Presidential debates (please, no live blogging.)

[arely staircase]

I may not be able to watch them live and if someone is posting what is said it will spoil it for me.

[cali]

1. oh for fuck's sake. are you actually comparing

the Olympics with a presidential debate?

[arely staircase]

5. uh, yes

yes i am.

[fishwax]

2. lol -- not a very convincing analogy

[arely staircase]

11. one is a current event

the other is a current event

both can be watched live

[fishwax]

12. those two similarities alone do not a convincing analogy make

The differences between the two are much more substantial, in terms of how people watch them, how they're delivered to the public, why most people watch them, what most people want to get out of the broadcast, and so on.

[arely staircase]

13. ok

how people watch them: although some olympic events are delayed on broadcast tv, they are all live streaming on the internet.

how they are delivered: see above

why people watch them: well the reasons for either could be limitless.

what most people want to get out of them: see above

[fishwax]

21. not a particularly deep inquiry into any of those issues

(which, again, underscores why it isn't a very convincing analogy)

how people watch them: although some olympic events are delayed on broadcast tv, they are all live streaming on the internet.

how they are delivered: see above

I would wager that the percentage of debate viewers who first watch the presidential debates on tape delay is very, very small. I'd also wager that the percentage of Olympics viewers who first watch the events tape-delayed tonight (as opposed to having seen them live-streaming online, whether they had access to such or not) will be very, very large.

Presidential debates are typically broadcast on television by all four major broadcast networks and at least three cable news networks. Additionally, each of these networks is likely to stream audio and/or video on their website. There will be other websites, too, that will stream this content live as it happens. (Additionally, radio stations/networks broadcast audio of the event live as it happens.)

On the other hand, relatively few olympic events are being broadcast live on TV in the United States. Yes, they are all streaming live on the Internet, but they are nowhere near as readily available as the presidential debates. For instance, NBC has all sports streaming live online, but (as I understand it) you can't access that streaming unless you have a cable package. There are other sites you can go to for feeds, but not everyone will know about them, some of them will be of questionable legality, and some people won't have the resources to actually watch them at those sites.

The actual debates themselves, additionally, are a fairly small part of the debate package. Also important are the days and hours of analysis that begin with liveblogging while the debate is underway and continue on news channels, radio networks, newspapers, and so on. Since there are typically more voters who don't watch a given debate than voters who do, that work is an influential part of the whole process. That's not the case with the olympics, where discussion for weeks in advance is meant to build anticipation as to whether team/athlete X can win event Y, culminating with the result itself.

There are plenty of other differences, too, of course. Yes, they are similar in that they are both current events and both can be watched live (with more effort and by a smaller population, in the case of the Olympics). But the differences are much more pronounced.

[arely staircase]

25. i'm not convinced nt

[Politicalboi]

3. There is a difference

The only good thing about the spoilers are, if you have a dip shit friend who wants to make a bet on who's going to win a race.

Spoiler Alert! USA wins 30 gold medals, 18 Silver and 30 Bronze. LOL!

I myself have no interest in watching, so the spoilers don't bother me. But I can see where they would bother those who don't want to know.

[arely staircase]

4. who in their right mind would place a bet on a delayed event

in the internet age?

[itsrobert]

6. Spoiler Alert: Mitt makes an Ass of himself

Did I ruin it for you?

[arely staircase]

8. yes.

jerk

[SunsetDreams]

7. Good grief nt

[nolabear]

9. We'll be sure to put up a Spoiler Alert.

But I suggest you stay away from all media and close the windows against the howls of laughter or rage coming from the neighbors.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Fail. n/t

[Cerridwen]

14. Nuance is very difficult. n/t

[SidDithers]

15. Yeah, 'cause that's exactly the same thing...

FFS.

It's not about posting results. It's about posting results in the fucking subject line.

Sid

[arely staircase]

16. how is that different that posting "gingrich wins mississippi primary" ? nt

[SidDithers]

17. Moving the goalposts...

posting "Gingrich wins Mississippi primary" isn't the same as live blogging a presidential debate, which is what you originally posted.

Sid

[arely staircase]

18. didn't say it was

i am responding to your comment about posting in the subject line. so your answer is?

[SidDithers]

19. My answer is don't post Olympic results in the subject line...

because that's the subject we're discussing.

Sid

[arely staircase]

22. the question was how is it different that posting election results. nt

[SidDithers]

23. No, the question was how is it different from live blogging a debate...nt

Sid

[arely staircase]

26. no it is part of it.

but if you don't want to answer i certainly understand

[SidDithers]

28. I answered your OP with post #15...

everything else you've posted in this subthread since then is moving the goalposts.

Sid

[arely staircase]

29. i'm not going to start a new op to ask something that is completely

germain to this one. my whole point is that people are having "spoiler" freak outs over the posting of current events as they happen. we do it all the time with apparently everything but the olympics.

[Ruby the Liberal]

38. Because there is nothing to watch in an election.

Yes, in sports there are winners, but the fun is watching the competition prior to the final result.

[johnnie]

20. With a post like this

I doubt you will be able to tell the difference.

[JoePhilly]

24. Winner!

Hope I didn't spoil the thread ... its pretty clear your post WAS the winner.

[arely staircase]

27. i know, right?

that was awesome.

[JoePhilly]

32. To be clear, the thread was "spoiled" when you pressed the POST button.

See ... people come to DU for political information.

And so, the fact that you might see some political information that you did not know previously is kind of the POINT of DU. That's probably the primary reason for the site's existence.

Somehow that seems to escape you.

[arely staircase]

33. no, i mean it

posting something like what's going on in a debate or the results of a primary or an olympic event before i have a chance to see it somewhere else is tantamount to a war crime. can't you see that?

[JoePhilly]

35. I usually masturbate in private ... but that's just a personal preference.

You should feel free to do it where ever it feels good.

I know, I know, a jury might hide this ... but I think its funny ... and I haven't had a post hidden in far too long.

Like the Olympics, let's go to the judges ....

[arely staircase]

36. i see in this case you made an exception. nt

[annabanana]

30. What YOU said. . . n/t

[arely staircase]

31. + 1 nt

[Ikonoklast]

34. I'll tell Skinner to get right on that for you.

BRB.

[arely staircase]

37. +100,000 nt