Big changes coming for ATSNN...

Over the past few months, and especially the past week, I and a couple other high-level brains here at ATS have considered moving ATSNN to a new model that seems better suited to our unique and spirited community. First... let me extend a hearty and enthusiastic thank you to all members who submitted stories to ATSNN, and especially to our reporting and management staff. Without the contributions and hard work of everyone involved, we never would have gotten to the point where we now think... "okay, what's next?" Here's what's next, a pure collaborative community news portal... or if you will, an independent media news cooperative. Once the changes are complete, any member will have a say in which stories are published, and which are not. We believe this will be a unique new twist on a community news portal, and very possibly an example that others will copy. Here is how it will work (it may seem complex at first, but it's really straight forward). 1) Submit: Submit news stories to ATSNN as normal using the submission form. At the time of submission, the author of a story is displayed as anonymous. 2) Vote: Any member can vote once a story for "GO" or "NO GO". A "GO" vote equals +1 point, a "NO GO" equals -1 point. Members who vote will be awarded 5 ATS points each time they vote as a "thank you" for participating. 3) Publish or Move: If a story reaches +10 points, it's published as an ATSNN article, and the author is revealed. If it reaches -10 points, it's moved to the current events forum (and author revealed). 4) Credit: When an author's article is published to ATSNN, they received 250 ATS points, and 1 ATSNN point. Simple. A very easy to use and democratic system that helps everyone push interesting news to ATSNN more quickly, and with more of the community having the ability to determine what is published and what is not. Now, here are the other items of importance. ATSNN Points: If a member achieves 25 ATSNN points, their submissions automatically get published to ATSNN without any vote process. So if you have a track record of submitting stories that are voted for publication, you automatically earn your way to an ability to instantly contribute. Existing ATSNN Staff: All existing ATSNN staff are "grandfathered" in and begin with 25 ATSNN points. Double Votes: Once you achieve 25 ATSNN points, you are considered an expert, and your "GO" or "NO GO" vote counts as +2 or -2 points respectively. So our experienced contributors have a stronger say in what is published, and what should not be. Fast Track: ATS SuperMods and Admin will have the ability to immediately upgrade important submissions in the event a critical breaking story has been submitted and we'd rather not wait for votes. Authors will still get 250 ATS points and one point toward their ATSNN total. Submission Quality: This is still a very important aspect, however, we will be focusing slightly less on perfect grammar and syntax, as long as your submission structure is correct. The new ATSNN will be focused much more on first, fast, accurate, rather than attempt to compete on superior prose. (Keep in mind, that when we say we're focusing less on perfect grammar, this does not mean ATSNN submissions can include net-shorthand, vulgarities, smilies, and fractured sentences. Submissions must still be readable.) There will be no more ATSNN editors. Instead, moderators will be assigned as if the ATSNN forum were any other forum, and they will be responsible for moving duplications, correcting obvious grammar mistakes in otherwise solid submissions, and other typical moderator-like activity. Some of you may be wondering why this change? It's simple, this better reflects the unique makeup of our community. The ATS discussion board communities are unlike any other of our size or topic. There is no singular personality at the center of our community who attempts to steer discussion and dole out punishment. Our direction is determined by the collaborative contributions of every member. This new remix of ATSNN now better reflects ATS, and will truly be, the voice of ATS.

This is the best news I've heard all day. Good on you SO, and all the rest of the 'Big Brains.'

I look forward to taking part in the new system, and I'm sure my sentiments will be echoed by everyone else.

Keep up the excellent work!

I like this change. This will reflect what ATS as a community believes is newsworthy instead of relying on a couple people. Way to go!

I like it, much better then stories going to the trash bin

Always thinking. Always acting. Always evolving. Good on ya.

very good news...

maybe i should start sending in stories

Awesome, truly awesome. Revolutionary, I dare say. Although, I might personally think 25 a bit low, but that's easily debatable.

Sounds good to me.
I submitted a couple stories today. Will these be affected by the new system or will this come in effect at a later date?

I think this is an excellent system, SO, but I see one inherent flaw: the ability to abuse and open to abuse. An example would be when we had the ability to vote 1-10 on topic threads. The only difference between the two is that in the 1-10 vote system, the author was not 'anonymous'.

I hope and think that this will work, but no system is necessarily perfect. I just felt that this should be mentioned as a possible concern.



seekerof

This should be fun. Just think, you have no idea who you are voting for, you're just voting on quality of article. And then it's like a big surprise to see who wrote it.

As always - innovative thinking.

I think this is a great idea and looks like a great way to advance ATSNN...

But...

I'm wondering...Do you think there will be enough support (i.e. voting of members) to get the full gamut of stories out of the preemptive stages? I see you're offering points for voting though...perhaps that will be incentive enough for some....

id vote, points or not. id vote heavily.

EDIT: And i think others will, too. and, yes, we'll get some people trying to abuse it, votign -1 on everything, but i dont think that will weigh heavily upon the system.

[edit on 2/10/2005 by Amorymeltzer]

Awesome!!

This site and ATSNN have always been driven by the members.. So now it will go to the next level..

Just to offer a little help to anyone who wants it.. I have a link to share.. The following site is a great source for news from all over the world.. top breaking news and its all easy to find.. Use this and please join us in posting the news.

www.1stheadlines.com...

Check it out!!

Gazz

Good idea! You mods are super duper golly gee great!

Very innovative, I like the idea, and the voting hell I love democracy.

An excellent idea, and a very fair and democratic one at that. I really like the idea of the community deciding the news worthiness of articles. Excellent decision/plan by SO and upper management

Great idea...let the people speak and decide.
What will SO & Co. think of next

Yet More Coolness From The Source Thereof

This looks like a very nicely designed program, and I find it very exciting.

While its easy to become complacent in the face of continued excellence, I thought I should throw in my fanboi thumbs-up nonetheless.

So, um, thumbs up!

Good idea, although I think that ultimately the news service will benifit most from a dedicated editor staff/ policy. In other words, I wouldn't want to see this become another Rense type site.

This is an absolutely brilliant move!

This is the way it should be, members getting to choose what is "published" instead of just a few members...

Y'all are right... ATS is member driven, and I'm glad to see that ATSNN will be as well.

Once again, brilliant idea everyone!