Frequently Asked Questions

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:: INTRODUCTION ::

Welcome to the Political Cortex Frequently Asked Questions. Here, we’ll attempt to explain all the great features that make this site a total innovation in the political blogosphere.

So let’s get started…

Why is this FAQ so long?

Well, Political Cortex is structured around a community software platform called ‘Scoop’. Although you might have come across some very impressive Scoop sites in the past, you’ve never come across any like this one. At the Cortex, we make you the star of the show. Sure, we have an extremely talented group of regular writers. But one of the primary goals of the site was to give a much greater voice to the community – to make YOU the star.

At the Cortex, you’re not limited to posting comments or creating diaries as you are at most sites. Yes, we have those available to you here as well, but then we take it a step further -- offering an entire spectrum of features that allow you to show-off your grand insights, observations, opinions, and analyses. In fact, the entire central column on the front page is dedicated exclusively to community submissions.

Blogocracy: Even more innovative is the Democratic nature by which the community’s front-page submissions are decided. In essence, you, the registered members of the Cortex Community VOTE on which articles you think should be posted to the front page. Yes, you can register. It’s free and it gives you total access to the complete interactive community experience.

Rest assured, however, that Voting ‘Yey’ or ‘Nay’ is just the beginning. In brief, here are some of the things you can do as a registered user (Each of these will be explained in detail throughout the FAQ):

Submit your Writing: You can submit your personally authored articles to the voting queue and possibly have your work displayed prominently on the front page.

Vote on Submissions: You can vote on others’ article submissions.

Enroll in Blogosphere Writing 101, 201, and 301 (advanced studies): You can submit your articles and diaries to the ‘editing queue’ where you will receive the invaluable editorial feedback of the community. Yes they will criticize your work, but we cannot stress enough how valuable this process is for both ensuring top-quality writing on the front page AND serving as a training and proving ground for would-be progressive political journalists, writers, and bloggers. This is the place to go if you REALLY want to know what works when it comes to writing for the people.

Write Diaries: You can write ‘diaries’. They aren’t really diaries in the ‘dear diary’ sense of the word, they’re more like ‘journals’ in the ‘I keep a journal’ sense.

Recommend Other’s Diaries: You can ‘recommend’ others’ diaries and likewise have your diaries ‘recommended’ by others. ‘Recommends’ are another sort of community vote that can potentially ‘raise’ you diaries from the ‘Recent Diaries’ section to the more prominent ‘Recommended’ Diaries listing.

Breaking News and Quick Posts: You can write ‘Quick Posts’ for the ‘Nerve Center’. These are breaking news items and otherwise brief posts with only a touch of commentary, and excerpt and a link to the story. No one will give you a hard time here if your post is ‘too short’. That’s what the ‘Quick post’ is for. It keeps the pulse of the political and breaking news world – the first place you should go when something is happening. And that’s why we named this section the Cortex ‘Nerve Center’.

Post Comments: You can post comments in any story, diary, or quick post

Reply to Comments: You can reply to specific comments and the author of the original comment will be notified that you did.

Rate Comments: You can rate others comments based on what you feel they add to the conversation -- and your comments will be rated by others as well.

Become a ‘Trusted User’: You can build up ‘Mojo’ and receive ‘Trusted User’ Status which essentially rewards you with a warm, fuzzy sense of communal respect. It also give you increased power to rate others’ comments more forcefully.

Mailing List – Newsletter: You can receive the ‘Cortex Digest’ Daily, Weekly, or Monthly via email – a summary of headlines and excerpts that appear on the Cortex front page to keep you up to date no matter where you are.

Identity: You get your own Username. Have you ever wanted to be ‘Superman’, ‘Mother Nature’, or ‘Hugh Jass’? Now’s your chance. Get ‘em while you can.

‘Hotlist’ Bookmarks: You can bookmark stories and check back to redress an ongoing discussion.

Subscribe: You can ‘subscribe’ to your favorite Cortex writers and receive alerts whenever they post something new.

Discussion Alerts: You can be alerted whenever someone responds to your comments, keeping you in the thick of any ongoing conversation.

So why not go register right now? It’ll only take a moment and the Cortex Community will welcome you with open arms!

And, to answer the original question, “Why is this FAQ so long?” – well, we have a lot going on here and we don’t want to leave anyone in the dark. Don’t worry though. We’ve broken the FAQ into its relevant parts so you only have to read those parts you need. Even so, we heavily recommend that you read the FAQ through completely at least once so you get a real feel of what Political Cortex has to offer and how to take advantage of it.

:: JOINING THE CORTEX COMMUNITY ::

Why Should I Register?

Political Cortex is set up to be the ultimate interactive community experience. But, the only way you can take part in that fun is by registering. It’s the way that you become a part of the community where everyone knows your name…well…username anyway. It also adds a measure of accountability that is generally not found in a system which allows for true anonymous postings. We’re building a community, and as such, we would like everyone to get to know each other. Although unregistered users are always welcome, they are essentially limited to a ‘read-only’ status and are not allow anonymous submissions and commenting. So take a look at the benefits you receive by registering:

How do I sign up?

Creating an account is quick and easy. Simply follow these directions:

1. Click on the “CREATE AN ACCOUNT” link.
2. Enter a username and a valid email address. These are very important; review both for errors before you click the “CREATE ACCOUNT” button.
3. You will receive an email that contains an initial password and the URL that you need to activate your account.
4. Follow the URL and that’s it.

Welcome to the Cortex Community!

Please note that you should probably change your password immediately to something that is easier for you to remember. Also, you must use a valid, working email address if you wish to become a member of the Cortex community. This email address you give us will NEVER be revealed to anyone in any way, nor will it be shown on any articles or comments.

How do I log in?

Once you’ve set up your account, you can log in by clicking on the “LOG IN” link in the “MAIN MENU” at the top of the right-hand column. (VERY IMPORTANT :: you must have cookies enabled on your browser in order to use your account.) Once you are logged in, you can modify your settings and change your password.

Should I ever log out?

Unless you share your computer with someone you don’t want using your Cortex Account, feel free to remain logged in. It makes life much easier and faster for you.

How do I modify my account?

You can edit your ‘user preferences’ and ‘display preferences’ once you are logged in. Click on the appropriate link and follow the onscreen instructions. Take a few moments to browse the numerous options available to you. The flexibility you have can be used to make your stay at the Cortex a very personal experience.

What happens if I lose my password?

If you lose your password, you can get a new one emailed to the "real" email address you originally gave us. Unlike other sites, we do not keep a plaintext copy of the password list. All our password information is kept encrypted. You can get a new password assigned to you by entering your username on the login on the account information area and then clicking the "MAIL PASSWORD" button.

Do not share your password with anyone else. Once you lose control of your account, there is very little we can do.

What's A User Number?

People sometimes like to look and see another person's User Number (also called UID). Your user number is assigned to you sequentially based on when you registered at Political Cortex, so the higher the number the more recently you've arrived here. Generally speaking, the lower the User ID number, the more respect a user is accorded.  (You can find the UID by holding your cursor over a user's name in a comment.)  This is true for a couple of reasons.  One, they're assumed to know more about the ethos and history of the board, and therefore to be better instructors.  Two, they often have established themselves as welcome and appreciated members of the community.  It's considered bad form for a newbie to insult or mark down an established user without some strong justification.

How Do I Find My User Number or Someone Else's?

Several methods are available. One is to hold your mouse over a person's name (only works for Comments) and you might see a number in the lower left-hand corner of your browser. For other people this does not work, whether it's a setting for your browser or something else.

Another easy way to find someone's User Number is to click the right button of your mouse on someone's name (again, only in Comments) and open that in another window. Then you will see their user ID number.

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