way out on his blog.
McCarthy goes on to acknowledge that Slashdot had once a leading role in demonstrating new technologies on the Web, but that this is no longer the case. He argues that Slashdot's "too busy" interface and complicated comment system is outdated and surpassed by the likes of Digg. It also doesn't help that there's a percieved smugness and elitism about both the Slashdot editors (and the way they choose their stories) and about the Slashdot crowd.
[..]while Slashdot's star has been in the ascendency for more than five years, its impact is on the wane as new websites using the latest Net technologies have started out-Slashdotting Slashdot. As a news editor for an online IT news site, I have a pretty good idea where people are getting their tech news from, and the fact is that Slashdot is showing signs of being out-of-date and, frankly, on the way out.
McCarthy goes on to acknowledge that Slashdot had once a leading role in demonstrating new technologies on the Web, but that this is no longer the case. He argues that Slashdot's "too busy" interface and complicated comment system is outdated and surpassed by the likes of Digg. It also doesn't help that there's a percieved smugness and elitism about both the Slashdot editors (and the way they choose their stories) and about the Slashdot crowd.
Not that Slashdot is no longer a force. It still has a huge number of readers and a massive and loyal following but the fact is that it is becoming less relevant, its figures are falling, and it isn't showing any signs of adapting to changed circumstances. [..]Because Slashdot doesn't produce its own content, it lives and dies on the quality of its service, and the fact is that people prefer what others are offering.
