Welcome, New Users, to Daily Kos. This Diary is intended to help you orient yourself to the site and ask questions about how to use it.
In the Body of this diary you will find some links intended to get you participating more effectively. Also in the Body this week is a discussion of Updates.
After that you can ask me any question you want. I don't know all the answers so if you stump me, you do. I invite those wiser than I to contribute and correct (or raise a ruckus, just don't scare people).
No permission slips needed, join us at the deep end of the pool for adult swim.
If your user id (hover your mouse over your name in any comment, look at the status bar in the bottom of your browser) is larger than 230575 you probably haven't had the opportunity to participate in one of the Welcome New Users diaries here at Daily Kos.
That would be 2282 of you, more or less.
Before we begin, a brief word from our sponsor:
Everyone is encouraged to review some of the previously written goodness that survives here in the DKos archives.
* Other diaries in the Welcome New Users Series.
* The Welcome New Users dKosopedia page.
And finally, as DarkSyde eloquently stated:
With the exception of trolls, we're glad you're here!
Note:
The realm of Welcome New Users has evolved. For now, it will be hosted alternately by smileycreek and myself, LaughingPlanet. We hope that any attempt to revive this effort is appreciated by those who got the ball rolling, and especially the person who wrote literally dozens of such entries over the years.
OK, so...What's an update?
I'm glad you asked!
Updates are added to diaries when new information comes to light. Updating one's diary is essential in many cases. It's one of the luxuries of blogging vis a vis publishing dead tree writing.
For example, if your diary is titled Mark Twain is Dead, and it turns out the wire reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated, you may want to update your diary, even especially if it's on the rec list.
There are a number of ways to update your diary. Perhaps starting with the easiest one is in order:
Deleting your diary
You have posted a terse, repetitive or otherwise unfortunate diary. It has not been received like you had hoped.
Instead of a rec list berth and lots of kudos, the comments have been filled with recipes, pootie pics, and YouTube videos of hair bands.
Instead of updating your diary with a lame excuse about how everyone is wrong, your best move is to erase your mistake. It's the very reason that pencils have that pink thing on one end, and Daily Kos has the Delete Diary button.
Another bad idea:
Thanks to our resident jester, we have a great example of what not to do with your Updates. Let's try to avoid such tomfoolery, shall we?
Standard Update
A cursory glance at jotter's daily diaries will give you some glimpses of different types of updates. Usually a few of the diaries that made the rec list end up getting updated.
Usually, people will add their update at the end of the diary. The most classic of such updates is the weepy Sally Field when someone cracks the Great Eight for the 1st time. A classic take on this update can be found here.
However cute it may seem, I would suggest resisting the urge for such unnecessary updating, not that I could resist.
Adding the time of the update is very important. Otherwise, people may wonder if and when certain news broke, etc. Adding your name is also helpful, as it is possible (in rare cases) that an editor from the site is compelled to edit a diary.
My latest trick is to simply copy the last line of my fancy pre-posted tip jar (below the sig line) and add the word in front like so:
__
Update by LaughingPlanet on Thursday, February 04, 2010 9:12:23 AM
This is not really an update but merely some gibberish to show what it would look like if this were an actual update. This has only been a test.
__
Setting the text apart from the initial text helps the reader (as I did with this: __). If the words are merely added without setting them apart somehow, can be problematic for comprehension. It might also break the time-space continuum and open wormholes.
Changing the time accordingly is all that's left to do.
I've seen better style from some folks using [brackets] or ++other symbols++, but for the life of me, I can't find ♥anything♥ at the ♬moment♬.
It's also a good idea to resist over-updating a diary.
Really? "Over-updating" a diary?
Yes; lemme splain.
Various factors are in play. Does your diary have a YouTube embedded? If so, I highly recommend taking great pains to have your diary fully edited before publishing. It is very annoying when you are watching an embedded YouTube and the page reloads. Now imagine it happening to someone on dial-up... There goes your Recommend! (Trust me; I think that's what happened to me here [#2 on the search just below])
Also, is your diary doing just fine without an update? In fact, might an update cheapen or otherwise worsen your diary?
Case in point:
I like the search function. This little item I've added to my blogroll ("best of the rest") after I started noticing I had a large number of diaries with a huge impact without making the rec list.
Notice the diary atop the list.
Puppy Delayed!!! Impeach NOW!!!! (Updated x3)
LaughingPlanet 04/08/2009 11:58:03 PST 98 * 0.762
No number of recs; just an asterisk. That normally happens only for searched front page stories.
While I've yet to inquire about the truth about the asterisk that resides where a number should be, I like to believe it's because of my silly updates. Every now and then, only about once per month these days, a diary is tapped for the Daily Kos front page. Was my goofy diary about Obama's puppy on the verge of being promoted? Perhaps I'll never know. But this anecdote serves the purpose of illustrating the importance of the update and the associated risks therein.
Some exceptions apply, including Live Blogs, and urgent breaking items which change the entire nature of the topic.
If you are super cool like UID#6, you can use Roman Numerals and look all smart and shit.
Miscellany:
This short list appeared in my 1st foray into this series. I've decided it is helpful enough to re-post in my bimonthly Welcome New Users diary until further notice:
Recurring Suggestions
* Try to read a variety of different authors on topics that interest you. Letting one or two authors summarize an issue often leaves too much to be desired. I've often found my opinion changed as the result of a diary that responds directly to one I recommended.
* Recommend lots of diaries and comments. What does it cost you? Nothing. People work pretty hard on their work here. Giving them a pat on the back is a tiny thing that means a lot to some folks. The worst thing that can happen is that the diary you recommend pushes another diary off the rec list which was already there. Keeping the rec list fresh is not a bad thing.
A few recurring diaries that I always recommend without a 2nd thought include High Impact Diaries, Top Comments, IGTNT, and Overnight News Digest (OND).
* Play nice. There is no "Edit Comment" button. Once you hit "Post Comment", it is there FOREVER. The golden rule does apply to the internet despite myraid reams of evidence that might lead you to believe otherwise.
In addition, I will merely add one random thought upon which you may briefly chew that I'll call
Suggestion of Teh Month [sic]
Before posting your comment in a particular diary, go ahead and scan the previous comments to see if someone else already mentioned what's on your mind. Sure, it might cost you a unit of mojo or two, but think of all the embarrassment it might also save!
How often has someone asked a question in the comments (usually replying to the tip jar), only to see that just below their own comment it has already been asked and answered? Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I saw that, I'd still be broke, but I'd have a few nickels anyway.