May I make a plea to DUers for the next few days & especially on 11/2

[karlrschneider]

The servers are going to be overwhelmed (they do a marvelous job but there's only so much bandwidth)---PLEASE consider the following:
If you want to start a new thread, just check and see if it's already been discussed, at LEAST the top page's worth. And also please don't start any new ones with vague subjects like "HEY, LOOK AT THIS", "HAS ANYBODY HEARD THIS?"....you know, totally uninformative junk like that, and finally, when we reply, we should make it substantive (cut down on the n/t posts that just say "kick" (:kick:) It's gonna be hell on wheels and I think it will benefit us all to exercise a bit of restraint. m'kay?
:D
:toast:

[cheezus]

1. does starting anew thread incur more server load than other posts?

theads do die too fast though, and there's way too many dupes

[trespam]

3. Yeah: Please stop posting your random comments

Important information is lost because people are posting whatever pops into their head. Please stop. If it isn't a specific action or piece of information that will change the election, what's the point of posting.

Instead of posting: do something that will get Kerry voters out. Not sitting at your computer posting random comments, trying to be the first with late breaking news.

[nodehopper]

9. you know, there IS life after the election

while obviously the election is the most important thing at the moment, it's not the only thing. People come here to exchange information of all kinds. And I think it's a little presumptious of you, as a brand new poster, to tell everyone how to behave.

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. Uh! Okay

:eyes:

[karlrschneider]

4. Good point...no it doesn't, but as you say it does bury others more quickl

quickly which probably allows or encourages more connectivity. :D

[NMDemDist2]

2. excellent advice, but doubt many will listen

we are a disorganized bunch over all

ala the old joke, "I don't belong to an organized party, I'm a Democrat"

[karlrschneider]

5. Pretty sure that's from Will Rogers.

:D

[NMDemDist2]

13. yes it is, which (by definition) would make it an OLD joke hehe n/t

[JSJ]

6. well, you've used your share of bandwith for the day, karlschneider-

Just kidding!!!

[crickets]

7. Good advice

The servers were slow when I first came by DU today; by next week things could get really tough. Every little bit of restraint would help.

:dem:

[ezekiel333]

8. You mean like this...

Yikes...tornado warnings just southwest of here...storms coming this way

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2557797>

[karlrschneider]

10. Okay, I plead guilty. But the board is running smoothly so I didn't think

posting that was harming anything. But it's gonna get more intense the next 100 hours or so, and I'll exercise restraint if I notice any slowdown... ;-)

[ezekiel333]

11. No worries...

Hope your safe! :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. I don't understand why everyone feels they have to start their own post

on a major topic. For example, there were like 22 Red Sox threads on the first page of the Lounge at the end of the Series. I can understand Bostonians being excited--hell, even I, a non-sports fan, was excited when my hometown team, the Twins, won the series many years ago,--but when 22 people post "The Red Sox Won!" it seems like thoughtless ego-tripping.

As a practical matter, when there are multiple posts on a big topic, I don't know which one to reply to.

As another practical matter, other important posts can get pushed down into the nether pages if too many people post dupes.

[DemBones DemBones]

14. It's really simple -- take the chatty threads to the Lounge,

which is where they should be anyway. Lately, some people are overgrazing the commons and ignoring the rules that say GD is for POLITICAL discussions and GD2004 is for POLITICAL discussions RELATED TO 2004 ELECTIONS.

We all like to have fun with jokes and caption-this-photo threads, etc., but the Lounge is the place for those. By the same token, please don't post serious stuff in the Lounge.

Finally, we should all limit ourselves on posting and especially on starting new threads. If you feel compelled to express your thoughts in writing, why not write LTTEs, or write to various newspeople?

[cally]

16. Good advice...

Let's keep the dupes at a minimum. It helps keep the board more interesting if we have online converstations instead of each of us posting a thought that gets little response.

[SoCalDem]

17. *********A few HINTS.... HINT...HINT...HINT....HINT**********

If you have a star by your name and you plan to post something.. If search is still turned on, PLEASE USE IT..

just type two words that are integral to what you plan to post.. scroll down and hit "search Now".. 25 posts should pop up.. Find the one that best suits YOUR story and use that one...

TURN ON CNN...NOW!!!!! posts will probably be locked/archived

Cruise the "Latest" page, and look for the posts similar to what you had in mind..

and PUL-EASSSSSSE.. Do not "engage" the freeps/trolls/disruptors.. If they start a thread..ignore it (even if "ignore" is turned off :evilgrin:..)

if they post within a thread, the fastest way to get the whole thing locked, is to start a back and forth with the freeps who post in it..

Use ALERT,, that feature WILL be turned on..

Bear with us.. we might not SEE the alert right away, so you do not need to alert 4 times on the same person..

I don't know about the other mods, but if you see me "on", you may always PM me with an emergency..even if it's not my forum.. ..


There's probably more, but that's MY wish list :loveya:

[pauliedangerously]

18. You are the epitome of coolness

I'm not gonna post ANYTHING on 11/2, but I will be changing my avatar.

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[neomonkey]

19. Sounds good in principle

But I guarantee you, every ounce of sage advice you just doled out (and I am not being sarcastic, I sincerely agree with you) will be violated and trampled down in the next 4 or 5 days.

And if the election turns into our worst fear (read: LEGAL CHALLENGES), forget it, we may be looking at a temporary state of Marshall Law on DU.

Interesting times.