The Future Of ATSNN

The Future of ATSNN, The Future of Our Community.

We learn from doing, we are smarter now than at the start of the grand venture known as ATSNN. Today ATSNN is a bustling media collective populated by every conceivable demographic in a multitude of time zones.

Our system is simple; think, write, submit and be judged. Nothing more, nothing less.

We have moved forward a great deal from launch day and I propose these further changes to enable our wonderful community to grow and stay fresh.

ATSNN Core Principles:

Community
Speed
Accuracy
Equality

I propose these changes to turn ATSNN into a better environment for everyone whether they be readers or writers.

Your Voting
Stories [B]MUST be selected democratically but due to the age old voter apathy problem I feel that voting should be time limited. Given the need for timeliness in stories voting will limited to two hours, after that time the content will be put up for instant selection or trashing by ATSNN contributors who have reached a certain level.

Big Changes For The Site!
The Situation Room - Due to the frequency of the ALERT designations it would be wise to create a special area for stories of the highest importance. The Situation Room would be a window on the site that contained a short blurb, with sidebars for links to stories, bulletins or picture links in a crisis.

The Feed
An ATSNN section containing links to all the wires, papers and columnists. Everything you need to know in one place.

The ATSNN EXCLUSIVE Newsletter
A weekly email sent to those who sign up, contains previews of big stories coming up, off the record gossip and upcoming features. A real must-read for those who seek to be on top of situations.

OUTSOURCED CONTENT
As ATSNN grows columnists from other sites will be invited to provide brief columns for ATSNN in their respective areas. If you know of anyone then please let us know.

PROJECT STANDOFF
A series of current event debates that are sure to heighten the passions involved, asking the tough questions that need to be asked.

Goodies
As members post more they will be assigned coloured ranks to mark their standing in the community. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond.

There are many more goodies in the works that have yet to be cleared, such as avatars and signatures for ATSNN.

For The Conspiracy Lover In All Of Us
Team Tinfoil; A band of members tasked with hunting out the most thought provoking, odd and downright wacky news.


If you have any ideas for tweaks, changes, rewrites then stand up and be heard.

After all, this is all for you!

I'd like to add something...

Currently, the big news providers are terrified of efforts like ATSNN. We represent "citizen news", or perhaps even more closely, an open-source mindset toward the analysis of important events. We care little of who gets the credit, as long as the story is heard.

CBSnews is attempting to insert a degree of "reader collaboration" into their news efforts by allowing the posting of comments to their news stories on the website. How wonderfully short sighted. We're on the cusp of a new era where information dissemination begins with amateur citizen journalists. One look at the camera phone pictures emerging from the London tubes is all we need for proof of this.

With these proposed changes (many of which will take some time), ATSNN should evolve well to an open source news portal where the story is more important than who tells it.

Team Tinfoil, sounds awesome. How do you go about joining this? Do you have to have a certain amount of ATSNN contributions or any other requirements? Otherwise Awesome ideas

Can you think of anyone more perfect for "Team Tinfoil" than me? I think I;d like to get away from politics for awhile and i would be proud to research the bizarre...Thats me! Just ask anyone. I am the person,
Please?

Respectfully yours, DGtempe.

PS< Besides, i have a sinking feeling politics is bound to get me in trouble one of these days

I have brought many funny and bizarre stories to ATS and would be delighted to give it my all.

sounds good Nerdling


I especially like the time limit for voting.

THE SITUATION ROOM is one of the major changes that will come to ATSNN.com, It is currently being cleared by admin. It will be another facet of our board that makes the networks shiver! Vive la citizen journos!

Watch out for it!

Speed is probably the most important thing that needs to be improved, as I complained about a few weeks ago.

What do you mean with:
Given the need for timeliness in stories voting will limited to two hours, after that time the content will be put up for instant selection or trashing by ATSNN contributors who have reached a certain level.

Will high ranking ATS(NN) members get a u2u, or a pop-up whenever a story reaches that time?

Originally posted by Zion Mainframe
Will high ranking ATS(NN) members get a u2u, or a pop-up whenever a story reaches that time?

This still needs to be worked out. I think it should be a combination of high-ranking ATSNN contributors, ATSNN-assigned moderators, and site Super-Moderators/Admin. We have an easy-to-use one-page review form for new member applications that is working very well... it might be a good idea to replicate this format for the above group to easily review submissions that need immediate attention.

Ive noticed Sky News doing the same as CBS tho wether this is a new thing or not im not sure, tho with mainstream media of course, will we see everything that is sent in to those channels?

All looks good to me. Good job, Nerdling.

Personally I'd like to see the voting removed and a simple return to the old system of upgrading by moderator/editor discretion. Of course now with the increased volume of stories on ATSNN, the number of staff responsible for this would need to be expanded to include ATSNN Councilors and ATSNN Experts. The voting thing was fun for a while, but many unforeseen problems with it have become glaringly obvious in hindsight, the most important one being the upgrade speed issue. If people come to ATSNN for their news but they find that it is behind the 8-ball on just a few occasions, they will stop coming. I say skip the 2 hour window thing and just go for either immediate upgrade or transferral to ATS by suitably allocated staff/members.

I like the Team Tinfoil idea, but I just hope that it doesn't end up carrying that same title once it is implemented. The 'tinfoil' term has become synonymous with Planet X'ers and 'out there' conspiracy theories that are perceived by most to be not worthy of any serious consideration. I can foresee such nomenclature detracting from the seriousness of the stories, and also being used as a discriminatory label. Stories related to more probable conspiracies, such as government or military personnel speaking out about government complicity in 9-11 will be met with replies of, "I see Team Tinfoil has struck again.". If ATS is about researching alternatives to what is generally accepted as the truth, then why use such a prejudicial, satirical label, particularly within the more austere medium that is ATSNN? As time goes on and the flow of free information from journalistic sources without corporate allegiance increases, of which ATSNN is one, many 'tinfoil' theories are being realized as truths. Not so long ago, those who didn't believe the "magic bullet" explanation were the tinfoilers of their day. Language shapes thought and perception - change the name, change the perception. How about "Alternative News Team" or some such. Sorry, that doesn't sound very cool, but hey, I'm a geek.

.02

Great ideas nerd. I hope they are all implemented. Team Tinfoil sounds like fun. I like wacky news.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
Currently, the big news providers are terrified of efforts like ATSNN

Really?
In that case I think I will have to become more involved with ATSNN. I like striking fear in giant faceless corporations.

Just an idea which could help ATSNN.

What abotu having two forums, one where articles yet to be upgraded go and one where articles which get upgraded go? This could help the people whose articles just get forced down and yet are important news.

Originally posted by Odium
Just an idea which could help ATSNN.

What abotu having two forums, one where articles yet to be upgraded go and one where articles which get upgraded go? This could help the people whose articles just get forced down and yet are important news.

That would be nice and I've suggested(amoung other people) that this be added. I never recieved an "official" answer as to why not, but I did hear that it would be a huge technicle challenge or some such. Great Idea and I second it heh.

I'd like to see Nerdling as the "Editor in Chief" of ATSNN.

I'd like to see a top-down management style.

I'd like to see prolific posters like djohnsto77 and wyredone, plus others be given "reporter" status.

I'd like to see such "reporters" be given the ability to post articles without "member" satisfaction..."votes".

I'd like to see the XML feed get fixed within twelve hours of going down.

I'd like to see such "reporters" as djohnsto77 and wyredone have a forum called "the bullpen" to discuss reporting the news.

I'd like to see "reporters" and "Editors" to be able to approve good stories before members can be upset by their content.

I'd like to see "reporters" which were corresponding with people like Ron Paul and Rick Santorum not have the rug pulled out from under them like I did.

Make ATSNN a news organization instead of a disorganization and we can get more people like that. Keep it like it is and we're just a bunch of freaking fruitcakes.

Into this subjects and matter i m really hoping our community will survived until the time( internet breakages line ).and might be our new ATSNN homebase.
later after ww3 is in Australia and New Zealand.An to all our society seem like we have to change from just give an ideas and produced fact,maybe toward the future we will help everybody doesnt think and what standard of our different and religion.
Pssst;seem like one of our member did survived in the future and will try to develop a new STEALTH SATELLITE from what is left over by now private research and will do more harm to the peoples in the mid-east.
it just the vision i saw guys it has nothing to do with any historical or present fact!!!

hey nerd,

ever thought about an ATSNN news ticker for submissions?? so ppl can see the submissions and vote them up or something