So, yesterday, we were all invited to
help break DK5 by participating as
beta testers of the new site. Folks like me had been curious for some time, and so we jumped at the chance to see and test the site. And, inevitably, some of us were quite disappointed with some or even many of the changes.
In fact, after poking around a bit, some of us concluded that DK5 is already broken. I dislike many of the aesthetic changes, from the new fragmented DK logo to the layout which somehow manages to appear both barren and cluttered at the same time. Aside from the orange, there's nothing that really distinguishes DK5 from so many other news sites out there. More importantly, many of the privileges that we currently enjoy--using html to format and beautify our diaries, sizing our pictures, naming the divider doodle, seeing at a glance who has Recommended a diary, etc.--will be taken away if DK5 stays as is.
So why would the site developers do this? It's impossible to please everyone, of course, but why make so many choices that would disappoint so many active members of the community?
One answer is kind of obvious. Aside from Meteor Blades and navajo, the staff just aren't active in groups and, as a result, they don't use the site in the same way. They don't write for groups, so they don't seem to understand the pleasure in creating a recognizable group or series identity using html to format. (See The Inoculation Project for an example of what I mean by this.) Aside from that, most of the staff don't seem to read many diaries written by the community, regardless of whether the diaries are overtly political or not.
So I think that most of the staff just don't understand how much of the community uses the site. And, to be honest, I haven't always thought too much about my habits here. For instance, it didn't occur to me until yesterday, when I saw that the Welcome back box had disappeared and, along with it, my list of groups, how frequently I click on some of those group links to find a recently posted group diary or to add a group member. What used to take me one click is now going to take three, and that's annoying.
But we have been invited to be beta testers and to report feedback, and that's exactly what we should do. It's important that we try to help them understand how we use tools that DK4 has provided so that the DK5 developers can consider how they can accommodate our wants and needs. Head below the doomed divider doodle for one reason why.
Tomorrow is the 2nd anniversary of Wendy's filibuster. And Daily Kos readers were a huge part of that effort, but not by design. Two little known Texas kossacks who were there began posting diaries, and the community not only stood with us, but amplified our efforts on Facebook and Twitter as well. And even non-Texans posted diaries cheering our fight on behalf of Texas women.
As some of you know, I was one of the Texans who decided to post diaries about Wendy's filibuster, and I can't think of a single other platform out there where volunteers like me or blueisland could have generated so much awareness and support all over our state, throughout the country, and even around the world for Wendy's epic filibuster. That widespread attention is the only thing, in my opinion, that kept the TX GOP from getting away with falsifying the record. So my bottom line is that folks like me need to be able to use Daily Kos not only to help organize and inform others about our issues and candidates, but also to shine a light on Republican shenanigans.
To that end, I'm hoping that we can help the developers improve DK5. And whatever happens, we have groups like Cranky Users, Welcome New Users, and New Diarists to figure out how DK5 works and teach everyone how to use the new site. And we have Kitchen Table Kibitzing and so many other community open threads where we can commiserate with one another and ask for help.
So we'll get by with a little help from our friends...
https://www.youtube.com/...
https://www.youtube.com/...
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
5:53 AM PT: Found this helpful comment through Top Comments. The good news over at beta is that they're working on fixing the community column (the column on the right side of the main page).