How to Be a Daily Kos Fanatic

One of the most popular blogs online is Daily Kos, a haven for Democrats. You’ll find some of the most heated debates about the political scene, as well as some spirited infighting. Kos readers and commenters call themselves Kossacks and they are truly fanatical: not just for the Democratic party but for the site itself.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Read the diaries. Actually, the diaries (on the right hand side) are what make the site most interesting. On Kos, users can post their own diaries, which often ends up in some of the most heated dialog. The “Recommended Diaries” list is the best place to start.

2. One of the addictive properties of Kos is the ability to recommend a comment, so people will hit the recommend button and you’ll get to see how many people liked your comment. Do this long enough and you might just start writing comments with the express purpose of getting that little plus sign by your comment.

3. Alternately, you can be “troll rated” (TR). This is a negative sign put by your comment, illustrating that your comment is hostile or adds nothing to the dialog. These comments will only be viewable by a Trusted User.

4. To become a Trusted User, you need to be active on the site making comments and writing diaries. If you violate the terms of service by writing an offensive diary or being troll-rated frequently, your Trusted User status may be revoked.

5. Scour the Internet for breaking news stories. Many recommended diaries begin with “Breaking.” Being the first one to break a major story on the site is a sure way to make the recommended list.

Tips & Warnings

• The best (and worst) times on Kos are during Presidential primaries and Presidential elections. It’s when the site gets the most traffic and the most heated discussions.

[Thims]

on 11/14/2009 Troll rated...That's a good one! Interesting.

[chameleon]

on 1/14/2009 Great summary of DailyKos and how to be a DailyKos fanatic! I had a lot of fun reading up there this election cycle.