In response to Meteor Blades' latest post on rules and regulations, I was writing a comment, when I realized it might better be placed in it's own diary. It is offered with the best intent. And also with an admitted amount of haste. I just don't get by DKos as often as I used to these days, partly because of some of the same issues MB is trying to address, and partly because of good old fashioned economic hardship.
Anyway, here it is, in rough form...
First, I appreciate the democratic spirit of the ratings system. And I recognize that it likely was a key cog in making DKos a success in the early going.
But as with all things, growth can and often brings a need to evolve, and over time that evolution can seem radical to many long-time associates of any community undergoing such evolution. Those members can and often meet any calls for change with doubts, derision, and worse. Especially when the older system has been less and less enforced over time, and then "all of a sudden" there's a more urgent need to address problems that are beginning to take on major nuisance proportions, if not present an outright danger to the community's vitality.
That's where I think DKos is.
I have believed and voiced for a long while, and thus suffered many undeserved troll ratings, and other abuses because of it (even by otherwise great and important Kossacks who do good work) that it's time to consider that DKos needs less gradual increased enforcement in old rules, and more innovative, nay, radical ideas to replace them.
So, before going any further, a few questions:
-- How many current Kossacks hold the hard-rec privilege?
-- Is it too easy to earn?
-- Are they in turn policed by any other entity but MB, and themselves and the flawed system they partake in?
-- Is it not evident to anyone else that whatever the answers to the above, the current system is not working, despite much applauded efforts by MB?
That last one is not as rhetorical as it may sound. I really wonder who else out there might have rational but real concerns about this.
Anyway, my suspicion is that instead of a purist's attempt at "self-policing", (which seems what DKos has tried its best to lean toward, and which in a large enough group devolves into what amounts to mob rule) what DKos needs is a new system that more resembles elections.
We the dkos community could nominate representatives, and a "congress" of sorts would be elected to hold the privilege and responsibility of policing.
Regular citizen Kossacks could still rec diaries, but not hard-rec.
If we have a minor issue, we can start by going directly to one of our representatives.
And yeah, I know it sounds like a ton of work and maybe untenable for a handful of these Kossack reps to take on solely on a voluntary basis. And it is. So, two answers: one, I am presuming the congress to be rather large, maybe 100 total, just like the U.S. Senate, or even more like the House? And two, DKos earns income. Protecting that investment by ensuring the continued vitality of the site is a valid expenditure. Of course actually paying 100 or more reps might be out of the realm of feasibility. So maybe some other perks for the reps, and then maybe have a "senior committee", elected by the reps themselves, or on a rotation basis to be more fair, who would receive compensation. But some investments seems prudent.
All that said, I am also making this suggestion with no idea how many already have "hard rec" privileges, or how much Kos already invests in these particular issues.
Anyway, I thought I'd put this out there, and let others with more knowledge than I do with it what they will. It seems time that DKos underwent it's own reform in a way, so that the future remains bright for the great and important entity that DKos is.