Top Comments in a State of Flux
Good evening, everyone! I wanted to revisit gizmo’s diary on the night of Top Comments’s 12th anniversary. I was honored to help with some of the names of Top Comments diarists on that occasion. I think we got just about all of them (56 in total: WOW!). It isn’t as easy to track them all down as one might imagine, because the group existed before Daily Kos groups did! So the complete list of Top Comments diaries are not accessible through the group profile. Tag searches don’t reliably find them all, either, at least, not without multiple searches.
Just getting to know the writers has been an incredible adventure in its own right, and a high honor! I think there was a night or two in the first (and possibly second) year when Top Comments ‘went dark.’ Since then, I seem to recall a night when the site was down for several hours until past midnight, so there may have been a dark night at that time, otherwise, one way or another, we’ve just about always gotten a nightly diary posted.
It’s been a real labor of love for quite a few of us. Top Comments is a Daily Kos micro-community of folks who have a deeper appreciation of the role community plays in our lives, a role important in its own right, above and beyond politics. I’m speaking here of the Top Comments community including ALL TC patrons, whether you diary for us or not, because nightly visitors and comment submitters are every bit as important to the community as anyone else.
Engaging and relating in the diary can help with morale, can help with focus, can help with ideas … can help us understand more fully that we are NOT alone, that we are in this together. We celebrate together, we commiserate together, we enjoy laughs together, sometimes we cry together. Yes, there are many people on Daily Kos who would not be caught dead in a ‘community diary. That is certainly their right and their prerogative! But perhaps a time will come for them when they realize they could have had more help, more support, indeed, more love, in these trying times.
For myself, this is one of the most remarkable times of my life, possibly busier than I have ever been! Yet, my joy at the Top Comments community is as great as it has ever been. I regret that I am not able to help on more nights than I currently do.
Lately we have been struggling to fill our nightly schedule. You may have noticed gizmo’s heroic efforts to keep the candle burning! And he is not alone in such heroics. John M Webb took all Sundays for many months with fine diaries and deep caring! And Tara and Ed and Puddy and BB and MikeTheLiberal and cohenzee have made countless contributions out of their love and passion for our group!
Now, there is a discussion being held among our diarists about how to proceed. None of us knows, yet, where things are headed, what will happen. If you have thoughts or ideas or suggestions, please know we’d love to hear them!
We have only begun this process - renewal is important for any community - so it’s all in a state of flux.
But however it shakes out, know that we love you, we care about you, we will always fight for you and with you, and for our Democratic champions and causes. In that, our commitment will never waver.
Oh! And one final thing! Do you have any questions ABOUT Top Comments? Anything you’d like to know or are curious about? Please ask! If I can help illuminate things, I am delighted to do it! Thanks for visiting tonight!
On to tonight’s comments!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
Note: Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From BeninSC:
Threads like this make me happy, because elements of Daily Kos culture are explained! With this comment, new member Shiloh Blue asks about the ‘top comment’ in a diary’s comment threads, the Tip Jar! Prompting this fine comment answer by Sylv! The answer helped somewhat new member, maymebarth, also! It’s what community does!
Highlighted by Lisafr:
Top Mojo ala mik!
Top Mojo for yesterday, June 17th, 2018, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
Top Pictures
2018-06-18, courtesy of jotter!