UNRECOMMEND THIS DIARY

My dear kind hearted Kossacks let us be careful in what we recommend.

I speak from no higher authority than any other users here, but I suspect we will see more diaries like this before the elections are over.

Because we are an open forum, and because, as one user said so well awhile ago, "Marcos gave us all the keys to the kingdom," that very privilege will be abused by those wishing to take advantage of our kindness.

So keep a head's up all.

Peace.

-Tirge Caps

•  It would be nice if people would take

  back the mojo they gave him/her.  

  by 2lucky on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:25:05 PM PDT

  •  agreed.

    I hope people see this.

    by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:26:04 PM PDT

    •  I recommended it. . . .

      Did I make a mistake? I'm a bit slow tonight.

      by nyceve on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:30:01 PM PDT

      •  following orders . . .

        I just unrecommended.  Oh well.

        by nyceve on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:31:38 PM PDT

        •  Don't just 'follow orders'- Think for yourself!

          Isn't that what we're standing up for, to find out "why" and think for ourselves, instead of taking at face value what corporate media (and our government) feeds us?

          That said, yes, unrecommending the diary is the right thing to do, as it is a fraud, a hoax. I'm just saying delve into the whys and wherefores before just doing what you're told. Then people will be as exasperated with you as they are with me!  =)

          by Rat on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:34:44 PM PDT

          •  But I thought

            we were supposed to follow orders! And who are you to tell me not to?

            by Nowhere Man on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:41:08 PM PDT

            •  "YES! We are all individuals!"

              "We must all think for ourselves!"

              and of course the best line from that movie...

              "How shall we fsck off, Oh, Lord?"

              by Rat on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:42:27 PM PDT

          •  I wish you could unrecommend

            without recommending (which, fortunately, I had not done in this particular case.)

            It wouldn't be an outright delete, but at some point the diary would disappear from any list. Like the umpteenth "Breaking Poll" diary for the day or for diaries by outright trolls or pranksters.

            Just a not-worthy-to-read, don't-waste-your-time button. Not a banned for life.

            Surely the kossacks could handle that responsibility well. And, well, I would think more diversions will come our way as Nov 7 approaches..

            by MrSandman on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:44:37 PM PDT

            •  We've asked for something like that before; Kos

              always says no.

              by Wee Mama on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:55:59 PM PDT

              •  RECOMMEND this

                http://www.dailykos.com/... instead.

                That damn "maestra" diary has more recommends now than it did an hour ago. Let's knock it off by recommending other diaries.

                by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:32:00 PM PDT

      •  Someone who was born in 1932...

        ... couldn't have lived through two world wars.

        That's your first clue with that diary.

        by Plutonium Page on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:32:08 PM PDT

        •  Unless she was born

          on February 29th? That would make her birth year 1708 or so...

          by Elwood Dowd on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:37:42 PM PDT

          •  My math teacher's here! nt

            by 2lucky on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:07:52 PM PDT

          •  Or if she was born on Mars.

            Then she would have been back in the 1860's - earth time.  Did I do that right?  Damn, I hate working with aliens.

            by newfie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:50:48 PM PDT

        •  Yeah...

          It blew my mind that more people didn't catch that.  We are quite the trusting bunch, aren't we?

          by Tripleg on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:37:47 PM PDT

          •  Or just really bad at math.

            by chrississippi on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:45:23 PM PDT

            •  Or we want to believe

              I think that's the most likely explanation.

              by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:03:05 PM PDT

        •  Damn,

          I didn't know their would be a math test around here ;)

          by leeroy on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:39:27 PM PDT

        •  The thing that jumped out at me:

          Any advice on the best way to formulate my views, and then express them?

          How sarcastic is that?

          by 2lucky on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:59:43 PM PDT

          •  So:

            The Troll Whine -- CENSORSHIP!!!!

            Repackaged for our consumption. Unfortunately, that is widely believed here.

            by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:01:58 PM PDT

  •  That's a big 10-4

    I second that request.

    by Tirge Caps on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:27:22 PM PDT

  •  Done - first time I've ever done that

    or unrecommended a diary.  I feel used.

    by littlesky on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:28:20 PM PDT

    •  Yes Well

      I've managed to never get pwnd until today and I'm a bit peeved about it.

      by FLDemJax on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:13:59 PM PDT

•  A little more info on this

  here

  Definitely unrecommend

  by pontificator on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:25:41 PM PDT

•  Not a very subtle art project.

  I can appreciate being played well, but this is just sloppy. Unless, of course, its actually Tim Robbins. That would be cool.

  by ablington on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:26:09 PM PDT

  •  I thought of that, too.

    But I imagine he'd come up with a new character for us.

    by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:29:38 PM PDT

    •  Expect new characters

      I've seen this sort of thing before in an online community I was a part of about 6-7 years ago.  These type of frauds love getting the attention a newbie gets.  But at the same time, they like to see how long it takes for intellectuals to pick up the literary clues.  It's a game of sorts.

      The good thing is its a friendly troll.  But I know folks hate to get duped....

      by Sharon in MD on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:36:17 PM PDT

      •  Well that's nice to hear

        It seems to me that we caught on pretty quickly, but I'm not sure what his/her expectations were.

        by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:01:09 PM PDT

      •  Yes

        it really hard on us who have made a bit of a reputation smelling out fakes. We all get done sooner or later, but it never feels good. I'm afraid I lost my cherry on this one. Kudos to Plutonium Page who caught it right off.

        by FLDemJax on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:16:45 PM PDT

  •  Tom

    by NearlyNormal on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:33:02 PM PDT

    •  Or his agent...

      That might have been some clever marketing.  

      by beaumarchais on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:43:17 PM PDT

      •  two clever

        My handle is Tom Robbins derivative and I didn't even get it.

        by NearlyNormal on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:56:49 PM PDT

    •  Right.

      Tim Robbins would also be cool.

      by ablington on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 06:05:12 PM PDT

•  done and done

  emptied my daily donuts and unrecommended (1st time i have ever done that).

  by Ajax the Greater on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:29:09 PM PDT

•  That's MarKos to you

  my young man.

  :::damn whippersnappers:::

  by Terre on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:29:13 PM PDT

•  switters?

  I seem to have missed something while I was offline last month.  What were "switters"?

  by silence on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:31:00 PM PDT

  •  Yes, what are switters?

    Can we get a background and meaning of this new pop culture word?

    by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:33:21 PM PDT

    •  I've got a guess

      There was a troll by the name 'switters', and did a series of over-the-top diaries, and then switched to openly being right-wing.

      by silence on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:35:40 PM PDT

      •  I see he was smart enough not to leave comments

        to gather troll ratings.

        by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:37:18 PM PDT

        •  There's a workaround for that now

          If you've got TU status, place a "troll diary" tag on the diary, and the site admins will make an evaluation about deleting/hiding the diary.

          by silence on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:40:54 PM PDT

          •  Have TU, but decided to be an asshole, and wrote:

            And Switters Get the Blues

            You may feel like a roadside attraction, but if you keep working your writing my smell like jitterbug perfume one day. I suggest writing when you are half asleep still in your frog pajamas, because readers will flock to your diary skinny legs and all. So if no pays attention at first, you are not in the villa incognite, we are just waiting to see if you can make wild ducks fly backwards.

            It's always nice to show a hack writer what a real writer can shit out in a minute.

            by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:49:22 PM PDT

  •  Some kind of mop? nt

    by ActivistGuy on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:33:52 PM PDT

  •  A hack writer

    who used to post very unfunny movie reviews here.

    by pico on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:34:16 PM PDT

  •  Switters

    a banned diarist(?) from Slate's The Fray who had a hard time understanding why his humor was largely unappreciated.

    Seems to have been the opening round of a blog war mounted by fraysters, as does makbara's diary.

    by lapin on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:36:44 PM PDT

    •  So this is what puzzles me

      Sure, I know everyone has their respective priorities in life, and some people have ones that seem weird to other people, but what the hell is up with people whose lives revolve around internet drama?  You'd think they were all in their teens, but I know for a fact that some of the biggest internet drama queens/kings are in their late 30s and older!

      What's wrong with these people?

      As for "Makbara"'s diary, it's Lame with a capital "L".  How on earth did that get recommended?  Also, if you're going to pull an internet prank (or whatever that person's trying to do), wouldn't you make it a little more elaborate than that?  What's the fun of a prank if people figure it out that quickly?

      WHAT IS THIS BLOGOSPHERE COMING TO?  WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

      Seriously, this is just so lame.  I want a subtle troll, dammit!  I want a clever prank, something really funny, not some fake 74 year old.

      by Plutonium Page on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:43:39 PM PDT

      •  You mean like how I spent all year getting TU

        just so on election day I can change all the tags on all diaries to say something horrific and totally inappropriate?

        by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:50:51 PM PDT

        •  Damn you!

          Now I have to set another goal for myself.

          by newfie on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:54:24 PM PDT

      •  well

        how on earth did that get recommended?

        The answer Page is found in the core of who we are as a community. We live for hope and seek the goodness in the world. We yearn for it. Our hearts rejoice when another joins in our pursuit of creating a better world. We are caring, generous and welcoming. We do this from a place of love.
        The other side while being "generous" in campaign contributions, etc. does it from a place a fear and hatred. The seek to divide and set apart any that are different from them. I don't mind getting fooled from time to time. Nice catch though, you were all over that quickly.

        by FireCrow on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:13:28 PM PDT

        •  Ding - We Have a Winner

          Even those of us who helped build the online community that you all enjoy gets duped once in a while back when you had to make your modem dial phone numbers. It happens.

          by FLDemJax on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:22:29 PM PDT

          •  Aack

            Even those of us who helped build the online community back when you had to make your modem dial phone numbers gets duped once in a while. It happens.

            by FLDemJax on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:24:19 PM PDT

    •  Annoying . . . like gnats

      These "switter" types do indeed seem to value their "creativity" (like stealing from Robbins?) over the purpose of Daily Kos.  Folks here (while we like to have fun as much as the next person) actually care about politics and the future.  These "switters" seem to be self-absorbed hacks who may as well sit in front of a mirror reassuring themselves that they are "clever."  Pathetic, really . . . but annoying when they suck the goodwill of Kos-folk into their little self-amusing game.  I suspect they hope that by starting a "blogwar" they can increase the traffic at their (dying) website . . . I don't know about anyone else, but I ain't bitin'!

      by foolrex on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:56:00 PM PDT

      •  I am curious about something:

        What is the difference between Bhudydharma and his ponies and PhillyGal and her pooties and people like this guy? What makes one person like that click and another one fall flat on their face?

        by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:00:18 PM PDT

        •  Intent.

          by Tirge Caps on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:03:52 PM PDT

          •  True.

            In the original diary, the post contained a swipe at the practice of troll-rating -- "How do I best get my point across without being censored?"

            Its a judgement call that you have to make based as you go along. But sometimes, you can judge intent by new users. One way is the barroom test -- if a newbie swaggers into the threads like a cowboy swaggering into the bar looking for a fight, I suspect troll right away. If they have a new UID, but they seem to know a lot more than would be expected of a newbie, then I suspect troll as well.

            by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:11:05 PM PDT

          •  Also, regarding creativity:

            We should not troll-rate people just for being different. We would have missed out on people like Bhudy -- the first time we met, he gave me a 2, and he couldn't even explain afterwords why he gave it. But him and I are good friends now.

            I guess the key difference is that Bhudy uses his talents well by building community; Phillygal is the same way -- this guy misuses his talents by subtlely mocking this community and by plagiarizing -- like Ben Domenech.

            by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:17:35 PM PDT

•  Be wary of strangers

  I mean, what was so great about that diary to recommend?....LOL.

  by Sharon in MD on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:31:39 PM PDT

  •  I wondered that too.

    I mean, she sounded like a nice old lady--has the right politics, seems sharp as a tack and all that--but my first thought was "How do we know this person is who she says she is?" And then there were lots of clues along the way.

    by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:07:27 PM PDT

•  Could someone explain what happened?

  Could someone explain what happened?  I read it and it sounds like some kind of newbie diary which IMHO could have been politely answered by saying "read the FAQ, here's the link" and I personally wouldn't have recommended it, but what is going on?

  by terminal3 on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:31:43 PM PDT

  •  nevermind, read pontificator's comment nt

    by terminal3 on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:32:49 PM PDT

  •  Read the comments

    Someone's who's 74 today couldn't have lived through two world wars, as that person claims in their diary.

    That's your first alarm bell.

    The rest will follow in the comments.

    by Plutonium Page on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:33:19 PM PDT

    •  I read it and laughed.

      I was gonna say something very mean like,

      Even Trolls Get the Blues

      But I wasn't sure though.

      by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:34:59 PM PDT

•  Convince me.

  I thought it was harmless at first glance. Why is it a troll diary, and what would qualify as one in your book?

  by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:33:13 PM PDT

  •  I'd go with 'waste of space',

    combined with 'deliberate attempt to put something over on the community.'  Then again, there are a lot of diaries that would qualify as wastes of space, and I certainly couldn't claim to be the judge of that.  But I really cringe at the idea of someone deliberately misleading readers for - what?  laughs?  It's in bad taste, at any rate.

    by pico on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:38:18 PM PDT

    •  PP pointed this out:

      She said she lived through two world wars. That could not have been the case if she were 74.

      by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:41:56 PM PDT

  •  Even if you don't consider it trollish

    to make up a bunch of stuff about yourself (or plagarize it) and try to convince an online community that you are something you are not, a diary like that shouldn't be on the recommend list. It was only there because people didn't realize it was fraudulent that it ended up there.

    by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:10:19 PM PDT

  •  According to

    this comment, 'Maestra' is a character from a Tom Robbins book, down to having a parrot named 'Sailor.'

    Read some of the reviews from Amazon about the Robbins story referenced, and even if you haven't read the actual story, it should be pretty clear.

    by grimc on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:26:01 PM PDT

•  Why was it recommended in the first place?

  Man, standards for recs are slipping around here.

  by mlk on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:35:04 PM PDT

  •  Sweet old ladies are like pooties

    People were just trying to be encouraging to someone that they thought was a sweet little old lady and was new here.

    Always wanting to believe the best in someone new is our fatal and magnificent flaw.

    I wouldn't want it any other way, to tell the truth, but we should keep our eyes open. As the Great Satan said once, "Trust, but verify."  =)

    by Rat on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:38:38 PM PDT

    •  yes exactly

      I posted something similiar upthread. We always look for the best in someone. We are a community of loving conscious liberals. It was a harmless little prank or artpiece. Oh well.

      by FireCrow on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:18:54 PM PDT

    •  We have to know our vulnerabilities.

      I guess the next time someone passes themselves as a sweet old lady, we have to be very careful and take everything with a grain of salt. This isn't the only time this has happened; remember Momster?

      by Eternal Hope on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:20:00 PM PDT

  •  you said it

    Especially with the election right around the corner, I'd hope we could concentrate on diaries that impact races.

    Eyes on the prize.

    by saucy monkey on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:39:24 PM PDT

  •  Because people are lonely in the post-industrial

    world, and have never read Tom Robbins.

    by pinche tejano on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:39:29 PM PDT

    •  I haven't read Tom Robbins,

      but I don't think I'd qualify myself as lonely.  :P

      by pico on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:44:36 PM PDT

    •  I haven't read Tom Robbins

      But still, the diary wouldn't have gotten a recommend from me for content.  But then, I'm a cynical bitch.  ;-)

      by mlk on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:46:37 PM PDT

      •  better to be cynical...

        than gullible.

        by american pastoral on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:10:54 PM PDT

    •  exactly,

      Where are the skeptics? I wonder if someone could sell any old idea here? I got an Illinois Seantorial Democrat who you should support for president someday.

      by american pastoral on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:10:08 PM PDT

  •  First diaries tend to get rec's

    I wondered about it when she said, "my parrot."  True parrot owners usually refer to their birds as "my Grey" or "my Amazon" or "my Hyacinth."  Then I read that the character was lifted and it made sense.

    by oscarsmom on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:27:28 PM PDT

•  Well...

  I pat myself on the back for recognizing unusually stylish writing, even though I didn't recognize the source!

  I don't understand how the diary made the rec list in the first place. I'll be warier in future.

  by Anne Hawley on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:39:52 PM PDT

•  I am even

  wondering about myself!  I am sixty five and have a parrot named Mango who could have been a sailor because we live on the beach!

  by mango on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 04:46:04 PM PDT

  •  But who are you really?

    ;)

    by casperr on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:11:53 PM PDT

    •  You will

      never find that out!

      by mango on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:21:34 PM PDT

      •  I thought of you mango

        and the other Kos parrot owners--I was about to welcome her and ask her about her bird, til I saw the troll diary tag!

        by oscarsmom on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:29:22 PM PDT

        •  She made

          me feel like a fraud!

          by mango on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 05:32:46 PM PDT

        •  Me too

          I thought she was a bird person, like me. Oh and I do call Paco my parrot, he's nothing fancy just a little green Amazon..

          by mariachi mama on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 09:23:50 PM PDT

•  I've got some questions...

  I went over there and dropped a couple of donuts on his comments to make sure he didn't get the TU status he seems to be wanting...but then I started thinking.
  Is there any way to tell if somebody is a TU?
  When are TR's regenerated? 24 hours after usage? I was going to drop some more, but I wanted to save some for comments that need hiding, instead of diariest that need shuffling off.
  Does anybody know how recommends/uprates affect an autoban?  If  somebody gets four thousand troll rates and a few hundred uprates....well I'm just curious how all this works.

  by Sidof79 on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 06:07:22 PM PDT

  •  regeneration

    24 hours.  A point of use is to recognize that a hidden comment counts towards autoban whether it has 2 or 22 donuts.  If you dole one out and the comment is hidden and then a pile on occurs, you can sometimes take it back without unhiding the comment.

    Each uprate needs 4 donuts to overcome.

    by tvb on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 06:15:54 PM PDT

•  makbara

  Is definitely part of the switters posse. Sadly, the editors of BotF have done their part to encourage them with this.

  by tvb on Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 06:18:06 PM PDT