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posted by requerdanos on Friday January 01 2021, @08:51PM   Printer-friendly

[2021-01-01 20:46:45 UTC; updated with estimated totals for the second half of the year 2020 and for the entire year.]

Happy New Year!

The end of the year 2020 is fast upon us. There are many, I'm sure, who will be glad to see it go. And for good reason, too.

I am inviting the editorial team to take a long holiday weekend; we will have reduced story coverage Friday through Sunday.

There's no need to go into a recap of the world's events over this past year — plenty of other sites will do that and I see no need to waste people's time.

Here's a milestone that happened a couple weeks ago that escaped my notice at the time: SoylentNews has been here, for the community, for over 2,500 days! It's amazing what can happen when people pull together in a common effort!

Finances:
We are about to wrap up our fiscal year. (NB: all amounts are estimates.) Our first-half fundraising went very well (thank you!) It looks like we need only about $110.00 to make our year-end goal!

[UPDATE] (2021-01-01 20:46:45 UTC)

We did it! First, the "bad news": we missed our goal for the second half of the year. We had net subscription income of $2,351.56 (which was 67.2% of our $3,500.00 goal.

But... we did make our entire year goal: we had net subscription income of $7,106.08 (which was 101.5% of our $7,000.00 goal).

NB: All amounts are estimates; we will post a followup with final figures after they become available. That will probably not be until we file our taxes for the year 2020.

THANK-YOU EVERYBODY! We'll leave the year-end numbers up on the "Site News" Slashbox for a few days so that as many as reasonably possible have a chance to see.

--martyb
[/UPDATE]

As I write this, for the year, we have raised $6,890.77 (98.4%) of our $7,000 goal. That is, in large part, due to the excellent response to the fundraiser for the first half. For the second half of the year, we stand at $2,136.25 (61.0%) of our $3,500.00 goal. Thanks everyone who has already subscribed; we wouldn't be where we are without you!

If you haven't already done so, and are in a position to do so, please subscribe if you can. Every bit helps!

Journals:
Theeeyr're baaack! Well it seems that way, at least! I noticed the "Most Recent Journal Entries" Slashbox has returned and that the load on our servers has returned to normal levels. I have received no official word, but from what I can see, we are back in business. Yay!

Teamwork++:
Lastly, I am going to take this opportunity to thank the editorial team for keeping the stories coming 24/7/366 (Yeah, 2020 was a leap year). Between politics and the pandemic filling the headlines, it was difficult to find a balanced mix. In a highly polarized environment, it was sometimes difficult to sift the wheat from the chaff. Also, thanks to COVID-19 many events were cancelled and facilities closed or operating under reduced hours. That resulted in even less of the "normal" kinds of news we'd have available to us to choose from.

I am happy to report that requerdanos, who so graciously accepted an invitation to join the editorial team, has already been making a very positive impact. Not just in pushing out stories (though that has been huge), but also in bringing a positive attitude and a keen eye to bear. We are indeed fortunate to have him aboard!

A little history:
I got started as an editor in 2014. It all started when I noticed typos, formatting errors, or word omissions in stories posted to the site. I'd jump on IRC and try to reach out to an editor to get corrections made. After doing this several times, I started suggesting that if I were made an editor, I could make the corrections, myself! Seemed to fall on deaf ears. But I persisted and was eventually made an editor. Little did I suspect: I was in for a shock! There was so much more happening behind the scenes than I had ever imagined. (Can you say Dunning-Kruger?) It was only after I had undergone a few days' training that I was permitted to finally push out my first story.

I did not understand that what gets posted on the main page is the voice of the site. That we needed to watch out for troll submissions (some are plausible but fail under closer scrutiny). Other story submissions came with bold and italics omitted. Others had missing or broken links. There are also matters of defamation and fair use to watch for. That is entirely separate from the logistics of working as part of a team with members on multiple continents and in different time zones!

There is also the matter of following guidelines so that the site has a consistent layout (aka look-and-feel). Then, too, scheduling stories was functional, but unforgiving of errors.

I am grateful the extent of my ignorance was mostly made known only to other (very understanding and patient) staff members. (Yes, I've had my front page flubs, too.)

Join us:
So, with that most glowing of introductions to the work of an editor, I hereby offer an opportunity to anyone who is interested in joining the team. (I feel like I'm writing an ad inviting people to join a team trying to reach the North Pole: random hours, no pay, bring your own asbestos garments!)

Anyone who thinks the job of an editor is quick work or easy is hereby also invited to volunteer.

Here's wishing everyone in the SoylentNews community a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year!


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @09:07PM (18 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @09:07PM (#1093719)

    This is just a reminder that we all have a role in maintaining the community here. You can help:

    1) Please consider volunteering if you have the time. If you don't, that's okay, but please show your appreciation by thanking those who do volunteer to keep this site running.

    2) Please consider editing your own stories instead of submitting them via one of the IRC bots. This reduces the workload for the editors and increases the chances that your story will be accepted. Even if you don't want to be a staff member, you can contribute by submitting and editing your own stories.

    3) If you have an account and moderate, please help keep SN clean. This means modding down those who would add noise to the comments with trolling and use the spam mod on repetitive content-free comments such as this one [soylentnews.org] and this one [soylentnews.org]. The spam mod is a very effective way to prevent repetitive destructive comments and can help preserve the quality of discussion that makes SN great.

    Thank you and happy new year!

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +5  
       Insightful=1, Interesting=2, Informative=2, Total=5
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   5  
  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @10:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @10:15PM (#1093726)

    Shut the fuck up. Don't be preaching from the first day of the year.

    What a dope.

  • (Score: 0, Offtopic) by fakefuck39 on Friday January 01 2021, @10:19PM (16 children)

    by fakefuck39 (6620) on Friday January 01 2021, @10:19PM (#1093728)

    apk, downvoted to the point where he can't even post from his ip, now wants the soylent army to downvote comments making fun of him. this sounds very official though, like it's coming from the soylent admins. the guys who banned his ip in the first place.

    keep on truckin autism-boy, and happy new year to you too. lay off the meth and sleep 8 hours, daily. don't forget to shower - also daily.

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @11:19PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @11:19PM (#1093740)

      Daily showering with soap is a trap. Rinse every day that you labour hard, wash with soap iff muddy or actually dirt-y, and rinse after sex. Rinse every morning if you enjoy it and/or sweat at night. Wash your hands lots. Daily lather and scrub is good for a very very few skin types - but not most.

      And rinse with the coldest water you can stand!

      /protip

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @11:40PM (14 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 01 2021, @11:40PM (#1093749)

      Do you mock people who have Down's Syndrome? Do you mock people who have to use wheelchairs to get around? Why would you treat autism any differently than these other disabilities? Autism is a neurological disorder that unfortunately occurs in some people, not by choice but by chance. It's not something that decent and respectful people throw around as an insult.

      If you're not going to contribute to this site by subscribing, volunteering, submitting stories, or helping to separate good and bad comments through moderation, at least have the courtesy to not be destructive. That includes not posting toxic comments like this one that lower the quality of the discussion. If you're not going to pitch in and help, at least choose to do no harm.

      I'm not APK nor am I Barbara Hudson. I'm just a random AC who wishes that people like you would use your time for something positive instead of posting comments like this.

      Have a nice day.

      • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by fakefuck39 on Friday January 01 2021, @11:49PM (12 children)

        by fakefuck39 (6620) on Friday January 01 2021, @11:49PM (#1093753)

        I don't mock people with any of those things. I also don't use the words retard and the words fuck.

        You seem to be confusing anonymous random comments on an internet forum with social interaction in real life. If that is the case, you need to try talking to physical people who can see you and shake your hand. Different rules for different things - I know, it's hard for you to maintain two things in your little brain. I also know you'd like to define a rule of niceness on this site on which you either had an account blocked from posting, or never created one. It's not your site, it's not your rules. You want niceness? Go to hackernews. You want raw and unfiltered? Stay here and stop bitching.

        I've subscribed and contributed well over $1k to this site. You?

        And, just FYI. My nephew has autism. A functional form where he speaks like 15 languages and learns a new one in two weeks. I have been supporting him and helping him out for years. What he doesn't do with his autism is be a toxic dork spamming a website on some quest known only to him, like an overfocused methhead.

        yes, if some clown is being a clown on this random internet forum, and it's clear he has a mental disorder, I'm going to shit on his weakest point, because it's easiest and most entertaining for me. If he chooses to behave like that, he's here for my entertainment, not my discussion.

        now kindly fuck off, AC, and stop speaking on behalf of the users of a site that's not yours. clown.

        • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @12:10AM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @12:10AM (#1093758)

          SoylentNews doesn't need a "niceness rule" because civility is enforced by the community through moderation. If you've contributed in the past, it simply doesn't make sense to then tear down something you helped build up. Past financial contributions don't entitle you to be a bully to other users. But if you've invested your resources to this site in the past, it's not logical to engage in destructive behavior now. Posting toxic comments is destructive by driving the discussions toward incivility. There are plenty of other places for people to find the news that's posted here. People are coming here because they value the discussion and the community.

          Let me put this to you bluntly. Please stop pissing in the pool. Everyone else will appreciate that basic courtesy.

          Have a nice day.

          • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by fakefuck39 on Saturday January 02 2021, @12:27AM

            by fakefuck39 (6620) on Saturday January 02 2021, @12:27AM (#1093761)

            ah. cool. this enforcement gives me lots of karma to post as much as I want from my account, and you're voted to the point you have to open AC tabs and hit refresh. the people have voted. your rules. now, by your rules, you must leave. congratulations.

          • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @10:12PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @10:12PM (#1094071)

            I'm impressed both by your civility and good intent, AC, and by FF's oblivious crudeness.

            I have a hunch who you are, from your grammar and style, and you are clearly not APK. It's kinda funny to watch FF swinging wildly in the dark, thinking every noise is a foe, the same APK foe, but it's mostly sad to see someone shadowbox with their own mind, and lose.

            Anyways, sincere thanks for acting so maturely, AC-who-I-won't-unveil. I wish my kids' teachers were of your calibre and awareness and gentleness.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @04:05AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @04:05AM (#1093789)

          I also don't use the words retard and the words fuck.

          O'Reilly? Do you read your own posts? I guess not. Why did I even ask? Happy New Year, cretin.

          • (Score: 1, Troll) by fakefuck39 on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:03PM (2 children)

            by fakefuck39 (6620) on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:03PM (#1093884)

            I don't read my posts, I write my posts. You are confusing the real world with an anonymous internet forum. We're not talking right now, this isn't a group of people, you don't have friends or enemies here. I realize in your world, this is all real and you're in a community, spending time with people right now. In my world, the minimum to meet that definition would be things like knowing who I'm talking to. This is because I live in the real world, and you create one for yourself on your computer, because no one in the real world is willing to invest any of their time associating with you. To you, the movie tron is a documentary.

            Do you also get offended when you get an email selling you dick pills? Is that a personal attack on you? Are they making fun of a male problem you have?

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:34PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:34PM (#1093895)

              You don't seem to realize how much time you're investing talking but not talking to people on here.

              In your own words [soylentnews.org]:

              let's not forget my glorious ex coworker and the others who joined me to distribute [g@y pr0n] with creimer's contact details all over hundreds of image sharing sites. glorious.

              When you distributed his contact details, you're saying that wasn't real?

              • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by fakefuck39 on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:47PM

                by fakefuck39 (6620) on Saturday January 02 2021, @02:47PM (#1093903)

                I did not distribute anyone's contacts. He distributed his public email on his open website and his slashdot profile. What I am saying is you are confusing the real physical world with what is inside your computer. Which, given your fixation on things, and your confusion between people and user-names in an online forum, is expected.

                FYI, you're getting redundant, so I'm out of things to make fun of you about. I've covered every topic from your childhood to your sad current existence, and I got no more material. Since the purpose of your life has been my entertainment, and you're now bland and boring, I set you free. Definitely hunt down and reply to every post I make though. You're just not entertaining to me anymore, so you've served your purpose. bbye now.

        • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @10:07PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 02 2021, @10:07PM (#1094068)

          My nephew has autism

          Ah yes, the "I have a black friend" defence. Good for your high-functioning nephew that you treat his "quests" to learn languages with more respect. You're rather presumptuous. You'll probably assume I'm GP AC. I don't really care. OTOH, your flaws are yours, and if you're too blind to see them, that's on you, it doesn't mean the rest of us are going to let them slide - we do care enough to clean the shit out of our nest. Sound eerily familiar? Hmm.

          stop speaking on behalf of the users of a site that's not yours

          You seem to not realize that soylentnews is people, and that ACs are soylentpeople. Yet you call others obtuse? Hmm.

          he's here for my entertainment

          Oooookay Mr. Narcissist. Have a nice day. Don't mind us over here laughing. Surely it couldn't be at unintentional humour that slipped past your clearly perfect comprehension. :)

        • (Score: 5, Touché) by martyb on Sunday January 03 2021, @01:42AM (1 child)

          by martyb (76) Subscriber Badge on Sunday January 03 2021, @01:42AM (#1094130) Journal

          I don't mock people with any of those things. I also don't use the words retard and the words fuck.

          ...

          now kindly fuck off, AC, and stop speaking on behalf of the users of a site that's not yours. clown.

          (Emphasis added

          Might want to try that again.

          --
          Wit is intellect, dancing.
          • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by fakefuck39 on Sunday January 03 2021, @03:04AM

            by fakefuck39 (6620) on Sunday January 03 2021, @03:04AM (#1094140)

            it's convenient that you replaced the whole section with dots. the one that explained how in actual human contact there are politeness rules, and i am quite polite. it also explained how a random anonymous internet forum is not actual human contact, so there are different rules.

            so, editor marty, i see you are cutting and pasting people's comments so they change meaning completely, then being all smirky about it? that's cute.

            that part in the middle also said how people who replace actual human contact with an online forum, confuse the two, and are stuck in their computer, are social-reject losers. this is why they want physical group interaction rules here. because it's all they got.

            tell me, marty, who did I offend when i typed "fuck" and "retard" and "clown?" what person did I offend? you know who they are? like a name, what they look like? perhaps you at least know what they sound like? no? ah, then you're not talking to a person marty. you're typing stuff into an online forum. a news aggregator at that.

            don't confuse the friends tab on your soylent profile with friends, marty. they're usernames.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 03 2021, @08:03PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 03 2021, @08:03PM (#1094251)

          "clown"? So we're your entertainment after all? Pissing you off is our entertainment, but you're making it much too easy. Where's the sport in taking candy from babies?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 04 2021, @03:57AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 04 2021, @03:57AM (#1094345)

            You're just not testing your mettle against the right baby. [youtube.com]

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 03 2021, @08:00PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 03 2021, @08:00PM (#1094250)

        The guy needs ultra-powerful ECT doses. Then do some more. Lather, rinse, repeat, until the trolling stops. Toss in some insulin shock therapy, some chemo just in case, maybe good old strychnine, then lots and lots of bloodletting...