An Internet News Rant

There is really only one way that I get my news nowadays, the internet. I can log-on on my own time, check out the stories from a quick perspective and skip the ones that don't interest me, and of course get a quick read or video of what I was looking for. So it pains me to say that I'm slowly becoming more and more frustrated with how internet news is being done.

Now, my site of choice tends to be Yahoo. I know there are a ton of other sites such as MSN, CNN, Google, Fox, etc that I could choose from, but Yahoo has the layout I like the best. I like how it's just a jumble of random news stories in the top picks, not just entertainment or thrifty tips but a whole lot of random. So it pains me, and apparently a lot of other people, to say that I wish they would stop being so damn annoying. In the recent, they've started turning more to creating small videos of their news clips that quickly show off a few stories with some guy they think is funny. I hate it, and for a good few reasons.


Annoying Things Internet News Does
So here is my list of things that I've seen done on internet news that annoys the hell out of me and I wish they would stop.

1. Two minute videos with 30 seconds of ads - I'm okay with the idea that you want to give me a quick glimpse at the story, and sometimes the stories are very visual and need a video to show it off, but come-on. I hate opening up a webpage and (even with ad-block extensions) having to watch a stupid 30 second ad just to get my news story.
2. Three stories in one short video - So I get past those damn ads that they've littered all of their videos with, I'm already pretty annoyed I had to hear about caring for my dog or some stupid political ad, and then the reason I'm watching this video is actually not the only news story in the video. So take that 2 minute video, divide it into 3 sections and you get about 30 seconds for each story, which isn't enough time for the one I wanted.
3. Everything is a joke - And if they do have multiple videos, then that means they have to hire some anchor who is so terrible that it makes you wonder how he got the job. He starts telling jokes that aren't even close to funny (let alone intelligent) and to be honest, wastes 20 seconds of my 30 second story. So instead of giving details, he gives goofs. Please stop and be professional, no one wants to hear your bad jokes.
4. They cut the writing - Last, and probably the most important part of all of this, the publishers of the story have cut writing down the story and explaining it with the written word. They expect that their 10 second total article will be enough, but sometimes I want more details. And beyond that, I could just skip watching the videos all-together to just read my story if they'd do that.

What It Should Be

Internet news is supposed to be a quick way to find out what the articles are about, then get a short glimpse into what the article has to offer, and finally a full story. If I had to put it in aspects of how I blog, the front page should be about 20 words or less describing the story. The first thing you see on the page should be 150 words or less to tell the story. And finally, the full story should be below that. None of these parts should be substituted for videos, but videos should be used to help show the story. Maybe one day they'll figure this out.