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What is “good citizenship” on Current.com?


  3. dcuisinot
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So you’ve become part of the Current online community (welcome!), and you may be asking yourself, “What now?” Well, as with any community (virtual or otherwise) there are some responsibilities that come with being an active member. However, in an online community it’s not always clear what makes someone a good citizen. We took a cue from some of the most active members of the Current community, and came up with a short list of good places to start:

// Make comments meaningful //

Not every comment is going to be deep and insightful, but that doesn’t mean touting “First!” on every thread is the way to go. Some of our best comments are made by those members of our community who take the time to raise a question, answer another community members’ inquiry, make a point with a supporting link, or point out an issue that deepens the debate.

Stay on topic. Remember, you can always start a new topic or thread if you would like to discuss something else. Ask yourself whether or not your comment belongs on this thread, or deserves a thread of its own.

Debating differences of opinion should not be personal, so don’t be the one to go there. Remember, it’s OK to agree to disagree, but please do it in a respectful manner that promotes discussion and debate.

// Weigh in with a vote //

Voting is a simple way to give your opinion on a story and help shape what gets reported in Current:News. Make sure you know what voting is, how it works, and it’s effect on a story. We’ve posted about this before, you can read it here: http://current.com/items/89017951_vote_up_vote_down_and....

It’s OK to redlight something, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad story or that you hate it, and it definitely doesn’t make you a troll. Try to vote based on whether or not you’d like to see it highlighted in an upcoming Current:News segment. Our community is full of all different types of people, so it’s only natural that we’re going to get a variety of stories – that’s the beauty of it!

// Flag //

If something looks spammy, strange, or seems like it could be a violation of our community standards, flag that puppy. It’s best to let us take care of a situation rather than calling another user out or trying to handle the situation yourself. Also, when describing the issue, please be clear and concise. Descriptions like “that’s wrong!” or “they can’t say that, take it down!” don’t really help us out. Something like “excessive profanity” or “spam” or “personal attack” give us a much better idea of the issue at hand.

// Contribute //

Posting items is a great way to contribute to the site and inform others about the issues, topics and events that you find important. While not every contribution will skyrocket to a featured slot in Current:News, here are a few tips to help get your post noticed, your opinion heard, and then perhaps even on TV.

Have a catchy title, but make sure it’s accurate and relevant. If your post is about ice cream, don’t title it, “Cure for Cancer Found!”

Add a picture. Take minute to find a relevant and interesting picture to go along with your post. If necessary, make sure to give credit for the picture you use.

Tell us what you think! Adding a short excerpt from an article is a great, but take a minute to add a short blurb letting people know why you think it’s revolutionary…or ridiculous.

Be Nice! That’s what a lot of this boils down to. Respect your fellow Current community members. Differences in opinion are always going to pop up, especially on Current. By taking the time to be nice and have a meaningful conversation with others, you’re on your way to be a great Current citizen and creating an even better Currrent.com

We’ve tried to cover the big things here, but since all of us have a hand in contributing, we want your help defining the Current.com community. Help us out by telling us what you think our community should value when it comes to “good citizenship” on Current.com.
dcuisinot

27 responses // What is “good citizenship” on Current.com?

  • dcuisinot
  • Good, informative post. Thanks for your efforts to make this an even better community.
    Ogmin
  • I will always do my best to leave meaningful comments. However, sometimes short and sweet comments can be as powerful as long ones. Reguardless, Thank you for the article post and I look forward to getting more original content submitted into Current.com
    recommended by  huntre
    EddieStarr
    1 response to this
  • I do my best to contribute, comment and produce. I have been helping Ben Dorries catch a lot of spammers.

    I really valued the t-shirts I've been sent as tokens of appreciations for producing and commenting that shows Current gives feedback for "good citizenship"

    The only trouble I've found is the "bread and circuses" aspect that even the Romans fell prey to. It seems to infect all forms of entertainment also.
    recommended by  huntre
    Argon18
    4 responses to this
  • i've recently had two post topics (blacks turn to judaism) and (definition of philosophical terms) disappear over night. These topics generated some lively discussion but I wonder if they were nixed because of some comment...or even more, because of one of my comments.

    I was recently reprimanded (flagged and contacted by current) for 'talking tough' on a topic related to evolution and intelligent design. After repeated posts wherein person X ridiculed religious belief as backwards, harmful, ignorant and lazy, I asked the community member to answer my critique, change his view or shut his trap. they didnt like that. fair enough.
    although those do seem to be reasonable options when presented with a point that challenges your view.

    at any rate, two cheers for fruitful conversations.
    BooksBrown
  • Nice topic.
    I'm guilty of cracking wise (sometimes, not so wise) too much.
    I'll try to be more thoughtful by refraining from the "funny" and focusing more on voting up posts that I find interesting, even if I disagree with them.
    Many times, I won't comment because someone else said it better than I ever could. Instead, I'll recommend their response.
    huntre
    2 responses to this
  • Im so happy to read this...Some one made a rude comment about me by just an assumption and i wasnt sure what to do. So I lashed out alittle at him, which I know I shouldn't have done!I like having debatable conversations so, if he talks to me like that again, ill know what to do!!thanks!
    Azucena
  • If you've been reprimanded and flagged on this site, then you haven't been able to articulate yourself effectively. There are several members that come on here and have one agenda and it's to post their angry p.o.v's on the same subjects no matter what the post is about. I used to have a hard time ignoring them, but its the best reaction. There's only one reason why someone would get personal and it's to get a reaction out of you, therby validating them in some twisted way. What better way to drive them nuts than to ignore them?

    I've gotten two angry respsonses once because of my dry sense of humor and in the process of trying to explain myself, I dug a deeper hole. Bottom line, say what you mean and don't attack others for their beliefs.
    Neghie
    2 responses to this
  • @ Booksbrown- while all flagged comments and items are reviewed, they aren't removed unless they violate our community standards (which you can check out here: http://current.com/s/community_standards.htm ). If you're ever unsure about why something was removed, send us an email and we will happily clarify.

    And please remember, community members can delete their own posts, even if you've made a lot of comments on the thread- because it's their post, we have no say in whether they can or cannot delete the item.
    dcuisinot
  • An article like this speaks to the difficulty of getting large groups of people actively and meaningfully engaged. Current has a mission to create a community of aware citizens who participate in dialogue. In Al Gore's book, Assualt on Reason, he talks about this new concept of a hybrid television/internet medium as a powerful concept in building an informed citizenry. No doubt it seems like it would be, and Current has created a great number of ways to get people involved, like providing incentives to contributing, voting, producing, and commenting. The Kudos system is motivational and drives more activity, but is nonetheless a gimmick for the purpose of increasing participation. Current wants to create a community centered around rational civic discourse. However, structuring such a forum with motivational gimmicks will always draw the irrational out of people.
    sheamus
    1 response to this
  • This is a nice thread!

    As one of the editors for the Current:News show, I'll add this:

    If you can, make your "catchy, accurate and relevant" title fairly short! That way, if you make it on TV, your headline is more likely to show up there just as you wrote it.

    Thanks, all!
    Blazesboy
  • ...say what you mean and mean what you say... however, sometimes you may get mean in saying what you say, but alas, to ere is human...then there's laughter...and some good humor, mixed with objectivity, is food for the soul...also, remember, true wit is divine...
    PlatoTacius
  • Couldn't have said it better, Plato! Thanks Current and Thanks Al Gore!
    peace
    WorldPeaceTV
  • Considering that the popular vote in the end is subject to an electoral college of sorts, I may continue to post and comment but no longer see much point in voting stories up or down at all.
    Ogmin
  • wow. thank god that all communities EVERYWHERE never have any constructive voices EVER. It's a shame that "citizenship" is defined by being "nice" all the time. Doesn't sound like democracy to me. ranking is not democracy, it's a currentocracy.
    jblue62
  • I guess my feelings about citizens depends on how you define a "democratic" media. . but here goes:

    I believe that being a good citizen at Current means being passionately committed to bringing real and meaningful content to the TV through the ideas and ideals of media savvy citizens. In particular, we should be interested in content that we don't get from other networks because they either ignore or actively black it out.

    I believe that a good citizen should consider themselves a special kind of audience with a larger obligation to be informed about the media because you can't change TV without also expecting more from yourself and the rest of the audience. The good citizen realizes that we must consider ourselves a passionate, committed and focused audience that is ready to lead the rest of the public into the light. . . not follow them into the dark.

    I believe a good Current citizen should be informed enough about TV that they understand the mistakes that other networks make as they pander to audiences rather than challenge them. They should use this knowledge to hold people's feet to the fire when they stray from the vision. They should even hold the staffs feet to that fire if the gravity of "conventional wisdom" about running a TV network pulls them down into familiar TV patterns and processes.

    I believe that a good citizen of Current should insist that it be us the members dictating the tempo of the network to the staff, not the other way around. Otherwise it isn't a citizen driven media. . . it is a media driving citizens.

    I believe that loyal citizens of Current TV would fight to the last breath, any changes made by TV people that take the power away from the citizens and give it exclusively to themselves. They would do this because they realize that TV people controlling TV is the same old thing we came here to get away from.

    I believe that a good citizen of Current will put the integrity of the vision above and beyond the temptation to suck up to the staff and tell them how great everything they do is. If they live up the the vision, they are great. . . if they spin it into something else. . . they are still great people but they are wrong about what Current claims it is. . no matter how nice they are about it or how cool they tell us it is.

    I believe that a good citizen understands that all of this will not come easily. No change does. . . especially "for profit" change. It will take work, but they are willing to rise up and meet the challenge because the ultimate goal is to make a difference in the world. Right?

    Oh. . . and we should be nice to each other. . give constructive feedback. . . include a picture. . . stay in school. . . and stay off drugs. . .
    Plisko
  • Now I feel like all my comments are stewpyd.
    HolyCity2012

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