For some background on this work, check this older diary here
The target audience for the survey was lurkers on the site, a group I’d been curious about but found little way to connect to. The survey asked specifically for their input (as opposed the general user base), and I received over 100 replies from self=identified lurkers. The results of the survey may reflect Daily Kos as a whole, but personally I’d only advocate it’s use for exploration of an entire community who resides here as well but may be heard from a bit less often.
Further narrowing the field of participants, he survey was done at night (posted around midnight 11/28 ), and the majority of surveys were taken before 6:00 A.M. eastern time. If from North America, this is either a late night/early morning crowd.
And most were. The survey software measured geographically where respondents were located (only by country, nothing too creepy), and out of 145 respondents, only 11 where outside the U.S.: Two Canadiens, and Kossacks from China, Costa Rica, The U.K., Japan, The Philippines, and Sweden all participated.
As for the validity of this topic within the community at large. I’ve posted several other times about my project, and have received mixed reactions. As for why I’m still doing it after being questioned by some, I’d point to this:
As seen Here, you guys voted this 82% “legitimate social science research. I’m claiming a mandate.
It seems fair to think that the DK community would do well to try to incorporate as much of it’s audience into the greater project of party participation. It was my assumption, and was corroborated by many responses, that a large chunk of the crowd of lurkers is hesitant to “participate” within actual activist activities (fundraising, phone banks, meet-ups, netroots nation), much the same as they are to comment or diary. This will be elaborated/clarified below.
So what follows is a slightly editorialized presentation of the survey’s results, followed by what I saw as important themes between the answers. I left repetitive answers out if others shared a similar general sentiment. I also shortened some answers to reflect this policy as well. I apologize in advance for the length, but it seemed less useful when I broke up all the information.
Before getting to some results, let me tell you about the data here. This is all completely qualitative data, and by no means an airtight, rigidly scientific look at views on the site. That said, I targeted an audience here (lurkers), and from what I receive, completely believe the validity of all expressed herein. No replies came across as disingenuous or intentionally “leading” in some manner. What I’m trying to say is, while I acknowledge some “gaming” is certainly possible given my methodology (trolls, taking the quiz more than once with an alternate IP address, jerks) I’ve witnessed no data that leads me to believe the system set up was abused in any way.
What does the democratic party represent to you?
“Diversity! Sometimes to their own detriment, but it’s a vital facet that the Rethugs sneer at”
“Opposition to the Republican philosophy”
“More honesty and inclusiveness than the other party, a better chance to make our society work for everyone”
“Ensuring that those who have no voice are spoken for”
“Should be a voice for common people-right now it is a disappointment”
“Alternative to the Republicans”
“It used to mean a fair deal for all, but it is more and more just like the Republican party, for sale to the highest bidder. “
“Currently, based on reps and senators in office, it represents the weak center (non-right) wing of the Republican Party. Ideally, it represents the common person, the working class, the anti-corporatocracy”
“Surest hope of Democracy”
“Not what is used to...Corporate lackey lite”
“The best we currently have to work with”
“Protection for Americans other than the wealthy and already powerful”
“Social Justice”
“The party that stands up for the little guy, believes that there is a common good that must be supported against individual selfishness, and unregulated capitalism”
“Recognizes (or at least did in the past) the duty to care for the less fortunate among us”
“Just about everything I like about American Politics and government- a willingness to disagree, but constantly working for change for ordinary people”
“The heritage of the New Deal and Civil Rights, an alternative *sometimes, but more often than not) to rampant greed, war and bigotry”
“A big disappointment”
“Hope for a more just government”
The amount of responses related to the vague “not the Republicans” meme was a common response, around a quarter of surveys had something along those lines. Also common was notions of collectiveness, inclusion, empowerment by the party. A smaller number, though still significant, had a “lesser of evils”, mostly general anti-government tone. This suggests to me that a certain portion of lurkers do not identify as solidly with the strong partisan tone of the website, but still come for the discourse, and “alternative” point of view from the MSM.
"Describe your current level of activity on the site"
“3-4 hours per day browsing, rarely comment (less than 5 times ever) . Most interested in science, religion oriented discussions and any signs that dems are showing backbone”
“5-10 minutes a day readings”
“1-2 hours a day, rarely comment”
“Daily. I comment only rarely (8-10 times over 4 years). I especially like the science topics, but overall the political analysis in the stories”
“I read all the front page posts and most of the recommended diaries each day.”
“Constantly? I don’t comment, I read to educate myself, discover candidates...I read about 70% of diaries posted (during daylight) and pick up interesting overnight items via the rescue rangers. Avid BIPM fan, of course”
“Nearly every day, often for two to three hours at a time...I rarely comment; possibly as little as a half-dozen in the entire time I’ve been visiting (because I acknowledge the quality and knowledgeability of most diarists, and my own lack of the same). I’m attracted particularly to discussions of impeachment and votes on new legislation, and the abuse of power by this administration. I don’t particularly care for diaries about the candidates, or arguments over the nominees, though I do read some of them. “
“2-4 hours daily, mostly lurker/reader of a variety of topics”
“Read 2,3 times daily, comment maybe once a month, never posted a diary yet. I’m afraid of breaking some unknown troll rule”
“Daily lurker, Never comment. I have, on occasion, spent many, many hours on the site”
“I visit almost everyday. If I am able to spend any time at all on the computer that is not work or study related, I will always visit. In other words, I will never not visit Dkos if I’m surfing. I comment sparingly but am not a total lurker, I have written one diary. I’m not here for the pie fights or insider battles, I read most diaries about the Middle East, I travel to other blogs through Dkos as well”
“1 hour a day lurking, almost never comment, never created a diary, though I have a small number of false starts”
“No commenting, Lurking 5 hours a day in Environment/Politics/Energy”
“15 minutes a day”
Really there was no common answer to be had here. Lurkers apparently come in all shapes and sizes, from hyper-causal users to those who spend half of their day on it. Noteworthy here also is the amount of lurkers who referred to diaries as “stories”, mostly among the older survey respondents. I’m unsure if this is simply a age-disconnect with the terminology of the site, or an actual mental categorization of our diaries here as “stories”, akin to those in say, a newspaper. Either way, seemed an interesting pattern.
Describe How you first discovered Daily Kos, and the evolution of your viewing habits thereafter
“Discovered it a few months back while researching a particular rights-related topic for a book I’m writing. Found it interesting enough to keep coming back”
“Followed a link from a post on a Beliefnet board, Was thrilled to have found so many resonant voices that this has become #1 spot to hang out”
“I’ve lurked for bloody ever...I signed up sometime around BIPM’s first posts”
“Strange, I dont remember how I first found Daily Kos. Have been reading for about 3 years, not much more or less than when I first found it...my reading has become less broad as the site has expanded”
“Don’t remember how I first discovered Dkos, I’ve been lurking since several months before the 2004 election only started commenting this year”
“Don’t remember exactly, but most likely was links from other sites. I was initially confused with the makeup of the site (diaries). But after visiting several times, I got the hang of it and was hooked”
“Clicking from another blog (perhaps Talking Points Memo). I value the diversity of opinion and interests on DailyKos”
“Discovered DKos through Atrios in 2003. Too scared to comment back then, took a breather during the 2004 primaries (horrid candidate diaries!) then came back in 2005 to read, comment. Rarely Diaried. Am spending a lot less time here than I used to because I’m getting tired of the ranting, especially the uneducated, knee=jerk, reaction rating”
“Found the site through other political blogs/websites-WhatReallyHappened, Buzzflash etc. It has since become the main pol site I visit and it is now my home-page (since MSNBC went South)”
“I heard about it by an appearance (clip?) of Markos on the Daily Show”
“Don’t really remember, Probably during run up to the war I came across it and found it to be one of the few places where people agreed with me about what a bad idea this invasion was going to be”
“My friend recommended the site to me after I gave up on CNN. Now I couldn’t live without it”
“Came here because of Valerie Plame, lurked for a loong time, and still only comment occasionally. I usually find that someone else has already said what I was thinking better than I could. If I comment, it’s usually to point or link to more information on the topic. I became a regular immediately after my first visit. “
“Found through links from eschaton”
“Probably a link from another blog, but was sold when Colbert mentioned that Bill O hated the site”
“It’s been so long now, I can’t remember how I first came to Kos. I have however read it daily since the first visit.”
“I think my discovery of Dkos came on the 2004 presidential election evening, when I googled for voting results. I spent quite a bit of time reading just after that period, but then lost interest (I’ve never been particularly interested in politics). With the continued excesses of Bush and Co., I returned to the site at some point (not sure when, and became hooked by the quality of the writing, and especially by the discussion and arguments in the common threads...I value the site as both a learning-about-politics tool, and an up-to-the-minute news source. Eventually, I signed up, thinking I might comment occasionally; but I’m intimidated by the level of political scholarship, and I don’t really know enough to add much. “
“Some one at Cindy Sheehan’s first protest in Crawford was talking about Texas Kossacks and when I got home I checked out the site”
“Link from Huffington Post”
“Through links at DFA while working for Howard Dean”
“A college friend of mine showed it to me in the fall of 2006, in the run up to the midterms”
“I don’t remember how I first discovered it! seems like it’s been part of my daily habits forever."
All over the place. Some traffic from MSM attention, near half from other corners of the blogosphere, and some from "on the ground" activist work. In this area too, people's habits seem to shift over time. Some Lurkers though, it is worth noting, date way back to 2003/4, suggesting some of these users are no less of an important audience than those who "participate".
Why revisit the site?
“To get news not found elsewhere. To learn ways to be politically active. To communicate with like-minded people since I live in a very red state and have no one here with whom to discuss progressive ideas”
“Diversity of material and perspectives and because some posters obviously have high-level expertise and are good writers”
“High level of discourse from generally knowledgeable and tolerant people.”
“I come here for info on political strategy, more in depth analysis of news, legal and legislative matters. I continue to come here because of the excellent writing. I usually stick to the substantive diaries-I rarely visit C&J or mojo fests or any of OPOL’s more visual diaries, but I am glad they have a place here”
“Two words: Pootie Pix”
“It gives me a more complete picture of what is behind general MSM news stories, provides coverage of issues that never get discussed in more traditional outlets, comforts me that many people think and believe as I do, that we want more from our politicians and social institutions”
“To see posts and ideas that the mainstream media seems to ignore”
“It let’s me see that ppl. are just as pissed off and frustrated as I am. It gives me a little hope in our country”
“Intelligent disagreement for the most part. Civility. Honesty. Because even if this is a Democratic supporting site their faults are not ignored nor “explained away”..equal excoriation for all politicians. More than political postings every day, people share their lives in part. Pootie Pix and Pie Recipes, Cheers and Jeers, OND. I live with a rabid conservative Republican neocon non-thinker and Daily Kos has become my prescription for clear-cogitating after.
“For good news, mostly, not for screeds and complaints. Luckily there is now quite a bit of good and encouraging news”
“In large part it has helped in researching various political/world concern topics. Additionally, I enjoy reading the comments written by others, both the intellectual and amusing ones. “
“It’s a springboard to find more info on different topics that arise.”
“I get news 2 days before it shows up on CNN, NPR etc, if it ever does at all”
“To sample reactions on recent news from other progressives”
“Information before the MSM even has a clue”
“like-minded people, better information than any other political news site”
“It’s a place for fun. I love the snark; A place to join with others in our “Winter of Discontent”, A place to be educated”
Common themes here are exposure to undiscovered/underreported news, and quality of ideas/discourse. The ability to communicate with others sharing similar beliefs seems to ring important as well, especially among those in traditionally Republican locales. Also noteworthy is the adoption of the site as a sort of news-vetting device, representing a secondary, context-heavy mediation of the information we’re getting from about the world.
I’m unsure if I should post this next section, but will do so in the interest/spirit of transparency. I do not wish to appear “trollish” or rehash old arguments on and about the site. If a great number of people disagree with the appropriateness of this section, I’d be happy to remove/edit it.
How do you feel about Markos?
“Grateful that he was able to ‘flesh out’ this venue and attract some of the brightest, most passionate people I’ve ever ‘met’. On a personal level, I wish he’d quit raggin’ on Kucinich [grin]”
“I don’t feel much of anything about him although I got a better idea of his aims by reading his book “Crashing the Gates” (sic) I guess he does the public a service”
“Don’t know the guy. Love his site though! I guess he’s hardworking?”
“I feel like Markos does his best work when he remembers the entire community”
“Seems like a nice, smart guy; I hardly know him of course”
“Personally, I don’t feel one way or another about the man, but wow, what a community he’s developed. I’m eternally in his debt.
“Mixed Opinions. Admire what he’s set up, but sometimes don’t agree with him.”
“I like his thinking most of the time”
“Having been to YK06/o7, I have met Markos. From my age, he is young (as are many on this site), but I respect him enormously”
“Brilliant Thinker, good writer, not the sites best. His conservative nature works well with his forward thinking to make an effective thoughtful viewpoint. Needs a hamburger”
“I think he’s smart and a good facilitator. I enjoy his political posts”
“Wizard of Oz behind the curtain”
“I am impressed and amazed. I usually agree with “what” he writes, just not necessarily “how” he writes it :)”
“Don’t know much about him-seems more mainstream dem than I would like, but he allows a free and open discussion on the site”
“Smart, entrepreneurial young man don’t always agree with him, he’s more libertarian than me and needs to respect his elders a bit more :)”
“Grateful”
“I’d let him speak for me any day. I guess he already does.”
“I think he’s created something powerful and that he is an excellent spokesman for progressives. I believe strongly in working from the bottom up at a grassroots level that gets people involved in every race in every city in every state”
“Don’t really think about him much”
“He has done a great thing in giving liberals a viable media presence. I am uncomfortable with his ever rising pundit status”
“I don’t dislike him. I admire his political activism very much. However, his writing focuses on his interest in candidates and races and political maneuverings, so he’s my favorite front page writer, because those are the topics that interest me the least. My impression is that he’s becoming a little much of an “establishment” personality, so it triggers a bit of distrust. My most adamant criticism of his policies is the complete and utterly incomprehensible refusal to allow discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories, while supporting the most blatantly-ridiculous government conspiracy theory, the official 9/11 story. Frankly, it pisses me off.”
“Don’t know him, but he seems like a decent sort of person”
“He represents our future”
Mostly two camps on this one, "like him" or "not so much". I asked the question because I was curious about how the site was perceived: as a personality or community-based project. The majority of respondents approved of Markos, and those which don't didn't seem to hold it against the general site to any great extent. Based on this data, I think very few people who look at the site attribute Markos any kind of authoritarian "leadership" role.
Ever attended a meet-up locally?
“Not Yet. I came on board around the time of the YearlyKos convention in Chicago. I hope to eventually meet with some of them in the future”
“I think I’m the only Kossack within 100 miles of here”
“No, there are none that I know of”
“No. Busy. And I don’t post”
“No, Since, I’m a lurker...”
“No, I’ve never heard of one here in NC”
“No, although I have considered it many times, as well as the YKos convention. I’m on the local mailing list, but never felt compelled to go. I think I am hesitant because I’m not sure if I’m ready to admit to being a dKos geek :) I think other hesitancy is because I am not yet involved in politics at an activist level, but I will probably do work at the local level for someone this cycle”
“Not too many opportunities, though I would like to attend a meet-up in my area if the opportunity presented itself”
“Yes, many times since the spring of 2005, an enriching experience and good to know the faces/voices behind the handles you see more or less everyday. I’ve met many of the ‘prominent’ bloggers past and current”
“Nope. None held in my area and not interested enough to start one”
“No. I haven’t made the attempt to find any, but if it was easy to locate a local group I might”
“No, not available here”
“No, I’m very much a loner and not good at meeting new people...I’m embarrassed by my limited activism, although the site has motivated me at least to sign petitions and write to my congress people, which is a major improvement.”
“No, None in the area”
“So far none yet, I may consider going in the future”
“No. I don’t know of local Kossack meetings. Not sure that I would attend anyway, being afraid of it becoming a bitch session. but maybe”
“No, commented about locale, no one has ever suggested anything, heh”
Of most important note here is I think are the available actions to better court people for meet-ups, if anyone thinks that’s worth pursuing. Personally it seems like these meet-ups really strengthen the “community” aspects of the site, and that can only bode well for our activist pursuits. There’s no doubt people more solidly network at these things as well, exchanging phone numbers, phone cards, and chatter. There is strong evidence many of these individuals wish to go to a meet-up, but feel there are virtually 0 Kossacks in their area.
If there is some way to find local meet-ups easily on this site, I don’t know about it. I know many areas have mailing lists to sign up for, but a more comprehensive tool may be more helpful.
The wide majority of lurkers who responded that they did not attend the meet-ups were either because they weren’t sure they were welcome (This is, as far as my locale is concerned, NOT the case), and they weren’t sure there was one near them. Both are easily remedied. I understand that many Kossacks may in fact live in remote areas, but it seems hard to imagine from the sheer quantity of reactions claiming that there were no meet-ups actually translates to no other Kossacks who wish to meet. If there are in fact no close meet-ups, maybe some way to facilitate their creation faster based amount of Kossacks in the locale could be useful.
What do you think the next 10 years will look like for Daily Kos?
“Hopefully, it will become even more of a voice for the Progressives and will be a touch=point for our elected officials to get the pulse on current national and international perspectives”
“More busy, packed, and there will be much junk to sort through. As younger and more inexperienced people join, there will be more teaching of history. It may become a jumping off point for revolutionaries”
“It likely will continue to grow but it is linked to what happens in our political culture”
“Not a clue”
“If the Democrats continue to take back the government I think it will morph into a site that continues to hold those elected accountable. Not all Democrats have the Wellstone “”Conscious of a Liberal” gene, so they must have their feet held to the fire to insure that our core American values are restored”
“I expect that the official mantra of Support Dems Only will lead to continuing disappointment and whining :) as the spinless dem leaders continue to cave in.”
“I think that we’ll see this site and its contributors accepted by the news media more and more”
“ I don’t have enough faith that the Dems will do right and stay in power that long. Wonder if I won’t be as fed up with them as I have been with the Reps recently. Already Starting to get that way. So I might not care in a few more years. I also think the people on this site think of
“Sadly, I think as time goes by Kos will probably splinter”
“It would be absolutely terrific if a POTUS were elected who declared “it is your government, what should we do?” and then actually LISTENED to the blogosphere”
“I hope for the best; but my fear is that the internet will eventually be taken by corporate interests, and the freedom of online discourse and activism will be severely limited. I don’t know if the community would survive that”
“I don’t really believe sites/communities like this will be legal in 10 years”
“It will fragment and end up co-opted into a subscription only site, controlled by the advertisers, just like all other news sources”
“It’ll implode or go commercial”
“Same only larger”
“I have no idea...I guess it partly depends on to what degree the internet gets co-opted and overwhelmed by the media giants”
“I would be surprised if it lasted 10 years in this form, there is real danger that Markos will go mainstream as a journalist the site may break up into several sites.”
“I hope it becomes a direct forum for our elected reps to interact with the community to better serve the needs and wishes of the voters”
“Maybe become part of the warp and woof of a more progressive nation”
I'm not sure there's much to comment on regarding this. There are definite fears of a corporate internet take-over, possibly damaging or destroying the discourse here. There's also real signs of curiosity (legitimately, I believe) as to just what'll happen if The democrats retake the government in totality. Generally speaking, I would think that lurkers hold a bit less water for the site than more engaged users, but that may very well be just an assumption.
Rate your level of self-identification with the following terms: Liberal, Progress, Nationalist, Patriot. 1 Represents very little or no identification, 10 represents a strong identification:
Look at that! Actual numbers! I tucked this in here for everyone that stuck around and actually read through this beast. I've got no critical view on this data set, but interesting nonetheless no? This is from the same survey, it compiles the answers of all 126 respondents to this question into that graph. I know, it's a little much to situate. Essentially, the largest bars of color are where the majority of respondents placed their 1-10 score.
So there’s all that. What does everyone think? I’m hoping the information contained within is helpful, and within the spirit of the site. I welcome critique, and am curious how supportive the community is of this work.