Post-election DU upgrades and news

[EarlG]

This is a long announcement. Please read on for news about DU and social media, discussions about the future of the Democratic Party on DU, and an update to DU's post footer buttons.

Hello everyone,

Well, it's been about a month since the election, and like everyone else here, the results hit me pretty hard, personally. I must admit that it's taken me some time to process things. I was not as shocked as I was after the 2016 election -- when we all felt that there was no way America could elect someone like Trump -- but given everything that's happened since he was elected the first time, it's clear that a second Trump presidency is going to be significantly worse than the first one (which was already appalling).

But if DU wasn't created for times like this, then I don't know what it was created for. When we launched the site in 2001, the media landscape was absolutely dominated by right-wing news talk radio, and we wanted to use the then-new technology of the Internet to push back, and provide a space for those on the left to talk free and clear of right-wing interruptions. DU is no longer new technology, but its purpose remains the same.

So with that said, here's some news about where we go from here. The three important things I want to talk about in this post are social media on DU (and DU on social media), the future of the Democratic Party, and some post-election DU software upgrades.


Social media

X/Twitter and Bluesky

Post-election, it has become clear that social media is more important than ever in our political landscape. As such, we are making some changes in this area on DU.

First, we plan to remove X/Twitter embeds from DU. Since liberal Twitter seems to be moving over to Bluesky, we plan to replace X/Twitter embeds and X/Twitter sharing with Bluesky. This does not mean that X/Twitter is banned from DU. It just means that -- if everything goes according to plan -- links to tweets will no longer embed as tweets on DU, they will simply show up as links. Meanwhile Bluesky links will show up as embedded posts.

In addition, we are removing X/Twitter from the Share options on DU OPs. That button will be replaced with a Share to Bluesky button.

Unfortunately, embedding Bluesky posts is not as straightforward as we had hoped, and we're not sure yet if we can get it to work. If we can, we will announce the switch from X/Twitter to Bluesky embeds when it happens. If we can't, we'll decide whether to continue with X/Twitter embeds or not (we are leaning towards removing them).

In the meantime, the Share to Bluesky button will be available when we release our new software patch tomorrow (see below for details).

DU on social media

DU has had Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for years. However, the only thing I ever used them for was posting my Pic Of The Moment, which I have not produced in a while, and which I'm still figuring out how (or whether) to continue. We have not used our Twitter account since Elon Musk bought Twitter, and I consider that account effectively irrelevant.

DU does have an unused Mastodon account, and I recently created a Bluesky account, which is also as yet unused.

The simple fact is this: I suck at social media. I don't have personal social media accounts. I don't care about social media in the slightest. But I don't think that should stop DU from having active, effective social media accounts. I know that there are lots of people on DU who are essentially experts at social media, who could actually turn our social media accounts into a force for good.

So I'm just going to put this on the table and leave it for further discussion: I'm considering asking for volunteers to help manage DU's social media accounts. If you're the kind of person who likes social media, is good at it, and has an idea for what DU could do with its current social media accounts, I could use your help. If you're interested in exploring this idea further, please reply to let me know.


The future of the Democratic Party

We have entered a new political era. While Donald Trump trashes our societal norms and government institutions, our old leaders are aging out, and a new crop of younger Democrats will soon rise to the top. Donald Trump will be a lame duck as soon as he takes office, and it surely won't be long before talk turns to the subject of who will run for president in 2028.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that we need a forum to discuss the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries. That is a long, long way off. However, I'm suggesting that we might need a dedicated space to talk about the future of the party, and where we go from here. DU was recently operating under General Election rules, meaning that DUers must support our presidential nominee, and in the age of Trump my observation has been that DUers have been less tolerant of criticism of Democratic politicians -- understandably so.

However, I think that it would not be unhealthy to provide a space for discussion of where the Party should go next. These conversations may not be easy, but I do not think we should be afraid to have them, and I think they can be done in a civil manner. If you have an opinion on whether we should consider a new forum for these discussions, please let me know in reply to this thread. I'll see what the response looks like, and if it's something that seems wanted or needed, I'll open a new thread to discuss it separately.


Post-election DU software upgrades

Tomorrow, we are releasing a new software patch which makes some changes to the footer buttons on posts. (We were hoping to make these changes prior to the election, but ran out of time.) These are not significant changes, but they do streamline the buttons somewhat, and also add some additional functionality which people have been asking for.

Please note that the examples below are shown in DU's default mode, but if you use Night Mode or Skinner Mode, the buttons will also be updated appropriately.

New OP footer buttons -- when looking at someone else's OP

One purpose of this upgrade is to improve the visibility of the Share button. There's obviously a ton of great info on DU, and we think it should get shared more widely on social media. So we've given the Share button a more prominent placement.



But what about the Edit button, and how do you self-delete, or add/remove Journal entries? Well...

New OP footer buttons -- when looking at your own OP

When you are looking at one of your own posts, the new Options button will appear. This is essentially a re-branding of the "Powers" button. (The "Powers" button was a holdover from DU3, because it's what we called that button when it was used by Hosts and MIRT, but we think Options is more intuitive.)



This button will not be available unless you are looking at one of your own posts. When you are looking at one of your own posts and the Options button is available, clicking on it will allow you to edit, self-delete, or add/remove the post as a Journal entry.

(Note for Forum Hosts and MIRT members: The Options button replaces the Powers button, so you will find all your current abilities by clicking the Options button. When you see the Options button on someone else's post, it will appear as a normal grey button. On your own posts, it will be green as in the screenshots above.)

New reply footer buttons

Everything mentioned above about the Options button also applies to replies. (In the examples below, you won't see the Options button, but if you're looking at your own post, you will.) In addition, we have improved the Rec function on replies by separating the rec count from the rec button. This change will allow you to click through and see who has recommended a reply, just as you can do with an OP.

When a reply has not been recommended



When you have recommended a reply



Clicking the Rec button will add a rec (or remove it if you already rec'd and changed your mind). Clicking the rec count will take you to the post in single-post mode, which will display the list of who rec'd it.

We plan to update the buttons on Tuesday afternoon, December 10, 2024, at around 4pm ET. This will hopefully be fairly seamless, with only a brief moment of downtime. I'll make an additional announcement tomorrow right before we do it. Please note that when we launch this patch, as with every change we make to the software, there's a strong chance that it will require some bugfixes and cleanup.

I think that's all for now! Thanks for reading.

EarlG, on behalf of Elad -- the DU Administrators

[Maru Kitteh]

1. THANK YOU FOR REMOVING XHITTER!!!!!!

Today, is a WONDERFUL day!

[Cha]

20. Yeah a Big FU to mskhead... I like it!

[Jit423]

117. At last! Thank you.

[Jack Valentino]

161. I DISAGREE, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Those who dislike the Twitter embeds

just seem to be LOUDER and complain incessantly about it!

There are still plenty of liberals on Twitter, and I'm one of them. I appreciate being able to see and read the Twitter embeds without having to click-through to a link.

I really HATE when people post a "link" and nothing else. This change would convert every Twitter post to yet another "link" with nothing else.

Hell, rather than removing Twitter embeds, I would like to see it made impossible to post a stand-alone link without a summary of said links, with a minimum character requirement!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

175. I agree. There's still a lot of good stuff on X.a lot of prominent people still use it.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

176. I would like to see a separate forum in where the Party should go next

[Flatrat]

182. Dont support fascism by supporting X-itter

>There are still plenty of liberals on Twitter, and I'm one of them. I appreciate being able to see and read the Twitter embeds without having to click-through to a link.

That becomes less true daily as more people flee the cesspool. Don't enable that one particular illegal immigrant. He is in a position to much damage to democracy with his money.

Lets not go back.

[Maru Kitteh]

187. You support the global oligarchy of Musk as you wish. Democrats should not help you, and

the majority of Democrats here understand that rather clearly.

[kooth]

2. Oopsy ...

Tuesday is the 10th.

[EarlG]

7. Fixed

Thanks.

[dweller]

3. Dec 11

Is a Wednesday


✌🏻

[relayerbob]

4. I like the idea of the Democratic Party Forum separate from General

It will keep some of the noise level down there, and allow to have a focussed platform to discuss changes that clearly need to be implemented.

I would like to see Threads embeds also, Bluesky and Threads serve different purposes and audiences. I am on both, but see that Threads is a more one-on-one experience, whereas Bluesky is more giant accounts trying to get follows. Just IMO, YMMV. But ... getting both would be good and getting rid of Xitter, would be the best.

And thanks for all the hard work!

[littlemissmartypants]

65. Not very nuanced about Blue but you're right...

MMV.

What's your Bluesky handle?

You can follow me @2diamondeyes.bsky.social

And no Suckerberg for me. No Threads sharing for data thieves. Respectfully.

❤️

[relayerbob]

121. Here it is

@relayerbob.bsky.social

[littlemissmartypants]

139. Got it! ...

I'm having trouble reconciling your statement that

"Bluesky is more giant accounts trying to get follows."

And that your handle came up in search as part of a list for a #FBR train where posters agree to follow back everyone on a list provided by a third party through what are known as Follow Back Parties.

I personally would rather individually vet people before I follow them.

Did you join the list to avoid starter packs? Do you have history with the list maker, Meidas Sassy? Do you recommend them? Do you follow any from the train? Have you found the accounts you follow from the train ok?

I followed a few from a #FBR that came with a picture I reposted. Often those lists come with AI pictures.

Adding pictures is one of the tricks used in social media networks generally to drive engagement. Research in social media strongly supports that increased engagement from users happens when graphics are present regardless of the accuracy of the information provided in them.

Most memes are worthless to me with no source. AI art theft is also somewhat repugnant to me but lots of posters are creating AI graphics to drive engagement.

That picture I liked and reposted is from user Skye. He's one of what I call "working" accounts. Those accounts seem to have limited conversational participation but tend to post #FBR lists and other things they manufacture from the accounts on the site. Like the one you popped up on.

They're everywhere. Many refer to themselves as part of the #BlueCrew. They appear to be trying to start a strong base where they might launch monetization later if blue goes in that direction. Right now, they claim that they aren’t. Time will tell.

I belong to one Team Pete starter pack list. I am also one of a few fortunate to be assisting with beta testing an application associated with the site.

Overall, my experience with blue has been very pleasant. I'll look forward to hearing more about your experience.


Thanks for your reply and for sharing your account there with me, relayerbob.

❤️pants

[relayerbob]

157. I don't even know what that is

I've never agreed to be on any #FBR thing, and I always vet who I'm following, hence why I don't have many on my list, in comparison to others. Apparently, in their zeal to create followings, some people have no problems with just grabbing names and including them on lists. Bluecrew started on Xitter, and I sorta followed that, but they just were fishing for headcount, not actually providing any real interaction, nor activism, as I had hoped.

As far as my comment about big accounts, the majority of what I seem to see there are large accounts jonseing to get more followers, and/or marketing. What you call "working" accounts. In some cases, people just post nonsense posts, or as you note, worthless memes or AI art to generate engagement, and follower fishing. I don't do that. My accounts grow organically, from people I like to converse with, or have something in common with.

An example from right now:

‪Marc Elias‬ ‪@marcelias.bsky.social‬
·
4h
Closing in on 500k.👀
------
I''ve never had him (or even seen him) respond to comments, and that holds true a good many "celebrities" there, whereas on Threads, for example, I've had interactions with people like Jeri Ryan, Rick Wilson, various politicians and others, as well as just regular folk. Threads focusses on interaction and engagement, not numbers of followers. If you want your account to be seen, you interact on a regular basis, and the more interaction, the more people interact back. I've sortof given up on commenting on Bluesky, as I've only ever gotten a few "likes" and almost no responses to anything. On Threads, I've had replies with well over 1000 "likes", while my account there is somewhat larger, it is pretty small by social media standards.

[littlemissmartypants]

160. Interesting! I'm glad...

You're enjoying threads. I don't do anything Zuckerberg. But thanks for the reply! ❤️

[relayerbob]

163. The only reason I originally joined Xitter

was for Ukraine news, and it's still one of the things I watch most closely. Social media always beats the MSM to the news these days. Gotta watch out for what is real, of course, haha, but then again, the MSM posts nonsense all the time

[relayerbob]

186. A question for you

Do you know how to cut off a follower without blocking them on Bluesky? There are folks I don't really want following me, that I haven't followed back. I don't see a point in blocking them, as they don't seem dangerous or MAGA, but just don't want them in my follow list.

Actually, two questions - is there a reason you didn't follow me back?

Thanks,

[littlemissmartypants]

188. Hi! 👋

Sorry, I didn't follow you. I have my notifications shut off, and when I checked them, I had twenty+ new followers overnight. I get twenty-five or more notifications every couple of hours from the application that I'm beta testing, and I'm behind on my own notifications. I piddled around reading my discover, following feeds, and adding some accounts to my lists. I came over here to create a post (which I screwed up), and then I checked my replies & found yours.

So...Do you not want the follower to follow you? Not read your posts? Or just not appear on your followers list? I mean, what do you want to be the final result? LMK & I'll try my best.

❤️

[relayerbob]

189. Understood

Yes, the notification system there is a little opaque, I just didn’t want it to be something I said, lol.

Mostly, I just want them not to appear in my followers list. I actually look at that to vet people sometimes (look at their followers and who they follow), and in some cases, just don’t want certain accounts that I believe might be trolls or organizations that I don’t want blocked, to be seen. I don’t care if they see me, and may occasionally have something of interest to me, so I don’t want to block them. Meta and twitter made it really easy, you just click and remove them from the followers list, and they are gone without notification to the person being “unfriended”.

[littlemissmartypants]

190. Ok, then...

Block The Follower is what you don't want

Remove The Follower can be done...
Using this method will remove a follower from your list of Bluesky followers, but they will still be able to see your posts. This method works on any kind of device - Android, iPhone, Computer, etc. To remove a follower, follow these steps:

Login to Bluesky using App or website
●Go to your profile page.
●Click on the "Followers" tab.
●Find the follower that you want to remove.
●Click on the "Remove" button.
This will remove the follower from your list of followers, but they will still be able to see your posts.

Block is what disables their ability to read and interact. If that's what you want then you have to use block. But my understanding is you want the former.

Good luck! 🍀🤞

❤️

[relayerbob]

192. Thanks, but ....

I've looked at that repeatedly, and hoped there was an update I had missed. Nope. There is no "Remove" button on the browser version. I don't use the app, so I guess I'll have to install that and try it.

Update: Not available on the iPhone app, either. All I see is a Follow Back button, and in their account, all that is there is "Add to lists, Mute, Block, Report".

Oh well, though you were correct in your interpretation.

[live love laugh]

74. I don't want Threads Facebook or IG embeds -- those platforms censor Dems.

[orleans]

98. what is IG? nt

[Shipwack]

119. Probably Instagram. nt

[relayerbob]

122. I've never once had a post blocked on either FB or Threads (I don't use IG)

And while I see people complaining about it, at the same time, I see the exact posts they claim have been deleted. There are a lot of paranoid folks on all ends of the spectrum.

[Voltaire2]

138. It's not blocking that matters on algorithmic platforms.

It is your posts visibility ranking in the algorithm. All of these platforms suppress non-Maga messaging by ranking bias.

[intheflow]

5. All great info, BUT - Tuesday is the 10th, not the 11th. n/t

[Elessar Zappa]

6. Thank you, EarlG.

I do like the idea of a forum where constructive discussion of the party and its future can be had with constructive criticism allowed, as long as it doesn’t turn ugly. I also like the social media idea although I, too, suck at it so can’t be much of a help. But anyway, keep up the great work! I’ve been here since I was 19 in 2003 and plan to continue posting until I die or the site goes offline lol.

[SheilaAnn]

8. Thank you guys, you are all awesome. n/t

[MiHale]

9. First of all Thank You for all your work...

2nd…I do believe that a separate forum for the ‘ Direction of the Party’ would a good idea. Keep it away from GD, things could get out of hand there.

[NewHendoLib]

11. Yes, I think providing a new forum for the future of the Democratic

Party is a great idea I'd like to see implemented

[leftstreet]

19. Agree, but I'd like to see it in General Discussion n/t

[ShazzieB]

89. I'm not sure what you mean.

EarlG is proposing to create a new forum for discussing the future of the party. Are you in favor of that, or you saying saying all of that should stay in GD? It's an either/or choice.

For the record, I'm in favor of the new forum. GD is already enough of a grab bag as it is, imo.

[keithbvadu2]

12. Doggone changes

Doggone changes

[Aristus]

13. Thank you, EarlG and elad, as always, for everything. You guys rock.

To quote Stephen Hopkins from the musical "1776": "In all my years, I've never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue so dangerous it couldn't be talked about."

Let's absolutely have a forum on the 2028 race and what Democrats should do to win it.

[ZDU]

14. Thank you for the updates!

Casting my vote towards a more socially minded, progressive looking, future ready Democratic party. Onwards! Upwards! 🗳️.

[2naSalit]

15. Cool beans!

Thank you!

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Thanks for the update

and the "Options" for "Powers" is definitely a good change 'cause I know a bunch of folks had no idea where "self-delete" was.

Look forward to the updates!

I would also like to see something like a "2024 Post Mortem" forum/group similar to the 2016 one, to eventually move the election discussion. That way a more liberal SOP could be deployed to allow more "critique" that might otherwise generate hides as TOS violations... but then with the expectation that this type of critique would be kept THERE versus elsewhere.

[cilla4progress]

17. I support the proposed changes!

Getting rid of links to x.

And especially the new forum / fora.

I agree we need to look to the future for Dem leadership! I am particularly drawn to the young leaders of color - AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Maxwell Frost and others.

Thank you EarlG and all admins!!!

[woodsprite]

18. Thank you for all you do! When looking at the button updates

I just had one thought. In my workgroup we're very careful where we use the color red. Red seems like it would be an 'Alert' color rather than a 'Rec' color. Maybe green, blue, purple, even black would work since the text and edge are black and wold stay the same, just add the background color when the state changes?

Like I said, it was just something to think about.

Thank you again, EarlG!

[W_HAMILTON]

21. I would prefer a separate forum for the "new direction" discussions.

[ificandream]

22. Count me in on being for the new forum for discussing the Democratic Party's future.

I think this is an excellent idea.

[JoseBalow]

23. Any plans to allow TikTok embeds, like with YouTube videos?

That would be nice!

[orangecrush]

24. Thanks, Guys

This place keeps me sane.

[calimary]

177. This place keeps me sane, too!

And even though a lot of the technical talk here is hard to understand (at least for me), I appreciate YOUR work in creating a safe and supportive place for folks like me to vent, learn, expand, gain solidarity and wisdom! Thanks so So SO Much!!!

[Dennis Donovan]

25. Thank you for your hard work!

Just a suggestion. Please wait to remove Twitter's ability to render inside DU until you can get Bluesky to render. Twitter and Bluesky have two users (Aaron Rupar and Acyn) that post tons of videos on both Twitter and Bluesky, but are usually unavailable on YouTube. I'd hate to lose the ability to post videos from these particular Twitter/Bluesky users.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

26. Thanks for all the hard work.

I have piles of links to Twitter accounts, from years gone by. It's no big deal if they don't embed. Folks who so choose can click on them to see what they're missing.

Thanks again, and good afternoon.

[Sweet Freedom]

27. What is your Bluesky handle? /nt

[littlemissmartypants]

69. Look for the logo...

https://bsky.app/profile/demunderground.bsky.social

❤️

[red dog 1]

82. Thanks for posting that link

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2024, 05:27 PM - Edit history (1)

(Why are there "no posts yet"?)

[EarlG]

106. Yes it's @demunderground.bsky.social

There are no posts yet because I haven't posted anything!

[red dog 1]

110. Got it, thanks.

[Voltaire2]

193. You should edit your profile and put Democratic Underground as the display name. nt.

[Sweet Freedom]

205. Thanks! Followed. :) /nt

[Cha]

28. Mahalo for DU, EarlG & Elad and

for all you two Do to Keep it Going for us.

[Polybius]

29. Count me in on being in favor of the new forum!

I think it's a fantastic idea!

[hlthe2b]

30. Good to read this as when I started, I was fearing something else entirely...

(I won't let my misplaced paranoia be given "print," but will just say I am relieved)...

Some great changes. I like not embedding X, but there are (unfortunately) still some important figures still posting there so I agree that it shouldn't be banned.

Kudos!

PS. I never knew where to post the question, but I'll ask it here. Do you ever hear from Skinner and if so, would he mind your giving us a little update on how he's doing?

[h2ebits]

31. Yes, I think we should have a new thread to discuss where the Democratic Party is going

"However, I think that it would not be unhealthy to provide a space for discussion of where the Party should go next. These conversations may not be easy, but I do not think we should be afraid to have them, and I think they can be done in a civil manner. If you have an opinion on whether we should consider a new forum for these discussions, please let me know in reply to this thread. I'll see what the response looks like, and if it's something that seems wanted or needed, I'll open a new thread to discuss it separately."
*********************************************************************************************************************************
Love your careful wording that it "would not be unhealthy." In fact, I believe that it is absolutely necessary that we pursue conversations on where the Democratic Party is going in order to fix its trajectory. By and large, my impressions are that a very bright group of people have made decisions based on their own bubble of knowledge and reality, which is a far cry from what "the people" actually see as their reality.

We are losing the information war.

[DoBW]

32. great work, amazing

[The Grand Illuminist]

33. There are good rightful people that are staying on X.

I suggest JoFromJersey.

[littlemissmartypants]

70. She's on blue.

[The Grand Illuminist]

72. She still posts on X as well.

nt

[Voltaire2]

180. It is literally a fascist propaganda organization.

Just quit the place.

[The Grand Illuminist]

185. It can also be a great tool

to know thy enemy.

[Voltaire2]

191. Yes of course you are off 'fighting the good fight'.

lol. Whatever. I have no problem at all 'knowing the enemy' as their propaganda is everywhere.

[underpants]

34. 👍

[usonian]

35. Under POWERS/OPTIONS can we have a "Delete Trump" option? Thanks in advance.

I make extensive use of Trashing and Ignoring.
NOT TO USERS: These do not work on the home page.

I also have browser extensions: “TrumpTrump” and “Firewall Trump” For what it’s worth.

And for all of us bummed out this Christmas Season:
Share with your ChrisoFascist friends:



Lots of love for DU friends.
Beer’s on me if you can find me.
Sadly, the Usonian HQ here is socked in with pea soup fog.

[Renew Deal]

36. Keep it all in GD for now

These discussions need to be front and center right now.

[littlemissmartypants]

73. Disagree. GD moves too fast...

Discussions sink like boulders and then duplicates abound. Wastes time and creates muddy discussions. No thank you. Respectfully.

❤️

[Renew Deal]

90. The problem is that if you move it out, people won't see them

So they die on the vine rather than sinking.

[Polybius]

93. They will if you make it a main board

Put it in the same category as LBN and GD.

[littlemissmartypants]

112. Sinking and dying on the vine...

Are the same thing. Also, moving out what?

It appears that he's proposing that there be an entirely new forum/group created for discussion of the future of the Democratic Party.

GD has always been just a catch all. It's like a huge trash bin. You have to dig through it to find things. When you dig, you find the same things over and over.

Things move fast and poof, they're gone.

That doesn't seem very complimentary to thoughtful discussion to me.

How can a basic theme be pondered and discussed thoughtfully if you have to dig through multitudes of unrelated posts just to find the one you want?

I'd like to be able to find any thoughtful discussions on the future of the Democratic Party readily when I look for them.

If I can't, I'll be less likely to participate. I don't think I'm alone in that regard.

❤️

[Silver Gaia]

168. I agree wholeheartedly.

A new forum for these discussions is the way to go. It's important to me as well that we be able to find these posts easily when we want to talk about these topics. By the time I sift through GD to find a conversation about this, chances are, I'd be too tired to say what I wanted to say. Some of us, like me, don't make OPs very often, but we do enjoy reading and commenting on others' OPs. Being able to find these posts when I want to find them would be a definite plus!

[littlemissmartypants]

170. TY! ❤️

[Silver Gaia]

178. You are most welcome. Thank you for speaking up!

I also liked what you said here in post #73:

"Discussions sink like boulders and then duplicates abound. Wastes time and creates muddy discussions."

Absolutely. All the dupes can be maddening! These are the most important discussions we could have right now, and having them consolidated in one place would be a huge assist in creating focus and helping us organize coherently.

Doing this will NOT give these discussions less prominence. I'm sure the effect will be to give them more prominence.This will be high-level, I'm sure, so quite visible, not hidden away.

I trust that EarlG and elad know what they are doing and why. It will be a good thing! No, a great thing! We need this.

[littlemissmartypants]

179. TY! 😘 We sure do need it more than ever! ❤️

[returnee]

102. I tend to agree.

This discussion is crucial and should not be isolated from the mainstream forums. I also see how thorny such discussions will likely be. I don’t think that can be avoided. I think it should be VERY clear on what is in and out of bounds for posting, whichever forum they’re in.

[EarlG]

108. To be clear this would be a new top-level forum

Like the old "GD: Politics," the primaries forums, and the post-mortem forums that we've had over the years. We would probably slot it in between GD and the Lounge. I would imagine that the forum would be converted to the next Primaries forum when the time is right.

[Scrivener7]

37. Thank you, EarlG and Elad. Where would we be without you?

Seriously, I hope you know what a lifeline you are in so many ways for so many people!

[Prairie_Seagull]

38. I have no idea if you can, but write the forum you propose in such a way

that it can easily be undone. May be like WWE in there. Cursing is one of my favorite pastimes. haha

Thanks for what you and Elad do.

[Maeve]

39. Suggest you do NOT drop you Twitter account

It would free up the name for trolls. Don't use it, but keep the account (got that from Bluesky users)
Yes to a place to talk about the future of the party, altho it may need something like moderation to work, at least at first. And maybe limit it to keep new trolls out.....
Thank you guys for giving us this place. We love you!!!!!!

[littlemissmartypants]

76. Agree. Place hold the DU moniker on xitter. ...

Avoid a hijack of the DU Brand.

📣📣FYI FOR ALL READERS📣📣

Especially EG
Migrate X to blue
https://www.bluesky-migrate.com

tweetdeleter application
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tweetdeleter&ko=-1&ia=web

❤️

[EarlG]

107. I'm not closing the DU Twitter account for the reason you state

Thanks -- I read the same info recently.

[orleans]

153. i recommend you get an account at blue sky before someone takes the name. nt

[happy feet]

40. I'm in fir

Discussion of where we should go next. Looking fwd would be a good respite from what is.

[senseandsensibility]

41. Iagree with the new forum idea

I, for one, have been resisting sharing my honest feelings on DU since the election because I was afraid that I would be breaking the rules. But I have been extremely disappointed in the establishment Dems' response to the election results and their insistence on following old rules that went out the window decades ago as the rest of us feel abandoned.

[BComplex]

91. Thanks for posting this, senseandsensibility. My feelings exactly!

I don't know how many posts I've written and then deleted since the election! I'm really looking forward to the new forum!

[happy feet]

43. I'm in for

Discussion of where we should go next. Looking fwd would be a good respite from what is.

[CousinIT]

44. I love ALL of it. I recommend Buffer for whoever manages DU accounts on socials

Whatever social media platforms DU admins choose to use themselves, Buffer can post to multiple of them at once and allows you to format posts appropriately for each platform. You can post to up to three platforms on Buffer for free (Bluesky, Mastadon, and another, hopefully not X).

I'd also recommend using a separate (not your personal) account for Buffer. Instead, use a DU-dedicated one for posting to the three chosen platforms with Buffer and absolutely enable MFA on this account. The DU admins will have to work out how all this is synced up with the existing DU admin accounts on BlueSky, Mastadon, etc.

Whatever you do, secure it as much as possible and use Buffer or something like it to post once to all of them. It makes communication with our community on socials much more manageable for whoever does it.

[ultralite001]

78. I found this comparison helpful...

Buffer v HootSuite

These social media management applications streamline the process of promoting your brand across various social media platforms...

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/buffer-vs-hootsuite/

[littlemissmartypants]

80. SoMe Bookmark ❤️

Thanks.

[ultralite001]

81. You're welcome...

TIA...

[littlemissmartypants]

79. Bookmark. SoMe rec. ❤️

There's also Linktree to consolidate. 👋

[EarlG]

109. I actually do use Buffer already

I'm not sure if this has changed, but it used to be the only way I could post to Instagram from my PC.

The issue is not really with the management of DU's social media output -- it's with the content of the output itself. I only ever posted my Pic to our social media accounts, and I haven't made a Pic for a while. I think we could do a lot more with them than I was previously, but I don't do social media personally, so I'm pretty much in the dark about how best to use them.

[CousinIT]

124. I'm sure someone on DU can help! We have mods...we can have social media...

... volunteers too, I hope.

[littlemissmartypants]

145. I volunteer if you'd like my help. ❤️

[Think. Again.]

150. I'm also a social media non-participant but,...

... perhaps just automating the Greatest Page posts so they randomly post to the various social sites would keep it simple and bring new eyes backward into this site, rather than risking kicking off numerous separate discussions happening elsewhere?

(If that even makes any sense.)

[femmedem]

45. Thank you, and I'm all for a forum for discussing our party's future.

Yes, it needs to be civil. We need to respect a range of opinions, including where we think we've fallen short either in messaging or policies. And we need to be able to voice those opinions without fear of being alerted on for disparaging or not supporting Democrats. I love our Democratic Party; I served for a decade on our local Democratic Town Committee and have knocked on many a door for Democratic candidates. But after losing all three branches of the federal government, Democrats need broad, honest, visionary discussions about where we go from here.

[Seeking Serenity]

46. I fully support a forum where people can discuss the future of the party,

How it might change to meet changing conditions (because a party incapable of change or even honest self-reflection is doomed to calcification), etc, respectfully but honestly, without the ever-present fear of juries who will not abide any criticism of the party or its leaders, no matter how constructive the critique or in good faith it's presented.

Thanks!!

[slightlv]

140. This is one of my biggest fears...

yippers... it could be a wild arena in a "Progress" forum. But, even when I think I have concrete criticisms about the party or a rep, I try to self censor the worst of it... even some ideas, themselves. It would be nice to have someplace to bring up a criticism and not be shot to hell for doing it. I will say, lately, I've not seen that so much... but I've also been staying mostly off anything "news" related, including DU, for my own mental health, and too many changes and issues in my own personal life right now.

Nothing against anyone that's posting anything here, just the headlines scare the crap out of me and jump my BP too high.

[DSandra]

149. I support a forum like that as well

[WheelWalker]

47. I am all in on a separate Forum to discuss

New directions for the party. I'm glad I think you're doing a great job during difficult times and appreciate your commitment.

[Lulu KC]

48. I like the future of the Democratic party forum

I would hope that a lot of the hindsight about this year's election would find its way over there. It's a fine line between "bashing Democrats" and reflecting on what might have worked better without insulting people who did and will continue to do their very best.

All of this is good. Thanks for your leadership.

[red dog 1]

49. I like the idea of a forum about the future of the Democratic Party and where we might go from here.

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2024, 05:40 PM - Edit history (5)

It could be a place where we could offer polite but constructive criticism of some Democratic Party policies without worrying about being flagged as being anti-Democrat.

I also like the addition of a BlueSky button; however, as someone who likes to post animal video tweets in the DU Lounge (to cheer people up), I probably won't be able to continue that if "X" tweets won't be embedded anymore.
Posting a cute/funny animal video from X won't be the same if all I get to post is a link.
(Also, there are some well-known Democrats who still post on X, like Robert Reich)

[littlemissmartypants]

148. He has four accounts on blue...

Robert Reich
https://bsky.app/profile/rbreich.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/rbreichdm.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/rbreichfans.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/build-something-better.rbreich.verification.social

[red dog 1]

200. Thanks, I didn't know that.

[orleans]

158. if x gets switched out with blue sky maybe you could find something there

https://bsky.app/profile/buitengebieden.bsky.social/post/3lcj6snrgxk2h

[red dog 1]

201. I've tried to thank you for posting that link 3 times, with no luck.

(I wonder why?)

[orleans]

203. awww... well, thank you for being so persistent. this thank you went through and you're welcome

[evolves]

50. Thank you, EarlG and all DU Admins

You make this site a safe and pleasant place to be.

I'd welcome a 2026/2028 forum dedicated to the Way Forward for Dems.

[yardwork]

51. I'm in favor of a new forum to discuss the future of the Democratic Party.

I think the Party needs to make some changes and we need to discuss it here.

I like the other changes you're planning. I wish I could help with social media but I'm useless at it - although I agree that it's essential the Democrats get better at using it.

[LoisB]

52. I definitely think we need a forum for discussions on the Democratic Party's future.

[LiberalLoner]

53. Thank you so much! 💙💙💙

[LAS14]

54. I'm really glad you're not into social media... :- nt

[orleans]

159. lol. yeah, that gives him waay more time to focus on us here!

[Fiendish Thingy]

55. Another vote for a "Future of the Democratic Party " forum

And ten votes for reviving the “Creative Speculation” forum, so CT-ish posts can have a place to go without filling up General Discussion.

[Different Drummer]

56. Question about X/Twitter embeds

This is probably not the most intelligent question, but does this mean that *all* of the X/Twitter embeds will just show up as links or just the political content? The reason I'm asking is that I find a good amount of X/Twitter content that I have shared here, but none of it recently has been politically related since X/Twitter became so right-wing.

[littlemissmartypants]

77. All. ❤️

[kentuck]

57. I agree with you that we need to discuss where the Party goes from here.

These are challenging times.

[ailsagirl]

58. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION!!

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2024, 08:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[Spazito]

59. These are great changes...

and I fully support a separate forum to discuss the Future of the Democratic Party instead of it being in GD as the new forum can have a specific Statement of Purpose that will allow the discussion to be constructive while still keeping the trolls at bay.

Great work!

[Kali]

60. sounds good. thanks for all you do

count me as a vote/voice/request to restart Pic Of The Moment - or Day, or even Week. miss them! I need humor to get through this shit, I too am STILL reeling and in shock.

[greatauntoftriplets]

61. I like the idea for the separate forum.

Thanks for all you do, EarlG and Elad. I appreciate it.

[highplainsdem]

62. Thanks for the update, EarlG, and for everything you and Elad are doing. And add me to the DUers

who think a separate forum to discuss where the party should go would be a good idea.

[Iggo]

63. Got it. Thanks!

[eppur_se_muova]

64. Just don't name the new forum "JackPine Radical". nt

[applegrove]

66. Excellent! Thank you so much.

[malaise]

67. Thanks EarlG

[Mr.Bill]

68. Thank you, Earl,

for keeping us informed. I'm in on all your ideas.

[dlk]

71. Thank you for all you do

You and the team are the best!

[elleng]

75. Thanks for EVERYTHING!

[montanacowboy]

83. I am definitely on board

with a new forum discussing the future of the Democratic Party. Thanks Admins.

[SpankMe]

84. For the proposed "future-of-the-Democratic-party" forum, posting rules will have to be relaxed significant;y

You ain't kidding when you say DU'ers have been less tolerant of criticism of Democratic politicians. They're less tolerant of a lot of things.

With all respect due to my fellow Democrats and libs, DU has strayed far from being a "free speech" forum. As an eligible juror, I've served on a lot of juries where people seem to interpret the most benign statements or questions as "divisive group attacks" or "parroting Republican talking points". Yes, we're partisan Democrats. But we've become so partisan that we've started eating our young in some threads here on DU for the crime of questioning a Democratic policy or preferring one Democrat's approach to another more liberal Democrat's approach.

It's sad. I've proffered certain criticisms - mostly in a constructive way, but sometimes with emotion - and have been attacked by iconic DU'ers whom I've respected and agreed with for years. It sucks when a DU'er that you're a fan of comes out and attacks you based on a misinterpretation of what you've said, or applying a level of sensitivity so high that there's no way you could have put it more delicately.

Some DU'ers can get quite prickly. I've had to post less because of it. The future-of-the-Democratic-Party forum will be a minefield in this puritanical climate. All options will have to be on the table if we're going to take this country back from the manifest evil of the Republican party and Trump's administration of hate, corruption and authoritarianism. That means feathers will get ruffled. We have to lower the censorship threshold so we can put some winning ideas on the table.

[EarlG]

111. DU has never, ever been a "free speech" forum

It has always been moderated to one degree or another.

That said, I agree that people posting in a forum specifically set up to discuss the future direction of the Democratic Party should probably need to be prepared to have a thicker skin. If alerts are a problem, my initial solution would simply be to be more lenient approving appeals (depending on their nature) in that forum. Personal attacks would still not be acceptable, but stronger criticism of Democrats should be allowed. If that doesn't work out, I'd consider other solutions.

I think we should all understand that the next four years are likely to be more contentious than the last eight, since the party needs to reassess and rebuild. But DU survived through all those difficult conversations in the past. We can handle this.

[littlemissmartypants]

142. ❤️

[littlemissmartypants]

85. Support that discussions of where the Party should go next...

should be in a new forum.

Might help with troll control if we have a designated area, too. Or not. Who knows. I'm sure library girl won't leave until she dies or loses all of her fingers and can't figure out how voice to text works.

But I digress.

Won't use the reply rec anymore with the change. I like that it's anonymous.

I'll help with SoMe if you want me.

Recommendations for other things that I thought about are up-thread. Look for the hearts ❤️ and 📣.

If I think of anything else I will let you know.

Looking forward to the changes. Keep the brain plasticity flowing.

Thanks for everything.

❤️pants

[nmmi]

164. "Won't use the reply rec anymore with the change. I like that it's anonymous." - Me too: I like the anonymity

When it's not anonymous, I will still use reply rec, but not as often as before.

[littlemissmartypants]

169. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one. ...

I also used it to keep up with what I read. I used it like a bookmark for the thread.

I could take a break or if I needed to do something. I could even just use it to stop and think about what I read and if I wanted to reply, what to say. I also used it to mark places I wanted to return to and reread sometimes.

And of course, I used it for recs. Especially if I was responding to a friend and if I had strong feelings about the post.

I'm glad you replied. I feel like someone understands me. Thank you, nmmi. ❤️

[nmmi]

173. I suppose it will be retroactive too, so that all one's reply recs will be exposed since the beginning of DU4

when the feature was first introduced.

I often thought of the beach analogy at low tide -- where when the water leaves -- the naked swimmers are left exposed, and I kinda wondered if some day that would happen with reply recs. I suspect we'll find out tomorrow (or today, depending on the time zone, Tuesday anyway) when the changes are expected to be implemented.

Edited to add - and thanks for bringing up the topic.

[JoseBalow]

172. I hope it's retroactive

[TBF]

86. New forum for dem party needed - and may attract new members

I think we need that. I would keep it admin moderated, out of MIRT purview if you want to allow many voices.

[TBF]

88. Also a fan of Bluesky -

right now it's a big like & follow convention ... but I think it will get better as people get their followers and settle in. I like it better than Threads and X already because it's a left of center crowd.

[GreenWave]

92. Thanks Earl. I feel pumped already!

[Mike Nelson]

94. Like! Like! Like!

... I like the X and BlueSky changes!
... I like the idea about making DU bigger on other social media!
... I like the new forum idea!

[Blue Dawn]

95. Thank you.

I so appreciate all that you do to keep DU current and also user-friendly.

Again, thank you.

[Eugene]

96. Great, EarlG and Elad!

I'm in testing the waters mode on Bluesky.

Looking forward to the changes.

[solara]

97. Thank you for all you do

I really admire the work you do here, even though I'm such a Luddite I may not understand it all..

You keep it all real, or as real as it can be in these days..I love DU and I love being able to access the comments, the news and to read whatever is written here which is usually inspired. It's a beautiful gift to this community. so


With gratitude, I thank you

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

99. I'm in favor of anything that gives that MFer MuskRat the finger!!

[virgdem]

100. I fully support a forum where the future of

the democratic party can be open for discussion. Great idea.

[JHB]

101. Add another vote in favor of a "future of the Democratic Party" forum with looser rules in some areas

We can't advocate for ways to move forward and get on track without getting into things that, shall we say, didn't pan out as well in practice as they did in theory. Some things need to be said forthrightly without triggering another round of "Pretty Pony Wars".

That said, looser rules don't mean "none'. Keep it respectful.

[quaint]

103. I support a new forum to discuss The future of the Democratic Party.

Thank you for everything. The older I get, the more important DU is for me.

[MustLoveBeagles]

104. Thank you for removing Twitter

I think a separate section about the party's future is a good idea.

[William769]

105. I have shyed away from posting in DU since the election because the direction

discussions were heading (meaning Monday morning quarterbacking). Some people seem to have had it down pat.

I for one want to hear from the new leaders of our party and where they want to take our party (after all we have voted for these people to to do that very thing).

IMHO discussing "The future of the Democratic Party" in any forum here will come of no good. Yes, I am an old member and not wet behind the ears when it comes to fighting for Democratic values. After all that's what the future of the Democratic party should be all about.

I don't want this post to be all negative, so I will end with this HOPE.

P.S. I love the "Post-election DU software upgrades"!

[Magoo48]

113. New forum.

I believe it to be a magnificent idea. The sooner the better.

[Windy Apple]

114. Awesome

[Lunabell]

115. Great news!

Yes, to the new forum on the future of the Democratic party. There's a lot that needs to be said without fear of repercussions.

But, we still need to maintain decorum and no flaming each other with nastiness. But, if I want to say a big fuck you to Democratic politicians, I want to be able to say what I want about public figures.

And to hell with musk and zuckerberg!! Thanks for those changes.

[SCantiGOP]

116. Strongly agree with shunning Xtwitter.

And would see the utility of a forum just to discuss the future of the Party.
Thanks for all you guys do.

[Takket]

118. all good stuff!

And thank you so much for the bluesky integration! I've been wanting that for a long time. Lots of stuff on there i want to share but people can get testy with you on DU if you just post a link to something.

[Shipwack]

120. Thanks, and I also support the new forum idea. nt

[GPV]

123. Thank you, and yes to a separate forum for moving the party forward.

[Hellbound Hellhound]

125. We need the ability to analyze the paths forward for the Democratic Party.

Not going to get into it here Mr. G, but if we have this subforum to examine our way forward, it should be exempt from alerting and actively moderated, so that certain cliques can't dominate the space that SHOULD be reserved for judgment-free and legitimate examinations of the party path as a whole.

Thank you for your consideration and time. And thank you for your continued efforts to support Democracy.

[littlemissmartypants]

141. I don't know if you've...

Ever joined MIRT but I have and don't think an alert free zone is realistic. We have TOS that need enforcement. Interesting thought though, HH.

❤️

[Hellbound Hellhound]

147. I'm not saying a lawless zone. Just one without juries.

Mirt and admins could do whatever they wanted to secure the sanctity of du. But similar to the various specific individual groups, a forum for "how do we move forward" should have some protection against random alert hit squads.

[littlemissmartypants]

151. I think any place...

Known to not have moderation by definition is lawless. It would likely become a magnet for bad actors.

There are many, many bad actors that do nothing but spread anarchy and disrupt as much as possible. That's all that they do, all the time. It's like they see it as their life's calling. Most are really proud of themselves, too.

Individual groups have rules and hosts, too. So they too are moderated.

There are very few hit squad alerts and those that occur are usually blatantly obvious.

I'd have to look at an example of what you're proposing because at this point, I don't see how it would work.

Thanks for your reply!

❤️

[Hellbound Hellhound]

154. That's all fair. You and Earl G know more than I.

Sorry, I'm just in bed and can't respond properly. Thank you for the dialogue though

[littlemissmartypants]

155. ❤️

[Hellbound Hellhound]

156. ❤️ nt

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

126. Regarding discussion of the Party etc

I would like to see a "Platform" forum where we could all talk about what should the platform should look like and figure out ways to communicate the information to the DLCC or whomever it is that is responsible for it.

[Snarkoleptic]

127. DU - Now More Than Ever!

n/t

[bdamomma]

128. Thanks EarlG

Looking forward to the changes. I will go with the flow!!!

[Cheezoholic]

129. Hard vote for a separate forum thread for issues concerning the party

Its bound to get a bit heated and I personally think keeping these discussions in the confines of their own forum is for everyone's best interest. I'd prefer not to see GD gummed up with these discussions'. Besides being very important to all of us moving forward there are bound to be some very heated debates, while maybe necessary, they should be confined to their own space within the site. Plus, GD is the the most visible part of the site from the perspective of the web. I would vote for even going as far as making that forum a members only forum, not readable without joining.

Thanx for you and everyone's hard work. I did sign up for Bsky but don't ask me how that SM stuff works lol. I quit FB in 2010!

[MagaSmash]

130. X is in the Trash.

[keepthemhonestO]

131. Here here

To a lame duck session immediately.

Personally would prefer people talking about the next "election " in a forum.

Also did I miss if we started a forum about all the Russian interference ( bomb threats)irregularities and voter suppression, maybe there should be a post election talk about securing our vote. We are the only "Democratic country" that doesn't hand count our ballots. All that kind of talk in a forum for like minded folk would be ideal.

Thanks for all you do.

[Cosmo Blues]

132. Seem like good ideas

Thanks for being a thinker. I haven't posted much politically because of the heightened sensitivity here. I did post on Blue Sky that people know they should leave X and tick tock, glad to see some are, in a sense. You've created a good place

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

133. This must have been...

an enormous headache for you to accomplish; but, you did it and did it well. I am sure that the vast majority of DUers appreciate it and all the other things you and Elad do for us. Thank you!

[Upthevibe]

134. EarlG..............

Thank you so much for all that you do!

[HereForTheParty]

135. Great job, and I'd like to see the new forum

Some are intolerant of criticism that is intended as constructive, or just self-reflective.

[Moosepoop]

136. All excellent moves forward!!

I agree that DU needs to have a presence on various social media. I think your request for volunteers to help in that area got lost among all the other information in your post. Maybe consider making that part of it a stand alone post of its own? It might get more attention and response that way?

And please DO continue with the Pic of the Moment!!! Both here and on social media. They are gems, they're a highlight of DU, and they're a draw to this site when seen by others.

Thank you, Earl G and Elad, for this website!!!

[Baron2024]

137. Following This Thread

Thanks to all of the people that make DU what it is- a safe haven for Democrats and Progressives.

[Bristlecone]

144. +1 on the Party Direction Forum

Thanks for this update. Appreciate it and all you do.

[RainCaster]

146. A forum about the future of the party- YES! 👍

Earl, that's a great idea. I agree wholeheartedly that we need this. As for the rules of engagement, I think we should be open to all ideas, as long as they are presented thoughtfully and nobody is being attacked.

[DSandra]

152. I support a new forum as well for discussions

[Jack Valentino]

162. I will be disappointed if Twitter embeds no longer appear, regardless of what happens

with adding Bluesky (which I do support).

Likewise with removing Twitter as a "share" option--- I don't see what sense that makes at all, if you really want to improve the visibility of this site on social media.

There are still plenty of liberals on Twitter, and I'm one of them. I appreciate being able to see and read the Twitter embeds without having to click-through to a link.

I really HATE when people post a "link" and nothing else. This change would convert every Twitter post to yet another "link" with nothing else.

Hell, rather than removing Twitter embeds, I would like to see it made impossible to post a stand-alone link without a summary of said links, with a minimum character requirement!


I support maintaining a liberal presence on Twitter, as opposed to those who incessantly complain about Twitter embeds on this site--
they are just louder and more repetitive than those of us who have been happy enough with things as they are!

[fishwax]

165. Thank you for all you do ... and yes, I think a dedicated forum for the future of the party is a great idea

[Jack Valentino]

166. GREAT IDEA about enlisting some DUers to administrate the site's social media accounts!

(I am not volunteering, others would be better and more consistent at it).

As an aside, EarlG, I have LOVED your "pictures of the day" when you have issued them, and often have re-posted them to my own social media accounts! I would urge you to continue them--- doesn't have to be daily, that's a lot of pressure, obviously--- but whenever you are inspired to make one on any particular topic! (My personal favorite was after the SOTU, something about Biden eating the speaker's lunch, I think). I hope you will continue to do them periodically, when inspiration strikes--- clearly there will probably be a lot of comedic material generated by the pending administration...



Back to the proposed social media account enlisted administrators-- I would suggest
one or more persons be appointed for each social account--

and that they maintain a separate public email address, a Gmail or whatever
(and that those addresses be published here periodically)
specifically designated ONLY for recommendations from DU members for specific postings to
the social media to which they are assigned. It would be an "idea file" for those social admins
from which they could choose to draw material for postings, edited or not
(with no obligation to re-post any such suggestions, only to review them--- but---
that would allow DU members to contribute ideas for the social postings from this site!)

If I was one of such volunteers (which I am not but I presume there would be many candidates), I would appreciate that input which would help to create several postings per day on whatever social media account--- as I presume you have experienced with your "picture of the day", it can be difficult to come up with ideas every single day, but I think such an arrangement would enable the admins of the social media accounts to make several postings per day to such accounts, without having to come up with them all by themselves--- and consistent and repetitive postings to social medias are key to the reach of any such accounts.


I vehemently advocate that Twitter be included in this, and administrated by someone who is willing to make that fight--- whatever some DUers may think about that arena, we should not surrender it to the far right--- and the DU account there should be re-activated by someone who wants to commit to that fight! (There seem to be plenty of DUers who are committed to remaining there, as the frequency of Twitter embeds will attest)

[B.See]

167. Thanks for all your efforts at

improving our DU experience.

Having a haven such as DU, of generally like minded individuals, wherein we can express our thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears has surely been a blessing, even a catharsis - in keeping many sane, in an age of insanity. And it has been an honour to have been a part of it.

Re social media, I know little or nothing about it and have never been on Twitter, Facebook, Tok and the like. Can't even watch most viddies because I get some 'prove you're not a bot' thingy. So wouldn't be able to help there.

Re more open give and take discussions of where the Party should go next, I'd be more in favour of a special space (forum) with its own set of rules that'd allow for those kinds of discussions. That way, members can decided for themselves whether to venture in.

[Hope22]

171. Thank you EarlG and team.

Your efforts are always appreciated. 💗

[burrowowl]

174. K&R!

[gademocrat7]

181. Thank you, EarlG and Elad!

[ramapo]

183. New forum, no Twitter

I am gradually crawling out of my self-imposed hole of isolation but can only tolerate the Energy/Environment forum as the rest just makes me sick.

By all means, remove Twitter integration and replace as possible with BlueSky. I was never one for Twitter but joined BlueSky right after the election. Lots of good stuff there.

Yes to a new forum for a new generation.

Thanks for everything

[sellitman]

184. I left X when he allowed the Nazis back

Haven't missed it at all.

The separate forum sounds like a great idea.

Cheers,

Kevin

[Bobstandard]

194. Zelenskyy's Syria statement today is a Tweet

Lots of important people in lots of important countries rely on Twitter to communicate with the world, with us. Zelensky made a powerful statement today about Syria and Putins role helping Assad make it a hellish prison state. He made it on Twitter. We need to keep hearing voices like his any way we can. Until the world is on Bluesky or something else, Twitter, no matter how odious it is, remains an important channel that sometimes delivers info we need fast. Making the information throughput slower isn’t a good idea. I say keep making it easy to embed but make it clear it’s a last resort sort of thing.

[ancianita]

195. Yes, I'm all for a Future of the Unified Democratic Party Forum, the sooner the better.

Before Jan 20, 2025, if possible.

Thank you and Elad for your long term commitment to strengthening democracy. If that works through Democrats who are Underground, fine -- even a billionaire donor might be sold enough by the forum's ideas to invest in the site. Because gaming systems against human freedoms and democracy has got to be stopped. Even Cards Against Humanity is in a fight against Elon.

[CousinIT]

196. Has the update happened? I'm not seeing the new stuff yet.

No rush but I am excited for the changes!

[FireUpChips10]

197. Thanks for all you do! A couple thoughts:

I've done social media for a number of organizations (both paid and unpaid).

I agree we need to have conversations on where we go as a Party, and a separate forum would be a good idea.

[boston bean]

198. I like the idea of a forum. We just lost an election to a convicted felon.

Some hard truths and ideas need to be openly discussed without fear or retribution.

[Sympthsical]

199. A separate forum would become an alert-drenched slapfest

Let's be honest. Criticism, which would be required in recognizing mistakes and steering the party forward with an eye on the current electorate and future elections, is barely welcome now in GD. The line between bashing and criticism are whatever four random people say it is at any given moment.

Concentrating any criticism into one forum in such a way would probably just give a sitting target for alerting and juries nonstop.

"These conversations may not be easy."

They're barely managed now. I don't see how having a forum for it would serve purpose. "We did nothing wrong. No notes!" is already the overwhelming sentiment that drowns out most of these conversations. How could such a forum be successfully navigated into anything productive?

This space is what it is. And thoughtful discussion about how the Democratic Party may need to change and adjust to meet reality is not a welcome topic generally that usually devolves into extreme volatility. Dedicating an entire forum towards that end sounds like providing a field for the tire fire.

[Abolishinist]

202. Well said. On the one hand, it would be 'interesting' for some of us

to have the ability to venture a bit beyond what is 'acceptable' for 4 out of 7, but that can't happen without a change in the rules, and that ain't gonna happen. And on the other hand, they had warts.

[carpetbagger]

204. We need a forum for critique.

I say that having been on MIRT and seeing removed posts that I agree with. I think the party and the center-left-to-social-democrat movement needs a fundamentally new approach. This site becomes harmful if it hamstrings the ability to prepare for and respond to the next Occupy Wall Street moment.

[devans00]

206. Geriatric Democratic Leadership Refuse to Step Aside

Quote:
“ our old leaders are aging out, and a new crop of younger Democrats will soon rise to the top.”
— EarlG, on behalf of Elad -- the DU Administrators

Sadly, with the win of 74 year old (fighting esophagus cancer) Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia to become top Democrat on the Oversight Committee over up and coming 34 year old star Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, it’s crystal clear the oldsters don’t plan to pass the torch until they turn to dust. No succession planning or easing new blood into leadership roles since they plan to live forever, apparently.

Of course, the hypocrisy of chasing Joe Biden out of the POTUS election campaign because he’s too old while keeping a death grip on power themselves, over a decade after most Americans are forced to retire, is breathtaking.

Democrats in Congress are bound and determined to kill any momentum and excitement built up by the beginning of the Kamala Harris - Tim Walz 2024 Presidential Election Campaign. The combination of Leadership and Consultants do just about anything anyone could think of to switch the passion and enthusiasm to off. When even more potential Democratic voters decide to sit out future elections: !

[guptap]

208. I was not as shocked

I was not as shocked

[ancianita]

209. If DU has a policy on using AI videos, would you please post it? Because I can't find any DU policy re any AI uses.

I find that using AI as an OP source, or as a video, doesn't serve the human-to-human framework of democratic activity.

I'm not sure there's a DU rule that applies to it, possibly because there's no policy re the use of AI here?

Example from today's Main Page, "Latest Videos"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220130024


Any constructive help is appreciated.

[quaint]

210. Oh my.

One of the most disgusting 1:38 I've ever viewed.

[ancianita]

211. And I can't think of any rule based on DU policy that it violates. But it somehow corrupts human activity here, imo.