Sunday Open Thread 04-12-15
Caucus99percent site history and site meta. Please read this all the way through, folks, especially the end, it's important for the future of this site.
Good morning 99percenters!
First up, a little site meta. The autoplay problem with the Video button in the editor toolbar has been corrected, you can now embed videos easily and quickly by clicking the "Insert Video" button and enter the video url in the top box, select "OK" and you're done, give it a try. It also works with many different sources (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.). When I get some time I'll write a FAQ explaining all the various functions of the toolbar. Most of the buttons work by simply highlighting the text that you want wrapped with HTML code and then selecting the appropriate button in the toolbar, it will automatically wrap the text. It's very easy once you get used to it. Open a diary and just play with the buttons and then just cancel the diary or leave the page, that's the best way to learn what each button does.
Still haven't been able to fix the bug in the tags field. You may have noticed the Ajax error when filling it out. I've been wrestling with that monster for a while now and I'm not sure, from what I've read, that it is correctable. Drupal is going to be wheeling out a totally revamped version 8 (we use v.7) and the way I understand it, it's a very common problem that's pretty much been forgone since it will be corrected in v.8 and then backported to v.7. so I think we'll just have to live with it until then, although I will keep trying to find the bug. The tags field was originally mandatory to fill out but after we started getting the Ajax errors, it was made to be optional rather than disable it totally. If you go slow and let the little blue spinning wheel stop spinning, you can fill it out. Or do like I do and type as fast as you can and then close the error message and do it all over again. Sometimes it works fine like it did just now when I filled it out for this diary (it could be that it's a browser issue). I know it's a pain but it is what it is, I don't have Kos' budget or a team of code monkeys to dig into it.
All feeds to the Aggregator have been disabled except the World News feeds and I've noticed a definite improvement in the site performance.
Now for some c99p history. This site has been live for a little over 3 months, since Jan. 7 to be exact. At the moment we have 75 members. This site was built with Drupal, an open source software package that can be downloaded for free. It is a widely used CMS (Content Management System) with many sites large and small using it across the web.
Last winter I decided I would teach myself the Drupal system and build a site. I created a local developmental environment to learn the program. What that means is I downloaded and installed a bundled package of software onto my personal computer to learn from rather than do it all on an actual web hosting account. The bundled software package included the Drupal program, an Apache server program and a MySql data base program, everything that's needed to run a Drupal site. It took a couple of days to install, troubleshoot and get it up and running. It then took a couple of weeks of pretty intensive study to learn the ins and outs of building an actual site or blogsite to be more accurate. There were many hours of trial and error, head-to-desk contact and saying the hell with it and almost giving up a couple of times, but I muddled through it and eventually figured it out.
After getting an operable site up and running on my personal computer, the time came to upload all of it to a web server and go live with it. That took about another two weeks as there were many new hurdles to jump over, bugs to work out and several hours on the phone with the web host. Finally it all clicked and came together and it was time to invite some folks in to do some beta testing. It took a few days to get it operable enough to actually function as a blog. Some of you will remember those beta testing days. Fast forward three months and here we all are.
An estimate was obtained last fall to build a caucus blogsite and if I recall correctly it came in a little over $4,500.00. After going through the rigmarole involved to build this one, I have to say that that is reasonable. What did I charge to build this site? Well the software cost $00.00, my labor came in at $00.00 and the web hosting cost under $100.00, paid for by a few generous members. Why did I do all of this for nothing?
I'm a staunch leftie that believes firmly in the cause. I admittedly am not much of a writer, so this was my way of doing my part for the cause (more about the cause in a bit). I honestly get a kick out of seeing folks enjoy this site. Seeing that makes it all worth while for me. My work is seasonal, that's why I pushed so hard over the winter months to get this place up and running, I have a lot of spare time in the winter and I truly enjoy learning technical computer stuff, everything I know tech-wise is self taught, so taking a month or so to get this built gave me something to do. Even though it was hectic at times, I enjoyed it. Sometimes I pinch myself over it's initial success, I had my doubts during the building process but pushed on none the less.
Whose site is this? It's your site. I built it and maintain it for free, but it's your site, it's our site. You guys and gals make it what it is, I'm just the nuts and bolts guy. We're going to need this place in the coming months and I hope it keeps growing. The trick to growing a blogsite is content, content, content. That's where you guys and gals come in, I supply the platform and you supply the content, for the cause, and so far it seems to be working rather well and I thank you all for that.
Now about that "cause" thing. Now that it's built and operable, where do we want to go with this site? How do we want to use it? What are it's goals? And most importantly: How do we use this site to affect the upcoming election? Since this is your site, our site, I'll open the floor for suggestions. Thank you all, you are great folks.
Oh, yeah, this is also an open thread, so talk the talk.
Comments
Thanks Shiz for the terrific comments you bring
to this site. Shiz, you add so much to this site and I am so glad you came on board.
One small clarification about Occupy. It is true that I was involved with Occupy Tallahassee, but we were a very small group and I came on board after they were established. AoT and Lady Libertine were both more heavily involved in their Occupy groups as well as Tool who has not joined us, but I really wish he would.
Also, I am just catching up on the diaries and comments after missing a couple of days due to our having company over the weekend. It is so good to see how much engagement we have here now and I expect to see it build.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Oops, sorry about the Occupy labeling there. Heh.
Thanks for the sweet words. You have always been so very nice to me, and I love ya.
I'll be working on a diary about sexist issues, and one about LGBT issues, in the coming week. In the mean time, I've also taken on OT for Saturdays. I'm happy to be involved however I can, and I hope this site keeps hopping along like it has been. It's a wonderful place.
Hope you have fun with your house guests!
I miss Colorado.
Heh!
Nothing to be sorry about. I just did not want people to think I was a full time camper or anything like that. I really wish I had been more a force in my local Occupy. It was a wonderful experience except for the terminally long GA's. And it really helped focus me on more overt activism.
I love you too!
You say things in a way I wish I could. I am so glad you are here with us. We are now starting to jell as a site and I think we will be even better with more content. I am looking forward to your diaries. What is great about this site is anything goes as long as we treat each other with respect. That should make for some great discussions.
We had one house guest and another set of out of town friends. The guys rode a major local bike ride on Saturday (over 1200 riders from all over the US and Canada) and then I had a bunch over for dinner. I had low country boil and a vegetarian lasagna. Too much food, but I will not be cooking for a couple of days.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
JtC thank you so much for all of your work
This site is great. And only took a few months to get great. I am so happy to be a part of it.
The suggestion of keeping the address but dropping the "Caucus" could work. One doesn't need to be part of Occupy to appreciate that name. Occupy did us all a great service by putting the idea of the 99% out there. Sure it makes class analysis oversimplified, but, I still believe, "the 99%" is a great place to start in understanding how the deepest class division works in the USA.
Thanks again Johnny. And whenever you need to collect that $100 bucks, just let us know! Even an old semi-retired lady like me can kick in a few bucks.
Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons
I don't really care whether or not we keep "The Caucus"
But I have to say, I see some humor, as well as much truth in naming the site:
"The Caucus of the 99%" "
Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons
Thank you JR...
I take that as a great compliment, no one works harder for "the cause" than you do. I'd have to check around but I would imagine 99percent is already well used by websites.
The fees for the site are a long ways off yet, not until November of December, I'd have to check. Thanks for the offer.
Keep up your diligent work, sister!
just thoughts from a day or two in response........
Okay.
To answer your questions, smiley...
Contributors can and have laid it down as they see it, there will be no censoring unless WAY over the top, and we'll all know it when/if it happens.
So far no need for control or rules, DBAD is fine for now but that could change depending on what happens. Everyone is welcome here as long as they're not here just to disrupt or DBAD, diversity is a good thing.
Yes, we know about eyeballs = diaries, diaries = eyeballs.
How can you help. You've been doing fine so far in that regard.
Thanks, smiley.
The only rule here is don't be dick.
I think we see where good karma takes us. As far as I am concerned, we are a leftist political blog with no party affiliation or loyalty. No topic is verboten, including the topics DailyKos bans. We are all adults here and capable of disagreeing with each in a open-minded manner. How can you help? Write diaries, email Johnny and ask to be part of an open thread schedule, recruit people you know would enjoy an alternative to the rigid, furious, and banal dailykos, add a link to the site in your dailykos sig line.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
heh, the rule makes me privileged
by default I can't be a dick, as I have none.
Don't get upset, that's my way of being sarcastic. Because what is one person's humor, or one person's cynical or sarcastic comment, is another person's personal insult. This should not be considered as an insult, please.
To tell you the truth, I found that "rule" ridiculous and a cop-out from any decisions of how to "make commentators behave civil" on dailykos. If you tell someone, dbad, it's usually not accepted as a justified demand and the bickering goes on and on endlessly or it ends up with an apology, which then often is a no-pology and with a person silently mad to have had to apologize for something he/she thought was not a thing to apologize for.
So, it ends up that someone follows the whole threads and then finally pulls the "warning" "time out" or "ban" switch. Holy hell breaks out when that happens. The worst is when the readers trigger that decision by massive HR themselves.
Instead of a self-censoring community, it can be viewed as allowing the community "taking the law into their own hands" and usually that ends in a shoot-out. It enhances people digging up year-old comments from other readers, behave like the preying eyes of some stasi-like behind the scenes invisible overlord and is not a tool of transparency.
So, I am not impressed by DBAD. It hasn't worked very well on the gos, or do you believe it has? That being said I certainly try not to be a dick, whatever that is supposed to mean. You could as well say "please interact in friendly ways and if you feel you have to get into a verbal fist fight, take it somewhere else and leave it".
Someone owns the house you are in. That person sets the "tone". If the owner thinks you behave badly in his house, he has a right to ask you to go elsewhere and you have to accept it.
Ownership of sites like this one are unclear to me.
It is said it's OUR house. But I think that's a nice thing to say, but whoever runs this site technically (JtC) and may be spiritually so to speak, basically in the end of the day "owns" the site. And that's ok with me.
This site has made an improvement in that it doesn't encourage automatic HR and doesn't make the identities of who rec'd a comment and diary visible.
It forces the participants to verbalize their disagreements, which is imo better, but also doesn't mean it will for sure jave a much better outcome.
If people disagree about something, they decide to shut up about it after a while and think may be they don't want to associate with the whole site instead just with the one person online they disagree with. That's then a loss for a site who brings together lots of thoughtful writers.
I am sure in real life, people make such decisions all the time, you get to know someone and make up your mind of how you view that person and adjust your interactions with that person accordingly. No one would think that is inappropriate to do. You do not leave other persons behind though, it's a one-to-one decision in real life, whereas it is the case of the same interaction online, you leavie behind a whole site, which is a loss to the site.
Commenting seems to me a basic need for many people, but not for all. It also can develop in a dependency as your only social communication outlet. That dependency can be manipulated and used for purposes that are not necessarily "well-meaning".
What would you say if someone said DBAV. Hmm I even don't dare to translate it, but may be you guess it?
For example if I feel my comments are "not well taken emotionally by some readers" my reaction would be to try not to bother anymore those persons with my own opinions. (Contrary to what I am doing right now) That's then something like a withdrawal, which many people then take as a matter to be disloyal and not supportive of the political goals a site might, or of disloyalty to certain writers on that site you have respected for their work.
I guess one has to live with such conflicting feelings and make ones own decisions how to interact online. More and more I feel suffocated by an overwhelming amount of commentating, while at the same time feeling a need to explain myself. That can't go on forever. So, I guess where I will end up along those issues. Silent.
IMHO, it boils down to
This is my opinion, but I think it pretty much summarizes what most of us early members wanted to see here. We have no problems with disagreement. In fact, we encourage lively discussions and diverse opinions. We just want them to be on a civilized level, not trolling or name calling. I think what we are trying to do here is to keep this place in an adult level of discussion, not allowing it to devolve into kindergarten childish spats and name calling.
If I am wrong, I would hope someone would correct me.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
I agree...
with your assessment of the term DBAD but it is generally understood by all who participate here, maybe DBAA would be better, Don't Be An Asshole. DBAD is subjective, it's pretty difficult to be too specific about what is acceptable and what isn't, everyone has their own tolerance levels. But when true dickishness rears it's ugly head it's readily recognizable.
oh sure, I just was a little tasering and tried to
voice my views on the whole shebang of trying to get people to be civil. There are no easy ways and we all know when there are the A's and the D's coming out from behind the bushes. I hope I got my tolerance levels up a bit with age. Sometimes though I get cranky. I hope you and I will survive that too... and then we have always the blues and the music and the beautiful things to enjoy.
ha! Deval Patrick joins Bain Capital
this should be good for a couple of laughs
Okay, someone explain to me
the difference between the two major parties?
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
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