This was almost a GBCW diary. But it's not.
I've enjoyed watching Kossacks express their delight when they finally get TU (trusted user) status. I remember the giddiness I felt when I got it. And how disappointed I was when, after a week of little activity, I lost it again. I remember how a few appearances on the recommended list and a bunch of 4's got me my mojo back, and feeling that I'd make sure to never lose it again.
I was wrong. I got troll-rated.
I thought my comment was snarky but appropriate to the discussion. That anyone disagreeing with me might engage in some debate. That a quick check at
my posting record would show that I was a good Kossack, not a right-wing sock puppet.
I was wrong. I got troll-rated along with the comment "don't push right-wing propaganda around here."
Ouch. So I explained, apologized, even got the original troll-rater to reverse the rating. Unfortunately, the cascade had begun, and after a few seesaws, my beloved TU status was lost again (final score: 2+/6-). I thought I might have to leave DailyKos in shame forever.
I was wrong. I got troll-rated, and I survived.
I posted a few more comments and got a coupla 4's. I decided that maybe I wouldn't leave DailyKos after all. That maybe I should just look at this as AFOG (Another Freakin Opportunity for Growth). So what did I learn?
- Think before you post. Snarkiness might work for Colbert and the front-pagers, but not the ordinary joe. Most people don't care what you've posted in the past, it's a lot easier to click "Troll" than have to think about it.
- It's no use apologizing. Take your lumps and let it drop. Some people will stand by the troll-rating just because it serves to hide the post from view and keeps the discussion focused on the matter at hand, rather than descending into a shouting match.
- Don't try to retaliate. I toyed with the idea of counter-troll-rating while I still had the power. Ultimately I decided that made no sense, because obviously none of the people who downrated me were trolls. It made no sense to emulate the behavior that made me so indignant.
- This is not an open forum. It's a safe space for liberal Democrats. It needs to be protected, and that means occasionally dissenting views will not be tolerated. Occasionally sounding like echo chamber is probably unavoidable.
- Don't take it so seriously. I suspect that being troll-rated is probably another rite of passage that you go through, and if I continue to speak my own mind, I will probably get into trouble again in the future. Thankfully, all I really lost was my ability to troll-rate and see hidden comments.
Perhaps if I'd read jlove1982's diary on Daily Kos, Civic Association, and Self-Regulation earlier, I could have avoided this mishap. I think this paragraph in particular points out why troll-rating needs to work the way it does (emphasis mine):
While the self-regulation speaks to a small portion of the democratic nature of the site, Daily Kos is not a democracy. It cannot be, and it should not be. The effect of a democratic Kos would in effect drown out the message and ideas behind Markos' intentions in the first place. Daily Kos would denigrate into a level of unregulated insanity, with troll-rating occurring because all groups of Trusted Users did not agree on specific points of each comment. The reason self-governance is designed to work on Daily Kos is to further the message of the website and its creator. It is a Democratic (party) weblog. In creating that standard, Daily Kos requires some form of moderation to keep its mission in place. The Trusted Users, rather than a more autocratic or authoritarian form of governance (such as a moderator) are that governance. It is not a perfect fix. There is the ever-present possibility of individuals abusing their power and rating down comments that they do not agree with rather than those that they feel are offensive. To protect against this, Kossacks must be vigilant and rate comments in the best interests of discussion in terms of the site's mission.
On the other hand, nothing teaches like experience.
So no "Goodbye Cruel World" or "Delete My Freakin' Diary, Kos" for me. I'll continue to stretch my refresh finger before Cheers and Jeers each morning, post the occasional diary about my favorite oh-so-liberal causes, including the NY-25 Congressional race and TRAC's federal government watchdog activities, and feed the tip jars of deserving diarists.
Will I be a little more careful about what I say? Probably. Will I keep from saying it? I'll see. Right now I'm still feeling a little bit bruised. But I'm still glad to have this place where I have more in common with most of the people in the mainstream. I'd much rather put my effort into defeating Republicans than pissing off my fellow Dems.