Welcome, New Users, to Daily Kos. This Diary is intended to help you orient yourself to the site and ask questions about how to use it.
After that you can ask me any question you want. I don't know all the answers so if you stump me, you do. I invite those wiser than I to contribute and correct (or raise a ruckus, just don't scare people).
Note: This is an unauthorized foray into the realm of Welcome New Users. I only hope that any attempt to revive this effort is appreciated by those who got the ball rolling, and especially the person who wrote literally dozens of such entries over the years.
It's been some time since the last of these diaries were posted, so I am taking it upon myself to create an entry in this series. The former author of the posts in this series is no longer with us (on DKos), so it will be up to us to keep this project alive if we feel it adds to our little corner of the blogosphere.
Before we begin with new material, I encourage everyone to review some of the previously written goodness that survives here in the DKos archives.
(Note: It's a bit scary to realize that our written word will endure here regardless of whether we do or not. Kinda makes ya wanna delete all of your old diaries, don't it?)
I hereby submit for your review:
* Other diaries in the Welcome New Users Series.
* The Welcome New Users dKosopedia page.
Instead of attempting to reinvent the wheel, I am merely going to share with anyone who has gotten this far a few tips as well as some observations I have made in the nearly 2 years I've spent as a non-lurker here.
Who the hell am I?
And why the hell should anyone care what I have to say?
Great questions!
If I had signed up for an account when I first visited Daily Kos, I would likely have had UID in the 40,000 range. But alas, I am a relative n00b and will bow down to all of the 160,809 users who outrank me. Boots need licking? Send an email. It's in my profile.
How does one know someone's UID, you might ask? Simply scroll over the hotlink name in any comment or diary/comment recommend someone has made. You will see a little number in the status bar of your browser.
Another tip: You can learn the path of any link someone puts in a diary or comment without having to risk pop-up ads or worse by actually going to that website. (Unless someone is sneaky and/or Silly and tries to disguise their links thereby virtually forcing you to go there.) Simply use the scroll-but-don't-click-trick and you can feel like you were there.
Some of you may remember me from such films diaries as the meta-rific coaching about Tip Jars once they became mandatory. I've even made the rec list on numerous other occasions, but I no longer feel compelled to thank anyone when it happens.
To see if/how many times you have made the Rec List, all you need is the search function. Click the link HERE and replace my name with your name.
(Hint: If you aren't sure if you have made the rec list before, then you probably haven't.)
Note: Only diaries to which the recommended tag has been added appear when you use the search above or click on the tag itself in any recommended diary. It is up to the Trusted User of Daily Kos to add that tag, but often we fall short on that front.
Also, you might sometimes notice a diary within the list that is clearly out of place. Usually the author has added his own Recommended tag either by mistake or maliciously because he thinks he will gain more readers or some other misguided delusion. Don't follow suit. I will grant a pass the 1st time I catch someone doing this, but would be quick to report repeat offenders.
In fact, do us all a favor and peruse the FAQ on Diary Guidelines before posting a diary. It could save a lot of trouble for yourself and the diary police.
Another great way to gauge someone's contribution to this little corner of the blogosphere is to see if someone's diaries are Rescued. This measures not so much a diary's popularity, as it does the quality.
Many here have been known to lament the lack of value granted the Rescued diaries vis a vis the exalted status granted the Recommended Tag. (BTW, I have some nice symmetry going on that front right now. If I never make either list again, I'm OK with that.)
To see if/how many times you have been Rescued, click THIS LINK HERE and replace my name with your name. Easy enough?
Random Suggestions
If you are indeed new here, the enormity of it all is more than a bit daunting. For most of the 1st few weeks I was here, I only posted comments in the stories, also known as front-page or FP posts. Only later did I realize that it is the diaries which really make this community what it is: A community forum.
* Try to read a variety of different authors on topics that interest you. Letting one or two authors summarize an issue often leaves too much to be desired. I've often found my opinion changed as the result of a diary that responds directly to one I recommended.
* Recommend lots of diaries and comments. What does it cost you? Nothing. People work pretty hard on their work here. Giving them a pat on the back is a tiny thing that means a lot to some folks. The worst thing that can happen is that the diary you recommend pushes another diary off the rec list which was already there. Keeping the rec list fresh is not a bad thing.
A few recurring diaries that I always recommend without a 2nd thought include High Impact Diaries, Top Comments, IGTNT, and Overnight News Digest (OND).
* Play nice. There is no "Edit Comment" button. Once you hit "Post Comment", it is there FOREVER. The golden rule does apply to the internet despite myraid reams of evidence that might lead you to believe otherwise.
The Big Finish
I was once given an answer to a question by this diary series' founder. The question was something like this:
How can you search for diaries that almost made the rec list but not quite?
The answer is one of the best kept secrets here. Of course, I couldn't keep my big mouth shut and now our beloved jotter adds it every time he posts one of his daily High Impact Diaries. Enjoy!
(Updated for 2010): HERE
I could blather on & on about all I know about this site. But then I would have very little hidden knowledge to bust out in case anyone actually has a question in the comments section. Perhaps if this goes fairly well I will consider serving as host for this little diary series again someday. In the meantime, I's love to see it become more of a Franchise Diary as it has already been hosted by a few others in the past.
That's it from me for now. Which is great timing, as my fondue is just about ready...D'OH!