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SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Tuesday January 14 2020, @08:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the editors-wanted dept.

The observant reader will notice that we have reduced the number of stories we post on weekdays from about 15 stories per day to about 13 stories per day. We would certainly like to continue with the higher rate, but we have been struggling to do so with current staff.

We try to post enough stories each day so that there is "something for everyone". Ultimately this site is for the community. It is also by the community; it does not run all by itself.

We Need Your Help

People's lives change. They move, get married, have health issues, change jobs, etc. All of these place additional demands on their spare time. SoylentNews is not immune to this; in fact we have experienced all of these. With less free time available, more work falls upon the other staff members — whose lives are already quite full.

What would help?

Volunteer! Have you ever thought about being an editor at SoylentNews?

You'll get to learn a super-sekret handshake, the passcode to enter our volcano-lair, and the admiration of your fellow Soylentils!

Right from the start, let me point out that we — SoylentNews — aim to be impartial. If you have an agenda that you would like to push or advocate (or denigrate) then skip to the next story.

On the other hand, not a great deal of time is needed. Even if you have only an hour or two per week that you could contribute, that would be greatly appreciated!

An earlier request for help summarized things nicely (slightly updated here):

Well we are all volunteers, so we contribute what we can, when we can, no one is expected to edit X stories/day (make your own hours). I would say a strong recommendation (maybe not requirement) is signing onto IRC once in a while (especially when editing) so one can communicate with the other editors. Editing a few stories a day, or even a few a week would be welcome. A typical submission takes me about 15-30 minutes to edit, usually on the longer side if I'm expanding or adding a balanced point of view without trying to put words into the mouth of the submitter. The rest is pretty much what you'd expect:

  • Opening up a story
  • Checking links
  • Checking basic grammar and spelling
  • Correcting wording
  • Expanding a weak submission (sometimes it's just a few links and a sentence or quote)
  • etc.

One also needs to:

How else could I help?

Nominate someone. Have you noticed someone who tends to compose well-written comments or journal entries? Think they might be a good fit? Please let us know!

How else could I help?

Submit a story! A well-written story that needs little editing takes a huge load off of the editorial staff. If just a few Soylentils submitted a story each day it would make a world of difference. Ideally, a story submission would be grammatically correct, have no spelling errors, be balanced and impartial, and be "publication ready". But even if your writing skills are not up to (or are even far from) that level, we are experienced at "cleaning things up", so do not let that keep you from making a story submission! If you see something tech-related that you think would be of interest to the community? Send it in!

How can you reach us?

Send an email to editors (at) soylentnews (dot) org. Or drop a message on our IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel. Just issue the command "/join #editorial" and leave a message expressing your interest, along with your SoylentNews nickname, and someone will get back to you.

What's in it for me?

That is a good question. Speaking for myself, it started with my getting onto IRC and occasionally pointing out an error I'd seen in a story. Sometimes it would take a while before I could get the attention of an editor who could make the correction. I got frustrated. Finally, I suggested that if I were made an editor, I could fix things myself without having to track people down. Over the 5 ½ years since then, I have made mistakes... and learned how to own them, in writing, in front of all of you. I've developed a thicker "skin". I've made great friendships with people all around the world. The technical expertise on staff here is amazing; they've taught me so much. And, I hope, I've been able to teach them a thing or two, too.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:38AM (20 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:38AM (#943034) Journal

    Submitting over 100 stories condemning the Alt-Right does not seem terribly impartial to me, particularly when the subject matter is not what this site is all about

    If you expect a low selection range of topics to be all about, you know very little about people. Yeap, those people S/N is supposedly is.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:42AM (19 children)

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:42AM (#943044) Journal

    There are plenty of other sites that cover all the topics that we are not interested in. The site was created to cover STEM and related items, and politics was only introduced initially to cover the 2016 US elections. Those elections are over - although some like to continue to argue the rights and wrongs of the process and outcome. And many seem to think that Politics refers solely to US Politics; to counter this we occasionally include stories that report on China, the Middle East, Europe, Australasia and elsewhere.

    We do not wish to be another Facebook, Reddit or anything similar and there are no plans to make this a general discussion site.

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:21AM (11 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:21AM (#943048) Journal

      The site was created to cover STEM and related items

      Incorrect.
      1. This site was created to Buck Feta.
      2. From the very beginning "Soylent News is people" and not "News for nerds, stuff that matters"

      And many seem to think that Politics refers solely to US Politics; to counter this we occasionally include stories that report on China, the Middle East, Europe, Australasia and elsewhere.

      You should do it more often, not just occasionally. Because it's "Soylent News that is people" and not "Some people make Soylent News" (put that into the the world doesn't start and stop at US, people are all over this planet"

      We do not wish to be another Facebook, Reddit or anything similar and there are no plans to make this a general discussion site.

      False dichotomy? Slippery slope? Maybe a whiff of strawman in there?
      Do you think that there only two choices, "Keep away from politics or become FB/reddit?"
      Or have I ever said S/N should be only about politics, so that you need to strenuously oppose any increase of stories with a social topic lest we the risk of slipping in all-stories-in-politics?

      Just asking, you know?

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:35AM (10 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:35AM (#943051)

        Incorrect correction.

        Feta was just the draw that stroke the caramel slacks.

        SN has always been about the STEM, if that has to come with a little (please keep it a little) politics, which can be popular, then so be it.

        Quality of the informative comments is all i come here and STEM are the most interesting, a little aguement can help clarify a viewpoint (usually at least two). If only the predictable mudslinging on environment or eagh US binolitics would draw less focus.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:53AM (9 children)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @11:53AM (#943055) Journal

          SN has always been about the STEM

          Yeah, well, that's, like, your opinion, man.
          Don't get me wrong, you are entitled to it and I respect it.
          Just be careful not to sell it as The Absolute Truth (in the aristarchian sense, the one that will set you free).

          if that has to come with a little (please keep it a little) politics

          I'm not actually interested in politics specifically, I'm more interested in anything pertaining to social.
          This may include STEM (when the STEM story has chances to have social ramifications), may include politics (but I'm not interested in just bashing His Orangeness Clown).
          To put some perspective: I'm bored to death of astronomy stories (absolutely no chance to have any social impact in my life) and stories about Trump's impeachment or the like.

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @12:09PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @12:09PM (#943060)

            I'm not actually interested in politics specifically, I'm more interested in anything pertaining to social.
            This may include STEM (when the STEM story has chances to have social ramifications), may include politics (but I'm not interested in just bashing His Orangeness Clown).
            To put some perspective: I'm bored to death of astronomy stories (absolutely no chance to have any social impact in my life) and stories about Trump's impeachment or the like.

            Sounds like you might do well as an editor. I heard something about SN wanting editors, so here's your chance to make SN more like you want it to be. Perhaps some more submissions too. You go, girlfriend!

            This is your G.B. Shaw Moment, C0lo:

            "Go on writing plays, my boy. One of these days one of these London producers will go into his office and say to his secretary, Is there a play from Shaw this morning? and when she says, No, he will say, Well, then we'll have to start on the rubbish. And that's your chance, my boy."

            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @12:42PM

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @12:42PM (#943066) Journal

              Sounds like you might do well as an editor.

              Theoretically, maybe.
              Practically, I'd have the compulsion to reject "opinion stories based on factual falsehoods". But, as I don't think S/N needs to devolve in another target for deluded conservatives with a victim complex accusing S/N of being part of establishment, I prefer to post comments exposing the lies - at least there are some discussions going on.
              That compulsion that I mentioned? Comes with a cost in the time I'd need to put in; a far higher time cost than just correcting the gran'ma.
              Besides, as a non-native English speaker, my editorializing will have good chances to correct the mistakes of the others and introduce new mistakes, ones that I'll need to call my own; and this will be terribly egotistical from my side, I love mistakes but I must let others enjoy theirs too.

              This is your G.B. Shaw Moment, C0lo:

              Correction needed: my nick is not capitalized. The way you wrote it ruins the mystical semantic behind it.
              In regards with GBShaw moment: nah, mate, at my age I find myself dreaming of "Can a buck converter be designed around a NE555 logic? How about a boost one?" or "Can there be blackholes inside blackholes? What if we actually fall into a hypermongous blackhole and the perception of the Universe expansion is just an artefact of our "local" spacetime falling faster and asymptotically towards the hyper-singularity?"
              I'm having those dreaming moments quite often lately, as a manifested syndrome of the procrastination caused by the looming project terms.

              But maybe aristarchus would be interested?

              (grin)

              --
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:19PM (6 children)

            by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:19PM (#943082) Journal

            Yeah, well, that's, like, your opinion, man.

            It is hardly just his opinion. The topics under which stories can be submitted are Answers, Business, Career and Education, Code, Digital Liberty, Hardware, Mobile, News, OS, Rehash, Science, Slash, Software and Techonomics. If you look at that list you will notice that there is a very definite bias towards STEM and technology. We try to spread stories to cover all those topics providing that we have submissions to do so. You will also notice that there is no Politics as a topic. The other topics were created very early on in the site's initial setting up period and have not been significantly changed since that time. (I think some of the science subdivisions e.g. archeology, health etc were merged under the single science topic, but my memory might be failing me on the exact name of topics that were merged.)

            There is also the possibility to submit stories under a specific nexus: Breaking News, Community Reviews, Main Page (default), Meta, and Politics. The last one was added immediately prior to the 2016 election to keep politics stories in their own nexus so that the community could filter them out if they wished so to do, as many at the time asked for this to prevent politics from interfering with the remainder of the site. Politics was never meant to be a topic. We had also hoped to have separate editors for the Political submissions as few of the then editors - or current - were particularly interested in doing that role.

            I'm not actually interested in politics specifically, I'm more interested in anything pertaining to social

            You could always request that we add a 'social' topic but, currently, no such topic exists.

            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:14PM (5 children)

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:14PM (#943095) Journal

              The topics under which stories can be submitted are Answers, Business, Career and Education, Code, Digital Liberty, Hardware, Mobile, News, OS, Rehash, Science, Slash, Software and Techonomics. If you look at that list you will notice that there is a very definite bias towards STEM and technology. We try to spread stories to cover all those topics providing that we have submissions to do so.

              Say, how about you make a stat on percentages of submissions by humans vs topics and post it here. Feeling of my guts, /dev/random should beat everything by a largish margin; if my guts are right, something is askew with the topics some editors prefer.

              In regards with the topics, some are absolutely deprecated. Look, who the hell thinks "Mobile" is a topic still worth individualizing? It's like trying to say "Computers" are in interesting topic.

              You will also notice that there is no Politics as a topic.

              But of course there isn't!
              Because
              1. some editors are keeping the door shut for it and resist even a simple yes/no poll consultation with Soylenters
              2. the fucking Politics is a node (or whatever the slashcode terminology), very much like "Breaking news", "Meta", "Reviews", "Community". Each of this nodes has the same list of topics.

              --
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
              • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:57PM (2 children)

                by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:57PM (#943112) Journal

                some editors are keeping the door shut for it.

                No we are not. We are simply following what the site was created for and is well documented. Go back in the logs and read it for yourself. We have created the politics nexus (or section if you prefer) and asked for people to edit it. How many volunteers did we get. None! People might 'want' something but nobody is prepared to do the work involved in supporting it. Having a politics topic needs additional staff or else the existing editorial coverage is reduced. We are struggling to maintain the current status quo with the existing staff who all have other commitments and real lives to live too.

                Each of this nodes has the same list of topics.

                Precisely the point we are making - and it has always been thus. If you want a politics 'topic', volunteer to help us please.

                resist even a simple yes/no poll consultation with Soylenters

                There is no such thing as a 'simple' poll - as we learned the hard way last time. There are all sorts of potential problems - duplicate accounts and sock puppets which several of our community have created and use to unfairly influence voting or even their own moderation, huge investment in manpower, writing the code (and with only one dev active at the moment we cannot even do site updates when we would wish to do them), making sure everyone who is entitled has a chance to vote etc. This story is all about getting more support to do the actual work.

                I encourage you to join the team - in any role that suits you - and you will see that many of your claims are simply entirely unfounded.

                • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:10PM

                  by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:10PM (#943268) Journal

                  There is no such thing as a 'simple' poll - as we learned the hard way last time.

                  Ah, the infamous "Soylent McSoylentface" naming poll! What a fiasco! "Many Shubs and Zulls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you!"

                • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:47PM

                  by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:47PM (#943332) Journal

                  I encourage you to join the team

                  In all seriousness, I'm not in a situation I can make a commitment i can reliable keep, not even one that would allow predictibily for the times I'm unavailable and the length of the unavailability.
                  That's the only reason I don't volunteer now.

                  --
                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:23AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:23AM (#943363)

                I've actually wanted to compile those stats for awhile, but the state of the API endpoint won't let me. The topic/nexus search for stories is broken, and IIRC there is no way to check submissions beyond the subs queue. Although I can't double check that last one, as I keep getting the error:

                Fatal error: Class MediaWiki\Session\PHPSessionHandler contains 1 abstract method and must therefore be declared abstract or implement the remaining methods (SessionHandlerInterface::read) in /var/www/vhosts/wiki/w-new/includes/session/PHPSessionHandler.php on line 34

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @01:38AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @01:38AM (#943390)

                  TMB has gone full retard.

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:52PM (1 child)

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:52PM (#943194) Journal

      Speaking of topics, I was touched that SN heeded a notion of mine and tried out a monthly SF book recommendation.

      But I just don't read SF like I once did, and that seems a bit sad. Or maybe not, if reading habits could be seen as a life progression. Maybe reading fiction is sort of like listening to music, something you do more when you are young? Now I'm middle aged, and jaded.

      I read The Lord of the Rings when I was 12, and that was my first encounter with the idea of an Ultimate Bad Guy. Before that, evil seemed just kinda random, opportunistic and isolated, as in good deeds are often done in broad daylight in front of an audience, while evil deeds are done in secrecy and darkness. Now, UBGs are difficult to do without being trite and stale. The goal of Ultima 1, 2, and 3 and such like adventure games was to kill the UBG. The medieval romanticism is another fixture of fantasy that's gotten very old. SF mostly doesn't suffer from those tropes. Instead, we have time travel and faster than light travel being massively overused.

      Maybe what I should be doing is trying to write books. See if I can address the issues I'm complaining about.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:32PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:32PM (#943555)

        I thought I didn't like reading much anymore, I just didn't enjoy it and it seemed like work. Turns out the work was focusing on the small print.

        Get your eyes checked, and maybe get an e-ink e-book with adjustable fonts. (recommend a Kobo* or Nook, also install Calibre and all its DRM-breaking plugins goodness. (don't support Amazon and its shitty DRM and tracking)).

        ---------
        *I have the Kobo Aura One, and it is fantastic. (They have a later model that looks good too. Slightly bigger 8" screen, and can do landscape mode.) Don't get a little one, all the page turning will drive you nuts. It's a book not a postage stamp.

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by RandomFactor on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:45PM

      by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:45PM (#943329) Journal

      Those elections are over

      I think that looking back that 2016-2020 may be seen as the first time a presidential election campaign didn't end, but rather transitioned directly into the next one :-p

      --
      В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
    • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday January 15 2020, @08:05AM (3 children)

      by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday January 15 2020, @08:05AM (#943501) Journal

      No, janrinok, sometimes it is takyon's fault!

      We're sorry, your submission "The Alt-Right's White Nationalist Poster Boy is very upset about US interference in Iran" [soylentnews.org] was declined for the following reason:
      Nobody cares -takyon

      The editors felt it inappropriate for them to correct the issue themselves. Please feel free to correct the issue yourself and resubmit.

      Or, contrary to your loss of long term memory, sometimes it is TMB's fault, what with him worrying about broad brushes and Flathead catfish. So now I am encouraged to correct my submission on how Richard Spencer, White Person, regrets voting for Trump, so that it will meet the high standards of our very professional and accomplished volunteer right-wing editores. What was it, minute particle editor? The exposing of your antipathy towards SLS? Or the Medical wishful thinking?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:56PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @12:56PM (#943562)

        I'd have rejected that too.

        aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:
        Over at Boing-boing [boingboing.net], they are covering news of the alt-right, such as it is.

        That seems to be an editorial. Editorials are opinion pieces not news.

        Neo-Nazi Media Darling and accused domestic abuser Richard Spencer had a meltdown on Twitter after Iranian authorities launched a missile attack against a US base in Iraq.

        Why should a soylentil care about Richard Spencer? Are you promoting him for some reason?

        Seems he now regrets voting for Trump. There was a tweet.
        Spencer went on to post and retweet some other criticisms of the "American Empire" and pinned a tweet saying, "To the people of Iran, There are millions of Americans who do not want war, who do not hate you, and who respect your nation and its history. After our traitorous elite is brought to justice, we hope to achieve peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness."

        Quotes of quotes. Go to the source if it is interesting, which in this case it seems not to be.

        Where's Frank Miller when you need him?

        Who the hell is Frank Miller ?

        Nobody cares -takyon

        That is maybe a little harsh, you and possibly a few others do. What he should have said is "Almost nobody cares".

        • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by aristarchus on Wednesday January 15 2020, @07:21PM (1 child)

          by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday January 15 2020, @07:21PM (#943719) Journal

          I would have rejected it as well. But, fixed it and resubmitted! Result?

          We're sorry, your submission "Trump's Iran brinksmanship has lost him alt-right leader Richard Spencer" [soylentnews.org] was declined for the following reason:
          Can't see a STEM or technology link. No thanks--JR

          The editors felt it inappropriate for them to correct the issue themselves. Please feel free to correct the issue yourself and resubmit.

          janrinok is of a single mind, a very limited view, tunnel stem, you might call it. At least he is polite.

          Frank Miller? Seriously? This is why we cannot have witty and entertaining discussions on SoylentNews, that and all the damn alt-right.

          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @07:46PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 15 2020, @07:46PM (#943742)

            from the Anti-takyon particle feed dept.

            Richard Spencer is probably best known for organizing the torch-wielding "Unite the Right" white nationalist march in Charlottesville and for leading a Nazi-like salute of President-elect Trump at an "alt-right" conference in Washington. But the white nationalist faction that supports Trump has never been a fan of Trump's hawkishness in the Middle East, and after Iran retaliated Tuesday for Trump's killing of one of its most powerful generals, Spencer said he was officially off the Trump bandwagon.

            Not going to bother putin in the links, since, as ed takyon says, "no one is interested." Mediocre.

            ha, ha, cute puns.
            But takyon is right. Richard Spencer is a non-entity, and no-one cares. Not bothering to putin the links just nailed the lid on.

            Who the hell is Frank Miller ?

            Frank Miller? Seriously?

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller [wikipedia.org]
            Could be just about anyone apparently.

            I would guess this is another reason your submissions get rejected. We're not fucking mind readers, most of us don't even share the same zeitgeist. You put a lot of obscure shit in that makes you feel superior and everyone else goes "blah blah, he's waffling again, if he can't communicate, ignore him".