OverKos - In Diaries - Part 3
Short ones, long ones, useful ones, trivial.
The depth and breadth of diaries on dKos is a reflection of the depth and breadth of its members. Here are yet some more of the types of diaries I came across in the last week:
Diarist's Note:
A discussion with pyrrho over Breaking News and Breaking Links leads to this more detailed definition of the terms.
A Breaking Link Diary is a diary that has information about a news story along with a link. The diarist sometimes offers a cut and paste quote from the story, sometimes multiple quotes. But, with the exception of introducing the story, the diarist offers no in-depth analysis.
So, Breaking Links may be a one-liner with link, or a page of block-quotes with a link.
Breaking News Diaries may look like some Breaking Links Diaries but they include commentary, analysis or opinion from the diarist.
The wonderfully named Not Fuzzy (and I won't ask why) posted a suggestion for a Poll in the first diary. It was a good suggestion (sorry I missed it) so I offer it up here and will remark on the results in OverKos-Can I Have My Life Back Now?-Part 4
On with the show...
Meta Diaries & Poll Diaries
The irony in here is so thick you can cut it with a knife.
We Kossacks like to talk about ourselves when we're not talking about everything else. Sometimes we are far and away our favorite subject. With good reason - we rock! Ahem.
Meta Diaries are usually community diaries focusing on a specific concern, observation, or problem.
My favorite Meta Diary during the experiment was a Bunny Diary complaining about all the Bunny Diaries. Meta-surreal.
Some metas take the site's temperature - How are we doing, today? Stick out your tongue. Turn your head and click on this link. Take this poll and call me in the morning.
Meta Diaries usually end up on the recommended list since they address the concerns of the community. I like to think of them as community discussion forums.
Other Kossacks consider Meta Diaries to be pointless navel-gazing. (You looking at me?) Depending on what your navel looks like, this can be a fun or vaguely disturbing pastime.
Ooo, nice navel...orange.
Poll Diaries glean information from the community and are a way to get to know other Kossack's favorite music, color, the type of car they drive, education, movies, books, food, favorite sexual positions, naughty fantasies, whips or chains preferences...
Oops, sorry. Wrong site. Heh.
Poll Diaries are often fun and comment-laden and I am, without fail, always late for them. 700 comments? 698 here.
Timing and questions on Poll Diaries seems to be the key to its success or failure.
(Blank) Sucks, But I'm Sticking Around Simply To Irritate You From Time To Time Until I Get Banned And Then I'll Sign Up Under A New Screen Name and Irritate You Yet Again Diaries.
aka You All Suck Diaries, for short.
With subset
I'm Calling You Out division.
And, in this corner...The Cruuuusher!
YAS Diaries are posted by assh*les trolls.
They generally start out as the "you suck" section of GbCdKos Diaries followed by personal attacks on Kos, front pagers, individual Kossacks or the community at large, without the payoff of them offering to leave the site.
Without fail they are posted by total morons Drive-by Diarists.
Check the comments from these diarists and you will usually find they have none; thus preventing us from troll-rating them into oblivion. Jerks.
These generate numerous comments, but really should be ignored. The diarist who wrote it is a coward and would NEVER respond to your defensive maneuvers.
Personally, I think these diaries serve as a perfect ground for open diary whoring and pimping.
What could be more frustrating than to put up a diary like this hoping to infuriate the community, only to come back and find it filled with snarky conversation (totally ignoring the diarist's ravings), links to other diaries and some great troll recipes?
YAS Diaries should serve as an open thread in the diary red light district (pimps and whores) of dKos where Martha Stewart is conducting cooking classes using troll recipes. I am so there!
I'm Calling You Out Diaries are usually a personal grudge match that breaks free from the diaries where the slight started into a brand new arena. "Taking it outside." in diary form, so to speak.
ICYO Diaries are usually penned by Kossacks angry at a slight, a not so slight, or an unfair troll-rating.
Unless you're into dKos-style rumbling or a bystander of the original battle, it's best to keep out of the fray and stock up on snacks for the show.
You know, we really need a Howard Cosell-like blog announcer to officiate at these events. Maybe Newsie could rustle one or two bikini-clad smiley icons to parade around with placards announcing the rounds.
Note: I know the Kossacks who put these diaries up are serious. But if you are going to take your verbal death match into a new public arena, expect to draw a crowd of bemused onlookers.
Help Me--Advice Seeking Diaries
These are diaries by Kossacks in need of help or advice from something as simple as a LTE proofread to something as complex as a failing marriage.
Rarely recommended, but it's always heartening to see members of the community pitching in to help other Kossacks with a problem or a question.
Current Analysis & Historical Analysis Diaries
These are often the masterpieces of Daily Kos. The topic has been researched; the diaries are brimming with information and are often detailed and long.
These are the diaries many save to read for later. Whether they actually read them later is another question. (<checks Hotlist> Guilty.)
But, if someone puts up one of these diaries on a topic you have an interest in, they are the best source for well-researched information.
And, you can bet if there is anything not well-researched in them, a correction can be found down in the comments.
I find many of these diaries spark some of the most interesting comments and debates to be found on dKos.
Drive-by Diarists
These are the diarists who post a diary and disappear without warning.
I personally find this practice rude.
So, you just invited me into your living room <diary> and now you're going to take a Himalayan hike and will be back "whenever"?
This often happens with duplicate Breaking Links and ABR (see above) diaries for "some reason".
It should be common practice to sit with your diary for at least 5-10 minutes to welcome any guests who happen to take the time to comment.
Diarist's exception: Except when you have to answer an important e-mail. But you better be back within 15 minutes, or else.
Also pop in from time to time after posting in case one of your readers has a question.
Note to Diary Commenters: Please check your Hotlist for replies to your posts from time to time because some of us diarists (no names) are extraordinarily slow typists, and unlike other diarists (no names), always check our diaries for new comments, even days after they've been posted.
For some of us (no names) the only dead (not active) diary is one that hasn't been touched for a month, not the dKos standard diary lifetime of one hour or less.
I notice well-crafted diaries are rarely put up by hit and run diarists. Or, if they are, the person often apologizes for not being able to stay and chat.
Hijacked Diaries
And here's where I get in trouble with half the community...
These are diaries that are going along happily minding their business; on-topic comments, slightly off-topic comments, interesting debates. And then...
EVERYBODY FREEZE! I'm a gonna hi-jack this here diary, ya rootin' tootin' varmints.
I call the people who hijack diaries "YSams"; rude creatures. Not trolls, though. Rude, not nasty-that's the difference.
Often in the middle of on-topic posts the YSam jumps in to say that they are offended by the profanity, style, picture, animated GIFS, or whatever little nitpicky thing that sticks in their craw.
Y Sam, what do you hope to gain from doing this?
These are not suggestions of style-change or spelling corrections -they cause their own little mini-dramas.
No, this is someone walking into a person's house and the first thing they say (in an obnoxious voice) is something on the order of:
"Yuck! Those drapes are so tacky! Ew, I'm not sitting on that awful couch. You actually eat at this table, barf. Yuck. Ew. Ptooie."
It's like the dKos version of that obnoxious show, but it's called "What Not to Post".
Sometimes these posts are ignored, but when they're not...
Nastiness, snarkiness, flames, and troll-ratings; the four horseman of the blogpocalpyse.
It's usually one interloper (YSam), whose opinion is right, of course; against an entire diary regiment, whose opinion is also right, of course.
Things rarely end well for the interloper even when reinforcements arrive to their aide.
Poof! Diary hijacked. Completely off-topic and not likely to get back on track.
Meta Bunny Diaries often emerge from Hijacked Diaries.
Diary style fights are the reason I wish more people would open diaries using the Diary page rather than linking from the front page.
If you don't like the writing style or use of profanity you can usually catch it on the preview in the diary page without having to open the diary. Then you can skip it if it doesn't appeal to your taste.
There is no rule stating that you have to comment on a personally offensive diary or visually annoying diary. I checked. Wait, let me check again. Nope. Nada.
Now, if a diary is so completely offensive and all the comments are about the offensiveness of the diary, let `er rip. At the very least you'll be on-topic.
Trust me, for the most part, the diarist and participants don't give a rat's rump that you think profanity is intellectually lazy and rude, or think the use of the phrase "blind trust" is insensitive to the sight-challenged, or "b*tch-slap" is insulting to women.
Isn't b*tchslap not also insulting to female dogs? There's an animal cruelty angle there that most people completely miss. But I digress.
The participants in the diary also don't care to know that you are wondering why the diary was recommended.
In the midst of an interesting discussion in the comments, hitting a, "Why is this diary recommended?", stops me dead. WTF?
I'd troll-rate these comments as a matter of course, but it's not worth the effort and the diary police badge clashes with my ethos
Hijackings are mostly instances of political correctness gone amok. And they are rude to every participant in the diary.
YSam thinks it's the diarist and participants who are being rude, but YSam, you are missing one key element: no one said you had to stay and put up with it.
Change the freaking channel. Isn't that what you do at home when you come across something offensive like Fox News or Wolf Blitzer?
Or do you leave the channel on and spend the whole time complaining about it?
If you do, you're either a glutton for punishment, or are simply keeping tabs on the bastards. Thanks, if it's the latter.
Daily Kos has an average of 250+ specialized channels a day along with a premium front page channel offering even more specialized programming for your reading pleasure. Surely you can find something else to read to occupy your time.
IMPORTANT INFO FOR DAILY KOS READERS
If you are not enjoying the diary that you are reading press the 
,
,
,or 
, or something that looks like this.
It's called a "Back one page button" and can usually be found in the upper left hand side of your screen.
That way, the readers of the diary can have their conversation without your criticism throwing the discussion off-topic and you can find something more in line with your tastes. Everybody wins.
The Back button is your friend--use it. Please.
Offended by profanity, dancing gifs, or pictures of kittens in toilets?
YSam, abort yer hijacking mission, put yer verbal guns back in yer holster and write yer own dang diary about it. Start yer own bunny meta discussion and leave us on-topic varmints alone.
Put dem dang verbal guns away; you might shoot somebody's i out.
