Lately, besides the usual viagra spammers and Bloggers from Planetoid Pluto, we've been seeing more folks who seem to have the right intentions, but a less than ideal approach to posting on Kairosnews. The result is almost always unnecessary derision and angst from the community. Although we've got an About page that hopefully will get new bloggers off to a good start, I think it's a good idea for us (hopefully others will chime in here, including Bob, glmaranto, Edward, and King Charles the 00), to help new talent establish themselves with a minimum of fuss.
A few things are obvious. At least, they seem obvious. Before you post something here, you ought to at least read the new posts on the site for a week or two. Ideally, you should go back through the previous dates and try to get a basic feel for the type of things we talk about here (and the manner in which we do). If you're thinking about posting something, but keep thinking, "Well, I don't know if that's a good topic or not," then why not take the time to answer this question yourself by browsing past topics? You can also do a search for the topic. If you don't see anything related to it, well, you might consider whether it's the right kind of thing to post on Kairosnews.
You should also strongly consider "commenting" for awhile before trying to create a new post. Read the posts already on the board and use the "add comment" feature to offer your insights, opinions, or questions. However, remember that this feature should be thought of as interacting with a community, not just "sounding off." A comment like "GREAT POST!" might seem friendly to you, but it's just seen as wasting time to us. On the other hand, a comment that expanded the discussion or even challenged the prevailing opinion could represent a highly valued contribution to the board.
One thing you shouldn't do is "link dump." This means to make a post that consists of little more than a link to some other site. It's especially bad taste if this link is to your own personal site or blog. This is wrong because it seems like you're just abusing our community to steal free publicity. It's also unwise to "cross post," or just copy and paste the same post you made somewhere else to Kairosnews. Although we've probably all done it at some point or another, it was only under special circumstances. At any rate, a new person should never attempt it, because it makes a very bad impression. If it's not worth the effort to make an original, unique post for the folks here at Kairosnews, don't bother.
Finally, there's always been a bit of confusion about what topics are appropriate, or what the intended audience for a knews post should be. Over the years we've had great posts from people on subjects that really didn't fit. You might think, well, you guys ought to accomodate everyone. However, that kind of habit is self-defeating in the end. People will stop subscribing to Kairosnews if they start getting seemingly random, unrelated clutter in their feed readers. Furthermore, it's not in your best interests either, because a brilliant post that doesn't fit our usual topics will likely go unnoticed or underappreciated here. It's much better for everyone to post such things on more appropriate blogs and forums.
Just to clarify, we spend most of our time here discussing internet technologies that pertain somehow to teaching writing, though certainly we're open also to links to rhetoric and new media. I'd say the best way to describe this group is tech-savvy compositionists. Although most of us are "up on our theory," as it were, that's really not what we do here. Instead, we get excited about things like MySpace, Drupal, and so on. If you take a look at the jumble of words to the bottom right, you'll notice that some words are larger than others. The largest ones are the ones we talk about the most.
While we aren't exactly hard-nosed about the occasional "off-topic" posting, the expectation is that most of the stuff here will somehow relate to teaching writing AND (not or) computers.
Good Advice
Thanks, Matt, for saying some things that may seem obvious, but then again, may not be to new Kairosnews readers. I agree that commenting on existing posts is a great way to begin here. In addition to that, if none of the posts which reflect Knews's major interests seem interesting enough to comment on, then that is a clear sign that "Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy" (with a clear emphasis on the AND) is not your thing, and you might look about for a place that better fits your interests.
cross posting
I don't think cross posting is necessarily a problem when it is relevant content. For instance, CFP's and job announcements are typically always cross posted in multiple venues. I'm also working on a method whereby bloggers in our field can elect to cross post items automatically from their blog to Kairosnews (still need to find some volunteers using WP or MT to experiment with this).
There is also a difference between
* cross posting the full text/same text of something on this site with a notice and link that it was posted elsewhere
* incestuous self-promotion posting which is oriented around driving visitors and/or search engines from Kairosnews to one's personal blog or other discussion community.
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Charlie | cyberdash
a faq page
Perhaps we need a faq page with a posting section?
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Charlie | cyberdash
faq
I think, in reading between the lines of Matt's post, that he wants to do an FAQ. I'd volunteer, but I'm still trying to make the time to put together the literature review/annotated bib of blogging material.
bradley || bleckblog.org
Writing a Faq
In FAQ, I wouldn't mind doing a FAQ. But only if you guys promise to chip in. I'm already seeing some problems with the above advice, particularly regarding cel4145's comments about the automatic cross-posting service. Seems silly to tell people not to do something that we're trying to make it even easier for them to do! I'm still not 100% sure I understand what we're talking about regarding it, but I assume it'll be a special-case, invitation-only deal, right? If that's the case, I'll definitely need to make sure in the FAQ that those people don't get the wrong message. I'm mostly trying to discourage people from using this forum merely to advertise their blog (the incestuous posting you mentioned).
Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
chipping in
Okay, I'll chip in, somehow.
bradley || bleckblog.org
add to the existing faq
I added a link to the existing faq to our menu above. Add to it.
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Charlie | cyberdash
Staff Bios
I updated all the staff bios; they were mostly out of date.
CultureCat
Sorry, Matt, but I couldn't help but notice this
in your last post. These two sentences, one after another, tickled my irony bone:
"I'm mostly trying to discourage people from using this forum merely to advertise their blog (the incestuous posting you mentioned).
Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade."
Still, I'm with you on the need for a FAQ. It just made me laugh!
--Bob
subtlety
Matt's not as subtle as Clancy and I are. He's got the imperative going on to encourage people. LOL
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Charlie | cyberdash
FAQ Updated
Glmaranto has sent me an update for the FAQ, which I added in under the first question. Check it out, guys, and please let us know if it needs to be added to, subtracted from, modified, refactored, or a few random trademark symbols thrown in.
What do you think about adding something along the lines of the following?
How Can I Help Kairosnews achieve its Five Year Plan?
Remember, folks, Kairosnews can't survive without your help. If you enjoy reading and responding to the blogs here at Kairosnews, please consider making a monetary donation to Lowe, Ratliff, and Barton, proprieters. Contributors who donate $10,000 or more will receive a special gift of a rabbit wearing a cute little stovepipe hat, or a gopher with big teeth and a pick-axe.
Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
more user friendly
It would probably be more user friendly if it was broken up into sub questions. I believe that users generally look for quick and dirty, scannable answers in FAQ's.
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Charlie | cyberdash
quick & dirty
Yeah, I know, it's not quick and dirty. But then again, don't we want people to at least wash their hands before posting to Kairosnews? :-)
In all seriousness, if someone is unwilling to read those few paragraphs, I somehow doubt they'd be "kairosnews material," if you follow me.
Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
separate page
I'd prefer to see it as a separate page, then, with just one or two sentences and a link to the full version. That way it doesn't detract from the usability of the rest of the document.
Besides, the new content doesn't reflect that there is another faq item already addressing this issue in part: "What content is appropriate to post on Kairosnews?"
BTW: I'd be put off by such a long FAQ explanation, and I consider myself "Kairosnews material" ;-)
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Charlie | cyberdash
(in)appropriate content
I posted the material on what might be appropriate to post. I was sitting in my car, poaching wireless access along the watefront in downtown Port Hardy, BC, as in Canada, in order to do so. If anyone thinks that inappropriate, or that it could be stated better, feel free to do what you will with it. It's hard to think straight in the car while staring out at the ocean (Queen Charlotte Strait actually--part of the Inside Passage between the lower 48 and Alaska), never mind how hard it is to type with a steering wheel and arm rests in the way. Still, something of that sort would seem to make sense in the FAQs.
bradley || bleckblog.org