Newsvine Update - What's New Since MSNBC

A Comprehensive Response.

It got to be a bit long for a comment.

Calvin: You didn't mention the daily contests that I heard used to exist and be popular. I thought I heard those were returning.
Are they?

I totally forgot about the Question of the Day! Blast from the past!

I believe rwarner provides such a service now. Go look!

She does but without prizes. I think two people at vine meet were wearing or told us of the prizes they won early on. I thought a daily contest like that was a great idea because it would provide one more reason for people to return daily to newsvine, besides their newsvine addiction.

Not that "ding ding ding you're correct" isn't a prize, of course, but if I had to choose between that and a new pair of shoes....

And also please let groups be able to have private message board threads.

Looking forward to the first assignment. Probably backup at MSNBC desk for the Democrat's Convention. Killfile.

Or First Row Correspondent at Miss America Contest. Old Fogey

Let me know if I can help in any way as a reporter, editor, lackey, roadie, etc.
especially with these two:

Newsvine Assignment Desk and the
Writer's Outreach.

I'm also hoping to get the mentor project rolled out in early 2008.

You Mitt Romneyer ;-)

Whose pod would you cast and at whom would you cast it?

Whose fantastic idea was this?

You get the points but I totally get the assist... ;)

You get the points but I totally get the assist... ;)

Was that a sports analogy? From Mykola Bilokonsky? What's the world coming to? =P

What's the world coming to?

*my best Arnold*
End Of Days.

Was that a sports analogy? From Mykola Bilokonsky? What's the world coming to? =P

Sports? I was thinking of, uh, multiplayer FPS deathmatches. What is this "sports?" ;)

*my best Arnold*
End Of Days.

Haha I would pay to see you try do the Arnold voice. So basically you do the voice this weekend or we aren't going skating. :)

Considering I'm 5'2" and XXS, I do a pretty good Aahnuld.

Also, I have noticed that Newsvine has been faster lately.

I would say the opposite - it seems to get slow as molasses at times, and it is really frustrating.

I would say the opposite - it seems to get slow as molasses at times, and it is really frustrating.

Usually glitches in the matrix. Probably either testing or updating.

It crashed a few times recently, but overall it's faster.

The web server (www) seems much faster and more reliable, as does whatever is serving the comment tracker, but the image server (i.newsvine) seems more frequently to forget to serve all the user and group avatars, and sometimes the front page images.

It crashed a few times recently, but overall it's faster.

That has been my experience, lately, too. :)

Been a mixed bag of fast and slow responses and crashes for me for weeks. Had improved considerably lately till today as I am logging in from a cyber station in India. Performance sucks. I suspect it is NV servers; had less problems with other sites I accessed in this session.

I'm not getting notification of comments on my own articles all of the time. I noticed that more than other items on the comment tracker, and yes, images appear and disappear on a random basis. The load delays seem to relate to advertising.

Numquam erit ut qui lingua Latina optima sit.

Доступные драгметаллы.

David:

"Accessible" (I got that part) but драгметаллы?

Dragmetals?

:-O

Or precious metals, maybe?

I'm still stumped.

You're there Rebecca - серебрo и золото.

qv here - 'scuse my dodgy Russian.

Доступные драгметаллы.

Dear Calvin,
Please give Rebecca & David a RAV for actually being able to figure out the above Hieroglyphs, however please never ever include this in the Newsvine Spelling Dictionary !

The great thing about italicizing Cyrillic, Tedd, is that it becomes script - look at how that T changes in shape.

I'd be happy if they stopped putting AP stories about the Russian parliament under Moscow Mills - the people of St Louis are probably very confused as to who their government is :)

David,
I just copy and pasted it, when I first posted it, it was a total mess. At least now its somewhat close !

I lived in Kiev, Ukraine for 6 months and tried so hard to get a grasp of the language, I could almost utter a few things after some time, but I am always amazed at people that can actually conquer it ! I think I will just stick to German and English and be happy. However I would have loved to be able to pick it up !

I grew up speaking Ukrainian and English, I was fluently bilingual at age 5 but have since forgotten most of my ukrainian. Now I'm forgetting most of my Japanese, too, so I have this sort of vague shadow-language that's half ukrainian and half japanese that coms out any time I try to speak anything other than English. It's a mess. :-P

Thats what is great as a kid, its so easy to pick up. I was born in Germany, Dad was Norwegian (well half) so I learned English and German at the same time and picked up a good amount of Norwegian (forgotten 95%) When I lived in Germany back in 1990, most of the kids were fluent in 4-5 languages, easy to learn when young.

I always liked listening to the people speak Ukrainian, is seemed so much "softer" then Russian.

Hah Ukran-anese I guess would be a odd combo !

Listening to Ukrainian is gorgeous, I agree. I actually have a side project that's going unfold over, like, the next year that deals with Ukrainian history. It's not on newsvine but I'd be happy to keep you informed if you're interested.

It's fine in script Ted, I was just pointing out the differences. I've put together some web pages in Russian in the past and the original text has had italics / script in it. Copying it into a text editor changes everything into ordinary type and then one has to add the <em> tags to the code to italicize it. Trouble is that you look at the original and it's really difficult to match the script in the text to the type in the page as it's so different. It's a good job that I learnt to write in Cyrillic when I was young as that helps with the recognition no end.

Yes I would like that very much ! I picked up as many CD's as I could while I was there as I loved the music also.

@djd
I don't know what to call what the text editor did when I cut and pasted the first time, but at first, the Cyrillic looked basically OK to me, then after hitting the "Post Comment" I noticed I made an error and went back to edit it, at that point the Cyrillic changed to a mess and I deleted it and repasted it and it still came out with non ASCII symbols that where some strange ones, even with a page refresh. Yet when I came back to the page, it basically looked pretty close except for the changes you pointed out.
Yikes and I used to complain about umlauts....

Yes learning when young makes things so much easier...My daughter picked up the Piano in weeks what took me years...

I'd be interested in the Ukrainian history too Myk. Strange coincidence, I've just opened a bottle of Ukranian wine (Bear Blood).

This is just like the fall of the Roman Empire all over again, my beautiful Latin thread invaded by Slavs and Germans. Ah well. :-)

That was a bit of a brutal invasion. Something I heard my old Norwegian clan were good at in the olden days :-)

However to ease the pain of the loss of your wonderful Latin thread, may I offer ? Rome

A fascinating exchange in this part of the thread. The sort of exchange that keeps Newsvine real and unique for me. Thanks guys.

It does make it more fun around here.

half ukrainian and half japanese that coms out any time

Ukrapanese?

Ew, how unfortunate.

I would like a bit more transparency on how MSNBC plans to pick content to feature, though.

I understand that they're picking content which isn't difficult to (or doesn't need a) fact check, but it's also true that they're sending a lot of traffic towards a few people, and one particular topic. (Music -- with one or two television related topics.)

The problems I see with the mystery of "what gets picked up" are:

1. People are going to start writing about topics they don't really care about, to get picked up. We're already seeing far more music content than we ever did, and when people start piling on, they'll get lazy. Quantity will increase, but I doubt quality will.

2. The Newsvine columnists and leaderboard and your algorithm in general are gamed towards those few who are picked up by MSNBC. Even really well content can't compete with the added exposure which, I've heard, is pushing peoples page views through the roof. They're always going to be featured.

3. Even if its not, it all seems very arbitrary, and that's just a PR headache for you guys. I'd have a hard time disagreeing if someone were to say: "I'm writing quality content and seeing 1/800th the returns of other people, simply because they're chosen (by some unknown metric) to be featured on MSNBC. How many times does my content have to be overlooked before I wonder why I bother -- or stop bothering?"

Brian, good post, gives me an idea! My next article will be Old Fogey Writes to Beat the Band. And I don't want you beating the drums for others to condemn the fact I post it under music, arts, and entertainment. Plus World News since it should be an Earth shaking article.
Love it!

1. People are going to start writing about topics they don't really care about, to get picked up. We're already seeing far more music content than we ever did, and when people start piling on, they'll get lazy. Quantity will increase, but I doubt quality will.

I'm doubtful this will happen since the only way to check if content is on MSNBC is to actually go to MSNBC.com, and the only way to check if someone's traffic is up because of it is to check either Newsvine's gauge or the author's analytics page. In the last two weeks approximately 1 music story has been picked up by MSNBC. Before that it hovered around 2 per week. I really don't see people "piling on" for that. Especially since it isn't exactly easy to a write decent music article if you aren't really interested.
Focusing on:

We're already seeing far more music content than we ever did

You would have seen that with or without MSNBC. I made the Listen In group (where a vast majority of the new music content is coming from) before I knew it was possible to be featured on MSNBC, as did the three people that admin with me and the majority of the writers that decided to join. The content influx in this instance does not correlate to MSNBC.

2. The Newsvine columnists and leaderboard and your algorithm in general are gamed towards those few who are picked up by MSNBC. Even really well content can't compete with the added exposure which, I've heard, is pushing peoples page views through the roof. They're always going to be featured.

I'm not sure what you mean when you use the word "gamed."

I mean that if, say, a few people are getting featured, those few people are pretty much guaranteed a spot on the front page while they're featured.

I merely think they're asking for trouble by suddenly choosing to feature a few people around a very specific type of content, and by not providing any guidance (either in person or via the Newsvine staff) about how they're choosing, how they expect to roll it out, etc.

This basically means that MSNBC gets to choose who will be featured on Newsvine, based on the way the algorithm works here.

I don't have a problem with them featuring people, I'm calling for having some sort of presence here, some type of explanation for what they're featuring, how they plan to expand. Because, right now -- it's a crap shoot. At any rate, I've been told that the person who was doing the choosing was on vacation, and that probably explains why nothing was being featured for the last week or so.

I'm doubtful this will happen since the only way to check if content is on MSNBC is to actually go to MSNBC.com, and the only way to check if someone's traffic is up because of it is to check either Newsvine's gauge or the author's analytics page

It's not a secret that pageviews go up astronomically when you're featured on MSNBC. If it is a secret, it really shouldn't be.

Two per week, yes but if those two (and they've generally been the same three or four authors per week) are getting thousands of page views per month (rather than hundreds) it makes a big difference. I don't know about anyone else, and I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm writing because I want exposure, and because of that, I want to know what my chances are for exposure, and I can only see exposure going to a specific category for so long before I start to wonder if it's worth trying.

But, you're right, it's not easy writing good music content, and that's why i want them to be open about what they're choosing, why they're choosing, because I do think we'll see an influx of half-assed content, otherwise.

Seems to me that they've been choosing pretty quality stuff - my Robert Plant snubbing notwithstanding, hmmph! - and that we're not going to see some sort of gold rush to write entertainment content beyond what we would have seen with Eric's new group to begin with.

This is all very new, Brian, and they're trying to get their stuff together. If they want to take one specific type of content from one group and link it as a trial run, more power to them and ultimately more power to us. I suppose on some level it's pretty arbitrary, but any time anyone links to anyone's newsvine article it's arbitrary. MSNBC doesn't owe us some kind of "how to get linked" guide anymore than Digg or 3quarksdaily does. That @!$%# happens. The best we can do is write what we feel like writing, knowing that 80% of what we write isn't the sort of thing that's going to get featured on an MSM website. But isn't that why we're here in the first place?

MSNBC doesn't owe us some kind of "how to get linked" guide anymore than Digg or 3quarksdaily does.

I think you're stretching a bit here, though. Getting an article in Digg is consistently arbitrary. Everyone has the same shot at it -- you write great content, or maybe not, and someone likes it enough to post it to Digg, or another third party website.

MSNBC also happens to OWN Newsvine, so it's hard for me to agree that it's a good comparison.

I'm not saying that Evan and Scooter (or anyone else in listenin) write bad content, I'm saying that a lot of people write good content, and I suspect that a lot of people would like to know how to maximize their exposure, what MSNBC would like to see, etc.

Would it really be that difficult for the editor who has been picking content to write a three paragraph article (on Newsvine) explaining what they're looking for, why it's been fairly limited (up to now) and what they plan for the future? I don't think it would, and the only reason I have any idea what is going on is because they've been in contact with the people that HAVE been featured, and I heard it from a second-hand source.

Would it really be that difficult for the editor who has been picking content to write a three paragraph article (on Newsvine) explaining what they're looking for, why it's been fairly limited (up to now) and what they plan for the future?

I'd actually rather they not do that. I'd rather people tailor their writing on Newsvine to Newsvine, and not to a guide on how to be on MSNBC.

And from what I've been able to tell, MSNBC is sort of experimenting with integrating Newsvine right now, and if they want to take it slow while seeing how things fit I don't see how complaining that they aren't moving fast enough is helpful.

Again -- if MSNBC is going to have the power to grant page views to certain people, and if they bought Newsvine because they want a variety of people writing on a variety of topics, no -- they don't OWE us anything -- but they'd be stupid to not do what they can to broker some sort of dialogue, some sort of understanding of what they will feature, etc -- because those who do get featured (under the current crapshoot) are guaranteed exposure, whereas those who don't, fight for whatever is left.

If you happen to post an article in entertainment on the same day that 2 listenin articles are featured on MSNBC -- what do you think your shot at the front page is? If you don't make the front page, what do you think your shot at (even) a normal level of Newsvine page views is?

In other words, newsvine's current system is being outdated and negated by MSNBC's decision to feature certain content. I think that could discourage people from writing original content. Money aside, if people aren't writing for exposure, I have to wonder why they're writing at all. If they ARE writing for exposure, I think this is the sort of question that everyone should have.

And from what I've been able to tell, MSNBC is sort of experimenting with integrating Newsvine right now, and if they want to take it slow while seeing how things fit I don't see how complaining that they aren't moving fast enough is helpful.

You understanding is probably based on the fact that several members of your group have been in contact with the guys over at MSNBC, though. That means that roughly 99.99999% of people writing for Newsvine, and hoping for exposure, don't have that same knowledge or that same understanding.

I'd rather people tailor their writing on Newsvine to Newsvine, and not to a guide on how to be on MSNBC.

Why? So they can see other columnists get higher page views and higher payouts? Anyone who spends any amount of time at all attempting to write quality original content with the goal of getting exposure would be silly to NOT want MSNBC exposure, and they'd be silly to not want to know what their criteria is.

I guess my issue is that you're looking at a sample of 4 weeks in which time MSNBC editors have been pretty much improvising about this and assuming this is how they are going to continue going forward.

How they're picking anything now doesn't necessarily mean it's how they'll be doing it in two weeks, so what's the point in spelling out guidelines when there really aren't any?

And, quit your complaining about not getting onto MSNBC,

Look, Calvin. I've spent almost two years "not" complaining about Newsvine. In fact, I've spent a lot of time trying to make sure people don't lodge unfair complaints against the staff, defending a mysterious algorithm, etc. The least you can do the first time I air a concern is to not dismiss it. If you think I'm just airing complaints for the sake of slamming Newsvine or MSNBC on a whim, that sucks, based on the fact that I've never done so before.

Eric --

I'm not asking them to pretend that there are guidelines if they don't yet exist -- I'm suggesting that it would be a good idea to officially let people know that, for the time being, their aren't any guidelines. Why is it so difficult to understand that transparency (even if that means being honest about not knowing what they're doing quite yet) would go a long way in making sure the transition flows smoothly. Is it really so hard to believe that people who write original content with the goal of being featured in the highest possible capacity are going to wonder as soon as content is featured in a mainstream outlet on a semi-regular basis?

I think MSNBC.com is still trying to find their bearings somewhat with the maelstrom of work happening with their acquisition of Newsvine. The integration they have done already has been great, and I am sure it will only continue to get better.

There really can't be an algorithm to decide what does and doesn't get featured on the separate category pages -- it makes sense for them to be personally selected. It's just part of the game, and we should be happy that we are getting the opportunity at all to be featured on MSNBC.com.

I'm not asking them to pretend that their are guidelines -- I'm suggesting that it would be a good idea to officially let people know that, for the time being, their aren't any guidelines.

Calvin just said that. Do you really need the Editor-in-Chief of MSNBC.com to create an account on Newsvine and write an article stating the same thing?

Is it really so hard to believe that people who write original content with the goal of being featured in the highest possible capacity are going to wonder as soon as content is featured in a mainstream outlet on a semi-regular basis?

Again, my problem is with the short time frame. It's been about four weeks since this all started happening, one of which the person was on vacation, and I think you publicly started your wondering before the first week was up. There wasn't much of a "let's see how this turns out" before it turned into "this is unfair."

Calvin just said that. Do you really need the Editor-in-Chief of MSNBC.com to create an account on Newsvine and write an article stating the same thing?

You're right. Calvin just said that.

But yes, I admit, I would like to know more. I guess I'm not so sure why that's being shat upon as an unrealistic request.

I value your contributions to Newsvine, it just seemed like you were looking for something that isn't there, like specific reasons as to why one person's article was picked up and not another's.

It's very possible that I was (looking for something that isn't there) but this was based on having nothing at all to go on. That's why my first comment, more than a complaint, was a request for information, whether it be from Newsvine, or from MSNBC. I'm almost certain that I'm not the only person who logs onto MSNBC (at least) once a day to see what is being featured.

My comments were based on what appeared to be a pattern in the type of content that was being featured, and while they certainly reflected my own concerns, I wouldn't be surprised to hear similar frustrations from other frequent contributors. People work pretty hard to contribute on a regular basis, and I was well aware how it would come across if I spoke up about my concerns, but I did anyway because I'm pretty proud of the work I provide Newsvine, and I want to be sure that I have the same chance at exposure as everyone else.

I guess if I could sum up my thoughts, it's that what may seem harmless to those who are being featured in this early stage, or what may seem like "is what it is" to Calvin, who is on now on the MSNBC payroll, seems a bit more important and pressing to those who spend hours and hours writing content in the hopes that it will get picked up. It seems to me like that adds a whole new level of complexity and intrigue to Newsvine, because I still think that featuring people there will have a huge effect on who is featured here, and that's the only reason I argued for transparency, especially in the earliest stages when people are going to just stumble upon these additions with no explanations.

Jesus, I don't know.

Just accept the fact that I'm venting a little without insinuating that my questions about Newsvine's direction (in a post which opens up a discussion about Newsvine's direction) are paramount to complaining?

I could have written an article about this, but didn't. There's a laundry list of things I "could" have done, but I chose to make a comment here, the likeliest place where someone from Newsvine (and presumably MSNBC) might read it and have some sort of answer, or guidance.

Beyond that, I don't ask for much, just that everything I ever write is featured. Now wave your magic wand, dammit.

that is, tantamount to complaining.

Brian:

What you said. On the other hand ....

Calvin:

The *fun* stuff, like developing a system and procedures for MSNBC editors to be fed a steady and efficient stream of great content from Newsvine is a long way down the road from where I sit. . . . The general instruction to the people at MSNBC (including editorial) is to hold back on contacting us at Newsvine to work on cool stuff, for a little bit . . . I hope that helps to answer your questions.

YES, that does indeed answer questions. It's informative and useful. Thank you. Those of us whose ambitions include finding outside play at least now have some better sense of the opportunity for that, both currently and likely to come, by way of the MSNBC portal.

For what it's worth I really liked your article about amateur versus professional reporting, Calvin, and posted some responses there that are, in my opinion, somewhat related to the topic at hand, i.e. an assignment desk.

Re: Brian's concern

I hate to bite the hand that feeds me, but it seems to me the most equitable way to fix the issue that Brian is addressing here is for MSNBC to port content from Newsvine via our own algorithm. It's the editorial control that's at the source of his concern, and I think that's valid.

What has made Newsvine different — pure even — is the absence of editorial oversight. We write our stories, stick them into the machine day after day, and everything else is up to the community at large. The integration with MSNBC jeopardizes this system — no doubt — especially since appearing on MSNBC generates a positive feedback cycle for the writer.

But at the same time, we cannot expect MSNBC to immediately subscribe to the way that we organize/privilege news content. Depending solely on an algorithm, as we do, is a liability for a news organization that has standards to uphold, an image to protect, and big-time advertisers to answer to.

Their acquisition of Newsvine and arbitrary usage of its content makes perfect sense from a corporate news standpoint, and this is probably one of the first recognizable consequences of this newly formed relationship — they can take the stories they think package well together with their existing content and give their readers "fresh" or "hip" alternatives to read. Maybe I am wrong, but I doubt MSNBC really has much interest in "social" or "democratic" news.

Anyway, I think Brian's concern is legitimate, but it's still too early in the game to tell what's ultimately in store. I say we give Calvin, Mike and the gang the benefit of the doubt. They know what's at stake, and I am confident they will make decisions that are in the best interest of this community.

Scooter,

is for MSNBC to port content from Newsvine via our own algorithm. It's the editorial control that's at the source of his concern, and I think that's valid.

It's probable that MSNBC editors also have protocols they must follow (my thinking is: usable and appropriate content - well written, concise and interesting copy) when featuring Newsvine content.

Picking something based on the most pageviews may not be "a fit" for the category an editor may be responsible. It's akin to looking for a needle in a "slush" pile. I'm going to make an assumption that Newsvine Assignment Desk might fill the void Brian is concerned about. Competitive and focused to a specific category (or tag) that will feed MSNBC editors' needs.

I think (and I may be completely wrong here) Calvin addressed the fact that Newsvine content via its own algorithm is already featured on MSNBC "Community" page; our daily top contributors can be seen here. Granted exposure is at the speed of a millisecond, but hey it's better than nothing at all.

If I understand Calvin's answers to Brian's questions correctly: working through integration issues between the two news agencies, for lack of a better phrase, is the critical phase that Newsvine Staff MUST address first. Nuts & bolts come before bells and whistles.

I'm excited that contributors who write fantastic, and marvelous articles will hopefully have MORE opportunities to receive exposure and recognition. This partnership with MSNBC should prove to be a very good thing for many Newsvine contributors.

Uh . . . I may be out of my league here. In fact, I'm sure I'm out of my league. Algorithm? Sounds like a birth-control method for Roman Catholic fungi.

I haven't been paying much attention to the MSNBC aspect of Newsvine, to tell you the truth. However, I've noticed, from a Vine standpoint, that the criteria for featuring front page articles and seeds seem to have changed. But I attributed the change to the fact that, because we've increased our membership, the administrators were deliberately featuring new faces with the intention of encouraging as yet unrecognized talent to blossom.

By the way, I WAS disappointed that my review of cartooncat's book Planet Germany never made it to the "Featured Columnists" list. Not for selfish reasons but because we should celebrate and promote our own. I realize that an article by cartooncat about her book was highlighted earlier. However, her article dealt--in the main--with the details of self-publishing. The review might have given her book sales a boost--and with the holiday season in full swing, it seemed highly relevant.

Btw, Calvin, characterizing Brian's inquiries as "complaining" is beneath you. I mean, as an administrator, shouldn't you strive for impartiality and even understanding? Please don't pull a Bill Harrison number on us. You're bigger than that.

By the way, I WAS disappointed that my review of cartooncat's book Planet Germany never made it to the "Featured Columnists" list.

Really? I'm pretty sure that's where I found it.

Oops, Eric.

Am I talking out of my hat? Maybe.

:-O

Might be it just didn't happen to be in the box when you looked. I'm pretty sure I saw it there though.

Thanks, Eric.

I suppose it doesn't matter one way or the other. The review has pulled in a hefty number of comments so at least cartooncat's book is getting some exposure--along with her own article.

It's a terrific book, btw!

It's a terrific book, btw!

Good because I just made email arrangements to interview Cartoon Cat about the book like I just interviewed Vacelts about her recaps.

re: featured columnists - I think one can fall off that list pretty fast. I've had times lately where I'll write something and look a few hours later and I'm not there but then that's one of the results of more people writing articles.
And I can't complain about that, especially when I started groups like personal narratives and review cafes precisely so more people would write articles instead of just seeds.

re: featured columnists - I think one can fall off that list pretty fast. I've had times lately where I'll write something and look a few hours later and I'm not there but then that's one of the results of more people writing articles.

It's not like it's a steady list either. I've fallen off then reappeared in it within the same hour.

Yeah, guys. You're absolutely right.

And Scott?

I'm looking forward to that interview with Cat. When do you plan to post it?

Thanks!

On behalf of all sports fans on the Vine, I say thank you.

Don't worry, Adam would have started something ;-)

But he wouldn't have had the cool prizes that Calvin will provide (hint, hint).

cool prizes that Calvin will provide

Did Calvin say if that list will be out before Christmas ? :-)

Calvin. ;P

Since I would not even dare think of mentioning "Press Pass".....:-)

Any thought of something a little close to that such as a semi-official Newsvine.com email address for users ? That would be a neat thing to have...

That is something I have wondered as well. When writing to Authors and Bloggers outside of Newsvine about Newsvine I would like to be able to have a coordinated contact address. I'm not one to ask for stuff but since Ted has mentioned it...

:)

Ooohhh, an API would be really great.

damn I finally figure out what the hell w00t is and now I have to figure out what API is.

sigh.

I can't keep up!

Please please please, provide and consume (!) OpenID. Consume being the priority.

NVblog:

Community moderators

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

How?

It sounds like you're practicing to be a reporter though you left out "why"

Get all of this in one paragraph and take anything resembling style or cleverness out of the paragraph and you too can work for Associated Press.

Oh and I think the answer to your questions is here:

Well, we can't give away all the details just yet,

Get all of this in one paragraph and take anything resembling style or cleverness out of the paragraph and you too can work for Associated Press.

Though you can feel free to make typos.

Scott 25.2:

Yeah. In which the devil resides.

Logistics, bah.

Just give me a button.

Calvin:

Frankly, I'd prefer professional moderation.

That does not neccessarily rule out community moderators--you'd simply have to goose payouts or something with an addendum to their ToS--but if you want it done right .... you get what you pay for.

Are you saying I'm not a professional, Jack?

I would certainly accept this as a paid, professional position, if that'd help.

;p

Just give me a button.

that's what she said.

Frankly, I'd prefer professional moderation.

Jack, did they have professional moderators at the New York Times? Because if so wouldn't that be argument that it doesnt matter whether they are professional?

I would certainly accept this as a paid, professional position, if that'd help.

Where do I sign up? :P

I would certainly accept this as a paid, professional position, if that'd help.

Actually that's what she said.

I would certainly accept this as a paid, professional position, if that'd help.
Actually that's what she said.

And you know this how?
Oh, right, you're from N.Y, I guess you would know.

The Button comment probably made sense to nobody but myself. When I was little I was pretty sure sex somehow involved the belly button.

Scott 25.10:

Yes and no. The guy on the Crossword puzzle forum, for example, was a pro from the very beginning to the bitter end, all eight years of the WebX forums. The news/political boards had professionals with varying degrees of competence for a time, but they eventually eliminated the pay, then eliminated the position. The funny part is, after they eliminated the pay but before they elimnated the position, the quality of moderation fell off a cliff.