SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
[2020-12-25 22:18:22 UTC -- Corrected typo (with thanks to maxwell demon) --martyb]
[2020-12-25 21:32:03 UTC -- Updated with staff info and reformatted the story. --martyb]
First, on behalf of the staff at SoylentNews, please accept our best wishes for a happy (and safe and healthy) holiday!
Next, here are a few quick items of note that bear calling to your attention.
Please join me in welcoming requerdanos to the editorial staff at SoylentNews! He has already jumped in with both feet and had stories appear on the main page. Welcome aboard requerdanos!
Of note, as well, takyon has not only posted 1364 stories to the site, and he has submitted just shy of 6,100 stories (as I write this it stands at 6,097 submissions... there's more(!) how about posting over 20,000 comments! Thank you SO much!
I always feel reluctant to mention anyone specifically as running this site is a team effort. I sense there are some staff who prefer to work in the background and shun the limelight. We appreciate their efforts nonetheless! Recall the early days when site crashes were a request frequent occurrence. We've come a long way from then and I count it a privilege to have worked with such knowledgeable folk who have been so generous with their time and energy!
Lastly a huge thank-you to those who responded so generously to our end-of-the-year fundraiser! As of this writing, we have had 21 subscriptions totaling $567.40 since our request went out a couple weeks ago.
In this second half of the year (July 1 through December 31) we have raised $1908.15 from 85 subscriptions towards our $3,500.00 goal. THANK-YOU!
We realize it's been a tough year for everyone; take care of your friends, family, and community first. But, if you do have the means, we'd really appreciate your subscribing and helping us to keep things going for you and our community! Please see this comment to our previous story for step-by-step instructions on how to subscribe.
Why subscribe? Why not? Besides, you'll get all the benefits listed on the "SoylentNews - Why Subscribe?".
NB: If you'd prefer, you can subscribe anonymously. There's an option to make a gift subscription, as well. For any questions or difficulty, please reach out on IRC, send an email to admin@soylentnews.org, or just post a comment to this story.
Thank you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 26 2020, @05:11AM (4 children)
That is 100% false. I have subscribed twice, both times paying $20 and gifting the subscriptions to other users. Since I've put my name on an email to the admins to report more lameness filter issues, they are also more than capable of verifying that I have, indeed, subscribed twice. Just because I'm an AC and choose to gift my subscriptions to other users does not mean that I haven't subscribed. I gifted one subscription to Knowledge Troll, the other to martyb.
The lameness filter that generates the "douchebaggery quotient" message did not come with the original code. Yes, there has been a lameness filter in Slash for at least a couple of decades. In fact, it's a variety of filters that detect certain types of abusive comments. In this case, new filters have been added to block some of APK's spam. The problem is that the filters aren't effective and cause more harm than good. In fact, APK has posted antisemitic spam as recently this month and can modify his comments to evade the filters. Meanwhile, there are false positives that block innocuous comments. Both Slashdot and SN have modified the filters since the code was forked. Slashdot apparently now blocks the word "Nazi" and that has the effect of stifling legitimate non-abusive discussion about Nazis.
The other filter I referenced was also discussed by Bot in his journal [soylentnews.org] and TMB explicitly acknowledged [soylentnews.org] that someone else was modifying the lameness filters.
The solution to the spam cannot be worse than the problem. I see Slashdot's extremely onerous lameness filter as the end result if more filters keep getting added to block undesired text. I do believe that SN is still better than Slashdot, which is why I still read and post here, but rarely read Slashdot now.
As I said, I think SN has headed in the wrong direction during the past six months, which is why I'm not subscribing this time. If things improve, I am open to reconsidering and purchasing another subscription in a future six month period. It's not personal, this is just my way of expressing my opinions to the editors. They're free to accept or reject any part of what I've said. They own the site and it's their right.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday December 26 2020, @11:59AM (3 children)
But I still read:
That makes it way other than 100% false.
Given that I haven't run across the SN lameness filter in ages (aside from occasionally forgetting to put in a subject), I'm not seeing the alleged problem here. There is lameness to be filtered after all and it works for me.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 27 2020, @01:33AM (2 children)
I purchased a gift subscription in August, basically four and a half months ago. I paid $20, which is the price for a one year subscription. That's the second one year subscription I purchased in 2020. The subscription I purchased in August is part of the running total on SN's front page toward this six month goal. Saying that's not current enough is absurd. It actually is 100% false to say I am not a subscriber.
In terms of the text that triggered the lameness filter, it seems I'll have to split it across two posts to get it to post. I attempted to post this election night. Here goes (1/2):
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 27 2020, @01:36AM (1 child)
And here's the rest (2/2):
Again, there's no valid reason that this text should trip the lameness filter. I've twice emailed SN about this, once last month, then again yesterday. It is still a problem. It is a false positive.
I strongly dispute TMB's claim that one must be as much of a douche as APK to trigger the filter. Apparently trying to have a civil discussion about the election also does so.
Yes, the text is out of date. I attempted to post it election night. However, if you merge the two parts of the comment together and attempt to post it, you can expect it will trip a lameness filter for some reason.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Sunday December 27 2020, @10:52PM
:-) You said "Trump" too many times. Seeing his name so often can trigger epilepsy and nausea.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..