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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 11:06 AM by UM_Gazz
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Originally posted by JAK
Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
I haven't submitted since the new policy, been busy, but... We get told who votes what on our submissions?! 
Just posting for clarification on this point. The authors are informed as to whom has voted and which way they did so? Is this true?
Jack
NO
Just to clear this up NO one knows who votes on what here.
In the case in question obsidian468 put up the submission I read it and liked what I had seen.. I voted yes on it and let obsidian468 know that I
did.. That is how it was known in this case.
No one ever knows who votes.. The system only counts votes!!.. either YES or NO.
Thats it!!
Gazz 
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 11:30 AM by Amorymeltzer
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GOOD. It didn't seem logistically possible, in hindsight, the amount of u2us that would have to be sent.
*goes to vote no* Muahahahaha 
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 11:41 AM by billybob
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do the mods know who votes? are the voters being moderated for 'bias'? if there are organised blocs of voters out to quash sensitive stories,
would the staff know? like the wise and venerable gools, i have my suspicions.
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 11:57 AM by UM_Gazz
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Again NO one not mods or anyone can know who votes on what or which way they vote.. All that is involved is a simple code.. It just counts votes..
That is it.. there is no ability to know anything other than someone votes either yes or no.. It is just a NUMBER!
Just a counter!!
That is it.. Please.. Vote on the submissions and see for yourselves.
Remember.. Jump in and post some submissions.. We ALL can read them and vote on them.
Trust me... If you post something good it will get voted to upgrade to ATSNN main page.
You've already seen one brave member in this very thread who posted news and got the upgrade.
Ask that member what it felt like!!
I am here to help if I can.
Fell free to ask ... if I can help you I will do it!!
Gazz
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 12:04 PM by Springer
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When this system was conceived the whole point was to make "clique" style upgrading or downgrading based on who wrote the story impossible, that's
why it is TRULY anonymous until it gets upgraded.
Nobody can tell who wrote the submission. I have actually enjoyed finding out who the author is and have been pleasently surprised a couple times when
it was a member I've never seen post news before. 
m...
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 12:08 PM by stumason
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It seems inconsistent though, depending on who is actually logged in at the time. You can very quickly get 10 no votes if the story you post, is for
example, a critique of the US administration for example, and I can see Edsinger et al voting against it, before any others, who may vote yes, even
have a chance to log on. It is very dependent on time of day when the story is posted.
I have posted (and have had several accepted) stories, some get voted for straight away, others, like the one I posted about a BBC Panorama
investigation into US planning for the war in Iraq from Feb 2001 got -9 votes in less than 20 mins.
Even though it was grammatically excellent, with no bias and a valid trusted news source, it was clearly voted against for political reasons.
It was finally upgraded after a flurry of yes votes, but had I posted the story when certain US members where offline, I feel it wouldn't have had to
scrape through.
I think, to even it out, there should be an even amount of votes for yes and no. As it stands, it is alot easier to force a story out than to get it
accpeted (and I can understand this from a quality, editorial point of view), but the No bias is still there.
Edit: Dodgy shift key
[edit on 26/3/05 by stumason]
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 12:20 PM by UM_Gazz
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I have to agree with stumason
Since we all are expressing opinions about ATSNN and the voting system.. I agree we should have the SAME number of votes for upgrade as downgrade.
I know quality matters.. But in a way voting should be level.. That being the same takes it one way or the other.
I still say a downgrade is not as bad as you may think... You really have nothing to lose.. Your work is still in ATS.
But the voting can inspire all of us to strive for better quality.
One more time.. ATSNN is a part of this community and belongs to all members.. The ability we all have to vote on submissions reflects that.
ALL of us are now ATSNN editors... Think about it!!
Now please... When you feel you are ready Jump in with your own submissions.
We are all here to make the best of our time online.. I am here to help if you need any. And there are others within the staff here who will be more
than happy to help.
I took a risk here stepping out like this without approval to do so.. I give you my word.. I did this for the community and that is it.
All of you.. all of us are in fact a part of this community.
Thank you all for sharing here.
Remember .. make the best of it always.
We can work together to make it better.
But it will take the community to get there.
Thank you all for your contributions to ATS and ATSNN.
Now lets have some fun here!!!
Gazz 
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 03:26 PM by UM_Gazz
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Someone watching the news.. just one of us little members... Not even a reporter... Hmmm
And in record time voted to an upgrade!!
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Good work!!
See.. You all can really do it!!!
Gazz
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 03:50 PM by Amorymeltzer
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I voted for that. Glad to be a part of it.
THAT'S why ATSNN rocks so hard.
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reply posted on 26-3-2005 @ 08:25 PM by UM_Gazz
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*bump*
Why?
Because I can.
Gazz
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 02:37 AM by GradyPhilpott
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If you want to get your stories approved, follow the instructions for posting to the letter. It's not that hard. Watch your grammar, diction, and
punctuation and proofread your work.
When you get a U2U asking for corrections, don't take it as an insult. Look closely at your work and do your best to make an appropriate correction.
Be aware that everyone is new to the system and sometimes someone will hit a wrong button, but there is no way to call it back.
The new system will require teamwork if it is to succeed and that means putting your personal feelings on the back burner in favor of a genuine effort
to submit timely, well-written, appropriate material.
It really is as simple as that. And you just have to live with the fact that sometimes a story is just not going to pass muster or someone will beat
you to the punch.
[edit on 05/3/27 by GradyPhilpott]
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 04:50 AM by Relentless
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Prior to the new voting system I was submitting news. Most got upgraded, but some only after a request for correction. I am still taking a wait and
see attitude on the new system in regards to posting, though I do try to keep a watch out for stories that should be upgraded and place a vote. The
problem I see with the new system is when a story is worthy but the submission is not, there is no way to get it corrected without stating it publicly
and I hesitate to do that.
For the record, I remember one time I was back and forth via U2U about a submission that required corrections due to a spelling error. I reviewed my
post and finally had to come out and ask "what word"? I was lucky enough that the Mod in question had time to answer. Dumbfounded, I actually had to
go to a dictionary to look it up, only to find that it was spelled correctly
Upon U2Uing the Mod back to ask, well, how do spell it, the story got upgraded. 
Edit: By the way, I have a question. I know there is a time limit on regular posting to edit your post. Now, I have just actually seen a request to a
submission to beef up the format. Does a submission remain editable until it either passes muster or fails?
[edit on 3/27/2005 by Relentless]
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 08:44 AM by UM_Gazz
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Some important information provided by top ATSNN staff, for all who will sibmit news.
Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
NEW ATSNN GUIDELINES AND CONTENT QUALITY REQUIREMENTS
Submitting quality stories to ATSNN helps us gain the attention of the rest of the Internet world through concise formatting of interesting content.
However, lately, especially with the fast-breaking news of this political season, we've seen a marked decrease in submission quality. Beginning
now, we will become more strict with the quality of stories we upgrade to ATSNN.
Grammatical Quality
The vast majority of our audience is english-speaking nations. Therefore, we must insist on generally accepted style, syntax, grammar, and spelling of
either American English or U.K. English. Submissions with poor writing quality will not be upgraded.
Introduction Paragraph
When you use the ATSNN submission form, the first paragraph must be a properly formatted full paragraph of your own words.
This is the content seen on the front-page of the ATSNN website. If the format is incorrect, you've only submitted one or two short sentences, or
you've copied material from the story, your submission will not be upgraded.
This first paragraph should portray just the facts of the story in an objective and unbiased way and not your opinion.
Reference URL
No news submissions from members will be accepted without a reference URL. (On occasion, ATSNN staff reporters and editors may submit important news
without a reference URL.) Op/Ed submissions are the only content that may be accepted from members without a reference URL.
Story Snippet
Generally, two to three paragraphs of the important points from the story should be pasted into this field in the submission form. Most often,
the important points for ATS consideration are not the first paragraphs. Demonstrate that you understand the material by picking the salient
points from deeper in the reference article.
Additional comments
When you use the ATSNN submission form, the next field is for your comments on the story where it is your chance to provide your spin and/or
opinion on the reference news article. From this point forward, submissions that contain less than three sentences in this area will not be
accepted for submission.
Special Characters
Please do not copy-and-paste your submissions from a word processing program without first removing special characters such as "curly quotes" and
em-dashes. These special characters cause problems with our XML RSS feeds and submissions with these types of characters will not be upgraded.
Because of the new, more strict guidelines, we've increased the points bonus for an accepted submission to 750 ATS Points.
If your submission is not acceptable, but the topic is important, you will receive a (FIX) U2U that provides you with an opportunity to repair
your submission. Our editors and reporters are busy, so in most cases, will not have a chance to help you make corrections. Please review the
information above, and compare that to your submission.
Finally, Duplicate Content Between ATSNN and ATS
Given the desire for higher standards on ATSNN, there will be occasions where an ATSNN thread covers the same or similar topic as an ATS thread. Even
if the topic is "covered first on ATS", we may still desire to have a more professionally authored post on ATSNN. This situation will be covered on
a case-by-case basis, but generally, well-written stories with excellent points will be approved for ATSNN, even if the topic already exists in an ATS
forum (with a link to the existing thread).
A must read link:
Requirements for an ATSNN Story
Now Get to work!!
Gazz
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 11:41 AM by Amorymeltzer
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Originally posted by UM_Gazz
*bump*
Why?
Because I can.
Gazz
Psh, well, so can I!
*BUMP*
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 11:49 AM by Bikereddie
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Been there, got the points and votes. Got the upgrade. No problems.
Go for it people. Do it wrong and ya gunna be put right. Easy. Nothing to loose.
Any problems with spelling, then down load this...
www.iespell.com...
Install it, then close the browser. Open the browser, then type away. Once you typed what you what wanted, right click and hit ''check
spelling''.
Or write in 'WORD' and copy and paste once you have spell checked it.
Easy
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 12:00 PM by WyrdeOne
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I for one would like to encourage members to vote based not on content, but on delivery.
I know it's hard to put aside personal feelings, but if the piece is well written, sourced, and accurate, it deserves your YES vote. Many people
seem to be voting based on political allegiance, and I don't think that was the intent of the system. Regardless of intent, actually, the right
thing to do is vote based on a resonably objective editorial perspective, not on personal preference.
Just because some people don't like the facts presented, doesn't make them any less factual (until proven otherwise of course). I know it's been
said, but I wanted to add my voice to the chorus.
Encourage more quality submissions by voting based on quality, not on politics. Thanks.
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 12:01 PM by Amorymeltzer
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Originally posted by Bikereddie
Or write in 'WORD' and copy and paste once you have spell checked it.
Or use a better made computer (e.g. apple)
I believe the current belief is to NOT copy from word and the like. There are invisible characters that can turn out ugly, as well as special
characters. Unless, of course, they changed/fixed this, but I don't think so.
Your best bet, as always, is to memorize the dictionary. Yeah...
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 12:17 PM by Bikereddie
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Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
Originally posted by Bikereddie
Or write in 'WORD' and copy and paste once you have spell checked it.
Or use a better made computer (e.g. apple)
I believe the current belief is to NOT copy from word and the like. There are invisible characters that can turn out ugly, as well as special
characters. Unless, of course, they changed/fixed this, but I don't think so.
Your best bet, as always, is to memorize the dictionary. Yeah...
Most submissions have spelling mistakes. Thats why i suggested copy and paste from 'word'. It can help to some extent.
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 12:49 PM by worldwatcher
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so what's the deal? no more ATSNN under members names?
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reply posted on 27-3-2005 @ 01:28 PM by Amorymeltzer
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Originally posted by worldwatcher
so what's the deal? no more ATSNN under members names?
Not at all. The submissions are anonymous, so that there is not chance of interference when voting. Once you get enough votes either way, however,
your name is revealed (often to a pleasent surprise).
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