Good morning Kossacks! Here we are, a week into Daylight Savings time, which is about half the time it takes me to get used to it. The Mad Planter (Daniel) has been hard at work, "prettifying" the grounds of Chateau Tempest-Revel, with flowers, a variety of fruit and vegetable plants, elephant ears, some tropicals...I think he's trying to recreate the island on "Lost". Later in the season, maybe I'll have a picture or two to show, who knows.
This week's Newbie/Lurker begins after the break!
Before I go to much further, I want to wish a happy birthday to my godson, Benjamin Riley Ray. Ben is a big 3 years old today. Happy birthday, Little Man!
(Ben is the blonde, the swarthy looking one is my guy, Daniel)
Remember to check out previous NLFs for things you may have missed. You can get there by clicking on my user name, then scrolling down. Last week had several good points, with newbies, lurkers, and veterans all participating. My thanks to you all, sharing means caring...:-).
As usual, you can ask any question that will help you as a user on Dkos, you can answer any question (ok, try to answer (in my case) or offer an opinion or best guess), you can make a comment, or just your take on a subject. Don't be afraid, we won't bite (unless you ask politely...).
Before we move on, if you're in need of a laugh that's slanted in the political vein, check out This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow I have been a fan for years!
For all users, I want to say a few words about Diaries. As I mentioned in last week's NLF, I was visiting Dkos for about 4 months before I felt like I had a good idea for a diary. This is by no means a barometer for anyone. Some people may have a diary idea at the first moment they are eligible (one week after your initial log in). This fact, and a lot of other useful information, is found in the FAQ Department, by clicking on FAQ in the upper right hand corner...here's a link to take you directly to the Diary Questions: How
Do I Post a Diary? I highly recommend you read this section before making the leap from commenter to diarist. And are you required to do any diaries as a member of the Dkos community? Of course not. It's about whatever you are comfortable doing.
A few other things to remember....
1. As mentioned in the FAQ, approximately 200 diaries are written every day. When a diary is written, it goes on the Recent Diaries list. Depending on how many recommendations the diary gets, it may make the Recommended Diaries list, or it may continue to move down the list of Recent Diaries. Each time a new Diary is written, it moves the top diary down a notch. This is why when a big event happens, like recently Terri Schiavo or Pope John Paul II's passing, several Kossacks may post a diary on that subject and another Kossack may post a comment letting the diarist know this has been covered in another diary. They may ask do you want to consider deleting your diary or posting it as comment within another diary. It's a suggestion, and you will decide what's best to do,it's your diary.
2. Like writing a diary, the ability to *recommend* a diary (hint hint..:-)) comes a week after initial login. You click on the recommend button if you want to recommend the diary. You can also change your mind, a couple of months ago the "unrecommend diary" feature was added.
3. Diaries can be just about anything, from politics to current events to religion/spirituality to personal issues. Whatever your "cup of tea" you will likely find a reader or two who is interested. And to be realistic, some subjects are going to generate more interest than others, that's just life, right? I have written a couple of diaries, just for my own amusement really, and I didn't worry too much how much "buzz" they created. Sometimes it's nice just to write it and see what happens.
4. I recommend keeping a paper copy of your diaries for yourself. Diaries are kept on the blog for (I think) 6 months to a year, if
someone wants to correct me, please feel free. After that, (again,I think) they are archived. Access to them after that, I would need to research (if a helpful veteran wants to step in here, go right ahead.)
5. Posting Diaries on Dkos is a lot like using your long distance service. Peak times seem to be weekdays Monday through Friday. This means, doing the math, you're Recent Diary will stay on the list longer during evening or weekend times than if you post your creation, say, at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
A helpful and recent addition to the diary-aspiring or diary-challenged, is my buddy mentaldebris' series on diaries, with the latest called:
OverKos-In Diaries-Part 2" It's excellent, and gives you a more in depth look at the wide world of diaries and those who write, read, and love them.
Okay boys and girls, let's get busy! It's Jeopardy free for all time!
5-4-3-2-1 Forum Away everyone!
