The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on May 19, 2012, 10:47:16 AM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/1013732
Oh my.
There's much joy and jubilation on Skins's island, or at least there was last January, when this campfire was lit:
Elad (11,005 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
Personal avatar loading is now available for Star members.
If you're a Star member, you can now upload your own personal avatar to use on DU. Just go to "My Profile," click on "Edit" in the Avatar section, then click "upload your own" and follow the instructions.
Image type must be .gif or .jpg and the file size no more than 10kb.
Ms. Toad (6,026 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
6. Ah...another class distinction...
For now, I'm hanging with the starless.
At some point down the road, I'll made a decision as to whether I think the class distinctions are substantive enough that I'll stay with the starless as a "political" statement...
The fees are steep enough here to make them unaffordable to a number of people (although the impact is less at the moment since there was an option to make a smaller contribution that would cover the first year here). I much prefer the more-if-you-can/less-if-you-can't or contribution based model. In most settings where that is an option, I pay more because I can, and that's what makes the system work. If the differences are just fluff it bothers me less - and so far the only difference I am aware of that is substantive is jury duty weighting - and buying a spot on the jury, so to speak, doesn't sit well with me.
surrealAmerican (5,772 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
21. If your star expires, do you lose your avatar?
CaliforniaPeggy (94,994 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
23. Yes, you do. I have observed this...
Skeptikat (5 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
29. Elitism is UNDEMOCRATIC
Every feature should be available to every member, period. Creating an "us vs them" hierarchy among members is always destructive to the morale of the community. The Huffington Post learned this the hard way when their community nearly imploded due to the backbiting and agendas of their member-based community moderation team- a program they have wisely scrapped.
Current TV's community is circling the drain as we speak, due to rampant abuse of their flagging system by a clique of conservative regulars, supported by conservative moderators. The result being that progressives have been marginalized on a site that is still being advertised as "progressive".
Having avatar options depend on the "star" system is also unfair to those of us who may not be able to contribute as much as we'd like due to health problems. It's frustrating to think that even if I earn the right to upload my own av, I'll just lose it the next time my illness takes a downturn, which is several times a year. Many of your members have busy work and school schedules, young children to care for, or are just hella busy being politically active, which is what we all appreciate, right?
You should also consider the fact that a great many older old-school liberals like me have vision problems. I find avatars to be very helpful in confirming that I'm replying to the person I'm intending to speak with. Many of us have accounts on several sites, and sometimes our usual screen name is already taken. The ability to have a unique avatar helps us recognize our friends without playing 20 questions.
I understand your intention is to reward top contributors, and provide an incentive for others to be more active on your site, which is a great idea, but why not give them a discount on a subscription or a T-shirt? A reward should reflect a member's achievement, not set the person aside as superior to others.
The biggest problem we face as a society is the continual effort of the 1% to monopolize power, resources and privileges for themselves, while denying them to those they deem "less worthy". One of the first steps in setting up a new account is usually uploading an avatar. Running headfirst into your caste system before I've even posted a comment is discouraging, to say the least. Since when is self-expression of my own identity a privilege that must be earned?
Despite your best intentions, your message to me and all new members is crystal clear: "You are less than. But stick around, we many eventually acknowledge you as an equal."
I respectfully suggest that you reconsider your avatar policy.
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Lessee . . . Should we guess what some of the primitives would have as their avatars?
BanTheGOP would have a guillotine.
Taverner would have a syringe.
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Lessee . . . Should we guess what some of the primitives would have as their avatars?
BanTheGOP would have a guillotine.
Taverner would have a syringe.
Pedro Picasso would have his paper-clip.
You know, maybe there's a money-maker here for conservativecave, too.
Charging members for personalized avatars, and demanding that they be a specific size.
On second thought, nah.....
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Pedro Picasso would have his paper-clip.
Euygo would have a picture of Hugo.
Calpig would have a self-picture. :o :panic: :runaway:
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There's an interesting story about Pedro Picasso's paper-clip avatar.
When we were still at our old home, and Atman showed up there, I started using his paper-clip avatar from Skins's island as my avatar.
Then Pedro Picasso sent me a sulking e-mail (e-mail, not personal message) reminding me that it was his artwork, and copyrighted.
Being a nice guy, one of the nicest guys one can ever hope to meet, I thought okay, and stopped using it.
No big deal.
Then one time--maybe a couple of years later--while researching something on Skins's island, I came across an ancient primitive campfire, in which the primitives yapped about using a paper-clip on their lapels, as a form of silent protest against the War for the Liberation of Iraq.
Ah, yeah, that; that's what the Norwegians did 1940-1945, as a silent protest against their occupation by the German socialists. (It's in just about every history book about Norway; I already knew the story.)
Further on in that same primitive campfire, Pedro Picasso showed up, showing off his new avatar, which he had specially designed for that silent protest, "just as the Norwegians did." It was that of an ordinary everyday oval paper-clip tilted.
Problem, however. This was not "just as the Norwegians did."
The paper-clips we use today are nothing like the paper-clips in common use prior to, oh, about 1960.
The Atman primitive needs to learn a little history before he shoots off his mouth, or more correctly, unloads his bowels.
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When are these assholes going to realize that Skinner is a capitalist? He didn't set up DU to be some virtual model of a Marxist commune. Somebody's gotta pay for baby's new shoes.
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When are these assholes going to realize that Skinner is a capitalist? He didn't set up DU to be some virtual model of a Marxist commune. Somebody's gotta pay for baby's new shoes.
As long as it's calle Democratic Underground, and not Stupid ****ing Leftist Underground, they'll be as blind as bats.
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Lessee . . . Should we guess what some of the primitives would have as their avatars?
BanTheGOP would have a guillotine.
Taverner would have a syringe.
Nads of Arc would have a link to google, or their logo.
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Nads of Arc would have a link to google, or their logo.
I just checked--I usually don't pay attention to advertising--and the google logo seems to be a globe with a fox running around it.
I guess it sort've looks like her anyway.
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"Elitism is Undemocratic" How nice. How individualistic.
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You have inspired me - I was trying to come up with a new avatar now that the campaign for Dawes is hopelessly lost.
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A universal avatar for DUmmies would be a hand holding a tin cup.
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A universal avatar for DUmmies would be a hand holding a tin cup.
Or the Taverner primitive holding a hypodermic needle.
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Or the Taverner primitive holding a hypodermic needle.
How about a hypoordeemic noodle ?
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Or the Taverner primitive holding a hypodermic needle.
As I said, Coach--a syringe.
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Skeptikat (5 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
29. Gimme, gimme, gimme. Blah, blah, blah. Life ain't fair.
OCCUPY THE DU!
I want to be the one who gets to poop on Skammer's car.
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OCCUPY THE DU!
I want to be the one who gets to poop on Skammer's car.
Facebook just went public, OCCUPY MENLO PARK !