Aug 21 2007

Welcome, Elite Bloggers of the World, to Docudharma

(Bumped! ….because I can! – promoted by buhdydharma )

Howdy Folks, and welcome!

Let me start off by saying that to start off we have no real idea of where we are going….but isn’t that always true at the start of a new journey?

Where we are hoping to go and where we ultimately end up may be very different, so let’s talk about where we PLAN to go. What we would like to see happen….and who knows, it might even come to be so.

All of us here love Daily Kos, and I would guess most of us love it best for the creative and community aspects of it. And while we all know that the stated purpose of electing Democrats is not SOLELY what it is about, that stated mission ….plus other factors….does impose some limitations on the Great Orange Playground.

Here we are hoping to provide/create the same type of community – albeit slightly less crowded – but with far fewer limitations and restrictions. And if possible, even more creative thought.

I want to stress that even though my name is (sorta) on the masthead, I want this blog to belong to ALL of us here. Input is VERY welcome on all levels. I would very much like this to be about US blogging the future,and thus in our small way, helping to create it. I will surrender to consensus as much as possible, but I have found that someone has to have the last word and take responsibility…that someone is me. But… I do NOT ‘own’ the community.

That being said, NO ONE will will you what you cannot write about here….including for example theories on 9/11….though I trust we are all too intelligent for much of that kind of stuff. Pedophilia is about the only thing that will draw objections, lol. The point being that no subject matter nor speculative thought is, to coin a phrase….off the table.

So please, take your shoes off and relax and let your creative juices unlimber and flow. Go where thou wilt. Being us, we will talk a lot about politics and the current idiocies occurring in the world around us….I’m sure we will resemble dkos quite a bit in that regard. But fiction is welcome, as is poetry as is just about anything else you want to try. I am not guaranteeing a you will get a positive response, hahaha, I am just saying you will not be reproved for trying it or banned for going out on a limb. (Speaking of which, the first subject for community discussion can be our moderation system….input is very much wanted there…but more on that later.)

The very, very general concept is providing a vision of what the future can be….and to keep us a BIT reality based, how to get there from here.

Allow me to reprint the Mission Statement.

Passion, politics, poetry, prose and ponies. Silliness, snark and a serious effort to frame the future. A river of words, thought, philosophy and action that nourishes and transforms the political cultural and social landscape through which it passes. That is the spirit behind this “place.”

In practice…write whatever the hell you want! There are no rigid restrictions here, it is a salon and a laboratory and a place to create a new reality. A reality based on compassion, empathy and caring for the people and the planet, while acknowledging the harsh realities of the world we live in and the difficulty of the tasks ahead. The complexities of greed, corruption and the petty politics of ‘human nature’ in the face of climate crisis and seven billion souls …will not be overcome by black and white solutions or electoral processes, but by becoming the change we wish to see and helping others to do the same. Not through top down enforcement, but through people working together, a model of cooperation, not competition.

In other words….Hey Kids! Let’s put on an evolution! This is a place for each of us to do our 1/seven billionth of that together, and hopefully speed the process of change along through a synergy of our ideas, intentions  and actions. Now let’s get out there and change the world!

We know that the country and the world NOW is in a lot of trouble. We know that Congress ain’t gonna do much about it before the next election….Though of course we are all working to modify that!

So that leaves us some time to think about how to create a world that is NOT in so much trouble…and we certainly have the brainpower gathered here to take a good stab at it!

And along the way have some fun, share and create some community spirit, and explore new and exciting ways to express ourselves.

Ready, set……GO!….okay, well not quite yet but we should be open for registration and commenting tomorrow morning…..and then……GO!

127 comments

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  1. The existence of Docudharma is till a secret until we officially launch!
    Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

  2. I thought we were Dirty Fucking Hippies!  Maybe that’s just me.  😉

  3. i would say SOME stuff should be off-limits- bigotry, advocation of violence, pooties…

    and we certainly don’t want this to turn into another i/p flame war site, or another kos-bashing site- there are enough of them, anyway…

    i would love if some of the talented people who left dk (for one or another reason) found their ways here, not to nurse old grudges, but to participate and give their best. people start with clean slates, but if they begin to revisit old battles, we need to tell them to stop- or leave.

    overall, i think we will be more rambunctious and more playful, but still with hard-hitting politics. there should be more art, more random intellectuality, and more in-depth issues analysis. we can do our partisan politics and horse race stuff on dk. some of that here, too; but more of a focus on issues, on redefining what it is to be a modern liberal, and how to truly transform our society and body politic towards true justice and fairness.

    1. incomplete….we are the elite, blogging, Dirty Fucking Hippies of the world….plus Armando!

      1. that we can demote you!

        bwa ha ha ha ha!

      2. is the only way a site like this can work.

        I am planning the worlds first internet consensus zen dictatorship

        Not the first my friend! I wuz there first!

        1. about what government should do?

        2. the bastards.

          Screw it.  Where’s the bar?

        3. as a big time front pager?

          You realize that the hard part of being an FP’r is….governing……, right?

          Besides…if you write an original article a week….you ARE a front pager!

          Anti-anti-libertarian bias.

          1. HA!

        4. there goes the neighborhood.

  4. I believe in transparency so I’ll make this suggestion in public.

    I think your ratings should be labeled-

    4. Pony!
    1. Wrong! (I’m open to improvement on this one)
    0. Troll.

    On “Troll” first-

    It has an accepted internet definition as well as a cultural one given my background.

    Abuse, bullying, stalking, lying, posts meant to inflame or incite.

    You might soften it by calling it “Hide”.  I am completely in favor of hiding things.

    “Wrong!”-

    I thoroughly disapprove of what you have said and it makes me question your motives and/or intellect.  I’m entirely open to “No Pony for you!” or other variations.

    “Pony!”-

    This is budhy’s blog, we give out ponies.

    So that’s my thinking.

    Also the numeric values should not be explicit, but disguised if possible to prevent casual gaming and allow for future adjustment.

    1. faster than a ‘rate all’ button the magic mouse of ek ♥ you all.

      Beware my wrath.

  5. I’m so happy with this mission.  I’m excited to be a part of it.

    Let’s do it!

    1. pony, pie, and troll?

      actually, that’s all too cutesy. we definitely don’t want to be cutesy. other blogs do that just fine. or something.

    2. re: disguising the numbers 
      pacified told me that someone else requested this before – he’s not sure if he coded it or not.  That feature may be ‘coming soon’. 

  6. once a community is established, and we have people who can commit to doing it, we have a nightly fp post that combines t/c and diary rescue, but goes beyond them. rather than having rangers, we have people email both diaries and comments- but here’s the kicker: it’s not just from our blog. it’s from all blogs- the best comments and non rec list diaries from ours, from dk, from wherever. we call it “best of the blogs.” the host doesn’t have to do an extensive diary, although that’s okay, if they want; but it’s a nightly community and blogosphere roundup.

    and one other thought- the menu and recent list shouldn’t have a different type. keep it simple. keep the layout as understated as possible. that’s one of the things that works for dk, and one of the things that doesn’t work on mlw. and given that we will (as opposed to dk) have graphics-intensive fpers, keeping the layout as simple and straightforward as possible will provide the easily navigated structure within which everything dances.

    1. but it hasn’t shown up!

      Help!?!?!

    • melvin on August 21, 2007 at 19:08
    • #

    I’ve found your secret garden.

    So when do we cut loose? I am blue from holding my breath as my beloved T&P is down with some serious ailment. Fit to explode with my lame bullshit penetrating analysis and commmentary.

    Have to play around here for a while. Sorry in advance if I break anything.

    1. Especially featuring the best stuff from other blogs.

      It’s something I’ve thought about doing on dK, but I wasn’t sure about the PC of it.

      Once a week we can do a stupidity round up too of places like RS, LGF, FR.  I say we call it Doh! and put a graphic of Homer Simpson on it.

      1. be 49281.  It would show we were really making it.

          1. I think I’m going to pre-post some culture question diaries if that’s ok with you.

            Nothing controversial, but I’ve already started to talk with OTB about colors and stuff like that and I think input is a good thing.

            The one I can think of right off is “Presentation-  Look and Feel”

            Another one would be “FAQ-  What goes in it?”

            Politeness and Civility is it’s own little flame war.  Someone should develop a roll out schedule.

            StuFf like that I think is each worth it’s own thread and with your permission I’ll put them up tonight so we can get started.

      2. wait until I get back from Burning Man (Sept. 3)

        …please

        OPOL is going to help with the color scheme and graphics and make it all work together.

        We should wait for buhdy to get settled too.

        1. I love new Locals.

          It’s getting the first 20 members that’s the toughest.  After that you can start doing projects.

          All you have to do is give me the charter member fee of $25.  It’s a discount, regular membership is $50.

        2. I am number 16 so, I guess that puts you slightly ahead of schedule.  The eight has been doubled, a day early.

              1. will suffice for OPOL.

                AFAIAC, anyway.

                1. I’m lookin’ to see if you can teach me a few tricks, oh.

                  Forget that crap about old dogs. (Referring to myself, of course.)

                  ;>)

                  1. semi-eponymous acronyms, right off the bat.

            3. it would be your confession that you’ve always supported impeachment, but were too shy to admit it.

          2. where you are Bad For Docudharma!

            Yay!

            Just for the record, dooood, I want your input on absolutely everything. If you don’t like something PLEASE raise a big stink about it.

            I want us to be challenging and challenged and I desire a palpable friction of ideas.

            Watching the whole FLH saga at MLW really brought something ho,e gfor me….it is NOT civility that is essential for good and real debate, Holland was always (cleverly) pretty civil.

            It is an assumption and/or granting of being in a “good faith” argument.

            I have no real idea how to do it, but that is what I want to try to foster here.

            Hopefully, “I call Bullshit” will become a stock phrase here….but NOT on our opponents…..On methods and forms of argument that have been imposed and accepted by the Fox News republican Spin Era.

            Let’s cut out the Bullshit and really talk, instead of dancing in rhetorical circles.

            As is the habiot of the few people that I hate at/about Dkos!

            Shit, Mando…your two sentences inspired all that! No wonder I have missed you!

          3. Can I still be nice to you over here?

          4. Some of us are still trying to make it work.

            1. This is clearly out of control already.

              Good.

              1. ;>)

                India Pale Ale.

                I live in the land of microbrews.

            2. to turks post on the FP

              Promotion is an excellent topic for its own piece as well though.

            • ksh01 on August 22, 2007 at 20:50
            • #

            glad to see you here.  I’ll even forgive you for troll rating me at TLeft.

        • srkp23 on August 21, 2007 at 23:05
        • #

        she asked, gazing all saucer-eyed.

        1. to all the homo ergasters!

            • srkp23 on August 22, 2007 at 23:32
            • #

            our local version’s got a little more alcochol and a little more kick!

            1. a diary a week from you!

              You don’t write many, I know….but when you do they kick ass!

    • srkp23 on August 21, 2007 at 22:39
    • #

    This’ll be great fun.

    Here’s a banal question: How do I change my password?

      • melvin on August 21, 2007 at 23:01
      • #

      I guess they’ll let anybody in.

    2. and double.

      1. because –

        well, because.

        heh®

        🙂

  9. and thanks for the invite!

    Now I have another reason to lose my new job! Woo hoo!

    I can see it’s a great community already. (And I love my ID of 15 – a favorite number of mine.)

    1. at the rollout.

      That was part of my idea, that we should hash some of this stuff out before invining the world.

      Not that I’m against hashing it out in public.

      Look and Feel is up.

      I’m going to put together some ideas on the FAQ next.  I’d like to divide it into two parts- how and why.

      As for civility I think it should be clear as Armando suggests that it is the shield of cowards and idiots.  It is it’s own discussion that I welcome him to start.

      Roll Out.

      When is now settled.  We should put together and implement a marketing plan.  I’m not anxious to be banned for my promotion of this site, but I have a fair number of memberships and I’m always the same me.  We have to decide what we want to do.  I’m hoping for a thousand memberships or more off this and we want to put up a pretty face.

      Scheduling-

      One of the things that drives viewership is regularity.  Can’t find the Gilmore Girls?  Fuck Them!  You need to show activity in every area to convey excitement but it needs to be balanced activity.

      A concept I like from Boo is that the open thread is a regular diary.  This creates scarcity and turnover on the Recent Diary List AND in the Recommended List as well as discipline from the membership.  They respond to Rec/Unrec amazingly well at Boo.

      Turkana has Blog RoundUp.  Great idea that I haven’t seen yet because everyone is too fucking jealous.

      What is our relationship with other blogs anyway?

      So there you go.  This is the kind of stuff I’m sleeping on.  I’m hoping tomorrow I have more time to develop some of these ideas.

  10. BTW, I hate daily kos.

    1. A steady income is WAY overrated, hopefully we will be distracting enough that all your plants will die too!

      Okay, that may be going to far!

      1. It’s good to see your voice.

        1. I’ve already killed ’em.

          those ADD meds don’t help.

          1. Ya putz, ya!

            Welcome!

            1. Armando? oh, wait. That’s only three syllables.

              shit.

    2. Oh, well – exme’s here, so poseurs such as moi will have to leave now . . .

      😉

  11. but happy to be here.  And I brought my Crone stick.  If you invite CSK in he will know what I’m talking about 🙂  Thanks for the invite, buhdy!

  12. woot, #17…yeah, baby…WOOOOOT!!!

    1. See this comment from a while back:

      Well, actually, yes, you do

      from now on:

        Do we have to get permission and pre-approval now to write diaries on the topics that interst us?

      and that committee will consist of buhdydharma and myself, and maybe cskendrick once in a while, and Armando, ’cause he’ll stick his nose in it anyway, even though he’s way more important than us. And if your diaries interest us, why then – you’re in! Simple, huh?

      So – who’s next?

      by occams hatchet on Mon May 22, 2006 at 09:38:51 PM PDT

      Heh®.

    2. I think this is going to be a rocking house!

  13. …so you dragged me here (without giving me a role as a big time front pager – fucking anti-libertarian bias!) – now what?

    1. that subsection had better ENCOURAGE the frequent and passionate discussion of hockey.

      ….cause if it doesnt, ill be highly suspicious of why it was added after i agreed to register here.  and then i will post the first in a series of conspiracy theory diaries about it.  juicy ones, full of innuendo and other slickery.

      1. and what’s an IPA?

        (No acronyms, remember? Your rule!)

  14. ahhhhhhhhh….

    OK, now I’ll go read your diary.

  15. for the invite
    hopefully I will have something of value to share with this community
    because I know you buhdydharma and you are my brother I will make the effort again to share my concerns and insights few tho they may be
    blessings on you all and I am here standing with you

  16. to the Pony Stable of Blogtopia! (ysctp)

    My first comment. Do I get a “pop” sound like on Randi Rhodes show for “virgin” callers?

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