Welcome to Part 7 of our series, The Unrav'ling Thread, where we explore the many strange, beautiful, and perplexing things that happen when a diary is posted and commenters show up.
As we've discussed in
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five and
Part Six
much of the "action" on Daily Kos takes place in comment threads after the diary goes "live". While previous installments have provided ideas on how you can interact with commenters in your own diary, today we tackle a different subject: how you can comment in the "action diaries" posted by others.
On any given day here on the Great Orange Sea, we come across diaries that seek to inform, to question, to incite outrage, to entertain, and to examine an issue through an alternative perspective. We can read these diaries to learn, to agree, to disagree, or to ponder for a while.
Action diaries, on the other hand, ask us to do something, and do it now. Like an "SOS" sent out to all the ships at sea, the implication is that we should stop what we're doing and respond. A well-written action diary can move you to respond to some injustice, tragedy, emergency, or dire situation that will get worse if we don't react immediately.
While the sense of community is part of the reason people come here, it can also be overwhelming. When we learn of a problem - whether personal, political, environmental, economic, or medical - there's a natural desire to help. However, sorting through the many requests that besiege us here, in our e-mail, and in our postal mail box, may leave us feeling conflicted, guilt-ridden, or simply tapped out.
With this in mind, here are some suggestions on ways to interact constructively in action diaries. As always, YOUR suggestions are welcome in the comments.
Let's begin with...
Political Donation Diaires: Since this is a political site, it's logical and appropriate that people post diaries seeking support for a candidate or a cause. Money is often needed on short order, and using "ActBlue" as a fundraising tool, political action diaries can raise money in a matter of minutes and hours as compared to direct mail pleas. You can donate any legal amount, starting at just a few dollars. Grass-roots fundraising is a beautiful tradition, especially in the face of "corporations-are-people" SuperPAC activity. If you can spare the money, go ahead and donate, and feel free to post a comment saying why you gave. Maybe your donation will inspire someone else. You needn't mention the amount. Indeed, if you post "Hey, I just donated "$17.76!", you're providing one more clue to someone who might want to link your KOS identity to your real name (which you'll have to provide on ActBlue). Can't give? No problem. Tip and "rec" the diary (and the comments of those who donated) to help increase visibility. That's always appreciated and might mean people donate who might otherwise have missed the diary.
Political Action Diaries: While money's great, sometimes what's needed is boots on the ground (or boots in cyberspace) willing to staff a phone bank, drive people to the polling places, show up at a rally, stuff envelopes, or otherwise help the weary volunteers and campaign staff. With our gazillion members, Daily Kos is a great source of volunteer labor, and there are many ways for you to participate directly in a campaign. If you can't hop in your car and drive to Wisconsin, for instance, you could work a phone bank from anywhere. Showing up anywhere in person connects the "cyber you" to the "real you", and you will want to consider whether that's something you want to do. In terms of commenting, here again, even if you're not available or interested in answering the call, tipping, "reccing", and sharing the diary will at least help it reach more potential volunteers. You can also make constructive suggestions about other options for folks to consider.
Organizational Action Diaries: Many of our Kossacks are personally involved in running, staffing, and donating their time and money to non-profit organizations. Some of these are well known; some very obscure. It's only natural that a diarist would use this site as a mechanism to expand their fundraising and action outreach. Donating to an organization is a lot easier in this modern age, when you can independently verify the existence and performance of an organization through web sites such as Charity Navigator or Charity Watch. Here again, if you're not inclined to make a donation of your money or time, tip, "rec" and share the diary (and "rec" the comments of donors) to bring it to the attention of others. Even a comment along the lines of "This is a great organization; wish I could spare some money for a donation, but can't do it right now. I hope others will!" is perfectly fine. It tells the diarist that you've read the diary and endorse their commitment to a group doing good in the worl.
Personal Donation Diaries: Nearly every day, we hear of a fellow Kossack in dire need due to job loss, homelessness, illness, family problems, or other circumstances. No sooner are these diaries published than the comment thread begins, with Kossacks making financial donations, offering suggestions for other resources, and otherwise stepping up to the plate. What could be more natural than wanting to help "one of our own"? Here, unlike donations to a campaign or an organization whose origins, mission, and performance you can verify independently, you're making a donation to a person. You're chosing to believe their diary. My guess is that many are accurate representations of truly daunting personal situations. If you're moved to make a donation, be sure that it's money you can spare, and that your form of donation protects your identity, unless that's not a concern for you. The reactions of other Kossacks that you know and trust can help you decide how to proceed. If you're unable or unwilling to donate, but can offer constructive suggestions on resources (food, shelter, counseling, medical care, emergency services, etc.) local to the person in need, that can be very helpful. As always: tip, "rec", and share.
Personal Action Diaires: Sometimes it's not about money. A fellow Kossack will use a diary to ask for help with transportation, housing, medical care, or other assistance that can only be provided "in person". As always, be careful about interactions that will reveal your identity unless you're sure about the trustworthiness of everyone else involved. If you can provide suggestions for local resources, that's helpful, as is the tip/"rec"/share approach.
Personal Advice Diaries: When our fellow Kossacks face a personal problem or emergency, some turn to the community for advice on divorce, unemployment, homelessness, medical emergencies, cyber-bullying, crime, substance abuse, and many other challenges. As with everything else on the Internet, information provided by strangers who may or may not have the qualifcations to provide advice can lead to some suboptimal outcomes. If you want to help, remember: First Do No Harm. It's one thing to advise someone on upgrading their computer; quite another to advise them on filing for divorce, quitting their job, or treating a medical emergency. Since you don't know the diarist's mental state, be very careful about suggesting any action that could exacerbate their situation. Here again, links to available resource may be your best bet, along with conveying your sincere sympathy and concern and well wishes. Tip, rec, and share if you think more visibility will help.
Viral Propagation Diaries: Sometimes a diarist doesn't want your money or [more than a moment of] your time. They want publicity for their idea, web site, contest, diary (or - more politely - someone else's diary). The cry is "let's rec this up!!!!" In these days when a click isn't too much to ask, go ahead and respond if you wish. Just be sure to practice safe surfing! If you have a sense that the link could take you to a site that's suspicious, steer clear! It wouldn't be the first time that someone clicked on an orange link and found themselves face to face with some new malware. Tip and rec the diary, but be careful about those links! If you do want to check out a site or an organization, Google it and approach it with care.
These are some of the action diaries vying for your attention and response. It's not my intent to dissuade you from exercising your generosity, only to offer some thoughts to guide you. As always, keep in mind that "They also serve who tip and rec".
Oh... and a tip of the hat to Kossack livjack whose comment in Part Six of this series inspired this diary. If any of you have suggestions for future topics for "The Unrav'ling Thread", please let me know.