Has anyone noticed all the newer DU members lately?

[BigmanPigman]

What brought this about? I know Earl has done some pretty clever work lately but that can't be the only reason.

[hlthe2b]

1. Yes, but even more, the number of prolific posters who are no longer around since Oct. 7...

leading me to conclude that emotional factionalism either got the better of them (flagged for review) or they were merely fed up with the discussions. But, I'd hope when things calm down that maybe some might voluntarily come back (and those who can't might be given a second chance? ) I can understand the reasons, but I miss many of them. sigh...

[BigmanPigman]

2. Good point.

I know that I have been requested to serve on DU Jury Duty much, much more often since Oct 7th. Also, there are many self deleted posts. I think some of us may be cautiously editing what we post since there is so much frustration over this issue.

[A HERETIC I AM]

30. I never considered myself a "prolific poster"...

And my post count over 20 years bears that out, but one thing is for sure;

I’ve been here long enough to know what subjects I should avoid.

No one wants to hear A HERETIC I AM’s opinion on recent events, just as I avoid commenting on any number of other heated topics on this board.

I’m betting I am not alone.

[Demsrule86]

44. I am sick...have Covid.My sister in law died from it...she was in a home. I am holding my

own and have meds. But I have just started posting again...I also think people are waiting for the election season to begin. I don't believe people are mad about the rules either. I love elections and am pretty excited that a big one is coming...

[JudyM]

50. Glad you are able to keep it managed!

Horrible to lose a family member, I’m sorry. Take good care of yourself, DR86. I hope you feel much better soon.

[Maru Kitteh]

63. Holy hell! I'm so sorry about your SIL. Please, everyone, if you do not have a pulse oximiter

at home they are readily available and relatively cheap now. BUY ONE. If you get Covid or any other serious respiratory virus, no matter what you are feeling like, keep an eye on your oxygen at least 3 times a day. Even if you are feeling pretty good. Perhaps especially if you are feeling good, still do this because Covid can be a tricky bastard, still. I know the variants are less deadly now overall but they and the pneumonias that follow them are still claiming lives. Your blood oxygen should maintain over 88% (ideally 90+) and if it slips below that for any length of time or it doesn't rise with simply resting and taking a few mindful breaths - GET THEE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.

If you find yourself feeling so weak you cannot care for yourself properly - GET THEE TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.

Get help. Don't die.

Demsrule, I'm so glad you are feeling better and again, sorry for your loss.

[Polly Hennessey]

51. You are not alone.

[MuseRider]

71. Oh yes, me too.

I am staying out of it. After all these years I cannot imagine being kicked off and this is not THAT issue for me. We still have other places to post but DU is home.

It is easier now since I broke my hand (my dog broke my hand). My opinion on this is not so important (really not important at all) to even me to spend the time one fingering in and correcting one of my lame ass posts.

[TexasTowelie]

3. The conflict between Israel and Hamas attracted a number of new users.

If you examine things like posting patterns, use of emojis, and grammar it is also reasonably easy to identify members and former members who are using multiple usernames. Kudos to MIRT for their work.

[EYESORE 9001]

5. I wonder about those who earnestly came here in search of news & perspective on this war

Do we make a decent impression? I’ve seen many decidedly uncivil posts on that topic recently. Then again, what percentage are genuine seekers of the truth - not sock puppets or other agents of disruption?

[mopinko]

39. compared to the entire rest of the interwebs

this place is nirvana. i’m sure we’re pretty well thought of by noobs.
old timers r another story.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

86. This place is a goldmine compared to most social media

I’m knee deep in arguments over Hamas/Israel here, and nothing I see here compares to the venom on Xitter or Threads.

[CincyDem]

56. Likely true of some. There was a group that showed on 10/8-10/10 with +60% of their posts were OP's...

...and the remaining percent were usually one word titles with n/t. Things like "Ha", "Right", "Bullchit"...that sort of stuff.

Personally I don't think those folks were here to search as much as they were here to shit stir. I'm sure MIRT and EarlG were working 25 hours a day and did a great job carving them out of the pack.

Raise a glass to them

[FakeNoose]

69. That's a good point - MIRT must be working overtime during this fall term

I did a stint on MIRT during the 22 midterms and it was crazy-busy. But nothing like this year's fall term. I have so much respect for our hard-working MIRT team, and I do intend to help out again in the future. But I sat out this year because of other stuff going on.

Thanks to our MIRT for keeping it sane!

[LeftInTX]

90. "Ceasefire Now" protesters have said they are specifically targeting the Democratic Party

Remember when they held the protest outside the DNC and the Capitol Police were involved?

They said, "Democrats should be against this war and that's why we are here. "

I'm afraid it's some anti-Biden stuff too.

Trying to divide people.

It's happening a local levels to turn Democrats and voters against Biden.

I think groups like Jewish Voice for Peace are mostly Green Party voters.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I didn't think that was even possible....

using two names. I thought that automatically the tech info would be able to do cross checking but I am tech illiterate so I don't know how to even do that, let alone recognizing patterns in grammar, etc.

[mopinko]

37. all u need is a distinct email address.

w so many ppl using vpn’s, checking an ip address only catches the idiots.

[getagrip_already]

54. And a vpn, and a mac scrambler, and....

But yeah, there are bots that make it look like the same machine is a completely different entity.

Cat and mouse. The mice are pretty good, and AI is helping them.

[mopinko]

57. we've had persistent trolls that use public computers.

esp ‘library girl’ who used to b so very easy to pick off cuz her ip was a chgo library computer.
it didnt matter when she finally got her own machine. she’s so predictable it’s sad.

[moniss]

20. Some people will also

take someone else's username and create an account somewhere. Years ago I had it happen and people who knew me were asking what gives.

[Hekate]

97. That's just creepy. Years ago I did get a mild challenge from someone who'd had interactions with "Hecate"...

…elsewhere, and all I had to say is that I use the Greek spelling and on the rare occasions I’ve posted somewhere else I created something totally different.

[CrispyQ]

53. Members using multiple user names.

Wow. I gotta say, I never thought of that.

I frequently write a long screed & then say fuck it & never post it. Later, I'll try to remember if I posted it or not. I can't imagine keeping track of different identities & what did I post under which name?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

65. IIRC there have been trolls w/ multiple usernames arguing with themselves to boost their "legitimacy"

[CrispyQ]

68. I literally LOLd at that. -nt

[Hekate]

96. Funniest one I ever saw was someone who lost track of their multiple personalities within a thread

Zap!

[BigmanPigman]

98. Me too,

I'm glad I am not alone.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. There seem to be trolls and good folks amongst them.

[BigmanPigman]

8. I don't even understand

a lot of what their comments. I feel like I am "out of the loop" and am missing something that others understand.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

9. Oh it's simple! The frogs are dancing with orange tutus on the roof of the basement.

Everybody knows that.

Some replies seem totally disconnected from the subject of discussion.

Some responses in Israel / Hamas discussions seem to make light of the horror and others seem to extrapolate things that nobody actually said.

Maybe we're all just nuts.

[moniss]

15. Some months back I had an extended

back and forth with someone about some of the history. I kept on going to the UN database of documents and reports etc. and every time I supported a fact with reference to specific documents the other person just kept "moving the goal posts" etc. or attacking the people who wrote the report for the UN etc. and it was always something else on top of something else.

I am known for great patience and so I kept on responding thinking the person might actually be interested in hearing/seeing factual material with the reference links to that material. I never like to assume that people are just arguing for the sake of arguing or yanking my chain for the sake of it. But after dozens of lengthy and time consuming good faith efforts with this person I had to come to the conclusion that there was nothing serious about the conversation and any questions asked of me were not because someone was actually interested in an answer but just mere rhetoric.

Most long time posters on DU I have found to be serious, informative, wonderful people to have online conversations with on every topic in the universe and the universe itself.

[CrispyQ]

55. Also, some people just have to have the last word. It scratches a sort of "I showed them," itch. -nt

[revmclaren]

7. DUs evil stepsister site JPR did shut down

permanently at the beginning of this year ...

Not saying there's any there there, but there have been (are) some very familiar posting styles indeed IMHO.

HMMM...

[BigmanPigman]

10. You're more skilled at discerning posts

than I am. I don't notice styles of posters. But since DU is the only social media I ever participated in I guess I am a novice at this.

I remember when I first joined and I was called a "troll" and I was not aware of the word at all. The only time I used the word "troll" was when I was referring to one of my Wishnik dolls from childhood. People thought my naivete was purposeful when I was just inexperienced.

[revmclaren]

12. Its subtle things like greatings, slang terms, etc.

I have taken to refreshing my memories with DUs archives ...reaquanting myself with posts and threads of the past during ,let's just say, equally disturbing times.

Also the archive.org wayback machine has many archived posts from both DU and JPR.

[TexasTowelie]

14. There was a repeat intruder who didn't know when to use an apostrophe. nt

[BigmanPigman]

16. Wow, you're good.

You have the skills of a teacher. I was a teacher and probably wouldn't notice that unless I was checking my students' work.

Now I'm wondering what specifics other DUers notice in MY posts and replies. I hope it isn't the poor spelling. My spellcheck presumes what I want to type and somehow changes my correct spelling with an incorrect spelling. Unless I reread all my posts carefully I miss many of them. Another teacher/friend has the same problems with her computer's spell check.

[TexasTowelie]

24. My mathematical prowess and pattern recognition skills also came in handy.

There was a member that chose a string of characters including the ^ and * symbols. When evaluated the string of characters equaled 1488. Both 14 and 88 are prevalent in neo-Nazi propaganda so that raised a red flag.

Then there was the repeat intruder who visited a specific bar in a certain city and that clue helped confirm his identify.

While AI might be able to recognize trends and posting patterns easier than a human, I foresee the necessity of keeping humans involved on MIRT. As several members who served on MIRT say, "once you serve on MIRT, you're always a MIRTer."

[EYESORE 9001]

29. FWIW, I think AI would suck at MIRT

AI may become more proficient at ‘abstract’ reasoning some day, but I remain convinced that it could never completely match the human brain. Not talking about Abby Normal brains, of course.

[CrispyQ]

64. Yesterday someone posted a nonfiction book review written by AI. It was total gibberish.

I've read obituaries that I'm certain were written by AI, full of emotive words, with website names that sound like mortuaries but with sidebars full of ads. Some were porn sites. On a mortuary site.

Several mortuaries writing obits for the same person. That's not suspicious, right?

[Wednesdays]

99. The Policeman's Beard is Half Constructed

The first book written by a computer (1983). It's a hoot.
https://www.ubu.com/media/text/racter/racter_policemansbeard.pdf

Some excerpts:

Awareness is like consciousness. Soul is like spirit.
But soft is not like hard and weak is not like
strong. A mechanic can be both soft and hard, a
stewardess can be both weak and strong. This is
called philosophy or a world-view.

I gave the man a coat. I gave the woman a brassiere. I gave myself an electric current. We all were happy and full of delight. Take the coat from the man and remove the brassiere from the woman and take the electric current from me and we will be sad and full of anguish.

Tomatoes from England and lettuce from Canada are eaten by cosmologists from Russia. I dream implacably about this concept. Nevertheless tomatoes or lettuce inevitably can come leisurely from my home, not merely from England or Canada. My solicitor spoke that to me; I recognized it. My fatherland is France, and I trot coldly while bolting some lobster on the highway to my counsellor. He yodels a dialogue with me about neutrons or about his joy. No agreements here! We sip seltzer and begin a conversation. Intractably our dialogue enrages us. Strangely my attorney thinks and I gulp slowly and croon, "Do you follow me?"

[CincyDem]

52. I was impressed when you mentioned the writing style as a tell...

...when you add specifics like this to the explanation, I'm downright awed. That's G.O.A.T. level pattern recognition.

[TexasTowelie]

93. I'm not on MIRT, but there are several members who have served on the team that are better than I am

recognizing writing styles. It might be because that member had previous engagements with trolls in the public forums and it formed an impression on that member. It was somewhat amusing when I would see another MIRT member engage with a suspected troll to flush them out.

[CincyDem]

95. haha - I've been around 11 years and only now starting to understand/appreciate MIRT.

I've seen the invitation for quarterly members and stuff and wondered about it but never had any interaction let alone the ability to know who's on it.

Guess I'm a slow learner !!!!

Thanks for the perspective.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

45. That was a brilliant catch

I'd suspected them due to the timing of the new account and the bias and tone of posts, but when that apostrophe was caught, they got shut down pretty quick.

[moniss]

18. Never heard

of JPR.

[eppur_se_muova]

25. JackPine Radical. A former DUer, now deceased, who started his own site, if I have the details correct.

Last edited Thu Dec 7, 2023, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

CORRECTION: ***The Web site known as JPR was named after a former DUer and*** was known for "strong" opinions which didn't always mesh well with DUs mission and/or culture.

[EYESORE 9001]

35. My understanding of history may be a bit askew

but I thought that the DUer who went by ‘JackPine Radical’ was already deceased when some individuals started the eponymous website. The DUer was a great guy to my recollection. Those who took his name? Not so much.

[Scrivener7]

41. No, you are absolutely correct. It was shameful for them to use his name for that mishigas of a website.

[eppur_se_muova]

48. Thank you. I sit corrected. As I tried to indicate, I was unsure of the details.

I was actually a member when the original JPR was a member, but didn't remember that he had actually passed. I don't remember his posts ever triggering objections from me, but he did march to his own drummer. A shame that his name was co-opted without his approval, and then debased.

[moniss]

36. I see and I do sort

of remember that name from long ago showing up here or there on other sites.

[Scrivener7]

40. The original JackPineRadical was a good guy who had nothing to do with the site.

[PJMcK]

31. JPR was really bad

The site was poorly coded and its user interface was only slightly better than Free Republic.

The less said about many of its posters the better.

Good riddance.

[claudette]

32. What is

JPR?

[eppur_se_muova]

49. see (corrected) response 25. nt

[Scrivener7]

38. One or two simply revived their abandoned accounts here when their JPR home went away.

I must say, I have grave distrust of people who went to another site so they'd be free to say "both parties are the same" when one party was running a crime boss for President.

[NewHendoLib]

47. MIRT knows!

[Voltaire2]

77. So all the new users are from a site that shutdown almost a year ago?

weird.

[revmclaren]

81. Never said that. But to actually think that

some wouldn't try is very naive. But if you dont agree, that is your right.

The last death throws of JPR was in February of this year by the way.

There are actually some names from that pathetic site still listed as members here but I'm not going to post them here of course for obvious reasons, but I visited there (as a non member) to keep up on the slime they were spewing about democrats and DU and I down loaded their members list and a number of posts.

So yes... some are here. And some posts have reeked with their particular stench, to me at least. This is of course IMHO.

Check for yourself if you wish on archive.org...wayback machine ...or not.

[Bev54]

92. I know that I read posts of new members with added scrutiny especially new members

that are posting a large amount of new discussions. Most people take it slow and start out commenting on existing discussions, rather than out of the gate starting discussions. I have noticed a few that started all around the same time, end of Oct beginning of Nov. I have found that unusual.

[Cha]

11. Hard not to notice.

[Skittles]

13. yes

not very adept at flying under the radar

[Lunabell]

17. I have noticed.

I've also noticed musk's little boy fan club has disappeared and good riddance.

[Ursus Arctos]

19. Hello!

Hi all. I'm a long-time lurker (years, even!), but recently joined because after the format changes, I really wanted to be able to select classic DU Skinner Mode. I'm sure this reason doesn't account for all new members, but that's what got me to join.

[hlthe2b]

21. Hah! I hadn't thought of that. Welcome!

I too prefer DU SKinner Mode. Easier on my eyes.

[Ursus Arctos]

23. My poor old eyes

Thank you!!

[Wounded Bear]

60. I find night mode alleviates that problem..

Find it under "MY DU"/ACCOUNT SETTINGS.

[Ursus Arctos]

88. Thanks!

Thanks for the tip!

[getagrip_already]

59. Really?

I kind of like the new interface. I'm a star member, so what I see may be a little different, but I kind of like it.

And keep in mind that my first smart phone had a dial. Buttons didn't come until v2.

[hlthe2b]

62. Been here since 2001 from DU 1-4, so yeah. I'm adaptable, but my weary eyes do prefer

the older Skinner interphase-- though I'm happy to switch back and forth from time to time. 'Glad we have the option.

[area51]

74. A dial like this phone?

j/k

[getagrip_already]

79. I always wanted one of those.....

Not so much the dick Tracy wrist phones. The shoe phones seemed cooler.

Much more absurd.

[elias7]

26. Ha! The nerve of you...

Welcome to DU, again…

[Ursus Arctos]

27. Thank you!

[Goddessartist]

42. Welcome from a fellow lurker!

I lurked from 2000 - 2010, then signed up, lost that email, then signed up again about 10 years later.

Glad to have you here posting!

[Ursus Arctos]

46. Lurkers Unite!

Thank you so much. I love this site. It's my go to.

[ggma]

72. I, too, have lurked...

For almost 20 years, and joined after retirement. Love it here!

Welcome!

gg

[Ursus Arctos]

75. Thank you ggma

[Goddessartist]

82. Same!

First place I visit every morning!

[CincyDem]

70. Welcome welcome !

4 posts in 6 weeks ??? Slacker !

Seriously, I think this whole discussion is more focused on posters with 40 posts in a day. I ran across someone with 30+ posts in 3 hours. Looking forward to you taking your lurking to the next level.

[Ursus Arctos]

78. Thank you.

I appreciate all the welcomes. I'm more comfy as a lurker but all this kindness may help me transition to intermittent lurking.

[Niagara]

89. Welcome home, Ursus Arctos.

[Ursus Arctos]

94. Thank you so much!

[Basic LA]

22. Are they noticed on a particular subject?

Say for instance, Israel/Palestine? That's been an active, contentious, & compelling subject that may have drawn new people to the fray.

[Think. Again.]

28. I'm a newbie myself...

...I joined after 'lurking' for a while, and started lurking mostly because I saw a need to debunk a lot of false information being tossed about on the topic of clean energy and the energy transition itself. I was (and am) hoping to spark some new public engagement and exctement over what I see as the most important social issue of our time-- getting away from fossil fuels.

I would have thought a flush of new members during the lead-up to this very important 2024 election would have been very welcomed by a Democratic party website, but I'm seeing more suspicion of, and vitriol toward, various groups like younger voters, pro-nuclear energy folks, middle-east peaceniks, etc, than I like. Open minds seem to be few and far between.

I DO suspect there are nefarious forces at play here trying sow division within a specifically Democratic discussion group, but I also suspect there are some 'in-crowd' folks who just want DU to be a 'cool-kids friends group' that they're familiar with.

[Scrivener7]

43. I think your point is valid, but I also think a lot of old posters have been through this before.

There have been various points where there were a spate of trolls who came in to weigh on one or another topic and sow division.

Apparently it happened during the Obama/Clinton primary, which I didn't see. I DID see the Clinton/Sanders primary, and there were a LOT of obvious trolls who were very successful in sowing deep divisions among us.

The Mideast war appears to be another of those topics. Many are discussing it from sincere places, but there are a few who are here to cause fights.

They show up now and then. Sometimes a single poster can whip up discord that goes on and on and many here will fall for it. Most are eventually ousted, but they can do a lot of damage while they are actively working to stir the shit.

[Think. Again.]

67. Yep, I can see all that happening...

...as a newbie, it's not really my place to criticize the community here but I do feel that the amount harshness toward posters "suspected" of division-trolling could actually be helping that divisive intent by turning off new members, chasing away older members, or giving casual non-members readers a really bad impression of who we are as engaged Democrats. I think that could harm the mission and convictions of the site itself.

The administrators have set up as good of a system as they can to weed out malicious posters and it works silently without calling out or accusing anyone who could be well-intentioned but clumsy.

When it comes to individual disagreements of positions between posters, I've seen some excellent, very civil debates go down here and more than once I have (gratefully) been corrected in my own wrong thoughts, but it's hard not to react with anger when someone starts off being snarky, rude, or subtlely accusatory and I just don't think public displays of nasty back-and-forth bickering is going to help build up a positive and productive leftwing base.

Some of all that could very well be the divisive work of trolls, but I suspect some of our own true members are also looking for a fight every now and then.

[Woodwizard]

33. Been visiting DU since the bush years

Over the last few years I have noticed a lot more emotional driven posts. Especially the video section.
Don't post much myself.

[Old Crank]

34. The problem is people have a hard time discussing contentious issues.

By that, I mean in a more rational manner.
Saying I think X and those that think Y are illiterate and fools doesn't lead to any solution.
If you think about it, who are the Good Guys in the Arab Isreal mess. We can point to markers, like Oct 7th and say there Hamas is bad, but in the overal history there has been brutality from both sides. There isn't any easy solution especially if part of one side thinks a group doesn't deserve to exist. In an interconnected world absolutism is not a good thing.
It seems that this is the way a fair number of people on the right are heading in the US.

Nuclear engergy is another hot button.

[NCIndie]

58. I didn't notice.

[ms liberty]

61. Some are genuine newbies, and some are genuine new trolls

Some may have joined because of the upgrades, which is great. But I think it's a confluence of that and other factors. We're ramping up for another presidential primary, so increasing troll activity is going to happen; it's happened every time so far and I don't see it changing anytime soon. But we also get new members at the same time because of the increased attention to politics; curious minds look for places to be informed and to communicate with like minded people. It's a tightrope sometimes, to figure out if a newbie is speaking sincerely or if they're effing with you. I have a nasty habit of thinking the best of someone until they prove me wrong so I'm liable to give someone the benefit of the doubt more than many of us here, lol.

[Captain Zero]

66. I asked DU to cancel my first id due to a loudmouth in my workplace

who lurked here and realized it was me. haha. (2002?)

Then I had another id that got canned because I wasn't supportive enough of Obama on ONE issue, and my word usage was a little off, but then I kept apologizing so I could come back. After a number of years.

I remember at first I read the username on every post, now I'd say 90% of posts I don't even read user names or post counts. On my first id I always read who was posting it. DU doesn't do tombstones anymore do they? I always liked that. It was good for a laugh when someone got booted.

[ms liberty]

73. I miss the tombstone, too!

[cilla4progress]

76. Yes.

A little harder to have real convos IMHO.

Not to complain! Just have to adjust.

Welcome all of good cheer!

[bucolic_frolic]

80. It' an army of GQP trolls

They look and think like Mike Johnson or Boobert, worming their way into our habitat. And right now they're sweet as pie. They won't always be nonesuch.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

87. It's not just from the right

There is a lot of anti-Dem trolling coming from the “dirtbag left” and tankie types as well. When people start quoting Ryan Grim, Nina Turner, Jacobin mag, et al, I don’t think they’re disrupting from the right.

[pecosbob]

83. Consider that during times of great political moment we attract many new members and many new imposters

Imagine trying to sort through the day's news with only the conflicted MSM as your guide. I quit lurking and joined during the run-up to the 2016 election.

[Deep State Witch]

84. Hoping Not All Of Them Are Trolls

I hope that not all of them are trolls intent on causing trouble. If you're here for legitimate discourse, welcome to DU!

[GuppyGal]

85. I'll bet that a lot of them aren't "new" and just reborn again...

Does everyone really understand just how easy it is to get banned here?

[Xavier Breath]

91. I guess I'm the exception here

in that I don't really pay much if any attention to who is consistently saying what or using this emoji or that. I'm out here pretty much every day and I'm posting pretty much every day, but by what's being said here I guess I'm missing out on a lot of the palace intrigue afoot.