Why do you post at the DU?

[icymist]

That was one of the questions brought up at our latest DU meeting in Seattle. This raises lots of possibilities: 1) Those with a thousand or more posts are trying to be 'in'. 2) People posting a lot have big egos, (ie: trying to be the first to report breaking news....) 3) those posting have got something to say and no other outlet to say it in?! 4) People with explicit knowledge in a field are stifled!

I'm not sure of what to think. Is posting at DU a competition? I, personally, should think not! If you would want to look at one side of DU, it would be great practice for writers! But, how about the base of the Democratic party? I always understood that the DU is the base.

Personally, I post news and things (for no better word) on the DU that I believe is important to the democratic party. I want the democratic party to win. All the little 'itsy bits' I kind of want to block out!

[OKDem08]

1. What?

I am new to DU & am glad to have an outlet contrary to my 'red state' environment. Are you saying we are not wanted here?

[Swamp Rat]

2. Welcome to DU!

Nice to see you here! :hi:

I post because I am trying to warn everyone about the alien lizard invasion.

[OKDem08]

4. Bless you!

Thank you, Swamp Rat! I am sorry the truth was not apparent to me earlier....forgive me.

[Swamp Rat]

7. Put on yer speshul sunglasses...

:D

[icymist]

3. IN NO WAY am I say that your not wanted here! On the contray...

we all enjoy your input! This was merely a question put forth at our little meeting in Seattle, in relation to those who find it to be competition to always post first a latest breaking news story. Yeah, mainly it was that. In no way

Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood!

[freeplessinseattle]

11. I'm bummed I missed the meeting

Hope there will be another maybe next month?

[OKDem08]

13. freeper?

clue me in guys, what is a freeper?

[icymist]

18. Freeper = member of the Free Republic.....

The evil mirror image of the DU! Yes the Republician base!

[icymist]

37. Freeplessinseattle! There was talk of a meeting sometime in August.

Stay in touch. WE may make it happen!

[icymist]

6. Welcome to the DU OKDem08!

I guess you're getting a little 'baptism by fire' here!

on edit for spelling

[NMMNG]

12. Welcome OKDem!

:hi:

[tavalon]

39. No, they were just mulling over the big "Why"

It's a form of existencial musing about our purpose here and what parts each of us play.

If you are liberal or democratic or green or unsure but not republican or a republican beginning to think you might like to defect to the far right wing of the Dems, you are welcome here.

[nonconformist]

5. I post at DU to interact with other like-minded individuals

Helps to keep me sane. We may disagree on many topics, but I know that at the core we're all on the same page. That is important to me. I have other outlets, but I also like it here. Ego or popularity mean jack shit to me. It took me eons to reach 1000 posts... I read much more than I post.

[OKDem08]

9. growing consensus

You guys have to see a growing consensus...I'm beginning to realize it and see it as well. I have never been politically active and my husband and I are talking about going to DC in Sept to march against the war.

[nonconformist]

10. Good for you!

And welcome to DU!

[evilkumquat]

8. Huh? Not Sure I Understand...

I think all the possibilities raised in your first paragraph probably apply to most everyone here- meaning, everyone here falls into at least one category.

My question is regarding the "itsy bits" comment.

I do not understand what that means.

If you are referring to all of those one-sentence posts where the respondent simply says "I agree" or "Yes" or "Hah", then "I agree" that those kinds of posts are *Bush eats shit* annoying and take up too much space.

Pity there is no filter to weed out one or two-word posts.

I prefer posts that actually have content. Granted, those kids of posts take longer to read, but then, sometimes one can find a hidden surprise within them, whether it be a "hidden message" or just a well-turned phrase.

Evil Kumquat
__________________________________

PS. Use that "Check Spelling" button, people. It is there for a reason!

[icymist]

14. Okay! The 'Itsy bits' thing I have to work on....

All in all the Democratic is good, just, and able to take on all that is against these principals. I'm proud of my comrades as I'm sure you are. To the point of my original post, when I do post, it's not from ego or any other type of personal gain, it's for the good of the party which I believe is for the good of the people. No less, no more.

[HamdenRice]

49. Itsy bitsy posts are important!

for two reasons. First, they are kind of like a reality check or vote -- people who don't want to respond substantively simply saying they agree or disagree, and we get a sense of whether the OP is the majority opinion or not.

The other reason to make an itsy bitsy post is to "kick" the OP and keep it on the first page. In other words, it's a way of saying, "this is important and I want other DUers to read it." That's why a lot of itsy bitsy posts just say "kick" in the subject line.

[patricia92243]

47. I disagree. n/t

[NMMNG]

15. I post at DU...

1. To learn more about politics and ways I can aid in the overthrow of the * regime
2. To converse with like minded individuals about various topics
3. To be free from democrat/liberal/progressive bashing
4. Because the people here rock :yourock:

[OKDem08]

17. big picture

we can't just converse w/ourselves, though, we must reach out to others to enact change.

[NMMNG]

33. Oh, I do

That's what I do over at Beliefnet. Some of the chimp sycophants over there get my blood boiling and my head spinning. Then I return here for a sanity dose.

[Maine-ah]

43. someone on another thread yesterday said something that made

alot of sense. For those of us who have been dems/libs/others against Bush Co. many of the repubs and people who support Bush Co. won't listen to us. However, for those beginning to see the light, and are turning against the evil bastards, it would be easier for them to bring others with them.

We need as many people as we can get, tell everyone you know, get the word out. Welcome to DU!:hi:

[necso]

16. In my case, I characterize it as insanity.

(Which bothers me not at all.)

In the words of the immortal Bart: "Dad, thanks to TV, I can't remember what happened 8 minutes ago. No, really, it's a serious problem... Ha, ha, ha! What're we laughing about?"

[OKDem08]

19. nesco, beautiful !

Grandpa Simpson: "where's my teeth?"

[necso]

21. "A mallet?"

"Gee, I'm starting to have second thoughts...."

Thwock!

Phwit, phwit.

Gil, "selling" his eyes.

[Swamp Rat]

22. HAHAHAHA!!!!

:rofl:

[sweetheart]

20. Political disenfranchisement

When nobody speaks in any government for my views, i reserve the right
to speak them somewhere.

The drugs war is a farce, one of the core problems in our society today.
The repression of women is a global crime against humanity that
is covered up horribly.
Racism and slavery are rotting out society with 27 millions enslaved
in our world... and to remain silent i cannot do.

So based on your criteria from the discussion in seattle:
3) no other outlet.
4) explicit knowledge of criminal government disenfranchisement.

[OKDem08]

23. sweetheart

beautifully eloquent!

what is the basis for the 27 mil figure?

[sweetheart]

51. source link for 27 million slaves on the earth today

http://www.freetheslaves.net/

[icymist]

24. Do you think this would make a great article?

About why people post at the DU? Another point that was brought up was that first time people visiting our web site see, in the discussion forums, our discussion topics and 75% of those are from the lounge!!! Do we really want people finding us for the first time to discover that our interest is in 'What do my feet smell like'? and other post as such?

[Oversea Visitor]

25. WHO THE HELL CARE JUST BOOT THE CHIMP OUT

hehe :)

:hide: ... this reason ok??? :blush:

[OKDem08]

26. not my first impression

That wasn't my first impression and I got here via...Michael Moore.com

[Oversea Visitor]

28. Its ok

I am on the otherside of the world (Asia)
Not even an Americans but hey.... grrr Chimp make me mad.

[icymist]

30. Yeah. That is good reason enough.

I wish I could explain that in a more artistic way. Wait! How about this?



Okay. try as I may to get the words to come out better, this is all I can manage in the paint shop! Do you know any other way to help me put real words in there without having to tap out dots for hours on end? (I posted this picture in the artist forum with no result)

[lala_rawraw]

27. Because...

1). The people are highly interesting, intelligent and come from all sorts of backgrounds.
2). The community is very supportive, not competitive like some other forum/blogs.
3). The topics are interesting and timely
4). The work is original and well researched
5). I like the feeling that we are connected to a set of principles, even without knowing one another. Feels like a family of sorts
6). Because people who I would not get to communicate with because of their real life positions allow me to do so here
7). Because I can vent and go batty
8). Because DU cares about its members and does not attempt to reduce them to competitive show offs.
9). Because the principles are more important in the end and DU in general understands that.
10). Because DU/people at DU give me a reason to laugh and smile
11). In general, because we are so isolated now, we can only speak truth to power like this.
12. There is respect in conversation if not always agreement, again, unlike some liberal blogs/diaries.

[Doomy]

29. It is the only

inteligant forum for people like me who are looking for the truth and a place to vent about how bad things have become because of bu$h.

[jmatthan]

31. DU is an excellent source and media

to share information - both give and get.

People are located all over the US and the world and they feed in quickly, even better than any mainstream media.

My first look to see what is going on in the world is to visit DU Latest Breaking.

It needs to be better framed to make it truly global, something on the lines of BuzzFlash, but as it stands, it is still EXCELLENT.

Besides that it is also a community centre - for instance I share a lot with Mike Malloy and Guy James threads. It feels good to know that others are with you on issues and they are they live with you.

I am never in competition or trying to achieve a number of posts. Althugh I would like to achieve some Greatest post links - just as my first one I obtained just TODAY!!

Jacob Matthan
http://jmpolitics.blogspot.com
Oulu, Finland

[julianer]

32. Don't worry about

why people post. We are a human community and your concern about people's motivation is also a response to the community as it forms and evolves. It is an equally valid question to ask why you are asking, if you see what I mean.

I'd just be grateful that we do.

[OKDem08]

34. Yeah!

I wish I could leave my reality and live in a DU community......IMAGINE

[icymist]

36. Ahh! So why do I ask why people post at the DU?

Good one, considering that it's not my question why! (It was posed to me from others) IMHO this is still a valid question. The peoples motivation toward a question of a government that seems to limit freedom (i.e. Patriot Act) seems to ask this question.

Also, Is there a competition for getting the first 'Latest Breaking News'?

on edit for some really bad spelling!
Believe me, it was really bad!!!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

35. Was thrown out of Freeperland.

[tavalon]

38. To me, it's a great dinner party

with fascinating guests and not enough time to get to talk to all of them. Some of them are quirky and curmudgeonly but very erudite, amazing people. I don't start posts often but I am a mouthy, opinionated and also erudite person so I often jump in with both feet to an ongoing discussion. Like this.

And damn it all to hell, I forgot about the meetup. I put it on my calender. Now, where the hell did my calendar go?

[icymist]

41. We missed you. Hope you'll make the next one!

:loveya:

[Vinca]

40. I post for a number of reasons.

1) It's good therapy; 2) I can't keep my mouth (via my fingers) shut; 3) the world won't know how I feel about things unless I put it out there and maybe if enough of us "put it out there" it will make a difference. Oh, yeah, and 4) I have no life.:spray:

[icymist]

42. No life? There's an entire world around you, honey!

If you're married, please forgive me. Isn't there anyone there to show your husband where to find a good time?

Of course, only good times and parties are from Democrats!

[Vinca]

52. It was a joke . . . honest! Although I sometimes think it's

being overtaken by politics and weeds in the garden.

[La Coliniere]

44. Reading & Posting on DU gives me a sense of hope

that I find nowhere else on the net. I agree with others who've suggested that its therapeutic. It is. I agree with others who've said that DU offers the feeling of inclusiveness in a community of like minded individuals. It does. Some have suggested that posting offers an outlet for unfiltered political expression. They're correct and I agree. Others have noted that we post to be aware and informed about the world, especially in this era when the message is so rigidly controlled by our corporate feudal masters. They too are correct.

I appreciate the incredible intellect, insight, humor, outrage, passion and commitment reflected on these pages and postings. DU has become a daily necessity for so many of us because it's as important to our psychic well being as the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the love which nourishes our souls. Like any family, we don't always see eye to eye and we respectfully disagree, but log in and its like finding yourself on the doorstep of your family home, DU will always take you in.
WE ARE THEREFORE WE POST.

[fasttense]

45. Wow, sure are a lot of posts about posting.

But here is a reason I haven't read in the other posts. I post here to try out ideas. Sometimes I get flamed for them, but sometimes folks here support my arguments and give me additional information I hadn't considered.

[patricia92243]

46. Typical Democrats - criticize each other instead of the enemy - bah!!!!

[icymist]

48. Hurmprh!!! Just what would you have us criticize, then?

The so-called enemy is already taken it's ground. Us Dems never, or at least as I know, go against our so-called 'way of thinking'. Never-the-less don't every think that I won't speak up in a group when I think it is needed.

[woodsprite]

50. I post and read because I'm looking for like minds.

I can't say what I think or feel around the people I'm with at work and hubby doesn't want me talking about it much around our kids. If I did express myself at work, I'd be out of a job. I'm low man on the totem pole and the repubs who are loud have been there a long time and are the DBAs, so they have job security. A couple of years ago hubby would just chalk me up to being a "conspiracy theorist". He's changed his tune now though and keep up with DU thru me.

[seabeyond]

53. i can only talk about my own personal perspective

i like to talk. i like to think. i can do both when i express and listen back.

i think it is important today for me to stay caught up on what my fellow americans, both democrat and republican think and feel. not many people are trying to understand the other side. if we cannot see the good, and there is alwyas a good, we are only left with bad.

i dont want my children to live in that world

i know we are better, and more capable.

du is fast pace, a lot of smart and thinking people, they help me along my journey. and i think du is a grassroot board that is being heard by our democratic representitives. i think the democrats reallly need to hear and feel the support from we the people. they have a lot of work to do

i am sorry you people feel the need to diss, or make less, or find the very worst in du.

kinda an example of what i was talking about above

i like to put out and listen

[Deja Q]

54. I post my mind and my beliefs. And I get flamed at times.

Won't stop me from posting; and I am an outsider of the system looking in anyway. Not being part of it allows me to see things those slaves within it cannot.