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OP/ED: The New ATSNN

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posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 10:40 AM
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In the beginning, ATS was but a small kingdom near Area 51 and dependent upon it for fuel and food. After a time, the benign king of ATS looked beyond his boundaries. Soon, he conquered a lush, fertile new land. The kingdom grew. Like America, ATS opened its doors to the world. People flocked to the kingdom's shores. Every new immigrant saw promise of a new life, and a better future. Whatever their differences, and there were many, the people in ATS shared one thing in common. Each one had something to say, and wanted to be heard. Each one wanted to use their own voice.

 


As the kingdom grew, so did the need for rule. Unable or unwilling to create a democracy or even, a republic, the king made ATS a feudalistic hierarchy. There were fiefs and sheriffs, and manors and lords. There were storytellers and heralds, guilds and apprenticeships. Turfs were carved upon merit, and from political savvy.

In a short time, the Heralds' Guild grew to be the most powerful in the kingdom. Called ATSNN, the Heralds' Guild enjoyed power that reached far beyond the benign king's influence, beyond even the borders of the kingdom. More immigrants came, lured by the scent of power. Eventually but predictably, the kingdom began to reflect the outer world. Its people became divided and malcontent.

So it came to pass, in the winter of 2005, that the benign good king dissolved the Heralds' Guild.

Now, ATS is promised anarchy. No longer a guild, ATSNN is reconfigured. It is an "independent media network cooperative." But unlike most cooperatives, the network was not created through the conscious will of its members. Many do not even know they have been handed a torch.

There are questions. Do ATS members recognise the value of the fire? Will they realize it in time to win the race? Or will they lose the torch?

This is an exciting new stage. ATS has become a different kind of socio-political-anthropological experiment. I can hardly wait to see what happens.



Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Big changes coming for ATSNN...

[edit on 13-2-2005 by soficrow]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 12:38 PM
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Originally posted by soficrow
This is an exciting new stage. ATS has become a different kind of socio-political-anthropological experiment. I can hardly wait to see what happens.



At the risk of getting a warning for a short post.............

I second that.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:05 PM
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Very nice. This seems like it's going to be a very sound new system. It's going to have certain implications for the pool on how long FredT takes to hit 1 million, but he's a good reporter so I suppose he'll get there sooner or later.
Viva la revolucion. Somebody sing Anarchy in the UK!



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:05 PM
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At the risk of being a party pooper and once again being labeled "doom and gloom" I will reserve judgment on the new changes until I see the results.

I have the impression (especially lately) that there are far more politically "conservative" people around here than free thinkers.

Like in "democracy" tyranny of the majority could be a problem.

edit:spelling

[edit on 2/13/2005 by Gools]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:07 PM
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Anarchy

I think not! What percentage of members post regularly? What percentage of regular posters read ATSNN threads? How many others lurk? I think regular posters are like elected representatives, in a way. What the regulars post is what the "silent majority" go along with. At ant time, those who are silent can speak up.

I think this can be a positive addition to the ATS community. Why nay-say it before it gets a chance to work?

Edited to add:
I find this new method of rating submissions an exciting, new way to deny ignorance.

[edit on 13-2-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:07 PM
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Originally posted by Gools
At the risk of being a party pooper and and once again labeled "doom and gloom" I will reserve judgment on the new changes until I see the results.

I have the impression (especially lately) that there are far more politically "conservative" people around here than free thinkers.

Like in "democracy" tyrany of the majority could be a problem.

edit: brain fart

[edit on 2/13/2005 by Gools]


That's why there is still Veto power. Stories of merit can't simply be voted down for partisan reasons- the Mods can save them.

I think this will work out alright, afterall, this community is huge and it only takes 10 votes right? Tyrany of the majority isn't always a good thing, but if the minoriity is so small that they can't muster 10 votes there is a good chance the minority is wrong.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:12 PM
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Originally posted by Gools

Like in "democracy" tyranny of the majority could be a problem.




So what's the solution, Gools? End democracy? Work together? Educate the masses, rather than give up on them?




DontTreadOnMe

Anarchy

I think not!

I think this can be a positive addition to the ATS community. Why nay-say it before it gets a chance to work?




You misunderstand me. I think anarchy is a good thing, especially in this context.



.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:13 PM
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Sorry if I misunderstood you. I did wonder how you were thinking this was not a good thing.
So, thanks for the clarification.
Moving on.....



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:20 PM
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cool post;

For give me soficrow I am assuming you mean anarchy in the sense of

Utopian societies of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.

anarchy


[edit on 13/2/2005 by Sauron]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:21 PM
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Originally posted by soficrow
So what's the solution, Gools? End democracy? Work together? Educate the masses, rather than give up on them?


Educate the masses is the preferred solution of course. But is has to be education not indoctrination. And that education can't take place if certain information is supressed.

Of course we still have the rest of the boards to bring up any issue we want to, so I don't see a huge problem here. Only that all groups have "leaders" and their groupies and they could quickly jump on a story (it only takes 10) and try to kill it. The other "side" can do the same so maybe this will devide ATSNN into two competing groups trying to control what the other one gets to "publish".

That's why I'm not sure about how this will evolve.
.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:39 PM
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Originally posted by Sauron
cool post;

For give me soficrow I am assuming you mean anarchy in the sense of

Utopian societies of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.

anarchy





Rats. Blew my cover.
Yes. That's pretty much exactly what I mean. Qualified: I confess to having the 'benevolent dictator' gene - and for the record, would never presume to question the omnipotent godhead. On second thought, of course I would, but would do so while respecting the fact that it's his original creation. Wow.


.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 01:49 PM
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Originally posted by Gools

Educate the masses is the preferred solution of course.




Agreed. Requires starting from the beginning, every time. An ancient headache I suspect.




But is has to be education not indoctrination. ... And that education can't take place if certain information is supressed.




Aye. There's the rub. The other rub is that most people like their information sugarcoated. ...Do you think it's possible to make real learning an enjoyable, exciting experience? ...How would you go about doing that?





all groups have "leaders" and their groupies and they could quickly jump on a story (it only takes 10) and try to kill it. The other "side" can do the same so maybe this will devide ATSNN into two competing groups trying to control what the other one gets to "publish".




Uh huh. And in the real world there be monsters too. Corrupt corporations and dastardly drug cartels have armies, both. Disenfranchised youth congregate in violent parodies of cultural initiation. And every power struggle involves controlling the information flow.






That's why I'm not sure about how this will evolve.
.



IMO - safer to find out here than on the street.




.

[edit on 13-2-2005 by soficrow]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:04 PM
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Originally posted by Gools
I have the impression (especially lately) that there are far more politically "conservative" people around here than free thinkers.




Boy, that's a classic! I can't stop laughing long enough to compose myself. I'm wondering how it came to be that a free thinker can't come to the conclusion, after years of experience, that what is so often passed off as conservatism, is actually mere prudence, common sense and a humble respect for order.

I'm also wondering where all the "free-thinkers" went. They probably got tired of hanging out at the public library computer centers and went back to their old sleazy back-ally haunts.

Oh, yeah, and there's that screaming ninny who just took over the chair of the Democrat Party. Ha! There's a free thinker for you!

Just kidding.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:11 PM
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Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

I'm also wondering where all the "free-thinkers" went.



IMO - They got fed up and left. ...I also think they will come back. And I'm looking forward to what I expect will be some rather dynamic excitement.




.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:28 PM
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Originally posted by Gools
I have the impression (especially lately) that there are far more politically "conservative" people around here than free thinkers.

Like in "democracy" tyranny of the majority could be a problem.


This is exactly what is wrong with ATS anymore. If you don't subscribe to the liberal anti Jewish (What I refer to as "Demo-nazi") philosophy, there is no place for you here.

If you refuse to believe that the President is maniacal evil genius, using prions to wipe out the population, you are not a "free thinker".

Apparently, if the majority doesn't agree with Gools, it is a tyrannical conspiracy.

Frankly, I don't see how this change will affect ATSNN's "All liberal, All the Time" philosophy. As a fiscal conservative who cannot stomach religion, who is pro gay rights and pro choice, I want to thank all of the intolerant liberals here that remind me daily what is wrong with the Democratic Party today.

You go Howard. Yeah right.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 02:53 PM
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I think this new experiment should be an interesting one to participate in. While people have raised some valid concerns, here and in the other thread, we really won't know until we give it a chance.

I am hoping that the new system encourages more posters to submit stories more often. By slightly relaxing the formatting rules, this opens it up to many who may have felt intimidated, because English is not their first language, or because they don't have the beautiful writing skills of soficrow or myself


My first impression is that is a good thing because it will encourage people to participate in the process, and will result in more stories submitted. Perhaps some may even take a more active role in ATS than they have previously, because they feel they now have something to contribute. Plus, it has the added benefit of us not having to wait until FredT has a break from saving lives to find out what's happening in the world around us.


I believe in that cheesy old saying "A change is as good as a rest". As long as The Powers That Be are cognizant of the fact that this will require fine-tuning as the system evolves and have a little 'system' in place for addressing the various concerns that will arise from this experiment, then I am willing to keep an open mind.

And as always soficrow, your writing style is simply spectacular.


[edit on 13-2-2005 by Duzey]



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 03:00 PM
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I must have had a dozen or more stories die because of formatting problems before I finally got the hang of it. I even gave up on it for a time.

I just hope that everyone doesn't let good compositional skills go down the tubes. It is a truism that your writing speaks volumes about the kind of person you are.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 03:10 PM
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I have yet to try it, so I don't know of any problems with the system yet. I do hope they are fixing whatever caused you to give up, as you always post great articles.

I would also hope they don't become too lax, I only meant relaxed in the sense of spelling and formatting of grammar. I certainly won't be voting for any stories with chat abbreviations or three word sentences and I would hope that the majority wouldn’t either. My standards for English are significantly higher than most on here, but I have tried to be more forgiving about my nit-picking in the interest of hearing another’s viewpoint.

You are correct that how you write is how others view you on the internet. Everyone should always make an effort to express themselves in the clearest possible manner. Over the last few decades, the quality of Composition and English courses taught to children seems to have deteriorated quite dramatically.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 03:14 PM
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That's been sometime ago. I was an ATSNN Reporter before the change, but getting it all right was a challenge that I struggled to meet and felt some sense of pride in when I finally started having some success. I was really bowled over when I was asked to be a reporter, but that's another story.

Thanks for the compliment.



posted on Feb, 13 2005 @ 03:16 PM
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Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I must have had a dozen or more stories die because of formatting problems before I finally got the hang of it. I even gave up on it for a time.




Wrestled with a few glitches myself. ...Take hope everyone - it works! eventually...






I just hope that everyone doesn't let good compositional skills go down the tubes. It is a truism that your writing speaks volumes about the kind of person you are.




Are you sayin god pople writ good and bad peple write bad?


...Do you also think it's genetic?



.

[edit on 13-2-2005 by soficrow]




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