On Docudharma and Blogging……..or, Welcome New Users!

Howdy Folks! It seems like there are a lot of new faces on the board, which is of course wonderful! So it seems like a good time to restate a few things and give folks a chance to ask any questions they may have, as well as perhaps clear up any misconceptions of what we are all about.

The most important thing about Docudharma is this: We are a community blog, we are what the community makes us, and the community is what individual posters make it. In other words, this blog is EXACTLY what YOU make it into. The more you participate, the more YOU decide what Docudharma is. We welcome wholeheartedly each of you contributing just as much as you want, and shaping the community into what you want it to be.

There are admins here to settle conflicts etc., but we have very few rules,  we try to keep as light a touch as is possible, and that has meant that there are very few conflicts!

Our ethos?

Art shamelessly stolen from Ink In Our Veins

Another motto we like: Don’t start no shit, and there wont BE no shit!

First, our hyperbolic 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!

And when we say write whatever the hell you want…we mean it! There are only two things we restrict here. The first is bashing Daily Kos, and the reason behind that is very simple. We have seen too many blogs become absorbed and obsessed with talking about….another blog! We don’t want that to be our focus. The second thing we actively discourage is the kind of writing about the Israel/Palestine issue that causes pointless flame wars. Each of these is subjective, of course, so there is not much point in saying more and certainly no point in laying out minute rulings that just lead to parsing….and pointless flame wars. Our rule of thumb here is…post in good faith. Discussions are welcome, vitriol and inflammation for its own sake are not!

That being said….write whatever the hell you want! Creativity is prized, Analysis is welcome, hard news is VERY much valued, as are fiction, poetry, art, silliness, snark, tomfoolery, pointless musing and rambling….and most of all, diverse points of view!

Since by far the majority of folks here also have posted or do post at The Big Orange Blog around the corner, let’s start with a few contrasts. I would like to ask everyone here to remember that this is NOT Daily Kos, so please leave any preconceptions or reactions born there about what “proper” blogging is at the door. First and most obvious we are much smaller than DK. The main upshot of that is that we do not need to be as structured…or as strict. Since the startup nearly six months ago, when a few folks decided to test the limits, we have had VERY few problems that have needed to be moderated. We have the luxury of being able to talk to each other here…instead of acting on each other. If you have a problem, e-mail me or the admin address and we will talk! Second, as touched on above, we are NOT about electing Democrats here. Things are allowed here that are strictly verbotten elsewhere, this has caused a few folks to react to statements that would not fly at DK, instead of calming down, thinking things through, and responding to a comment they find controversial somehow.

If you are here long enough you will gain community moderator status, or as we like to call it…Encrusted User status. So a bit about ratings here. Hide rating (which DK also has been wise enough to adopt instead of the confrontational Troll Rating) is discouraged, we prefer talking it out. For as long as we have been in existence, we have had VERY few comments that need to be hidden. Getting a “Wrong!” rating does NOT hurt you! It does not hurt your status and very very rarely draws actual blood! Relax, our rating system is here mainly because…people like rating systems!

There IS an established culture here, established by the members, and you, as a member help to establish it with every post you make! People are people, everywhere you go, so if you buck the established culture or rub it the wrong way, you will get flack for it. Calm down and deal with it! Flack is part of blogging. No one is going to ban you or shun you …as long as you are truly making an effort to live up to the main standard for posting here….Good Faith. If you firmly believe in something and are arguing it…even heatedly…in good faith, you have nothing to fear from the admins as far as punishment. We all try to get along, but conflict IS part of life, and part of a healthy discussion and part of a healthy blog. Argue hard for your beliefs and point of view, as long as you are dong it in good faith, no one will lose respect for you or punish you, and when the dust settles….it’s settled, and we can all move on.

We are all adults here, all real people behind our screens. Respect others and you will gain their respect. As I have said, in our nearly six months of existence, and after 5000 essays, and as we are closing in to our 100,000th comment (which we should hit today, with a pony going to the lucky Dharmaniac!) I think it can be said that we have proven that an ethos and a culture of respect for others DOES work. We are very proud of that.

So enough of that crap!

Welcome!!! Take yer shoes off and stay awhile and help us to create a great blog and a great community! To restate: Docudharma is exactly what YOU make it! Now then….get out there and change the world!