The Unofficial RedState Frequently Asked Questions List
By bs Posted in Miscellanea — Comments (72) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
OK, I've finally been inspired enough to proceed with an FAQ for the RedState viewership. In no particular order, here are a number of FAQs that I've gathered during my somewhat short (~6 months) stint here.
What is "NT"?
Well, in some contexts, it stands for "New Testament," but not here at RedState. "NT", sometimes stated as
What is "5"?
When someone uses "5" as a posting title, or some other derivative, such as "55555" or "5!" or "5**5", they are ranking the comment/diary as a "5 out of 5". In the olden days of RedState, it was possible to rank comments and/or diaries, but that capability was removed due to (as I understand it) some abuses that occurred. When someone ranks your diary or comment as a "5", it's a compliment.
What is "Reply To This"?
The "Reply To This" link is found at the end of each posting in a discussion thread. It is used to create threaded responses in a discussion. Use it! It makes reading threaded conversations far easier, and it makes it clear who a responder is responding TO.
Below, please find a much more thorough explanation of the "Reply To This" feature, provided by fellow RSer, civil truth.
What is "Blam!"?
"Blam" is used by (at least some) RedState moderators to indicate that they've banned a user. Why are users banned? For many reasons, but primarily because they've used excessive foul language, they've re-registered after being banned previously, or in recent weeks, because RonPaul™ boosters have been too obnoxious in their religious rants about their favorite candidate. Consult the RedState Posting Rules for more information.
What is "HWNSNBU"?
This acronym stands for "He Whose Name Shall Not Be Uttered". Along with "HWSNBN" (He Who Shall Not Be Named) and a few other similar combinations, it refers to 2008 POTUS candidate Ron Paul. When Paul's minions began spamming RedState and other sites, many swore to not even bring up his name, lest the troublemakers appear.
What is PULLING A KOWALSKI? (ht: kowalski himself...)
"Pulling a Kowalski" is an eponymous term and a euphamism for replying to your own comment with another comment. I do it because my blogging brain works in a strange, asynchronous manner -- thoughts I would rather have placed in their proper order during execution are mysteriously delayed "in flight" while my brain parses them, and arrive out-of-order in the output stream. It is left to you, Dear Reader, to read re-parse all the comments and reassemble them into a coherent thought, if possible. I have to do this myself a lot of the time, alas.
I also do it sometimes because I am of different minds on a given subject, or because part of the subject is tangential to the rest, but that is rarer. Everyone knows I was a leftist before I became a Republican and the resulting schizophrenia is diminishing, but I fear will never be completely dormant. I don't do it to take up space deliberately or to annoy people, and I'm glad that most around here have found it to be endearing enough to name the practice after me.
What is a "moby"?
The word "moby," as used here, refers to the musician, who in 2004 encouraged the pathetic, tone-deaf trolls who listen to his work to go on conservative boards and be so over-the-top that it would serve to discredit conservatives and Republicans. We now use it for anyone pretending (badly) to be a Republican or conservative, who is instead trolling for no reason we know or care. Once identified, they get tossed.
What is a "troll"?
A "troll" is described on the following sites:
http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll.htm
http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/troll-tactics.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
http://www.firelily.com/support/depression/trolls.html
Periodically RedState will get hit by a major wave (dozens, or even hundreds of them showing up around the same time) of leftist trolls. Trolls can be rather annoying, but most of them are easy to spot and are usually banned within minutes. In consequence to past attempts at trolling RedStaters often pay a lot of attention to the membership history of posters, and commentors (long established members are less likely to be trolls). This is why occasionally a new registrant will be treated somewhat harshly...there is natural suspicion that they've registered simply to "troll." (thanks to Herodotus for the info)
What is "The Hinz Rule"?
This "rule" originates from a diary by RSer David Hinz, where he encouraged us to not "feed the trolls." When someone invokes the Hinz Rule, it says "OK, folks, that's enough, let's not encourage this troll-like person to continue". But what's a troll, you ask? "Troll" is a common term used to describe Internet message-board troublemakers...see more about it here, in Wikipedia.
What is REDHOT?
Redhot entries are created by RedState moderators, contributors and Directors who have brief postings to share, and just wish to interact with the other mods. They usually cannot be commented upon, although on occasion a moderator will open comments on a particular entry.
Who are the directors?
The directors are those who founded and set direction for Redstate.com. They are Erick, Ben Domenech, Thomas, and Jeff Emanuel. They also act as contributors and moderators (see below).
Who are the moderators?
They are the ones who enforce the rules and keep things from getting out of hand. Be nice to them and follow their instructions! Moderators are the Directors (see above), plus streiff, Leon H Wolf, Robert A Hahn, Moe Lane, Adam C, and maybe one or two others who I am not aware of. Moderators are also contributors (see below)
Who are the "contributors"?
Contributors are individuals who are able to create front-page stories and REDHOT entries. They have been blessed with this privilege by the Directors of RS. There are far more "contributors" than there are "moderators" and/or "Directors."
How can I contribute?
Unless you're stunningly brilliant and the RS Directors realize that immediately, you'll probably just start off as a lowly blogger like the rest of us. To create your own blog content, a) register for RS, b) sign on, and c) create a blog via the link in the tan block above "RECENT BLOGS", on the right side of the page. If your content is worthy, you may see some comment responses, and perhaps even recommendations. My advice: lurk for a while - don't post any blogs or even any comments before you've read RS for a couple of weeks. Get used to the kind of content that is acceptable and the tone of how you interact with the rest of the community.
Why doesn't my stuff show up on the front page?
Only contributors and/or Directors can post items to the front page. Occasionally a diary will be "promoted" to the front page, if the contributors/Directors see a worthy entry.
How do I do those cool HTML tricks?
Comments and diary/blog entries can be created with just plain text, or by using HTML to augment an entry. Neil Stevens has been kind enough to create a number of different "tutorials" on how to use HTML at RedState. Read Neil's hints and tips and you'll be far better equipped to post here. Also, socrates (well, not THE socrates - OUR socrates) posted a diary on formatting that provides some good hints.
How do I create a signature?
Click on "My account" in the tan box on the right side of the page, towards the bottom. Click on the "Edit" tab, then update the "Signature" field. You can use HTML in that field, per the instructions in the prior FAQ.
What's up with the "Recommend" button?
If you have registered for RedState and you are reading a blog entry that you are particularly fond of, you can recommend it by clicking the Recommend button (right hand side of the page). This does some kind of voodoo magic behind the scenes and can boost that blog entry into the "RECOMMENDED BLOGS" list on the right. A secret algorithm determines where the recommended blog goes on the list and how long it remains there. If they told us the algorithm, they'd have to shoot us. NOTE: DO NOT recommend your own blog entry! It is bad manners, it is against the posting rules, and it is greatly frowned upon by the rest of the RS community.
What determines the order of the Recommenders in the "RECOMMEND THIS BLOG ENTRY" box?
This is a little bit of trivia, but I always wondered why my nickname wound up floating towards the bottom of the list of recommenders when I punched the "Recommend" button. The list is sorted by longevity on RedState. Those who have been on RS longest (based on registration date) float to the top of the list of recommenders, and the short-timers go to the bottom. I suspect this has something to do with the database query that is done to populate the list...but I'd have to defer to the RS programmer who built the app for a confirmation.
How do I follow recent comments to RedState?
Everyone has their own technique to read RedState. However, one of the most efficient (in this reader's opinion) ways to follow new postings is to use the "recent posts" link, aka the Tracker. You'll find this in the tan box on the right side of the page. This allows you to view new blog entries and see a count of new comments that have been added to each blog entry. When you use "recent posts" and click on a blog entry with new comments, you'll automatically be scrolled to the first of the most recent comments. When you return to the "recent posts" list, it will reset the new posts count for that particular blog you've viewed.
I have a beef with RedState - where do I go to complain?
Click on the "Contact" link at the top of the page. You can fill out the feedback form, and someone will contact you via email...at least that's how it's worked for me in the past. You can also email Erick or Jeff directly at their first name (at) RedState.com. As the form says, don't use it for help with passwords, etc. - go to http://help.redstatenetwork.com for technical assistance.
Who the heck is "Franz"?
Franz is RedState's resident canine candidate. He has yet to declare, but we understand it'll happen any day now.
For additional information...
Adam C wrote a nice entry, similar to this one, back a year or so ago. It has some excellent information on etiquette, abbreviations, etc. Please check out his writeup as well.
That's all I can think of for now. I know I've missed something. I will update the FAQ as I think of new items, or as our esteemed contributors and bloggers provide their ideas and/or criticisms of my list.
----
bs (and it doesn't stand for what you think...)
I had a rewrite half going. Do you mind if I steal some of this to add to it?
This is great! And I'm glad you are going to revise/add to it, Neil. A few suggestions:
1. Once it's revised (and commented on as a front page story), make it an official FAQ, and add it to the "jump to" line next to the posting rules.
2. Include a complete list of Directors, Moderators and Contributors (I've been a member over a year, read Redstate every day, and still am not sure exactly who wears what hat).
3. Change the "it's frowned upon" to recommend your own diary/blog to "it's against the posting rules" to recommend your own blog (it's right there, if you read it).
Thanks again, and recommended.
"I wonder what sort of tale we've fallen into."
These are good suggestions--I'd like to know who all the moderators are. Y'all have a great day. :-)
...I don't know who they all are!! :-)
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
It's kinda fun watching someone mouth off to a moderator, get told to clean up their act, defiantly continue in obliviot mode and then get vaporized.
If you publish a list, it will kill half the fun of RS.
If it's published, only the responsible folks would read it. Most Bamm worthy folks never bother with FAQ's. I love seeing the Bammin too.
when I had only been here a few weeks.
The other party was Thomas.
It kinda is funny to watch other people do the same, but it does seem unfair.
Perhaps moderators should make a declaration when commenting as such. Rather in the way that the Pope distinguishes between pronouncements that are ex cathedra and others that are merely, well, papal. (For any Catholics, including Thomas, the word 'merely' was tongue in cheek).
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
3. Change the "it's frowned upon" to recommend your own diary/blog to "it's against the posting rules" to recommend your own blog (it's right there, if you read it).
and over 50 regular users have signed a pledge not to recommend any diary that is self-recommended. Unless your diary is unutterable gibberish you are likely to get more recommendations by not recommending yourself.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
I've only been here like around six weeks, so this answers a lot of questions for me and clears up some stuff.
Thanks again. :-)
What's the easiest way to follow RedState? I used to start at the front page, but then a good while back I changed so that I always start at the "tracker" (i.e. "recent posts") page. I don't pay any attention to any of the stuff at the far right -- recommended blogs, redhots, recent blogs, etc.
The ones with the most comments will always be at the top of the tracker list, and being registered I can always jump to the first of the "new" comments there by clicking on the numeric link. There are only two drawbacks:
- It can get hard to follow just the newest posts within a thread. If there are 100 comments and 5 of them are new, I start at the first, but after I find myself scrolling down and looking for the "new" indicator based on how the are indented.
- Same example - if I add a comment after seeing one of the new entries, I've lost which were the new entries I hadn't made it down to yet.
Is there a better way to deal with this than what I'm doing? BTW I don't know squat about RSS but would be willing to give it a look if that's the magic answer. I suspect the drawback there if it fixes other issues is that I can get inundated if there are a gazillion comments in a thread I don't care much about.
TIA for any tips!
As for reading new posts, search the text of the page for the phrase "New!" Then you can jump from new post to new post easily.
Can somebody write more info onto this link?
http://www.redstate.com/about
That link only provides information about Eric, Clayton, Ben, and Krempasky. It seems like this would be a place where more information about RedState could be applied.
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.
When I first started on Redstate, seeing the number "5" under a post made me scratch my head. It didn't long to figure out that it meant something along the lines of "I agree wholeheartedly" or something like that. I guess it means "high five!" Is that the correct etymology?
www.scottbomb.com
Click here to donate to the Fred Thompson campaign.
For the first, roughly, year of our existence, we used a straight-up (slightly modified) Scoop platform, which had a traditional rating system. We modified it a few times during that year before finally abandoning it, but a 5 means you either wholeheartedly agree with the comment, think it says something really well, is just an awesome comment, or some combination thereof.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
I cannot BELIEVE I missed that one. I KNEW there was one other obvious one I had forgotten - that is probably the number one item. I will put it at the top of the list, right behind
THANK YOU!
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
Here are two old ones on similar topics.
Welcome Newcomers and a RS Formatting FAQ
Great to see an up to date one.
______________________________________
Donate to the Rs in Close Senate Races through Slatecard
You have to have at least one character in the comment section. Of course, if you have a signature line, that takes care of itself. If not, you need to put something in the comment section, even a period should work.
It forces in a blank space. I use this as a signature - I leave it like that when I just want a title or type over it when I'm really leaving a comment.
Don't think we don't know......
And, excellent post!
Stare decisis is fo' suckas -- Feddie
If only I made as much dough as Billy Bob.
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
What is PULLING A KOWALSKI? "Pulling a Kowalski" is an eponymous term and a euphamism for replying to your own comment with another comment. I do it because my blogging brain works in a strange, asynchronous manner -- thoughts I would rather have placed in their proper order during execution are mysteriously delayed "in flight" while my brain parses them, and arrive out-of-order in the output stream. It is left to you, Dear Reader, to read re-parse all the comments and reassemble them into a coherent thought, if possible. I have to do this myself a lot of the time, alas.
I also do it sometimes because I am of different minds on a given subject, or because part of the subject is tangential to the rest, but that is rarer. Everyone knows I was a leftist before I became a Republican and the resulting schizophrenia is diminishing, but I fear will never be completely dormant. I don't do it to take up space deliberately or to annoy people, and I'm glad that most around here have found it to be endearing enough to name the practice after me.
Great post!
The fun part is that I can attest to the fact that left and right are not just arbitrary categories that can be blended together and smeared out because they don't really exist. It isn't true: they're fundamentally different ways of thinking.
I look at my diaries from 12 years ago and they seem to be literally written by a different person.
Arianna Huffington has said that "left" and "right" are old, outdated artifacts of our political system, implying that the truly "global" thinkers reject those categories of thought in favor of a wholly-new and improved version of Amalgamated Pragmatics. It's not so.
When you decide to change your mind (and you must decide to do so -- that cannot be forced) it's not a trivial pursuit. You look at the world in a different way, from the smallest thing to the largest.
This is one I've been dying to ask.
MOBY? Etymology of this one? And its precise definition.
Thanks!
"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke
Who in 2004 encouraged the pathetic, tone-deaf trolls who listen to his work to go on conservative boards and be so over-the-top that it would serve to discredit conservatives and Republicans. We now use it for anyone pretending (badly) to be a Republican or conservative, who is instead trolling for no reason we know or care. Once identified, they get tossed.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
As long as I've been around, "moby" has taken up residence with the Great White Whale of Herman Melville fame. That is, people make accusations of "moby" by posting whale pictures or by making other whale references (e.g. bubbling blubber, Ahab-bait [good one Gamecock, I hadn't seen that one before]).
I don't know if that's a RedState idiosyncrasy or whether the whale allusions are now part and parcel of "moby".
That some day, you'll have the chance to debate Moby in a podcast on this statement:
He also discusses his faith on his own weblog. On January 19, 2007, in his reaction to seeing Alexandra Pelosi's Friends of God, a film about evangelicalism in the United States, Moby writes, "The movie reminded me just how utterly disconnected the agenda of the evangelical Christian right is from the teachings of Christ."[13]
Because I'm quite sure that Moby hates Pat Robertson, too.
But that single statement by itself is so self-abusing I'm not sure I'd need to ask him more than if he actually thought before he wrote it.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!
Moby the performance artist/techno artiste is *actually* the great-great-great-great-nephew of Herman Melville. They're family. He didn't get the name by accident.
...for a more comprehensive picture of "Mobying." It's the old Marxist/Leninist "Throw a monkey wrench in the machinery of the Capitalist top-hatters and their lackeys and running dogs."
and one I should have caught at the start. HT to Thomas for the excellent definition. I've added it to the original document.
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
I will grant that Gamecock has been in long-term mole mode, pretending to make intelligent conservative comments for some time, but with this remark he has unmasked himself.
Fancy comparing a third tier* presidential candidate with Franz.
*Franz is tiers one and two. All others are third tier.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
Franz thanks you.
And because Franz is The Prince, there's a better than even chance that if he has a bad day today Gamecock is likely to be killed and eaten by snarling white dogs. The only thing that might save him is that he is a lawyer and they taste terrible.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
That is why we have Tabasco sauce. With enough Tabasco sauce, even a trial lawyer becomes tasty although the greasiness remains.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
Chuck Norris has his own tier.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
runningmate?
I guess I'll have to get out of the GC henhouse harem more often and even off the farm...
Will I be accessed penalties for terrorizing The Barnyard Dawg, aka George P. Dog?
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
That would be pictures of The Prince snoozing on his couch, on his chaise lounge or cooling his pink tummy on his spot on the tile floor.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
And there's more than one Poochette. I see trouble ahead for Franz with the purist, Family Values crowd.
This very issue may prove the wisdom of Mrs908 insisting that The Prince & The Brother of The Prince (Franz & Hans respectively) make that awful puppy trip to the vet that we guys will discuss no further.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Mess with me you end up kill them and eat them at a State Dinner at the White House...
In the instance of those people thingys who would attempt to mess with my reputation, the fuzzy guy will make sure they are ground up and fed to cats. The ultimate indignity. Ending up in a cat box. Heh.
We don't do that "prisoner" thingy.
Woof!!
Franz' 11th Commandment: If anybody messes with you, kill them and eat them invite them to a State Dinner at the White House...
I was absent for the introduction of the Hinz Rule and for that matter, I missed the Hooah rule for Anteater. Maybe you could include that as well.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
uttered
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
Perhaps this could be added to the FAQ list...
What is "Reply to This" and why does it get so much attention and raise hackles?
We have threaded comments at RedState to help organize the various discussions that result from postings. Failure to maintain the thread can leave to disjointed commentary and at time confusion as to whom the comment is addressed.
When you read a comment that you would like to reply to, you click on the "Reply to This" link at the bottom of that comment. This will move you to a new window for you to type in your reply.
Usually, this is not a difficult procedure to follow. However, confusion may arise when you wish to reply to the very last comment, as the visual clues do not give you as clear an indication, and in your rush to reply, it is all to easy to post a new comment instead of posting a reply.
Two ways to keep out of trouble.
1) Check above your name. If you are typing a reply, the heading will say "Reply"; if you are typing a new comment/starting a new thread, the heading will say "Post new comment"
2) Use the "Preview comment" feature. When you do this, check below your typing. If you see just the comment to which you're replying, then you are typing a reply. If, however, you see the beginning of the original post, then you are typing a new comment/starting a new thread. If that's not what you want to do, you need to start over.
(See here for a somewhat lengthier explanation.)
I've tried to include your suggestions in the original diary (as you could probably tell from all the updates).
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say. ” - Martin Luther
I FAQ discussing the universe of KnownFacts™ would be a useful addition. I've wanted a list ever since I started coming here...
--
We would also like to know your advice for somebody like my daughter, who's going to graduate in two years, advice that you would give a young person.
SEC. RUMSFELD: Advice for a young person. Study history.
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We are all heroes, you and Boo and I. Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!