The Pubs are fucked! DU will be the triggering Mechanism.

[opihimoimoi]

We got 35,000 registered. figure on 300,000 lurkers. From students, to curious, to Pubs, to Indies, to Greens, etc etc. Except for the obstinate Pubs who come as moles and trolls, hoping to disrupt DU, many many people are learning of the deciet, the arrogance, etc that is the Republican Party.

This will have a snowball effect. Soon. This is what the Pubs are afraid of. But they are unable to stop the ball from becoming an avalanche. It is happening as we read this.

Come, we start the fires, cook the pig, chill the wine.

[scottxyz]

1. DU has great people & structure. Plus: a suggested structural improvement

If DU is to have a really serious impact, I think we should make sure we are getting the most bang out of this website as possible.

Specifically, I think there are GREAT ideas being posted here, and important news is being discussed.

I also find I get more news faster here than anywhere else on the web now. Google News is pretty good, but it's just a computer algorithm and can't compete with a bunch of live, dedicated human beings scanning for news of the world and posting their reactions.

Also the bulletin-board software and structure are really great. The ability to sort by number of edits, the avatars, the visible thread structure, implicit HTML coding rather than the cumbersome and elitist raw HTML editor over at our "evil twin" bulletin board - this helps people focus on communicating with each other instead of battling against the computer.

Now: One suggestion: DU is kind of big and intimidating to a newcomer. What about the rating system that came for a while and went? What about really useful "beginner's introductions" to hot topics (BevHarris posted one recently on Black Box Voting) - how about putting them someplace where they're easy for newcomers to get at?

Basically, what I'm saying is, how about looking for ways to help newcomers get their feet wet? Scalability is a big issue in software and in social systems. DU is a strong, growing community. It can get a lot bigger and stronger. We're on the internet - there's no reason we can't have 3 million or 30 million lurkers - why not?

Another suggestion: Ever see on craigslist.org the "Best Of" section? It's just a list postings that viewers liked a lot. Each regular posting has a button where you can click "Best Of" and somehow, if a bunch of people vote for a posting, it goes in the "Best Of" list.

DU is sort of getting this mechanism by people who give a "shameless kick" to a thread. A "social software" person would say that this shows there is a need for some way of allowing the users themselves to say "This thread is important" - without necessarily having to add a comment to it, and lengthen the thread.

[Occulus]

3. Oh, you're sooo right

It would be a good idea to put a primer page right on the main page. I introduced a coworker to DU this week- found a shopping list she had written for herself out in the open on a rack at work and wrote the website address for her. She came up to me today and actually thanked me for pointing her to it. I don't know if she has a username yet.

Still, having a page set aside, prominently linked from the main page, to describe the major issues and hazards to be aware of (such as freeper baiters) and such, would be enormously beneficial to new users. A warning of acidic comments from some users should be included.

Just my $.02.

[Old and In the Way]

6. I've been saying that for years!

I think a special section of DU should be set aside for a "Best of Series". They could be by topic, such as the Iraq War (amazes me how prescient many Duers were on how this end up as a total quagmire), I/P threads (very volatile, but very illuminating), 9/11, etc.

I'd think there are some really outstanding threads that the moderators could "vote" on (afterall, they should be rewarded for their unpaid diligence and who better to judge?). Maybe a few threads where we educated our "evil twins" on issues that they've been sadly brainwashed on, apparently from overexposure to Foxrush programming.


It would really reflect well on what this board is all about....in fact, that'd be a great thread to start...("What are your favorite all-time DU threads?")

[scottxyz]

8. DU's homepage is more welcoming than "our evil twin's"

...who shall remain nameless. (Why give them more traffic.)

But DU's homepage could be even BETTER!

I love the Bob Boudelang, the guest columns, Auntie Pinko, and Top Ten Conservative Idiots.

I think the time has come to put a few more things on the front page.

For example, for many people it might be a hurdle to sit down and actually write an essay for the front page. But, a front-page-quality essay (or a draft thereof) could bubble up within the bulletin-board threads themselves. How about nominating certain postings as "front page essays"? The original poster might want to polish or expand it a little bit, and then it could be put right up there on the DU homepage. Again, a good example of this might be BevHarris's primer on Black Box Voting. It caused quite a stir, it got lots of new people involved, I constantly want to recommend it to friends - but I can't remember where it is now!

We could focus on developing a "democratic" mechanism for summarizing and featuring important postings and threads. Nominating something as "best of" - or simply encouraging a poster to submit a post as an essay - might help this. It's hard for a website to scale if it just grows all the time - newcomers and pros can get lost. Growth can be in two dimensions - more posts, and more votes for a few "best of" posts or essays. It would be really convenient for some people to stop by every so often and see what the big issues are: Halliburton, PNAC, BBV - and let's not forget Enron, the Uranium hoax. The "issue du jour" ploy is probably something the Republicans use to their advantage - flood the world with problems, so we just get worn out responding to them all on little dissipated threads. As liberals, we are good at ramifications, splinterings, specializations. We will begin to show more strength when we tie things together, summarize, merge.

DU's homepage exhibits "blog-like" behavior in that things "slide down" the front page. If we got together and said "Hey - let's take a vote on what things should NOT slide down the front page" then it might be a great way to get newcomers interested. Most blogs have an "archive" of all the old posts. Some blogs also have a set of posts that are always displayed prominently because someone thought they were important.

This is something for the mods to think about.

[nannygoat]

15. I've been thinking the same thing!

Major topic areas like Halliburton, Harken, AWOL, Iraq war, 9/11, Selection 2000, etc. that we could send newbies to and that would serve as research libraries for those who want to write letters and articles. I think skipfox has certain topics covered but it would be nice if they were prominently linked from the DU homepage. This would actually be a great resource for our Dem politicians as well who could send their staff here.

[opihimoimoi]

16. This DU is a positive sounding board for the DEM Candidates and for swing

voters to come and see for themselves what a farce the Pubs are.

When we see the PNAC headed by Right Wing William Crystal and Company spew their one sided shit, eyes will open to the ulterior motives these assholes have.

[Andromeda]

2. 35,000 is nothing to sneeze at...

Approximately 17,000 have registered since Nov 2002. It'll probably double by Nov 2004. Would like to see more people register but we're such a wild and crazy bunch we probably scare a lot of people away.

:scared:

[Occulus]

4. Read my previous.

I think DU is an amazingly great source of info for people who want to restore the republic to We, the People. Corporate personhood, BBV, Halliraq, and many other co-mingled issues are discussed here. I do, however, think there ought to be a 'DU Primer' of sorts, ala Bev's BBV Primer.

If you don't know who/what I'm talking about there, well, that's an argument in itself for a general DU primer. There are some things that ought to be general knowledge among our user base, complete with relevant DU links.

Mods? What ya think?

[opihimoimoi]

17. The fact DU is not shrinking but growing scares the bejesus out of the PUB

s.

This is one of the reasons they come here to sully our board with denigrating threads and posts. They want to DIVIDE US. But its not working. We are stronger than WRONG AND STRONG, we are RIGHT AND STRONG. We got the TRUTH and we got what is right for AMERICA and the WORLD. They got greed and selfishness and a desire for what is good for THEM.

Bammit, its not Dualism, the us and them thingy, its HOLISM, what is best for all.

We are supposed to be looking for ways to make this Planet SUSTAINABLE!!!! The way the PUBs think, its DISPOSABLE.

A SUSTAINABLE PLANET REQUIRES MUCH FROM THE DOMINATE SPECIES.

It requires peace and plans for a better world for all of us.

[ninkasi]

5. I pray you are right...

why anyone would want to belong to a hate filled, fearful bunch like the repugs, I can't imagine. For all their flag-wrapped pseudo patriotism, they are just little cowards, quivering in their boots, fearful of everyone and everything.

Their fear leads to hatred, which makes them more fearful. What a sad, pathetic bunch they really are.

[Old and In the Way]

7. Truth shall set you free..............

When all you have to offer is flag waving, pledge of alleigence, and 'Saddam did 9/11', you can only cling to power by fanning fear and ignorance.

[GregW]

9. Come, we throw Pubs into the Halona blowhole

Wait until it's blowing, though!

[opihimoimoi]

13. The opposite, wait till its sucking

that'll get their attention

[Must_B_Free]

19. Hey Pubs! Stick your head in this hole and have a look!

!

[oasis]

10. We give 'em the scoops on PNAC

www.newamericancentury.org

[JCMach1]

11. 35,000 Opinion Leaders

How many do we influence???

Quite a few I suspect.

[peabody71]

12. The DU will be responsible if vote reform becomes a reality.

It looks like its going our way at this point.
We can all pat ourselves on the back.
And thank God for the internet and the Democratic Underground!!
Also, thank you Bev Harris!

[opihimoimoi]

14. Yes, we must thank people like Bev Harris

Far too many to list here but the effect is happening and the Pubs are worried.

[kodi]

18. DU's power is in gathering people who are getting information out

the site is the best "rapid response" thing i ever saw.

the democratic nominee should take a page from this site and engage a staff who do nothing but glean what is presented here for their ammunition against the busheviks and their plans for perpetual economic dominance.

[ignatius]

20. Woo Hoo, let's all vow to dance barefoot

in the street,it is damned cold here in Indy, in November 04 when we boot the bastards out of the White House!!!

[gristy]

21. Fund Raising Idea

I think DU should do more mainstream advertising. The more people who sign up, the more who will make a donation for a star, and the more fundraising you can then afford to do.

DU is growing. Its members are telling their friends, they check it out, some sign up, get hooked, and they tell their friends. This process takes time, but the RATE OF GROWTH of membership is not completely out of our control. So here's one idea:

If I had $300,000 to spare (I don't), I'd give it to DU and ask them to mail a DU Tshirt (and, maybe, a bumpersticker) to every member. (Note to DU: be sure to use American-made Tshirts and American-based silkscreeners).

What if DU had a specific fundraising drive (and if you haven't given before, you get a star) to do exactly this? Or maybe to fund some other advertising campaign? Say, a full-page ad in the NY Times ($50K-$100K I think).

DU should make an active effort to grow its membership with advertising.

[catzies]

22. But, wouldn't accepting ads be a slippery slope?

The opposition could claims ideas/opinions are formed/supported/promoted by the advertisers. I like DU's independence.

[opihimoimoi]

23. Certainly money is very important but its not the only way

Advertisements if done properly could help

But it does have a down side.

What Skinner guys do is up to them.

perhaps in a novel way precluding negative results?

[Ouabache]

24. What if we individually took out a local want-ad s ??

In local papers where we live. 2 line ads are really pretty cheap.
We could hit mainstream papers, and alternative and the 'for sale' weekly papers too.

A cheap want ad could look like this:
***************************************
Wanted: Americans who want the truth
see: www.democraticundergound.com
****************************************

another>>

***************************************
Wanted: Voters sick of Geroge Bush
see: www.democraticunderground.com
****************************************

Would we get in trouble with Skinner?

[opihimoimoi]

25. Best to run it past the Skinner for feed back

Personally, I think its a wonderful idea

[Octafish]

26. Ripples.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Address of Senator Robert F. Kennedy: Day of Affirmation
University of Capetown, South Africa
June 6, 1966

SOURCE:

http://www.rfkmemorial.org/RFK/affirmation2.htm

[ewagner]

27. Some great ideas!

You are all a pretty creative bunch.

I like the idea of an Issues Primer forum. It would educate newbie on the facts upon which some threads are based.

I'm a little skiddish about suggesting this, but how about another forum for "Politically Incorrect Bashing"? The flaming threads could be moved there and nobody who didn't intend to go there would have to put up with really objectionable threads. Sort of a truth in advertising or informed consent forum.