Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The Greatest Website in the History of Websites
Here’s the deal: Ricochet is a great website. I would say The Greatest Website in the History of Websites, but I’m admittedly biased. So let’s look at this objectively.
First, consider our podcasts. Most political blabfests sound like they’re being broadcast on a ham radio 20 feet below a busy third-world harbor. And how many times can you have the same 10 marginal hosts interview each other about last month’s conventional wisdom? Obviously, there are some good ones out there, but few that are Ricochet-good.
Our flagship podcast is hosted by the guy who wrote “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” the guy who wrote “Cheers,” and the ur-blogger who blessed the Internet with Art Frahm. I don’t want to be rude, but no one else can compete with that (no matter how much of Lileks’s content Buzzfeed steals). Our other podcasts are hosted by Charles C.W. Cooke and Kevin Williamson and Jim Geraghty and Jay Nordlinger and Mona Charen and James Delingpole and … look, I can’t even count them all. There isn’t a radio station around with Ricochet’s level of in-house talent and insight.
And then you have the writing. Granted, my work is amazing — everyone knows that. But stop reading my brilliant prose for 60 seconds and scroll down to see everything else we’ve posted over the past few days. News, analysis, sports, entertainment, comedy, personal narratives … everything the voracious reader needs at one address. And half of it was written by our genius members!
Yes — every Ricochet member is a genius. If you’ve ever read the comments, you already knew that. We must be the only site that encourages you to read the responses. You’ve seen the comment sections everywhere else, right? Might as well read IMDB’s quotes section for Idiocracy.
So, yeah, Ricochet pretty much is The Greatest Website in the History of Websites.
How do we keep up these amazing standards in podcasting, writing, and commentary? You.
By chipping in a small amount of dough (about three bucks a month, or the price of a grande latte at Starbucks) we keep the lights on, the mics hot, and the conversation popping. Then every time you listen or read or comment, you can stretch back in your Barcalounger and think, yeah, I built that. And if you want to do more than comment, you can write your own posts.
So skip one latte a month and join the conversation. If we ever meet (hopefully at one of our many member meetups) I’ll even buy you a cup of joe to make up for the lost latte. And it’ll taste better than Starbucks, I guarantee you.
Let me sweeten the deal … have a free month on me. You won’t regret it and we’ll never stop thanking you.
Published in General
This has me reaching for my wallet, and I’m already a member.
Why? I am even now winging my way across the US, and the Ricochet comments section is keeping me sane. That’s why.
Done!
It is the greatest site, no kidding. It’s my favorite at least!
And where else can one see the digital equivalent of a Russian tea doll?
I was so amazed that I had to join! My conscience is clear that I am now paying for the great content I enjoy & not sucking off the collective membership teet. Excited to see all the extras I am able to access as well. Great job!
Welcome, both of you!
You also get max who delivers exempluary customer service
Welcome aboard!
That took a long time to do. Glad someone appreciates my genius!
Thank you very much, Marni! Enjoy!
Feel like I’m doing an altar call…
“Every head bowed, every eye closed, who wants to be a Ricochet member? Yes, thank you… I see that hand, thank you.”
(Can you tell I’ve spent many years in a Baptist church?)
I think I joined some time ago. But I forget how the billing works. I guess if I owe you guys money you’ll let me know. Right now I have to watch the Mets.
Aw shucks, exjon called us geniuses (or is it genii). Where’s that Reagan-level upgrade button?
Please come in. There is always more room at Ricochet.
Regards,
Jim
Pretty darn good Photoshops, too.
It’s so true. Ricochet is the website that made its own editor have a nervous breakdown because her computer broke and she couldn’t hang out all day on Ricochet — for one day. And note: Editing Ricochet is her job, i.e., what a body’s obliged to do.
I’m trying to figure out exactly what we did to make this site so addictive (and hoping no one sues us because of it). I think it really is the sense of community. Come to think of it, maybe Rob Long’s influence isn’t a coincidence. Because …
Ur-blogger! I’ll take that. Lileks.com is twenty years old in a few months. May Ricochet last twice as long.
The endlessly self-recursive graphic is terrific. I actually thought it was EJ’s until he commented.
Plus we got a comment from Lileks. I grew up reading Lileks. Now my kids are reading Lileks.
I love Ricochet, but the greatest website in history is the Indiana DMV website. It allows me to do all me DMV stuff online and avoid visiting the DMV, getting an number, and waiting for hours every year. OK once every 6 years I still have to visit and update my photo on my license, but now, due to others using the website, it only takes a few minutes. Seriously last time I went arrival to departure was less than 10 minutes. It gives me more time to spend on Ricochet.
It’s Ricochet all the way down.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Three Martini Lunch are top-tier podcasts but why do they get a shout-out over one of the oldest and the greatest Ricochet podcasts, GLoP Culture?
Yeah, but I don’t know many funny Baptists. So I’m guessing there’s some Lutheran DNA.
I’ve never had a latte, and I’ve never been inside a Starbucks. Does that make me a square?
Squares rule.
Just drink whatever sludge you find in the coffeepot at the trailer on the jobsite.
Putting this on my mirror for when I have a conversation with my 15 year old.
Hi, I’m PsychLynne and I was a funny Baptist. Of course, I”m not Baptist anymore…but there is a remnant…
Now that I think about it, maybe I was more irreverent than funny…
I had no inkling back when I read Lileks in the MN Daily that I’d still even remember who he was decades later. The more things change…..
I wish Mona and Jay would change the frenetic Khachaturian Sabre Dance for something…better. Or just drop it.
Actually, I sort of like the minimalism of MD&E. Content is king. Just get going and when you’re done, say goodbye and end it.
I really prefer the comment format at Instapundit and PJ Media over Ricochet.
Why can’t we just hit “reply” and respond to a commenter right below his/her comment? This business of quoting giant blocks of someone’s comment and then having it show at the end of the line just makes things confusing and unnecessarily wordy and long.
I also prefer that the newest comments appear at the top instead of the bottom.
And I like how Instapundit’s highest rated comments are pushed to a special group at the top. The cream, as they say, floats upward.
So, sorry. From this paid-up subscriber, Ricochet is not quite the greatest website in the history of websites. Yet.