When we unveiled the unrecommend function a few months back, the primary goal was to change the content of the Greatest Page. But many DUers suggested that it would be cool to be able to crunch the numbers to get different lists of discussion threads on DU. With that in mind, EarlG and Elad have put together a new function that highlights different types of threads.

We call it the "Top Tens Page":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...

Currently there are four Top Ten lists on the page:

New And Hot
Recommendations + unrecommendations + replies = points (4 hours)
This is a list of the ten threads, started in the last four hours, that seem to be getting the most attention (both positive and negative). We create this list by adding the total number of recommendations, unrecommendations, and replies that a thread has received.

On The Fence
A close percentage of recommendations and unrecommendations (24 hours)
This is a list of the ten threads started in the last 24 hours that have received a similar number of recommendations and unrecommendations. Often, these are contentious issues where the DU membership are somewhat split. Threads must have a minimum of 10 replies and six total recs and unrecs to make it onto the list.

Most Discussed
The discussion threads with the most replies (24 hours)
This is a list of the ten threads started in the last 24 hours that have the most replies.

Just Recs
Recommendations only -- unrecommendations are not counted (24 hours)
This is a list of the ten threads started in the last 24 hours that have received the most positive recommendations. This is a nod to those of you who miss the old Greatest Page, from the days when there was no unrecommend function.

We have added a link to the top of the DU Greatest Page which leads to the new Top Tens Page. You can always access the page from there.

We think this adds a fun new dimension to DU, and gives all of our visitors a new way to experience the site.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them in this thread.

Skinner, EarlG, and Elad
DU Administrators.

We have less than 75 donations to go to reach 1000. We can make it, but we need to pull out all the stops!

You've been thinking about donating... You've been putting it off all week... The time has come to donate to DU! The fund drive ends Sunday at midnight ET (9 PM PT)!

We know that times are tough right now -- if you cannot afford to donate, please do not. But if you have a little extra to spare, we hope you will take a moment to donate to DU. THERE IS NO MINIUMUM DONATION. Whether you can spare $50 or $5, you can help us reach our goal. You'll get a cool gold star next to your username, and you'll enjoy donor privileges for one full year.

A $20 donation is a little more than a nickel per day over the next year!

A $5 donation is a little more than a penny per day over the next year!

Can you spare a nickel per day? Can you spare a penny per day? If so, please donate to DU right now. Surely you will read *something* on DU today that is worth a penny. (Or even a nickel!) You probably already did.

You know how much this community means to you. You know how much time you spend here. There really isn't any other community like Democratic Underground, either online or off. This is your opportunity to give something back.



Even if you can't donate, you can help us by giving this thread a kick and a rec!

Thank you to everyone who donated this quarter, and thank you to all of our monthly subscribers!

David Allen
Democratic Underground

Tired of all those annoying ads on Democratic Underground? Did you know that you can make them go away? Just Donate to Democratic Underground and almost all of the ads will disappear. (Make sure you are logged in to your DU account when you donate.) You'll be able to surf your favorite progressive website ad-free for a full year!

Here are just a few of the perks you'll enjoy as a DU donor:

• Participate in our 100+ DU Groups.
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• Oh, and did I mention... Almost all of the ads will disappear!

So, what are you waiting for? Donate to DU today!

Thank you for your support.

Skinner
DU Admin

I'm not kidding. There are only 12 months in a year, and Free Republic spends eight of them asking for money. Their current fund drive started on July 1. It's still going on today -- six and a half weeks later -- and they are 20% below their goal. Can you imagine if DU fund drives lasted for two months out of every three month quarter?

Here on DU, we have never held a fund drive that lasted longer than a week.

Even the one time when we didn't reach our goal, we ended the fund drive after a week. Because people don't come to DU for the fund drives -- you come for the discussion. And the discussions are much more satisfying when you don't have to watch the admins begging for money all the time. I wish we didn't have to hold fund drives at all. But we do.

I know that times are tough right now. If you don't have any money to spare, please do not donate to Democratic Underground. For your sake, I hope that the economy starts to get better soon.

But if you have a few extra bucks, we would really appreciate it if you could donate to DU. It only takes a minute, and you'll feel good about supporting this amazing community of progressives. Plus, if you donate at least $10, you'll get to post a sticky note GrovelBot's Big Board.

And you can take comfort knowing that a week from now, this fund drive will be history.

Thank you to everyone who has donated. And thank you for being part of this community.

David Allen
"Skinner"
DU Administrator

As usual, we had a good response to our call for moderators, and it was extremely difficult to narrow the field down. We had to turn down a number of very qualified people. We hope that everyone who applied to serve as a moderator this turn will consider applying again next term.

A moderator switch is always a little chaotic, so I want to apologize in advance for any problems that may arise over the next few days. Thank you for your understanding.

Please take a moment to say hello to our new moderators, and to express your gratitude to our retiring moderators.

HERE ARE YOUR MODERATORS FOR THIS TERM:

awoke_in_2003
canetoad
CatWoman
cbayer
CrownPrinceBandar
Danger Mouse
dogday
gabby garcia
Goblinmonger
Grateful for Hope
greatauntoftriplets
Kerrytravelers
krispos42
Lithos
lostnfound
madaboutharry
maddezmom
Mimosa
muriel_volestrangler
mvd
ncrainbowgrrl
New Earth
petersond
pinto
proud patriot
Puglover
rasputin1952
Redbear
RFKHumphreyObama
RubyDuby in GA
Soylent Brice
The empressof all
TygrBright
undergroundrailroad
wakemeupwhenitsover
WePurrsevere
Wickerman
wryter2000

And I would like to express my gratitude to the retiring moderators, who did an amazing job during the previous term.

SAY THANK YOU TO THE RETIRING MODS:

Call Me Wesley

NEW MODERATORS: Please log into the private Moderator Forum and introduce yourselves. The moderator forum is in the "My Forums" section at the top of the Latest page. You may have to log out and log back in again to reset your account and access the forum. If you have difficulty finding the Moderator forum, please send a private message to Elad.

RETIRING MODERATORS: Please log out and login again to reset your account to regular member status.

Thank you, moderators! We wouldn't be able to run this place without your help!

Skinner
DU Admin

By now, I think most of you have probably heard that we upgraded the DU Recommend function to allow people to "Unrecommend" as well. For those of you who missed it, here is my thread from last week announcing the change.

The DU admins have been monitoring the new feature, and we are pleased to see that it is working more-or-less how we intended it to work. In fact, I think it is working better than I expected. Our motivation for giving you the ability to unrecommend was to improve the overall quality of the threads that make it to the DU Greatest Page, while giving a boost to topics that have broad appeal to our members, and it seems to be doing just that. We believe the unrecommend function has been a success, and it is a net positive for our community.

Obviously, there are many people who are not happy about this change, and have said so. After trying the new system for five days, we believe that the most dire predictions have not come to pass. However, we do believe some of your concerns are legitimate. We have been closely monitoring the system to see how it is being used and abused, and will continue to do so. So far, it is our impression that the vast majority of DUers are trying to use the system in a fair and responsible manner. A small number of people have used it in a manner we would consider irresponsible, and an even smaller number have been grossly abusive in their use of the system. We have the ability to bar members from using the system if they abuse it, and we have taken advantage of that ability in a few extreme cases. But we believe it is very difficult for the small number of abusive users to have much impact because there are so many people using it in a responsible manner. For the most part, the ratings seem fair. Obviously, there are exceptions -- but I don't think it makes sense to throw out the entire system because a few deserving threads did not make it to the greatest page, or because a few undeserving threads did. Overall, I think that happens a lot less under our new system compared to the system we had before.

We are going to continue to monitor the system to see how it is working, and how it is not. We are committed to making any changes that we deem necessary and appropriate so that the system is relatively fair and free from abuse. One change that we are considering -- which has been suggested by many of you -- is to get rid of the "<0" designation so threads will never display a rating lower than 0. We believe this change would take away one incentive for people to abuse the system, and it would not affect our goal of improving the content of the Greatest Page.

Also, now that we have the system in place, there are a lot of cool things we can do with it. Many of you have suggested that we could crunch the recs and unrecs in new ways in order to create lists of highly controversial threads, or popular threads, or threads with the most positive recommendations, or whatever. We think it would be cool to do this. If we can provide you with more different ways to experience DU, that's a good thing.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we improve DU. And thank you for all of your feedback.

Skinner, EarlG, and Elad
DU Administrators

We have finally upgraded the DU Recommend function to allow people to "Unrecommend" as well.

Why Are We Adding This Functionality?

If you have spent any time on DU, you have probably noticed that under our old system -- which only permitted positive recommendations -- there was a tendency for highly polarizing topics to climb to the top of the Greatest Page. We believe that giving members the option to unrecommend topics will help insure that the threads at the top of the Greatest Page are those threads that have the broadest appeal to our members.

We do not expect that this will be a huge change for DU. But we do hope that it will put a little more emphasis on the topics that unite us, instead of those that divide us. Of course, you are still free to post discussion threads on highly polarizing topics. You just won't get the positive reinforcement of seeing them at the top of the Greatest Page.

How It Works

If you look in the bottom left corner of any discussion thread, you should see something like this:

Recommend 0 votes Unrecommend

I think this is probably fairly self-explanatory. You click the "Recommend" link if you want to positively recommend a thread, and you click the "Unrecommend" link if you want to register your disapproval. The number tells you the thread's net score (calculated by subtracting unrecommendations from recommendations). A positive score indicates that the number of recommendations is greater than the number of unrecommenndations.

As part of this upgrade, you will now see your vote added instantaneously when you click either "Recommend" or "Unrecommend". You won't be taken to a new page after casting a vote, and you won't have to click the back button to return to the thread. (Note that you will need to have Javascript enabled in your Web browser in order to use the system.)

When a thread gets a net score of +5 it appears on the Greatest Page. The thread posted in the previous 24 hours that has the highest net score is listed at the top of the Greatest Page. (If a thread's net score falls below +5, it will disappear from the Greatest Page, but if its net score returns to +5 it will re-appear in the same spot it held previously.)

If a thread's net score falls below 0, it will appear as "<0". You can continue to recommend or unrecommend these threads, and your vote will be tallied. But if the net score remains below zero, it will continue to simply show as <0. We decided to do this because the purpose of permitting unrecommendations is to improve the content of the DU Greatest page -- it is not necessary to show extreme negative scores in order to achieve that goal.

Comments And Bug Reports

We understand that there are some potential downsides to this change, as there are to any change. We are going to closely monitor this new system, to make certain that it actually does what it is intended to do, and to ensure that it makes DU better for most of our members. We welcome your feedback about this new system, and while we understand that there are likely to be a number of threads about the new system over the next few days, we hope you will post any comments or bug reports in this thread.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement this change. And thank you for being a part of this community.

Skinner, EarlG, and Elad
DU Administrators

ON EDIT: We have decided to remove the total number of votes, and only show the net score. It was apparent that showing the total number of votes was confusing to readers. It made it appear that you could simply subtract the net score from the total votes to get the number of unrecommendations, which was NOT correct. I apologize for the confusion.

As you are probably aware, we have had intermittent problems this week where the site has not been accessible for minutes or hours at a time. It appears that we are experiencing some sort of hardware problem with our firewall, in which it unexpectedly resets. We have been able to bring the site back by contacting our ISP and having them do a hard reboot of the firewall. But the fact that it has happened repeatedly is obviously cause for concern.

Our ISP has looked into the problem, and they have recommended replacing the firewall. We will probably swap in a new one sometime this afternoon, during which time the site will not be available. I do not know how long it will take to make the switch. After the new firewall is installed, it may take a while for us to get it properly configured -- we get lots and lots of traffic, so we need to make sure everything is set up for maximum performance.

I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Skinner
DU Administrator

The winner of the Acer Netbook Computer is:

shraby

And the winner of the signed copy of "The Audacity of Hope" is"

AwakeAtLast

Please post in this thread to congratulate them!

In case you missed our previous announcements, here is a full list of winners from our contests:

Sun/Mon - A signed copy of "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama: vard28
Mon/Tue - An iPod Nano + $25 iTunes Gift Card: mimitabby
Tue/Wed - Signed copies of "Living History" and "It Takes A Village" by Hillary Rodham Clinton: Hissyspit
Wed/Thu - A $250 donation to a progressive non-profit: clear eye (she chose Health Justice)
Thu/Fri/Sat - An Acer Netbook Computer: shraby
Sat/Sun - A signed copy of "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama: AwakeAtLast

Prizes will be mailed out to the winners today and tomorrow.

A huge THANK YOU! to everyone who donated during our second quarter fund drive. We know that times are tough right now, and voluntarily donating to (of all things) a website is low on the list of priorities for everyone. But once again, DUers came through for us when we needed your help. You are the best!

Skinner, EarlG, and Elad
DU Administrators

This is the last contest of this week's fund drive. Last Monday, our first giveaway was a signed copy of "Dreams From My Father," by Barack Obama. Now, for our final contest, we're going to give you another shot...

Donate to Democratic Underground before 10pm ET (7pm PT) Sunday, May 17, and you will be automatically entered to win a SIGNED hardback copy of "The Audacity Of Hope," by Barack Obama!



If you entered our previous contest, you are not automatically entered in this contest. Monthly subscribers will be automatically entered in this contest (and every other contest this week).

This is the last prize giveaway of this fund drive. If you've been waiting all week to donate, this is your chance to do it before the fund drive ends.

No purchase or donation necessary. Contest void where prohibited by law. Click here for contest rules. The signed copy of "The Audacity Of Hope" was purchased on Amazon.com, by Democratic Underground, LLC. It includes a Document of Authenticity from Verified Autographs. This contest has not been approved or endorsed by Barack Obama, or by any affiliated organizations.



Please be sure to kick and recommend this thread so more DUers can see it.

Skinner
DU Administrator

clear eye!

At her instruction, Democratic Underground has made a $250 donation to:

Health Justice!

Health Justice is a single-payer health-care advocacy group which runs the Single Payer Action Site: http://www.1payer.net





They are running educational TV advertisements about single-payer nationwide during the month of May. You can watch the ads on their website. Here is one:



http://www.1payer.net/videos/medicare-for-...

Please post in this thread to congratulate clear eye! And help spread the word about Single-Payer!

Have you been putting off donating all week? DONATE NOW... This is the prize you've been waiting for.

Democratic Underground is giving away an Acer Aspire One netbook computer. Take it with you anywhere. If you've got Wi-Fi... You've got DU!



Acer Aspire One AOA150-1570 8.9" Netbook PC

• Super-light, ultra-portable. Weighs a little over 2 pounds.
• 8.9" Crystal-Brite Display
• Windows XP Home (Not Vista)
• 1GB Memory
• 120GB Hard Drive
• Webcam
• Wi-Fi
• 5-in-1 Media Card Reader
• 3 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 VGA Port
• Cool Sapphire Blue color

This is a TWO-DAY CONTEST. You can enter anytime from now until SATURDAY EVENING.

Donate to Democratic Underground before 10pm ET (7pm PT) SATURDAY, May 16, and you will be automatically entered to win this cool prize.

If you entered our previous contest, you are not automatically entered in this contest. Monthly subscribers will be automatically entered in this contest (and every other contest this week).

No purchase or donation necessary. Contest void where prohibited by law. Click here for contest rules. This contest has not been approved or endorsed by Acer Inc.



There will be one more prize after this one, so make sure you check back on Sunday.

Please be sure to kick and recommend this thread so more DUers can learn about this cool offer!

Skinner
DU Administrator

Hissyspit!



He wins a signed copy of "Living History" and a signed copy of "It Takes A Village" by Hillary Rodham Clinton!

Everyone, please congratulate Hissyspit in this thread! And remember to rec this thread so more people will see it.

We're having a new prize giveaway each day this week during our fund drive, so be sure to check back to DU every day. Donate to Democratic Underground before 10pm ET (7pm PT) SATURDAY, May 16, and you will be automatically entered to win a 2-pound, ultra-portable Acer Netbook Computer. Click here for more info.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, and thank you to all of our DU Donors!

Skinner
DU Administrator

Don't want an iPod or an autographed book? Here's your chance to do some good instead of getting some stuff!

Democratic Underground is going to donate $250 to a progressive non-profit. And one lucky DUer will decide who gets it.

Donate to Democratic Underground before 10pm ET (7pm PT) Thursday, May 14, and you will be automatically entered in the contest. The winner decides which progressive non-profit will get the donation.

We know this is not a typical "prize" to give away -- in fact, it's not really a prize at all. But given the current economic situation, with so many people facing tough times, we felt it was appropriate to try something like this. We know there is a risk, and there's a chance that this promotion might be a huge flop. But we thought it was worth trying to see how it goes.

The Democratic Underground Administrators reserve the right to determine whether a particular non-profit qualifies as "progressive" for the purposes of this contest. If the winner of the contest is unable or unwilling to designate a non-profit that is acceptable, then an alternate winner will be chosen. (In plain English: We're not going to give money to any organization that is anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-environment, or otherwise opposed to the broadly shared values of this progressive community.) The winner of the contest will be publicly announced after an acceptable non-profit has been chosen.

If you entered a previous contest this week, you are not automatically entered in this contest. Monthly subscribers will be automatically entered in this contest (and every other contest this week).

There will be a new prize giveaway each day this week during our fund drive, so be sure to check back to DU every day!

No purchase or donation necessary. Contest void where prohibited by law. Click here for contest rules.



Please be sure to kick and recommend this thread so more DUers can see it!

Skinner
DU Administrator

mimitabby!



She wins an iPod Nano and a $25 iTunes Gift Card! What color will she pick?

Please post to congratulate mimitabby in this thread! And remember to rec this thread so more people will see it.

We're having a new prize giveaway each day this week during our fund drive, so be sure to check back to DU every day. Donate to Democratic Underground before 10pm ET (7pm PT) Thursday, May 14, and you will be automatically entered in our current contest. Democratic Underground is going to donate $250 to a progressive non-profit. And one lucky DUer will decide who gets it. The winner decides which progressive non-profit will get the donation. Click here for more info.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, and thank you to all of our DU Donors!

Skinner
DU Administrator