Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for August 2008

My American Dream

I’m not the first to get all gushy over celebrities and their statements, but sometimes they get it right.

will.i.am hit the nail on the head with this one:

And now another one strikes a chord with me.

We all have an American Dream.

I’m Out of Funny Juice Today

There is nothing funny occuring right now, so I’ll just sort of dribble on keyboard for a bit.

I’m distressed that there is nothing funny going on in my head.  I’m in a serious mood actually.  

I blame it on Chris.  I’m still jealous over his diary.  That diary has sucked all the humor out of the surrounding area.  Spiffy and I will have to keep a watch on him, while he’s hanging in the Lounge.

About the Motley Moose

The Motley Moose was born from the ashes of the 2008 Democratic primary wars. The site was a joint effort by twenty-five active political bloggers who had become tired of the trolling and flame wars found on many political sites. The idea was to build a post-primary site that could move forward instead of looking back.  

FAQ

(a work in progress)
 
About Us:

Whose site is this?

Actually, this is YOUR site. Although it was a team of 25 bloggers that came up with the idea, Motley Moose is a community. A community comprised of members who diary, comment, and take the spirit of The Moose out into their own geographic communities.

Why ‘Motley Moose’?

Motley: Having elements of great variety or incongruity
Moose: A reference to the Bull Moose Party (the first Progressive Party) and a nod to our Progressive Democratic beliefs.

How do I contact Admin?

There is a contact link on the bottom banner of the Motley Moose Home page.

Moderation:

What are the site rules?

The site rules are linked to both on the far right column and on the bottom banner.

There is a diary that breaks site rules. How do I report it?

Each diary has a ‘Report This Diary’ button beneath the ‘Recommend’ button at the top of the right column. Clicking it will alert Moderation to check for potential problems.

There is a comment that breaks site rules. What do I do?

If you are a Trusted User, give it a ‘0’ FAIL rating in order to hide it. If is a comment so far beyond the pale that you feel further moderation is warranted, use the CONTACT link on the bottom banner.

I’ve been warned. What does this mean?

It depends on what you were warned for, and whether or not this is your first warning. Our initial plan is to stick to a 3 strike rule. 3 warnings = banning. This may change as the site grows, but, for now, a warning is just what the word implies. A warning.

I think I’ve been banned unfairly. What do I do?

While this is highly unlikely, you can request an appeal via the CONTACT link in the bottom banner. The Moderation Team will decide whether your pleas of innocence hold merit and will let you know their decision within 48 hours.

My Moose:

How do I change my settings?

MY MOOSE is your Motley Moose ‘dashboard’. It is there that you can access your Account Info, Diaries, Comments, Ratings and Profile. From your Profile you can change your Comment and Display settings.

How do I add a signature?

You can add both a Personal Bio and a Signature at the bottom of your Account Info section from your Profile in My Moose.

How do I change my password?

You can change your password in the Email and Password section of your Profile in My Moose.

Trusted Users:

What is a Trusted User?

A Trusted User is an active Motley Moose member who has received a pre-determined number of positive (‘Fierce’) ratings. A member who has exhibited the sense of community that Motley Moose strives to foster. TU’s are entrusted with the ability to ‘0’ rate comments that break site rules. This user moderation is an important part of Motley Moose, so use the ‘power’ wisely. Abusing TU ratings rights can lead to suspension of all ratings rights.

How do I become one?

Participate. Comment. Rate others’ comments. Write and Recommend Diaries. Being an active member of Motley Moose is the best way to obtain and retain your TU status.

When should I hide a comment by rating it ‘0’?

If a comment is outside the rules of the site, we expect the TU’s to move it to Hidden Comments by giving it a ‘0’ FAIL rating. Do not be shy about using the ‘0’, but, also, be sure that the comment breaks site rules. Do not ever FAIL rate a comment merely because you disagree with it.

Diaries and Comments:

How do I write a Diary?

 
Once you’re logged in, there will be a ‘New Diary’ option in your menu. 
 
How do I Recommend a Diary?

There is a ‘Recommend’ button on the top of the right column for each diary.  You can also see who else has Recommended it.

How do I insert a link?

To insert a link use the code shown below.  Remove the spaces in the code, and replace the link and the text you want to show up in your comment or diary.

 
< a href=”YourLink”>The text that shows up in your comment or diary< /a>
 
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To insert a picture use the code shown below. Delete the space in the code and replace the URL below with the link to the image you want to use.

< img src=”your image’s URL”>

 
Word to the wise: It is recommended that you upload the images you wish to use to a server like imageshack or photobucket. Some webmasters will not allow you to link directly to images on their sites — if you try it, you may find that the image you wished to post has been replaced with something obscene. This is a good way to accumulate a staggering number of FAIL ratings. Steal bandwidth at your peril.

How do I insert a YouTube clip?

Copy/Paste the EMBED CODE found to the right of the video on the Youtube page. Note that this isn’t possible for some YouTube clips. Sometimes when the video you wish to insert is an “official” video (such as an artists’s official music video), the embed code will be absent. When this happens… well, you’re probably out of luck.

How do I add a comment?

To comment directly to a diary, click ‘Post A Comment’, found at the end of each Diary.

To reply to a comment, click ‘Reply’, found below each individual Comment.

How do I rate a comment?

There is pull down window beneath each comment. If you are a TU, there are two options available to you (currently FIERCE or FAIL). If you are not a TU there is only one option: FIERCE. Uprate the comment by selecting FIERCE, or downrate by selecting FAIL.

The Lounge:

What is The Lounge?

The Lounge is, essentially, the Motley Moose Recreation Center. It is a place to ‘Cut Loose the Moose’ and just have fun. It is a NO SERIOUS ZONE. No Politics Welcome (unless you are laughing about them). Prepare for heavy Snark.

How is it different from Motley Moose?

In the Lounge you may post any diary or comment with the single caveat that it not be a serious political statement. Irony, puns, sarcasm, and flying off metaphorical handles are highly encouraged. All Lounge Diaries must have titles starting with “Lounge:” so other Mooses don’t become unduly confused. While Motley Moose focuses on Politics and Community Action, The Lounge is centered around Snark, Laughter, and various forms of Inebriation. If you are looking for Serious Commentary, The Lounge is NOT where it will be found.

Are there rules?

Who knows? But, if you break them, you will be slapped about with a rather large fish.

 

Shout loudly, and carry a wet fish

That’s the way the world – or at least this presidency – ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

The Bush Administration’s incompetency in foreign affairs has reached its apogee with the debacle in Georgia.

Whatever the delicate rights and wrongs of the problematic borders there, and Georgia’s applicatio to join Nato, Bush and Rice’s foreign policy initiatives have been a model of inconsistency. First they encouraged Georgia to be ridiculously adventurous, then they failed to stop them when they overreached, and now all they can do is utter hollow threats at Moscow without any means to back it up..

Theodore Roosevelt’s dictum of talking quietly and carrying a big stick has been reversed:

Shout loudly and carry a wet fish

Russian soldiers guard Georgian prisoners near Poti

This Is All Practice Only

All discussion pertaining to site development (be it design, marketing, financial or otherwise) should be held on the Forum.

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We know that folks are already visiting from outside the start-up group….most having found their way via the SoapBlox stats page. They too should realize that this all in the early stages and just a ‘sandbox’ for now. A place for us to practice and tweak and learn the ropes.

As Indie sent in a recent email:

All diaries on motleymoose.com should be old diaries or lorem ipsum like I’ve already posted. Everyone needs to be aware that their comments will be deleted once the site goes live. They should also be aware that nothing should be said on the site that should be kept confidential.

Keep this in mind as we spend the next few days/weeks getting this site tweaked to our needs.

So, have fun, stretch your legs…but, keep ‘serious’ discussion on the Forum, not here.