SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
As someone who pays an inordinate amount of time pondering things, I noticed some recent milestones for SoylentNews and thought these might be of interest to the rest of the community. In round numbers we have:
- 20 Months since SoylentNews went live (on February 14th, 2014.)
- 20 Current staffers who keep things running.
-
200150 Subscribers.[*] - 5,900 Registered users.
- 8,400 Stories posted.
- 10,000 Stories submitted.
- 250,000 Comments posted (almost -- who will get it?)
- 166,770,000 page hits on the site (yes, 1/6 of a Billion!)
What started as a protest activity (The Slashcott) burgeoned into action in the form of taking a several-years-old, non-maintained code base and, through the alchemy of dedication and sleep deprivation, came to be known as SoylentNews. There were numerous site crashes and outages, but things gradually stabilized. We were incorporated (completed on July 4th, aptly enough). Other niceties started to make their way onto the site: moderation changes, User Interface (UI) enhancements, Unicode support, apache and mod-perl upgrades, and countless other behind-the-scenes tweaks and tunings to get things to where they are now.
Besides the main site, I would be remiss if I did not mention that we also have our own Wiki and an active Internet Relay Chat (IRC) community.
Most importantly, it is our community that drives us! Thank you for all the story submissions, for all the comments on those stories, and for your feedback on site improvement ideas.
[*] The original value of 200 for the number of subscribers was an estimate; the correct number was 150. Updated this story for posterity.
To those who have started or extended their subscription please accept our genuine and sincere thanks — we could NOT do it without you! -Ed.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday October 14 2015, @04:02PM
I have founded grassroots organizations that have grown to significant size. I have been a proponent of OSS from the beginning. I carry the FOSS philosophy wherever I go. Yet I am not the most ardent in any of those communities. The ones who shape our world are the very ones you feel uncomfortable standing next to at a cocktail party.
So here's a tip of the hat to the 1, the 2, the 3 people in any group who subsume their lives to make life possible for the rest of us. Soylent Editors, you give so much for so much scorn, yet you continue anyway. Bless you, and the work that you do. So many thousands live because you give.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by rcamera on Wednesday October 14 2015, @04:39PM
i strongly suspect that most people here would be uncomfortable at a cocktail party regardless of who they're standing next to. in fact, we'd probably be more comfortable standing next to the other geeks than next to the more socially apt types.
/* no comment */
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Gaaark on Wednesday October 14 2015, @04:57PM
+1 agree: when i was growing up, i was considered 'shy'. As i grew older, my mother said i was 'anti-social'.
Now i know i am only awkward in social situations where i am not confident in my words: if i know you have a weird sense of humour, we'll get along. If i know you are a computer geek, we'll get along (even if you use windows). If you are uncomfortable in social situations, we'll probably get along.
Not shy, not anti-social, just socially awkward/different.
Thanks, Soylentils, for giving me a forum for being myself: i post here WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more than ANYWHERE ELSE, cause i know that despite the occasional troll, people here know what i am talking about/feel the same way. (And the posts/comments/stories are excellent, mostly).
Signed, future subscriber.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by mmcmonster on Thursday October 15 2015, @12:06AM
Heh.
Socially awkward fits me to a bill as well. I won't make small talk most of the time and find it utterly boring. That being said, I am easily interested in listening to my friends talk about almost anything when we're in a group. (And they know well enough to just let me smile and stand along with them without having to say much.)
I had a couple friends mention to me that they thought I was aloof and uncaring before they met me, and now realize that I care a great deal for my friends and being quiet when I don't have something to add to the conversation is just the way I am.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday October 15 2015, @12:56AM
Ha, yeah... "Some weather we've been having.... how about them Jays, huh?.... other things people say for conversation starters"
My wife says it's a necessary social convention, but i say "Let me the f*ck outta here!"
If i have to say something useless like that in order to be social, then i'd rather be non-social.
Now, have someone talk linux/computers/relativity/girls/geek-shit, and i'll join in and be social; pull out a Settlers of Catan board and i'll game you (euchre or f*ck your neighbour, sure!). Talk intelligent and i'm there... talk dumb and i'll walk.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday October 14 2015, @09:49PM
What is this cocktail party thing you speak of?
Do they serve beer there?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by mrcoolbp on Friday October 16 2015, @05:03PM
Yes.
(Score:1^½, Radical)
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday October 14 2015, @04:43PM
What scorn? It's not like we have, say, a Jon Katz hatefest going on around here.
Now, granted, as far as I can tell, being part of the Soylent leadership plus $3 is worth 1 cup of coffee, but overall the quality has been a lot better.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by NCommander on Wednesday October 14 2015, @04:49PM
I wasn't around for katz, but I do remember most of the kdawson era.
I think a lot of it is we accept that we have a natural slant, and editors simply put their two cents either at the end of a post, or in a comment, plus we include links to the original submission in the queue.
Still always moving
(Score: 2) by CoolHand on Wednesday October 14 2015, @05:54PM
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job-Douglas Adams
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Wednesday October 14 2015, @06:06PM
While I thank you for your comments, the only difference between the editors and other staff is that we have a more 'public' role to play - well, that and they don't let us have the power to break things. I wouldn't like to single out anyone as having a more or less important role than anyone else. And if I was forced to, I would have to say that my own thanks go to all those who submit stories and make the comments.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by cmn32480 on Wednesday October 14 2015, @07:09PM
martyb/Bytram has the power to break things. And frequently does! Ask the devs. They'll back me up.
But speaking for myself (as I roll out of town again, but hey, I'm typing this from an airplane), this requires a tremendous amount of teamwork to keep running. All the players, be they the more public facing editors, or the folks who are totally in the background (like the sysadmins) are vital to the continuation of our success and growth as a community.
We welcome your barbs and complaints. It means you are still reading and still care, and that is the most important part of being invested in this wonderful bastion of ad-free, text only, internet-like-it-used-to-be goodness.
"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
(Score: 2) by martyb on Thursday October 15 2015, @12:48PM
Thanks for the kind words! I must confess that I have had some considerable practice in software test/QA, so that helps. I'd also like to note that you are gaining in skills, as well, my Padawan. =)
Teamwork is the key; most definitely! I am continually impressed by the skills of the staff members and their willingness to help out in any way they can. The wealth of knowledge that backs this site is absolutely amazing!
Seconded. It's the community that makes this site what it is. Yes, we do welcome the barbs and complaints. Yet, there's a saying along the lines that "one 'oh shit' cancels ten attaboys", so the occasional affirmation goes a long ways, too. The positive feedback posted to this story has done a great deal to replenish my enthusiasm!
For those who may be new here, this site is entirely supported by volunteers. Like you, we have outside responsibilities and it may be at the end of a very long day that we sign on and then "do our thing" for the site. There's not a great deal of redundancy in some areas, but somehow we keep the site up and running! If you are interested in helping out, there's a place for you here. The easiest way to get hold of someone to volunteer is to head on over to IRC (Internet Relay Chat -- a web interface is available [soylentnews.org]) or send an e-mail to admin@soylentnew.org [mailto] and someone will get back to you.
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Saturday October 17 2015, @11:11PM
I tried to think up some complaints, but nothing specific comes to mind. :)
I will say I think the subscriber thing got priced out of the market. Some anonymous kind person gift me one, but it would have been out of my budget. :(
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.