I've been to D-Kos back and forth for some time now. Before I arrived I was an observer of internet culture, having been involved in the Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) and the like long ago (like the mid-1980s). If there's one thing you know about the virtual community, it is that as soon as you think you know it, it changes. That being the case, I tried to determine years ago (around 2003) what DKos "really" was and what it was going to be. Well, I'm back for a while, and I'm very pleased at what I see.
My chief concern was that DKos would stagnate or that the amateurishness of blogging would ultimately undermine what became the strength of this site/community. I mean, journalists have been poo-pooing blogging as an alternative to journalism for some time. While I lament the decline of profit-based journalism, I think there is a lot to be learned about what these/you amateurs have built here. DKos is a clearinghouse of both original and synthesized quality information on progressive matters.
Now, I'm not representative, but from a phenomenological perspective, I think my opinion is valuable. Over the last year or so, my involvement here dropped off with the discovery of HuffingtonPost (I know, I know...a terrible alternative). Still, with a job, it was quick and easily digested (like reading the New York Post as opposed to the New York Times). But as such, I became again an observer of events and less a participant - even if the old participation was in my own little way (e.g., calling a Congressperson here and/or there, writing a gripe somewhere on the net, voting in a poll). While the calls to action have tapered off here (or at least as I observed about 8 months ago), there is still a great deal here that can't be gotten elsewhere.
Still, the development of the daily updates of Congress and the marked improvement in the frontpage posters has made this website a genuine force for organizing and synthesizing daily progressive thought and strategy. To all those who contribute, a hearty "Thank You" comes your way for me. Thanks!