Every day is a new day and with that, a new opportunity.
EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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The * NEW DAY * Team is glad to see people volunteering to form and lead groups in their regions. A few people have asked what the steps are to form a group at Daily Kos. Here are my suggestions:
First, check to see if a group already exists in your area. If so, contact the group owner and ask to be added as an editor to help plan events. You can search by scrolling through all the Groups at Daily Kos or you can use the Search Groups interface and type in city names, regions or states to look for existing groups.
Before you start the group, take some time and think of a good name. My advice is create a name that anyone will recognize where the group is located in the country. An example of a good one is Nashville KosKats. An ambiguous one is SFKossacks which I created in 2005 as one of the very first group organizers and not knowing what I know now. If you use the Search Groups interface and type in San Francisco or Bay Area, nothing is returned. You have to type in SFKossacks exactly to find the group. You can learn from my early attempt. Don't make the group name so eccentric that only a knowledgeable few can understand it. Create a group for an entire state or a group of small states. Or, feel free to create a group for a region such as the San Francisco Bay Area, like I did. Or, create a group for a town or city.
If no group exists for your area, click the Groups link at the top of any page and then click the Create New Group link. You can enter your new group name there. The group username will be used for your url and and the url cannot be changed once you have set up the group. You can change the group name later but the url will remain the same as the first one you set up.
Click Edit Profile and describe your group. There is a space to post your group's non-mandatory avatar. Avatars should be 250 pixels wide by 56 pixels high. I can help you make an avatar if you don't know how. Some regional groups have banners as well to head their diaries in addition to their avatar. Banner dimensions should be 550 pixels wide by 100 pixels high.
I made this banner for the Houston Area Kossacks with organizer Chrislove's photograph:
Once you've set up the group you can start inviting people to join. In your group interface members list you'll see a link to ADD USERS TO THE GROUP. Click that and simply type in a user name, which you'll have to do one at a time. Have a pre-composed invitation stored to use as you invite each user. After they accept your invitation you can select new members to be an Admin with you, granting them all of your privileges. You can make some editors, granting them a some of your privileges or simply a contributor, which allows them at a minimum to post a diary to the queue and receive group Kosmails. Diaries posted to your queue by contributors will need to be published by editors or admins. You should check your queue daily or ask to be notified of a diary deposit.
A word about Kosmails. I love this new DK4 feature! It does have one thing that is likely on the back burner of site updates and that is, you don't receive notification of Group Kosmails like you do a personal Kosmail. So, I suggest you set up an external email group such as a Google Group. With this you can send one email to your group and everyone can reply with one click. You'll need everyone's private email addys to set up your Google Group. Consider requesting that addy in your pre-composed invitation to your DKos Group. There are many advantages to having a DKos Group but one we SFKossacks like is being able to ask for support for our individual diaries, regardless of the subject. It's so depressing spending precious time writing and posting a diary to get 0-3 recs. Our SFKossacks love supporting each other in our diaries. That's the point, creating a camaraderie. The SFKossack camaraderie also rises to the need of physical support, say in the case of illness or personal crisis.
In the beginning of building your group, try to find a small team to help you find potential members of your group in the comments. In 2005, I was lucky and had enthusiastic members like Sally Cat, side pocket and (now in North Carolina) highacidity to reply to people with an invitation to join our group. I had on hand a linky-html invitation to reply to people who casually mentioned they lived in our region. It looks like this:
| Would you like to join our group? [Group profile description]
1. Follow us here at DKos, SFKossacks.
2. Join our Yahoo Group to receive email notifications from SFKossacks about fun get togethers and activism around the Bay Area. And you can send us emails to support your diaries.
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Also, my sig line has promoted my two groups for years now.
Having a casual meet-up and writing a diary about it helps promote your group and gather more members. Our series exists to help you promote your community building efforts. Your Recommend of our series helps us gain visibility to build the Daily Kos community. Please comment in our series when you start a group or post a diary about it. Our readers will gladly Recommend your diary to help you gain visibility.
I started building the SFKossack group in 2005, we rally very fast now. Not only for fun but for support of each other's diaries and for any political action we need to take locally. This is my goal for all regions across the nation, strong teams of Kossacks, ready to work together for causes or just good old recreation.
What is the Closest Major City to Your Home AND (this wouldn't fit in the headline)
is there a Daily Kos group organized there?
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Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the Fold
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:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meat-space community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
:: Current Diaries in Planning Mode ::
ALERT!
BALTIMORE IS CURRENTLY ORGANIZING DEBATE WATCH PARTIES: See this diary, Next Baltimore Kossack meetup by sreeizzle2012.
To join Maryland Kos send sreeizzle2012 a Kosmail.
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:: Regions Organizing! ::
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NEW GROUPS IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING:
• Portland, Oregon Area: Kosmail: Horace Boothroyd III to be included in the group.
• Cleveland and Northeast Ohio Area: Kosmail: GenXangster
• Philly Area: Kosmail asterkitty
• Northern Indiana Area: Kosmail Tim Delaney
• Kansas City Kossacks: Kosmail kj in missouri
• Chicago Area: Kosmail figbash
• Long Island: Kosmail grannycarol
• Northern Michigan: Kosmail JillS
• South East Michigan (Detroit) Area: Kosmail peregrine kate
• Phoenix AZ Area: Kosmail arizonablue
• Nebraska: Kosmail Nebraska68847Dem
Note to the above new leaders: Feel free to leave a comment any day reminding readers about your new group. Also, tell us about your progress in gathering members. Kosmail me when you've chosen a good name for your group and have created a the group. Then I'll move you to the NEW GROUPS LIST. When you've planned a date for your first event I'll make a banner for you to highlight your event in our diaries and your diaries.
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These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks - Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks - Organizer: Clytemnestra and GreenMountainBoy02
• Houston Area Kossacks - Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India - Organizer: chandu
• CenTex Kossacks - Organizer: papa monzano
Current diary: Meet-up Planning Take 1
• Central Ohio Kossacks - Organizer: VetGrl
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ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005, More than 80 members
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011, More than 54 members
• New York City Founded by Eddie C, More than 58 members
• Baja Arizona Kossacks Founded by buddabelly, Formed: Feb. 13. 2011, 90 members
• Three Star Kossacks Founded by maryKK, Formed: Apr 8, 2011, 46 members
• Nashville KosKats Founded by ZenTrainer, Formed: Jan 30, 2012, 28 members
• Virginia Kos Founded by JamieG from Md, Formed: May 3, 2011, 67 members
• Kos Georgia Founded by pat208, Formed: Feb 13, 2011, 18 members
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:: Events Currently on the Books for ALL Kossacks ::
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Friday, October 19th
SFKossack Red Carpet Rollout for Dave in Northridge
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Yank Sing
Rincon Center, 101 Spear St., San Francisco
ORGANIZER: navajo - Send a Kosmail to RSVP.
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RSVP LIST:
1. Dave in Northridge
2. navajo
3. Lorikeet
4. Steveningen
5. jpmassar
6. kimoconnor
7. norm
8. MrNavajo (Maybe)
9. remembrance
10. Glen the Plumber |
11. Dharmasyd
12. boatsie
13. side pocket
14. FogCityJohn
15. Kamakhya
16. Frugal Granny
17. madhaus (maybe)
18. enhydra lutris
19. Shockwave (maybe)
20. Catilinus
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~~~
Monday, October 22nd
DAILY KOS HQ: SFKossacks watch the final Presidential Debate Party
TIME: 5:00 PM Pacific
LOCATION: Daily Kos Office
Berkeley (address will be given to RSVPs by Kosmail)
5 min. walk from Ashby BART
Plan on street parking outside of the very limited parking in the office complex.
ORGANIZERS: Markos and navajo - Send a Kosmail to RSVP.
It's time to organize the food and drink for our Debate Watch party on the 22nd.
Markos is going to spring for pizza and the rest of us are going to bring side dishes, drinks and dessert.
My drink calculator says we need:
20 six packs of beer (-14 from volunteers = 6 packs are now needed)
34 bottles of wine (-31 from volunteers = 3 bottles are now needed)
8 six packs of water (boatsie's got this with Peligrino + bottled)
8 six packs of soft drinks (-8 from volunteers = 0 packs are now needed) Feel to bring other beverages, tho.
2 six packs non-alcoholic beer (ceebee7)
From the volunteers:
~ APPETIZERS ~
side pocket - Stuffed Mushrooms
kimoconnor - chips
shanikka - Spinach Artichoke dip
dksbook - Spinach Artichoke dip and bread
cooper888 - hand-cut salsa, chips
Lorikeet - Fruit
lineatus - Hummus
boatsie - carrots for hummus
[anonymous] - Guacamole & Huge Costco size bag of Chips
justiceputnam - Crostini, Bruschetta
Isara - Meat & Cheese tray
We need more salads!
~ SALADS ~
navajo - Huge green salad
shanikka - Spinach Salad
dksbook - Large Green Salad
edrie - Arugula, mandarin orange, tomato, onion, gorganzola & walnut salad
delilah 52 - Pasta Salad
We need more desserts! Cookies and brownies, i.e. desserts that don't need a plate.
From the volunteers:
jpmassar - Brownies
mwk - dessert
Dharmasyd - Brownies
[anonymous] - Cookies
Maudlin - Homemade cupcakes
This is handled:
80 appetizer plates (mber)
80 sturdy paper plates (mber)
80 disposable forks (mber)
100 napkins (mber)
80 plastic cups for wine (mber)
~I'll be bringing a huge healthy green salad, 4 bottles of wine, (2 white, 2 red) and a large ice chest with ice for the cold bevs. -navajo
SFKossacks, Please volunteer in the comments and let me know what you're going to bring.
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RSVP LIST:
1. Markos [PIZZA!]
2. Susan Gardner
3. Kaili Joy Gray
4. Faith Gardner
5. Will Rockafellow [PIZZA!]
6. Meteor Blades
7. navajo [Green Salad, 4 bottles of wine]
8. citisven* [1-6pk beer]
9. Glen the Plumber* [1 red wine, 1-6pk beer]
10. jotter* [6 wines]
11. kimoconnor* [2 white wines, chips]
12. jpmassar* [brownies]
13. norm*
14. precinct1233* [4 red wines]
15. Ebby* [Apple cider & such]
16. lineatus* [Hummus]
17. ceebee7* [2-6pks non-alcoholic beer]
18. Dharmasyd* [Brownies]
19. madhaus* [4-6pks sodas] offers ride from San Jose
20. [anonymous]* [1 white wine, 1 red wine, 1-6pk beer]
21. [anonymous]* [Guacamole & Chips, Cookies]
22. remembrance* (maybe)
23. paradise50* [6-6pks beer]
24. Jeff in CA*
25. Kamakhya*
26. side pocket* [2-6pks beer, Stuffed-Mushroom appetizer]
27. Mary Rickles*
28. mwk* [1 white wine, 1-6pk beer +dessert]
29. boatsie* [Peligrino & carrots] offers ride from NorthBay
30. shanikka* [SpinachArtichoke dip, Spinach Salad]
31. shanikka's DAH
32. mber* [all disposable plates, cups & utensils]
33. Cathie* [2 wines]
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34. The Awful Truth*
35. Lorikeet* [Fruit]
36. dksbook* [Spinach Artichoke dip and bread]
37. mr. dksbook*
38. The dksbook's SIL
39. Pluto* (maybe)
40. cooper888* [hand-cut salsa, chips]
41. GotMooned*
42. Raven Brooks*
43. Navi Ganancial*
44. melfoley * [1-6pk beer]
45. means are the ends*
46. Isara* [Meat & Cheese tray]
47. Isara's partner
48. AoT*
49. freewayblogger*
50. Shockwave*
51. Shockwave's guest
52. wiljago*
53. Fe Bongolan*
54. G2geek*
55. justiceputnam* [Crostini, Bruschetta]
56. Kygre* [2 wines]
57. delilah 52* [Pasta Salad]
58. jakedog42*
59. edrie* [Arugula/Mandarin Orange Salad]
60. iVote2004* (Maybe)
61. Maudlin* [Cupcakes]
62. Maudlin's husband
63. BlueJessamine*
64. July4rocks*
65. Catilinus
66. LinSea* [3 wines]
67. foolrex* [1 red wine]
68. EricS* [2-6pks Diet Coke, 1-6pk beer]
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*HQ Office address emailed or Kosmailed
Also, FYI, the entire San Mateo bridge will be closed from Friday the 19th at 10:00 p.m. to Monday the 22nd until 5:00 a.m. It should be open for your late afternoon commute to our party, but you never know. Just a heads-ups to check before.
| NEW and IMPORTANT:
More on the logistics of this event.
The dinner will be served "cocktail-party style," meaning that many will be standing with plates and mingling. There will be no tables for sitting. But the various seating described below will be available for, well, those who must hold court during cocktail hour.
There will be limited seating for the debate, the office has about 30 assorted seats, another 15 or so will be able to sit on a diagonal stairway to view the big screen. I will make sure that those who cannot stand will have a seat. We are hoping that those who are able, can sit on the floor in front of the couch seating area, that should be about another 20. If anyone has folding chairs or camp chairs they can bring please tell me in the comments or send me a Kosmail.
I could also use 3-4 card tables and one 6ft banquet table for the food staging areas. Let me know.
PORTABLE CHAIR LOG: navajo+2, side pocket+2, dharmasyd+1, LinSea+1, jakedog42+1, mwk+3,
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Thanks, SFKossacks, this is coming together nicely. You ROCK!
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Saturday, November 10th
Northern California Central Valley Kossacks Potluck Lunch
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Kestrel's home in Sacramento
There will also be a pre-meet up birding adventure at Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.
ORGANIZERS: tgypsy and Kestrel - Send tygypsy a Kosmail to RSVP.
RSVPs:
1. tygypsy
2. Kestrel
3. Sally Cat
4. Mr. Cat
5. mrsgoo
Latest diary: CV Kossacks: Post-Election Meet Up
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DailyKos readers who live and/or work in New England
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
Sunday, November 11th
New England Kossacks MEET-UP
TIME: 1:30pm - 4:30pm
LOCATION: The People's Pint
24 Federal St
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 773-0333
If you live in/near Albany, Schenectady, or Troy NY, this meet up is only 2 hours away!
ORGANIZER: Send Clytemnestra a Kosmail to RSVP.
We will be collecting donations for the Native American Netroots project Okiciyap at this Meet Up.
RSVPs:
1. Clytemnestra (willing to car pool - Southern MA/Northern RI area)
2. Remembering Jello
3. jarbyus
4. farmerchuck
5. MinervainNH
6. dlcmassage
7. dlcmassage's partner
8. ActivistGuy
9. betson08 (Long time active supporter of Okiciyap and Pretty Bird Woman House)
Maybes:
1. annieli
2. DeathDlr73
3. Phil s 33
4. Knockbally
5. mataliandy
6. davidseth (willing to carpool - Columbia County, NY)
Latest diary: New England Kossacks - November Meet Up
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Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?
