SUGGESTION: Facebook type tool for DKOs: "Factions"

ATTN: This is an idea I came up with looking for a tool which might already exist.  I was unable to find it, and if it does exist here, I'll take this diary down and stand in the corner :)

UPDATED: 2:14PM Made some changes based on the feedback.  Thanks everyone.

Just browsing around checking out people who commented on my comments, I really wish DKos had an OPTIONAL  tool for users that would let them keep a list of friends.  If people wanted, then they could create their own policy papers, and platforms.  "Factions" would result (maybe this is a bad name for what I'm trying to express here) but I mean "Factions" in a good way, not in an infighting type way.  Sort of in a way that makes people more productive on the site - able to create and belong to sub-communities as well as to the larger comunity.  This is the kind of situation that evolves naturally when a group reaches a critical mass.

I mean why not?  DKos seems so huge a place with so many varieties of "progressives" that to be a DKo's reader doesn't mean much anymore.  I can't identify myself anymore, in shorthand, which makes it hard for people to get together without wasting a lot of time futzing around trying to figure out where they're coming from.

I started wondering about this possibility while browsing my comments, and noticing a few people that agreed with me, or uprated me.  Okay, there was only a handful :) but I thiought.  Wouldn't it be cool to tag them as "friends" like facebook does, and then message them as a group?  

Since this is a political blog, and people are making political comments, then I starting wondering if this would lead to people making organic political connections through our site--and the de jure "factionalization" of Dkos might ensue. (the de facto factionalization already exists)

Now this might be a "bad" thing but I think it would be overall, quite cool, because names might be given to these emerging "clans" loosely organized around shared beliefs.  Of course the usual "left-right-center" "hillary-obama" clans would exist, like they do now, but just in a more organized way, all within the DKos "brand" (for lack of a better word--I hate that word)

The cool thing is that I could be called a "Blue Team Dkos reader" or a "Legion of Progression DKos reader" or something which identifies me more specifically .

The other thing that might be cool is that Users could be tagged then by their orientations on a quiver of issues.  Sort of like "political compass" but it would be a tool that would identify people by their broad beliefs -- and as people's positions change, they can update their compass.  Actually you'd probably want to have multiple "compii" for a suite of issues.

I kinda think this would emerge organically if the engine allowed for "Friends" like Facebook does.  

•  thoughts feelings slaps in the face

  by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:32:39 AM PDT

  •  Lots of "Factions" from here...

    have left and started pretty decent blogs of their own... that's how you grow the movement, IMHO...; )

    "Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"

    by Dood Abides on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:35:33 AM PDT

    •  I agree -

      Don't get me wrong -- growing the movement will and should continue to happen by people doing their own thing.  I have my own blog too - and I don't mean to say that this would undercut that.  

      Factionalization wouldn't necessarily mean that the generic user can't enter into the community (just like new users to MUDs don't have clans yet)

      The advantage to allowing Dkos to offer factionalization on the same server is that we can actually do things like polling a lot easier -- and write position papers, and it would actually make it more like a real political movement.  Factions might even elect particularly talented people to speak for a group or represent them in online chat debates, in the same way that talented writers for the entire DKOs community are made into "Front Pagers"

      by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:40:30 AM PDT

•  But can we call them something cool?

  Like Guildhouses?  

  Or Clans?

  Politribes?

  by Wisper on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:35:46 AM PDT

  •  I am a DKos Knight Elf Mohawk.

    by jalonzo on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:37:12 AM PDT

    •  with +2 greaves of rhetoric :) n/t

      by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:42:35 AM PDT

    •  No match

      for my level 13 Sylvaen Paladin Ley-Walker!

      My +5 Vorpal Troll-ratings shall reduce thee to a mere mention, a passing trifle wafting in the bowels of yon hidden comments!

      On-guard you rogue!

      by Wisper on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:46:50 AM PDT

      •  hee hee

        I love D&D, that's how I got into MUDs

        MUDs are a political place just like this is- are you into the idea Wisper?  I really would like any input on it

        by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:53:24 AM PDT

  •  Absolutely :)

    Ideally You would get to name your own clan!  Anyone could start one and have a "mission statement" for that clan

    by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:41:45 AM PDT

    •  I said no in the poll,

      but now I like the idea.

      by cjallen on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:43:49 AM PDT

      •  Thanks!

        Any other suggestions are way appreciated!!

        by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 10:46:46 AM PDT

•  No , because -

  I don't want to just stick myself in an echo chamber with folks whose words resonate closely with my own thoughts. I would not come here if it weren't for the wide variety of views and opinions diarists and commenters present. I'm interested in what others are thinking , even if they are fools and lunatics . ;>}

  by Abra Crabcakeya on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:04:09 AM PDT

  •  Me too, actually

    You raise a very good point - but as I envision it the "Factions" concept wouldn't detract from this:

    1. It would be optional, no one would be forced to participate or change in any way

    2. people could use it as little or as much as they wanted - you could just be "loosely" affiliated with your faction, have no faction at all, or be a hardcore "factionite"

    For me it would be kind of like my larger reality - 50% of the time I would spend in focussed discussions with "my" trusted users - not just to agree but to challenge each other within our faction / and then 50% I could spend just browsing and commenting in the public space we have currently.

    by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:08:43 AM PDT

    •  I distrust myself -

      think I would fall to the temptation to hear my own thoughts verified repeatedly , LOL!

      by Abra Crabcakeya on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:18:50 AM PDT

      •  Just let me know

        I will personally stroke your ego on command! :)

        by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:20:25 AM PDT

  •  It hasn't worked that way so far

    There are actually quite a few subgroups on Dkos: the Food Group, the Energy Group (EnergizeAmerica), the edku group, TCers, PrettyBirdWomanHouse, etc. We usually set up on Google groups, or some like area. A lot of times it is just used to call the attention of group members to diaries or other articles/blogs/whatever that would be of interest to group members. Sometimes, like PrettyBirdWomanHouse, the group organizes actions to suppport the cause or, like the Food Group and EnergizeAmerica, organizes a panel for Netroots Nation.

    While the information is more special-interest-specific, it isn't an "echo chamber" per se, since all of these are likely to have a lot of different viewpoints, even on a topic of common interest.

    by carolita on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 12:11:38 PM PDT

    •  thanks! question

      Carolita -- Yes, totally, the point of this tool would NOT be to replace those existing organizing tools, but make it more likely that new users already part of this community could organize within it.  It would be up to communities like the ones you describe whether they would want to set up parallel shop here.

      Do you think those existing subgroups that you're a part of would find such a tool valuable here, at least in the way I've described it so far?  Or would you be able to suggest any features for it that would make it cooler?

      thanks so much for your thoughts on this

      by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 03:59:44 PM PDT

      •  Absolutely

        The resort to Google groups is because there is no alternative on Dkos. I'm sure most of us would rather have it part of the community than as a fringe element. I also think it would attract other people to Dkos, since we have some members who have joined because someone pointed them to the group that might never have come to Dkos on their own. I think that is particularly true of food and energy and would probably apply to other topics that are not so overtly political.

        by carolita on Sat Feb 09, 2008 at 02:43:57 PM PDT

•  I don't agree.

  Isn't there enough divisiveness already?
  Are we going to start troll rating my faction against your faction?
  Then we further divide into Geographical sub-factions, and "I've been here longer than you" sub-factions, and  Gender sub-factions, Race sub-factions, FISA sub-factions, 911 Truther sub-factions, Guantanamo sub-factions, until we're reduced to hundreds of small Chat Rooms where we all agree with each other. How boring and pointless is that?

  by Hello hello ello on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:11:55 AM PDT

  •  Good idea: No Troll rating between Factions

    I agree with this - I wouldn't want troll-rating to be a part of that tool.  Users within factions would have to unify around expelling any member.

    One way to deal with this is that the elected leader of that faction might be given the power to bounce out any troublesome members within the faction, or have a unanimity setting for this.

    Troll-rating probably shouldn't be applied across factions, only to generally posted comments the way it is currently.

    Also, I want to stress that these tools would only work for me if they were presented in a Facebook way - which means that they would be completely OPTIONAL and not required

    by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:19:36 AM PDT

•  your diary has been fun today -

  elsewhere around the site there is much bad craziness , and it is entertaining . But , it is entertaining in the way watching a really bad train wreck might be.Yesterday , I think , was worse.
  The moon isn't in a particularly malicious phase - has hard liquor gone on super-cheapcheap sale all over the country this week?  

  by Abra Crabcakeya on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 11:50:40 AM PDT

  •  insulating the main community

    you've got me thinking more now...

    okay one possible benefit of this "faction" build-out is that I think it would insulate the main community from the sort of bomb-tossing stuff that amps up around primaries and elections.  If people had the option of targeting their comments to the groups they wanted to address, then new users wouldn't look around at the general community and say "jeez what a bunch of haters"

    Do you think this is something that might help the existing fracas that's going on?

    by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 04:02:35 PM PDT

    •  I agree - my responses have been kinda-

      De Debbil's advocate , but of course that has been obvious to you. It would be kinda nice to have some indication that a click over here , or a click over
      there , might get you away from wild-eyed pistol-wavers 'bout everwhare. Unless wild-eyed pistol-wavers were just the sort of folks one felt a warmth and loving kindliness toward at the moment.
      So -I do think you're on to something.

      by Abra Crabcakeya on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 04:58:25 PM PDT

•  two things..

  1. you're certainly welcome to use the dKosopedia to organize groups

  2. I have a diary in the works that uses tags to cluster diarists of similar interests

  by The Centerfielder on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 03:22:27 PM PDT

  •  That's great - i would use that as well

    I like that's definitely something I will use in the here and now, although what I'm proposing is a bit different - it would be something like a "middle tier", or intermediate between the

    - personal user page

    and the

    - mass community

    Like the middle layer of a cake

    top:  personal user page
    middle:  new friends or "faction" page
    bottom:  mass community

    What I don't want is to splinter the larger community in any way, which seems to be a concern.  More like adding a feature that will allow people to organize and compete in a friendly way in subgroups of 500-1000 or so, setting up diary lists that might actually stay longer on those subgroup pages than they do on the main site.  Any person could publish a diary to both the mass group, the subgroup (or faction) , the group only, or the mass community only.

    At the very least and most basic level (leaving aside "Factions" for the moment and all the negative connotations of that word) it would be like a common area for friends.

    I want to also clarify that I'm in no way pimping my services, I used to be in technology then got totally bored with the nuts and bolts of it and became a musician.  My only desire is to inspire someone who wants to do this or knows what they're doing to make the site and the community more dynamic.

    Thanks --- I really appreciate the feedback

    by pawlr on Fri Feb 08, 2008 at 03:56:36 PM PDT