How important is DU?

[MineralMan]

DU has about 150,000 members, which makes it a substantial discussion forum, as discussion forums go. Assuming that all 150,000 of those members come hear and read, that's .05% of the population of the United States. 5/100 of one percent. But all 150,000 don't come here daily.

If you look at the number of active posters on a daily basis, it's about 2000. That's just over 1% of the overall membership. And most of that 2000 don't post all that much, really. I'm not sure how many posters manage 10 posts or replies a day, but it's a fraction of that 2000.

DU is a great discussion forum, and very active. It's not all that important, though, in the grand scheme of things. It's just a place on the Internet where some people come to read and hash over political news and topics. You won't find our discussions in the news, except once in a great while. There are many other discussion forums similar to DU and about its size. They don't get news coverage either.

DU is what it is. It's a place to discuss things. Beyond that, it is...well...a place to discuss things.

As such, it's home to some people, and a place where they can express themselves, more or less anonymously. That's good and bad at the same time. That anonymity, which is really an illusion, allows people to write things they would never say out loud in real life. Lots of venting. Lots of writing off the top of the head. Anger, pathos, bathos, and other things...all get expressed here.

Then, people get up from in front of their computers and live their real lives, whatever they are. DU is just a place to hash things out to a relatively small audience. It's not anyone's real life. In real life, people have real names and interact with other people with real names and real lives. Here...not so much.

It's my favorite discussion forum, but it's not my real life. I'm not anonymous, either. I gave up that myth a long time ago. Lots of people know who I am and can visit my own blog and the like, if they want to know more. DU is just the place I write political stuff and discuss it. Other than that, it's just a place I write political stuff and discuss it.

See you on the forums.

[leftstreet]

1. Stop telling us we're not important n/t

[MineralMan]

2. I don't know if you're important or not. You're anonymous.

I post what I want on DU. You may not tell me what to post and what not to post. Only the administrators of this site may do that.

Thanks for the reply.

[leftstreet]

5. Every voter who cast a ballot for Obama and the Dems was 'anonymous'

Were they just 'venting?'

:shrug:

[MineralMan]

7. Voting is real life. Do you want a comparison of the number of

members of DU and the number of votes cast in the 2008 general election? Voting is something that affects real life. In November 2008, 132,618,580 people voted. The total membership of DU is roughly 0.1% of that number. 1/10 of 1%. I voted, too. All the votes on DU, assuming that everyone who is a member voted, was 0.1% of the vote. Insignificant, really.

[Beetwasher]

3. Some People Take This Place Waaaaay Too Seriously

They think they're actually accomplishing real stuff by their bitching and moaning or whatever here.

I think fart in a hurricane sort of sums it up and that's probably generous.

It's fun to post here and mix it up, but that's about it. Anyone who kids themselves that they are in any way influencing debate in this country by posting here is beyond delusional. It's an outlet and a way to interact and get your ya ya's out and really nothing more than that.

[Whisp]

24. well, you know that 'when' Howard Dean throws his hat into the 2012 ring

some DUers will brag it was Their idea ;)

I know.

:rofl:

[Beetwasher]

29. Or Elizabeth Warren, She's A Big Favorite Around Here

I hear they're trying to recruit her to primary her boss. ;) :rofl:

[Whisp]

44. she is in stealth mode.

and will make a full report on the bad judgement Obama had in hiring her upon the completion of her contract.

lordy.

[dennis4868]

4. You mean I am irrelevant?

First my wife tells me now you? I am going to bed....good night.

[MineralMan]

6. Not at all. I have no doubt that you are highly relevant to the

people around you. It is not you who is not relevant. It is the medium that is. Anonymous postings on an Internet discussion forum pretty much define irrelevance when it comes to the real world.

[leftstreet]

8. LOL The Obama campaign once thought the internet was pretty damn relevant

:eyes:

[MineralMan]

15. The Internet is very important. DU is not the Internet.

Think about it.

[leftstreet]

16. What is your point? You're making a case for our irrelevance because....?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftstreet]

28. Ah, then I didn't waste my unRec

[DainBramaged]

69. Always has been always will be

we know, he doesn't get it, but we know.......

[MineralMan]

66. My point was expressed in the OP. If you missed it, you might

want to reread the post. Thanks for asking.

[TBF]

9. If we are so unimportant why do you bother? nt

[MineralMan]

13. Because I enjoy discussion forums.

I like to write.

[closeupready]

10. You've summed it up perfectly.

DU is just a discussion forum. It's a little like college - it's what you make of it. You could use DU to organize people and do good things. Or not - you could simply come here to hang out in the Lounge or whatever. People come and go.

I like it because I'm exposed to a wide range of views on current events, and I learn from that exchange.

Cheers. :hi:

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. Important enough that Grayson and Elisabeth Edwards posted on it

Think about that.

[Whisp]

26. for a total of how many posts and what length of time?

they were both here for much different reasons that most here are. They were here to campaign. I'm sure they loved the fighting and the swearing and the disrespect that is strewn around here. I would be ashamed rather than proud.

[pintobean]

53. Well said.

I would add that they added to the illusion of relevance.


R.I.P. Elisabeth

[Ichingcarpenter]

64. Does it matter on how long my posts are

or theirs or others? I seen to much to say longevity
allows even the Cheney's live.

At least ...... they gave the ones I talk about allows, me
at least to appreciate DU

Sad thing

ITS TIME TO KICK ASS.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

My dear Mineral Man...

I always enjoy your thoughtful posts, and that includes this one.

However, I must take exception to one thing you've said: ...but it's not my real life. This place is a huge part of my real life.

I have personally met quite a few DUers, and come to know and love them. They have influenced me beyond all measure...

I am not exaggerating when I say DU has changed my life, and for the better...

[MineralMan]

61. Peggy, DU is different things for different people.

I'm not talking about the personal relationships established here. I'm only talking about political influence. Thanks for your kind reply.

[CJCRANE]

12. I'm pretty sure a few political aides and TV researchers read DU

and copy our ideas or use them against us (the left).

Don't try to pretend otherwise.

;)

[OregonBlue]

14. LOL. Lately it's more likely the right wing is reading our site to get ammo against the president

than against us. From what I read it appears We are the ones trying to get Obama out of office.

[Whisp]

32. um, like which ones are you talking about?

except the ones that the rightwing likes.

seriously.

what great ideas has DU had lately that is a positive for democrats?

name me just one

[bigwillq]

17. DU is what you make it.

For better or worse. I enjoy posting here. I enjoy reading articles here. I enjoy the "friends" I have made here. I enjoy the discussion and the debate and the yelling and the screaming! :)
I do, however, think some, (me included at one point many years ago), take this place way too seriously and that's not healthy.

Enjoy it, live it, love it. But take a minute to breathe every once and awhile.

[ScreamingMeemie]

34. Sure...

put me in "quotation marks" why don't you? ;) :D

You posted it before me so I'll just second what you said.

That said, I'm glad we both recovered. :hug:

[bigwillq]

36. ha ha

Hi, "friend"! :hi: :hug:

[MineralMan]

58. Yes. Obviously, I enjoy reading and posting here, too.

I just have no illusions about DU.

[PBS Poll-435]

18. DU is very important

It is where I get the bulk of my news, meet new friends, and have a chance to express MY opinion without disbanding Sunday dinner.


DU is *Awesome!*

[johnnie]

19. Discussion?

Don't see much of that around here anymore.

[Newest Reality]

20. DU is as important

as the sum total of the impact that it has, i.e., the people who come here and share and learn new information and ideas.

That, then, in turn, flows out into the everyday lives of the participants via their choices and actions, no matter how small or seemingly innocuous. Regardless of the quantity, the quality of this forum is about just how much we expand our awareness and gain insight into the challenges we all face together.

No matter how you slice it, anything you do, (or don't do for that matter) effects the system you are in, one way or another. Keeping that in mind as we post, interact, discuss, agree and disagree can reveal the importance of the cumulative nature of seemingly minuscule things that comprise the larger and more complex social organism.

One thought here, another response there. A link, an email, a conversation or a new choice. How can we transform things and coalesce the small, day-to-day actions into more obvious results?

Paying attention to the the various forms of repetition, both internal and external, can cue you into the more automatic behaviors, (do you consciously spell everything, drive a car, ride a bike?)that we indulge in because they make life easier and simpler in many cases.

Nobody would drive a car if most of the activity did not become automatic so that we only had to think about where we were going or negotiate a complex event. It would be overwhelming. And yet, this same capacity to function without awareness as to how easily allows us to drop into repetitive and inculcated patterns that the system enjoys in order to maintain ascendancy and control.

That may be about to change drastically because, the shocks going on, it seems, are increasing our incentive and removing what was the payoff for accepting, unconsciously, all the givens. That is where REAL change, (bit-by-bit, day-by-day, choice-by-choice) emerges and we begin to entertain greater degrees of choice and discover just how flexible and adaptable we actually are as a species.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SheilaT]

22. First of all, I doubt that there are

anywhere near 150,000 individuals who registered here. I myself originally had a different screen name, and changed it after a couple of years. And a while back there was an amnesty of sorts, so people could change their screen names and still keep their post count, if I recall correctly.

I doubt that there are many more than 10,000 who are in any way truly active, who come here regularly and who post regularly. For us, this place is fairly important. But in the rest of the world? Nope. Not important at all.

[Mimosa]

23. D.U. is the most intelligent, informative political discussion board. n/t

[AndrewP]

37. +1

[Whisp]

39. now DU mimics what the media says.

and what the Wingers and Baggers say - that is what has happened since 2008.

before then it was pretty well accepted that the media is a republican branch of More Lies.
Now they are the truthsayers that have nothing on their mind other than fair journalism and representin' the murkin people.

:rofl:

that to me is the be all end all sign of degrading compost

[SidDithers]

25. K&R...

DU is a source of entertainment, like reading the comics in the Sunday paper. It's a distraction from real life. Though posters sometimes post about real-life issues, it's the bluster, hyperbole and giant egos that I find most entertaining. Some posters I like, some I think are assholes, but it's often the assholes who make me laugh the most.

Sid

[pintobean]

55. +1

I didn't care for you for a long time. I think I misunderstood you and I've come to appreciate you. Lately, you've made me chuckle quite a bit. :toast:

[SidDithers]

56. Hey. Thanks for the kind words...

Not taking any of this too seriously is the key to maintaining my sanity at DU. :hi:

Sid

[stray cat]

30. It has had 150,000 in total not currently right?

[SidDithers]

35. Count as of Nov 21 was 131,208 active accounts...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=437&topic_id=934

Sid

[Number23]

57. But what about the socks?? Has someone actually counted the socks??

[SidDithers]

70. Socks? There are socks at DU?...

Surely you can't be serious.

Sid

[FrenchieCat]

74. !

Shit....
I forgot about the damn Socks!
And there are plenty.

Also, I don't think the number comes down when someone gets TSed...
so the core registration number is inflated to begin with.

[SidDithers]

80. That number excludes the tombstones...

EarlG wrote:

As I write this, the total number of active accounts (that is, accounts that are not currently banned) is 131,208. You can figure out that number by adding up all the numbers on the User Profiles page, since banned members are not listed there.

The total number, at the top corner of the home page, includes banned members.
:hi:

Sid

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MineralMan]

59. If you read my signature line, you'll see that I agree with you.

What I post here is my opinion, and nothing more than that. Your opinion may differ.

[VMI Dem]

33. More important than FR.

:hi:

[Whisp]

40. more people bashing Obama than FR. thats for sure.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vinnie From Indy]

41. Nice try !

I hope all DU'ers understand that there are some that WANT you to feel powerless and alone. This OP is exactly that type of post. You do count and you are important! Do not let this OP dissuade any of you from participating and feeling good about it!

Cheers!

[Monique1]

45. Sorry to disagree with you Vinnie

I don't count here and I am not important and I do get that impression.

[Telly Savalas]

76. I don't see anything in the original post suggesting we're powerless

It's just guarding against overstating the role of DU as a venue for wielding that power. It's a great place to read and post, but if you want to change the world you gotta step away from the computer.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

42. K&R

[ismnotwasm]

46. I like it

I'd miss it. I leave it forever at least once a week.

I found however, when I became more actively politically involved--and actually asked-- many people hadn't heard of it, some thought it full of conspiracy theories, a few make it part of daily political reading, like myself.

It's a great discussion place though, with passionate people; some are sensitive, some are not. Some are single issue, some want to change the world.

Sometimes I think we have more socialist types than Democratic types, or occasionally more libertarian types than Democratic types. Some are progressive Democratic who apparently are trying to progress against old school democrats, DLC, Blue Dog-- whatever moniker--Democrats. We fight. We disagree. We occasionally find common cause. What I like is that on-line at least people are expressing concern, or hope, or support, or some alternative. That's an improvement over the general class of folks, the majority I think, that are mostly apolitical, and kind of move whichever way the media wind blows.

In other words, DU matters because it gives a shit, n'est-ce pas? (I love that I can cut and paste phrases in French, or any other language, that I can barely pronounce)

[ibegurpard]

47. very unimportant when everyone disagrees with you apparently.

[MineralMan]

60. Not everyone disagrees with me. Not at all.

[flowomo]

48. Glad to recommed this post

Here we have an interesting, multi-sided discussion of a topic of interest to us (basically, us). And people don't want to recommend it because they happen to be on one of the sides?

[pipi_k]

49. A sense of perspective and proportion...

pretty much always a good thing, IMO

Unfortunately, the people who think DU is so all-fired important in the grand scheme of things probably aren't thinking of perspective.

Yeah, it's a good place to get news and laughs and engage in debate. For some, maybe it's the sole source of human interaction in otherwise lonely days.


But I doubt anyone would DIE if DU suddenly disappeared. And, as far as the perspective part goes, I would suggest people ask themselves which would hurt more...loss of DU, or loss of a beloved friend or family member. What's really important in people's lives...

If an online discussion group makes the top five, then I would seriously have to wonder about that person's priorities.

It happened to me once. I thought an online discussion group was IT. My entire life. Then it wasn't there anymore and I felt like the world had come crashing down on my head. How incredibly stupid. It wasn't until a while later I realized how truly irrelevant that group really was in the larger scheme of things.

One group ends, another appears, and life goes on.

[CakeGrrl]

50. It's mostly what people want it to be, but not an accurate barometer

of the political climate of the general American population. By definition.

To wit, there was a suggestion to rename it "Progressive Underground" - a further shrinking of the bigger Democratic tent. There have been numerous polls asking members to establish defining criteria for Progressivism.

However, national pollsters record a higher level of President Obama's overall job approval among Democrats than you'll see here. Here, you'd think it was far below 50% and some would be happy to drive it as close to zero as possible.

So, is DU representative of the Democratic Party? No.

You can certainly come here for reactions - those abound. But they're rooted in their own set of expectations, preconceptions, and individual motivators.

I'm largely here for the news. If there's something going on out there, DUers are great at getting the info here fast.

[madinmaryland]

51. OMG!! We are on teh internets, so it must be all true, cause I read it on teh

internets.

:P

[Texasgal]

72. ....

:spray:


:rofl:

[Rex]

52. This place gets very real when a longtime member dies.

Us older farts get pretty serious because like it or not reallife interjects itself into virtual space all the time here. It is why facebook was created imo.

[Amaril]

54. It is a place of relative sanity in an otherwise insane world

As much as people may snark and argue and thump their chests at times, have you seen what passes for "reasoned" discussion elsewhere on the web? There are a LOT of nasty, mean-spirited and souless people out there right now. I read elsewhere until I feel my blood begin to boil and then come here. It's like taking a shower after rolling in the mud.

For that reason alone, it is VERY important.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

62. Thanks, Andy Rooney...

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

73. LOL

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[readmoreoften]

65. I don't know, but DU is about as effective as Obama. Okay maybe a little more effective.

[DainBramaged]

67. Sure, whatever you say......................

:eyes:

[MineralMan]

77. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

[kayakjohnny]

68. I think you are right. And you may be a little generous with that 150k number.

That might be the number of people who have ever come through this place. Including the banned and those who left voluntarily.

I think your post was good.

I can see why it offended some people.

But I do also believe that there is something deeper going on here too.

Especially when someone needs help, then this place seems more like real life.

With real people.

And very real feelings.

[Ikonoklast]

71. In the overall scheme of things, this place doesn't even register as a blip on the political radar.

And that blip is getting prigressively smaller with each passing day.

[Bluenorthwest]

75. DU is a place that is hosted by individuals whom I respect

When I am a guest, I usually decline to denigrate the status of my host's house. Clearly, DU is a favorite of many people, and any creation that draws people to discuss what they enjoy is important in that regard. We are here to fart around, and this DU thing is some good fart'n.

[MineralMan]

78. Yes, and I respect them, as well.

You may have noticed that I enjoy reading and posting here, too. DU is what it is. It's very informative and sometimes very entertaining. I did not say it was not. I post here daily.

[MilesColtrane]

79. On scale of 1 to 10 it's a .25

But I keep coming back

[bluestate10]

85. Actually, on a scale of 1 to 1000, DU is a 0.25. But...

this site has some activists on it. To make meaningful change, one needs activists. My one concern is that much of the activism seems to be misdirected.

[H2O Man]

81. gross

[Caretha]

82. You sure spend a lot of time posting lengthy

OP's & threads for it not to be too important.

Here's your stats:

Member since Nov 02nd 2008
Number of posts 23300


I'm truly amazed at how many posts you have considering you have a life and all....me not so much, maybe I have more of a life.

My Stats:

Member since 2002
Number of posts 1389

You know what MM, I think you doth protest too much. But I grok ya, more than you know. ;)

[bluestate10]

83. I am surprised that your thread stayed up.

Any post that hints at criticizing the dominant mindset on DU gets blasted away by a moderator. The censorship is grossly misplaced, because far left liberal, liberal, moderate-liberal, moderate and moderate-conservative democrats really need a forum where they can air out their grievances with each other and slowly work toward the common ground that we all share. Like it or not, all of us here have an interest in preventing more republican gains in 2012. If members that have the power of moderation in the forum silence those with viewpoints that they disagree with, all we will get is a small cadre of people that have a over inflated sense of the importance of their viewpoint and a much larger group that will start to devalue the core values that all of us share.

[Rochester]

84. It's nice to be able to rant with fellow D's

Especially with all the mindless R's out there spewing their crap. With D's I can usually find common ground about something even with a D from the other wing of the party.

[jotsy]

86. I say it is.

It becomes a question of what comes of what's discussed. The cross section of places to gather found in the lobby is enormous, categories broken down by everything from geography to recreational activities. The system is user friendly especially for a dinosaur like me, still overcoming the unease with the tools of the 21st century.

I'm not sure I'm appreciating the tone of your post, though. It seems the message you send is to remind those who participate here they have no impact on a wider spread perception which might shift political policy. You make your case by invoking numbers and usage, as if to establish tiers of members in terms of active posters thereby reducing the size of the crowd which subsequently lead you to convey there is a lack of collective 'relevance to the real world'. It strikes me as an overall attempt to diminish the value of the discussion that takes place here, and granted, some of it is in the name of good fun, some of it gets heated, but bits of it is so well written and timely that it obtains a national audience via progressive radio. Even one of our own members stands in for a couple of those progressive hosts on a regular basis. If not how often it happens that's important, it's that it can.

To conclude I'd like to offer a section of a poem Bill Moyers recited during his 'Life on the Plantation' speech when addressing the National Conference for Media Reform.

<http://www.truth-out.org/article/bill-moyers-life-plantation>

What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can't walk, can't remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can't stop them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fund raising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.

It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.

From The Moon Is Always Female, by Marge Piercy
Copyright 1980 by Marge Piercy