Anatomy of a Freeper...

Radio Bloger ^ | 12/17/04 | Generalissimo Duane

[Valin]

Anatomy of a Freeper...

For those of you who just stumble around Instapundit, Hugh Hewitt, Powerline or The Corner, and a couple of internet sites to get your dose of non-Ratherised news, you may not have ever heard of a "Freeper". In a minute, I'm going to use the following example to give you a window into their world.

Freepers are people who post to a rather interesting bulletin board service called Free Republic. A lot of my blogging friends know about them, but surprisingly enough, not very many of them view them as a news source they visit frequently. I think the Freepers are an essential element in gathering news. If you go in with the right mindset, and know what you are looking for, it can be a goldmine of information.

Hugh Hewitt has often called freepers the Coast Watchers of the new media. When news happens, either in print, on radio, or on television, someone will post a link, and much of the meat of the story, as the beginning of a thread. Within minutes, if the story is juicy enough, just like flies, freepers all over will descend on the story and give their two cents worth.

Here's where the discernment of the person surfing has to come in. There are saboteurs who will immediately try to spin the story, especially if it's political, and there will be people from every walk of life taking their shots until the end of the thread takes the original picture the story paints and turns it into a Picasso.

Here's an example of the wit, sarcasm, sincerity, & speed of the Freepers:

11/29/04 In Linn County, Iowa, there is a small town called Robins. Population of 1,806. There is an accidental shooting of Lyle Rusk, the town's police chief, by one of his own officers. The story was reported on local Cedar Rapids television, link here.

12/16/04 10:01PM PST The story is found by a freeper and a link is started. Remember this is a very minor story in the overall scheme of things, so there is a delay between when the event happens and when it's reported on FR. If it's a major news story, a thread will appear in seconds.

12/16/04 10:04PM PST Five responses, largely cynical, have already been posted.

12/16/04 10:05PM PST The first Barney Fife reference made, including this picture.

The neck injury to the chief was serious, and the recovery process is going to be long, but all indications are that he's going to be fine. But when you read that he'd been accidentally shot by his own officer, tell the truth. Didn't this image flash in your mind? If there is a punch line in a news story, no matter how tasteless, at least one Freeper is going to use it.

12/17 12:11AM PST In just a little over two hours, there have been fifty-four responses to the original story. Many have been humorous, many have been respectful and prayerful, and many have been from people who have obvious law enforcement background dissecting how something like this could have happened in the first place.

Remember this is an obscure story. When the Rathergate story broke, there were responses, theories, and updates literally every time you hit the refresh button. Freepers are very much part of the face of new media. They are also very much a part of the blogosphere.

The speed at which news travels on sites like this is the reason why liberals can no longer dominate the media and control the spin to suit their agenda. The news moves too fast. There are too many people who see stuff and post it, and there are too many smart people to praise it and spread it around if it has merit, and dissect it like a frog in biology class if it's bogus.

In cases like Rathergate, a bogus story can be proven false, spread all over the world, and completely discrediting of the original reporter before he/she comes to work the next morning.

Sometimes the content in the threads is not for the feint of heart, but if you cruise the latest topics, you will often find news literally as it's being reported anywhere in the world.

[RonDog]

How do you keep pictures and articles on FR?

I know it is not an informed question, but I would like to learn about this.

Not sure exactly what you mean...

...but HERE is some information about how to post images on FR:

From:

HTML Bootcamp (Cyber patriot training)

Miscellaneous Free Republic Keywords: HTML POSTING RELPYING
Published: 03/06/2001
Posted on 03/06/2001 16:43:40 PST by michigander

-- snip --

How to post a picture:

<img src="?" height="" width="">
(?=the address of the picture)

For example, if the picture address is:
http://www.freerepublic.com/images/frlogo.gif,
the image height is 130, and the width is 150...
(It's from the FR home page)

<img src="http://www.freerepublic.com/images/frlogo.gif" height="130" width="150"> =

Be sure to add the height and width sizes if at all possible.
It allows the threads to load more efficiently.

About now you may be wondering.

How do I find the picture address, height, and width?

Some pointers on formatting images:

If you use an IE browser, and see a graphic you want to bring to the FR forum, just right-click on the graphic, and look at the "Properties" menu.

Then highlight the "Address" listed in the Properties window, right-click on the selected Address, and choose "Copy" from the popup menu.

Now the address of the chosen graphic is in your Windows clipboard, ready to be pasted.

And, of course, the image that you want to post on FR has to first already be "hosted" somewhere on the Internet.

[LibertarianInExile]

RATFART! You beat me to it!

[RonDog]

3% of the above will actually post Ann Coulter photos.

This group is my favorite.

Here is a picture of Ann that you may not have seen before, from www.anncoulterdoc.com:

	BACK			NEXT
Ann at eight.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Picasso was to art as Rather is to news, an intentional fraud on the consumer.

[Libertina]

Which is why Drugde is on tonight reporting that George Tenet says "The Wild West world of the Internet must be regulated." NO WAY! You know, sometime we have to start asking ourselves why even with 2 political parties, so many of our country's problems don't get solved - like illegal immigration. I think the elites are beginning to realize the power the Internet gives WE The People, and they are not amused.

[dangus]

I'M Outraged!

I mentionned Inspector clousseau before Barney Fife was posted! I ALWAYS think of stupid French people whenever anything bad happens!

[Jim Robinson]

LOL! Bump!!

[Popman]

Anybody who trolls DU can see the contrast. It's just NOT coming together over there.

As one who lurks over there regularly, the format of this site gives it a superior feel and ability to interact among ourselves like no other site on the Internet.

Plus the psychosis of the members over their make it difficult to have a meaning dialog about anything besides "Bush is Hitler, The election was stolen by black box voting machines, Republicans want to put us in camps, Fundies are evil and want to control the government to set up a theocracy, the American people are dupes for putting chimp back in.

[hosepipe]

[ Picasso was to art as Rather is to news, an intentional fraud on the consumer. ]

"Picasso was to art as Rather is to news", as liberals/ democrats/ socialists/ muslims are to anything good and wholesome.. Islam is crotchology and Liberalism is the drainfield that muslims excrete into.. Sand monkeys throwing their excretions at the crowd in the Liberal Zoo..

Rational people see them all as monkeys.. The movie; "Planet of the Apes", is being played out right out your front door, daily..

[harpo11]

FRee Republic==The Eyes of the Eagle

[Diva Betsy Ross]

And don't forget... freeps are all really cute too!

[Valin]

Why yes I am, now that you mention it.







That sound you're hearing is my ego inflating to almost John McCain proportions.

[Valin]

I understand they know how to swear. Is that way cool or what.

[Popman]

I understand they know how to swear. Is that way cool or what.

They curse quite a bit, sort of like the street thug who thinks it a higher level of communication or the teenager who tries to impress his loser buddies.

It has no shock value other than to recognize that corrupted ,polluted minds like liberals don't have the capacity to develop critical thinking abilities.

[marty60]

What i find funny is that by the time MSM get stories, FR has discussed it a week before and said all that needs to be said.

[Valin]

I don't know how many times someones come up to me and said, "Did you hear about....", "Yes I read about it a couple of days ago on Freerepublic, now let me tell you the real story about this."

[Simcha7]

Shalom!

Hi...Billthedrill,

You Wrote: "Oh, look - the spelling fairy's been here!"

Thanks Alot Bill...there goes another Key Board...messed up with Sweet Hot Tea...Oy Vey!

I needed a good laugh today...Thank You.

FREEPERS ARE THE BEST!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I know what you say is true! It always is! cutiepie! :]

[marty60]

Yep...and I love it..

[Reactionary]

"In cases like Rathergate, a bogus story can be proven false, spread all over the world, and completely discrediting of the original reporter before he/she comes to work the next morning."

No kidding. We knew the entire thing was brainless propaganda within 24 hours, yet Rather kept insisting it wasn't.

The MSM is, like, so screwed.