mishima666's Open Salon Blog

Guidelines for Rating OS Posts

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:11:05 -0500

While it is true that OS members can pretty much post anything they want, there is no obligation to rate any particular post. What I have noticed recently is a number of posts that are highly rated, for reasons that are utterly baffling to me. I don't know how many times I've seen posts with 30, 40, 50 or more thumbs up, and I can only think "rated for what??"

I believe that a "thumb up" should be something the blogger has to work for, not something that is granted merely because of popularity, or because someone happens to agree with the point of view expressed in the post.

To give posts undeserved ratings has several negative effects:

It draws attention away from good quality posts, as the mediocre post "hogs" the activity queue.
It promotes trivial and throwaway posts, and provides and encouragement for writing such material.
It discourages good writers as their posts are ignored, and mediocre posts are rewarded.

Thus, I offer the following Guidelines for Rating OS Posts

1. Does the post contain some personal work by the author? Has the author provided some research, analysis, interpretation, argument, creativity, or original thinking?

2. In the case of compilations of unoriginal images, music, or video, is there something original and creative about the author's compliation? (I believe it was Pascal who, upon being asked why he published a geometry book, said "Let no one say I have done nothing new; the arrangement of the matter is new.")

3. In the case of opinion posts, is the opinion supported by facts and argument, or is it merely a "rant?" Does the author appear to be acquainted with the subject matter such that we would value his or her opinion?

4. Does the post merely restate someone else's work (as, for example, in "breaking news"), or has the author added additional context, insight, or information?

5. Is the post about a personal matter that would be best left to private messages? (It may be that Smith is an asshole, or you are an asshole, but I'm not going to rate your post in either case.)

6. Is the post generally well-written?

7. Is the post easy to read and understand, with some basic formatting?

8. Has the author made a reasonable attempt to ascertain whether the assertions in the post are true?

9. Has the author provided obvious links? E.g., if the author asserts that Obama has violated the law, has he or she quoted the law or provided a link to it? Or is the reader left with the task of doing the research that the author should have done?

10. If the post does not meet the above guidelines, is there some other compelling reason why it should be recommended to the thousands of people who visit the site every day? E.g., perhaps the post itself isn't that great, but it raises an important issue that should be discussed in the comments.

I'm sure there are other guidelines, but these are sufficient for a start.

Personally, I would like to see OS members held accountable not only for what they post, but also for what they rate. Before anyone presses the "thumb" button he or she should reflect on whether the post is of sufficient quality to rate that. And I would also like to see OS editors held accountable for what shows up on the cover. If a post is not worth rating, why is it on the cover?

I believe that were everyone to give more thought to ratings that this would greatly help to improve the quality of writing on OS. And quality writing is ultimately what this site is all about. Isn't it? If not that, then what? Through our ratings to some extent we get the site we deserve.

iPhone Photos from the Pearl

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:10:20 -0400

All of these photos were taken with an iPhone. Most of them were taken in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon.

Building. Using editing software on the iPhone I replaced the background.

Bar Entrance. This is from the entry way of a sports bar in the Pearl District.

Empty office space. In the window you can see a faint image of me taking the photo. So it is also a ghostly "self-portrait."

Tree and Street. A friend told me that I inadvertently captured a metaphor of the Holy Trinity. I get his point, but that's not why I took the photo. Outside the Bridgeport Pub.

Water Feature. This is located outside of the Office Max store in the Pearl District.

Rest Area. Not in the Pearl, but on I-5 going to Portland. Not a great photo, but I like the shapes.

Cute Pet Photo. Sorry, I couldn't resist. This is Sydney, World's Sweetest Shih Tzu, and my close friend.

Fighting for the Cover -- With A Recommendation

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:09:29 -0400

"The Open Salon home page functions like a real-time magazine cover. We spotlight the best content . . . " -- What Is Open Salon?

In recent days at least three OS members have written interesting posts about what it takes to get a post on the cover or designated an EP:

Lisa Solod Warren -- Do We Really Want Open Salon To Be Our TV Guide?

designanator -- OSX: OS editors' bias is easy to spot this morning

micalpeace -- What the fuck does it take to get an Editor's Pick on here?!

There is often a disconnect between what the editors choose for the cover and what the members would like to see on the cover. Ultimately, it's not about being "noticed," but the extent to which Open Salon rewards quality and the original creative work of OS members rather than trivia, personality, interest groups, YouTube videos, and tabloid-like material.

No one really knows how cover posts are selected. Most of us originally assumed that cover posts are selected solely on the basis of quality -- the "best content." Over time many of us have begun to doubt that assumption. And in posts, comments, and private messages, I sense the beginning of a little insurrection.

One constructive way of moving forward with that insurrection is for members to promote writers whose work is often missed and that has not received due recognition in EPs and covers.

To that end I recommend the work of David Cox.

I have run into David's posts on several occasions. David began posting to Open Salon in November 2008. His body of work consists of over 120 posts, only five of which have been designated Editor's Picks. How many of these have been featured on the cover I do not know.

I was astonished both that David had written so many posts, and that I had read so few of them. He is one of the many great writers here whose posts manage to slip through the Grand Canyon-size cracks. I have not read all, or even most, of his posts, but what I have read leads me to believe that the cover was made for David, and David for the cover. Here are some observations:

I am unable to read just part of one of David's posts. When I start one I am compelled to finish the whole thing; it's like stepping into a river and being swept away.

His compassion for ordinary people shines through every post. When I read one of his posts, I feel like I'm a better person for it, even if I don't agree with him on every point.

His post topics are wide-ranging -- politics, film, the economy, war, ethics, social criticism, history. You never know from one post to the next what issue will be addressed.

He speaks the truth as he understands it, and his blunt honesty is like being hit in the face by a brick. Some of his phrases could be carved into stone, and it would be a good use of the stone.

When he speaks from his own experience, there's nothing of self-pity or self-centeredness in it. When he writes of his own life it's never really about himself, but about all people.

Here are a few samples from his posts, chosen at random, and with no particular theme in mind:

The new President promises change and I wish him well and I hope for the best. But I won’t hold my breath because no one hates Americans more than other Americans.

When 90-year-old Addie Polk put the gun to her chest and pulled the trigger she was seeking an escape from foreclosure. The first shot failed to do the job so the elderly widow pulled the trigger a second time as Sheriff’s deputies waited on the porch to serve her with an eviction notice.

We in America have been waiting for that promised white knight of new jobs to arrive, and for twenty years we have been told that new jobs are coming, clean, high-wage jobs. But it is a lie; there is no high-wage job growth in a country that exports high-wage jobs.

Displaced worker is another such term; it explains the result without explaining how the worker came to be displaced in the first place.

The O’Reillys ponder the war on Christmas but ignore the war on Americans.

PT Barnum said a sucker was born every minute; globalism proves that maxim.

They are shooting at us because we are there and we won’t leave until they stop shooting at us. The terrain and topography all favor the insurgents, and they don’t have to win to conquer. They just have to stay. They have been there since the beginning of time and until the last Afghan draws his or her last breath, they will always be there. We, on the other hand, we can’t stay and our dependence on high-tech weaponry bleeds gold.

. . . A few days later I was at McDonalds, and it was early in the morning when I saw a Chevy Lumina with a man sleeping behind the wheel. All his belongings were in the back seat and it was obvious that this was his home. So when I say that I am at the top of the homeless pyramid, I mean it. I am far better off than others that I have seen. I began to see them everywhere, a man at Wal-Mart, unshaven and having obviously slept in his clothes.

The one thing to remember about the homeless is that they never have a day off. They are homeless every day; it's easy to forget and difficult to understand, but the homeless face the world without a buttress. They are toe-to-toe with the heat and the humidity, the rain, the mud, and the bugs.

I don’t run much anymore, but when I used to I would see people running with walkmen and I-pods and I would think to myself that they’re missing the best part, the sounds of their footsteps on the pavement.

The President told a circular story about what you’re not getting and why that’s really better than what you wanted.

So I urge you to check out David's posts, and keep an eye out for them on the activity queue. I believe you will be well-rewarded. And I hope the OS editors do the same and give this nice man the recognition that his work deserves.

Yet More Cell Phone Photos

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:09:13 -0400

All of the following were taken and edited on an Apple iPhone.

Woman

Man

Window Panes

Merry-Go-Round

A True Analysis of the Declaration of Independence

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 14:09:08 -0400

Thanks to the diligent work of many Republican analysts, we now know of the extreme dangers posed by the Obama health plan, including death panels, the implementation of socialized medicine, termination of care for seniors, and direct governmental intervention in the most intimate details of our lives.

But I now bring to your attention an even more insidious document, one that poses a threat to the very survival of our Nation. It is called the "Declaration of Independence," but in fact is a Declaration of Destruction -- destruction of our economy, our religion, our freedoms, our way of life, and of our country.

Time constraints prevent me from offering a more complete analysis. But you will see the nature of the threat posed by this document even in the opening paragraph. Dear friends, how I wish that I did not have to dissect such a reprehensible text and demonstrate to you how far we have fallen. But love of country compels me. Bear with me now as I, in sadness, reveal what the liberals have in store for us.

"When in the Course of human events . . . " -- Here the liberals intentionally leave out God. But we are not surprised. Having banished God from the classroom they now propose to banish God from all of human history.

" . . . it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another . . . " -- Here the liberals propose absolute anarchy. Having tried to destroy health care they now desire to plunge us into utter disorder.

" . . . and to assume among the powers of the earth . . . " -- The liberals wish to assume dictatorial powers, imposing a liberal tyranny over the entire earth.

" . . . the separate and equal station . . . " -- When liberals talk about "equal" what they mean is socialism -- socialism wearing the friendly mask of equality, a wolf in sheep's clothing. But we are on to them, and know exactly what they propose.

" . . . to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God . . . " -- The liberals wish to impose nature-worship. The One True God is banished and replaced with paganism.

" . . . entitle them, . . . " -- Yet another liberal entitlement program. They never give up, and we must be ever vigilant.

" . . . a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires . . . " -- And here they want a government not of laws but of opinion polls, which they know they can manipulate.

" . . . that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." -- Yes, the "separation." The liberals see themselves as the elite, separate from the ordinary working people who are the very heart of this country.

I could go on, but you get the point, and the document continues on in like manner with yet other grievous statements, and is signed by the usual collection of leftists, unbelievers, and heretics. I ask you to call your representatives and senators today to protest this outrageous assault upon us and our children.