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Frequently Asked Questions

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:: CATEGORIZING YOUR ARTICLE ::

Why do we need to assign sections and topics to our articles?

In addition to providing a gathering place for those politically and current event driven, the Cortex will also serve as an archive and a resource for those researching various issues of the day. For that reason, it is critical that the vast depository of knowledge and insight that will make up the Cortex be readily and logically retrievable. Assigning each Article topical keywords and/or a section will go far to ensure that relevant material is easily found via the site search or external search engine.


How are articles sorted?

Articles are sorted in two ways. Each article has a TOPIC and a SECTION. Topics are "narrow focuses", while sections are "broad categories". When submitting a story, pick carefully the topics and section to which it applies.

The “Broad” Sections include:

  • “Frontal Lobe – Op-ed”
  • “Left Brain – Analysis/Investigation”
  • “Code Blue – Activism”
The “Narrow” Topics are up to you and are determined by the Keyword Tags you entered on the posting page. Topics are set up this way to accommodate the dynamic nature of the ever-changing ‘Hot topics’. For example, the topic of “Cindy Sheehan”, ”John Roberts”, or “Hurricane Katrina” could never have been anticipated by a site proprietor creating a static list of generic topics. Please check the spelling of all keywords.

A complete view of all Topics (Keyword Tags) used on the Cortex can be viewed in our “Keyword Tag Cloud”.

Keyword Tags – Enter up to three keywords that you believe best describe the content of your submission. Use those keywords that you think a person would need to enter into a search engine in order for your article to appear.


What section/topic should I use?

The choice of section and topics is up to you. However, it is not unheard of for articles to be rejected in the voting queue because people feel they should be in a different section or represented by different topical Keywords. More likely, however, the ‘editors’ will let you know if you are way off base in either aspect.


:: COMMENTS ::

What are comments?

An important aspect of Political Cortex is the ability of the community to communicate with one another. Comments go far to provide for this spontaneous and timely interaction. They are critical to the site as they add an invaluable level of spontaneity and personality into the discourse. So post comments often in and about the stories you read here.

Note: You must have an account and be logged in to post a comment.


How do I post a comment?

Comments are posted using an interface similar to that of Story Submission. Here are the details:

1. First, you need to get a user account and log in.

2. Either click on a “REPLY” link on an existing comment if you want to reply to that particular comment, or click on the “POST A COMMENT” link that you see at the bottom of each article.

3. Choose a nifty title for the comment.

4. Choose whether the comment is ‘topical’ or ‘editorial’. Topical comments are about contents of the article, while editorial comments (Which are only used in the ‘edit queue’) are suggestions and remarks about how the article is written (or why it is written poorly). Use your judgment as to which type of comment you're posting. Note that when replying to a comment, if the comment is a topical one, your reply is automatically topical; if it is editorial, your reply is automatically editorial as well. Once a story is posted to the front page or a section page, you can only post topical comments. If you have something to say, and it contains both topical and editorial comments, post 2 comments (1 editorial and 1 topical). It is fairly common that once a story posts, editorial comments are hidden.

5. In the body, enter the text of your comment (spamming is not tolerated). You may enter your comment in “Auto Format”, “HTML”, or “Plain Text” (look for the pulldown option above the entry box). If you enter it as “Auto Format” or HTML, the same tags which are valid for articles apply; <A HREF="[url]"> <B> <P> <I> <U> <OL> <UL> <LI> <BR> <EM> <STRONG> <BLOCKQUOTE> (of course, all the relevant closing tags are allowed too).

  • “Plain text” comments are converted into HTML and allow no inserted tags; line breaks become paragraph breaks, etc.
  • “Auto Format” also converts your writing to HTML but it offers the additional advantage of adding any of the above tags for further comment customization. See (What are “Posting Modes”? below)
  • "HTML" reads your entry exactly as though it is written in strict HTML.
** We almost always recommend that you use "Auto Format"! **

6. Preview the comment, make as many corrections as required, and then preview it again. Sometimes several iterations are required before all problems are fixed, so be patient :)

7. SUBMIT!


What are “Posting Modes”?

When you type up a comment or post a new article/diary, there is a dropdown menu that lets you select 1 of 3 input modes:

Plain Text - everything typed appears directly in the post. There is no way to make a link or a gray quote box in this mode, but you can in the other 2 modes.

HTML Formatted - everything typed is interpreted as HTML. extra "white space" (such as spaces, tabs, and carriage returns) is ignored. Carriage returns are treated the same as spaces and have no effect on formatting. To cause line breaks you need to include explicit HTML such as "<br>".

Auto Format - This mode tries to convert plain text to HTML. Things that look like web-links turn into real links, and carriage returns are not discarded but converted to HTML formatting. In this mode you can use the HTML tags shown below, but do not include any carriage returns or extra white space within the HTML tags (i.e. between an opening "<" and closing ">") because that may prevent the tags from working. “

"Auto Format" is a more concise and readable input "mode" for displaying certain HTML effects without having to use real HTML. For simple posts, normal typing instincts (without knowlege of HTML) will generally produce a good translation into HTML. But with a little knowledge of the "Auto Format" conventions you can call for specific HTML effects.

IF IN DOUBT, USE “Auto Format”!


What is Comment Rating?

A Comment rating is a number that you can assign to any comment (except your own) that shows your feeling toward the value that the chosen comment has added to the discussion.

The ratings range from 0 to 5:

  • “5” is for 'perfect' comments.  5's say it like you wish you had said it. The best of the best.
  • “4” means the comment is Excellent.  Generally, 4's get handed out for comments that are particularly insightful, informative, moving, or just plain funny.
  • “3” is for above-average comments.  Not great, notterrible, but good.
  • “2” is for a fairly marginal comment.  These comments don't add much to the conversation, and the 2 serves as a kind of "shot across the bow" to warn that you may want to reconsider adding such comments in the future.
  • “1” is a "troll-rated" comment.  These are comments that are basically devoid of content, add nothing to the conversation, are unproductive, and/or are offensive.
  • “0” is a "super-troll" comment.  Generally speaking, 0s are reserved for auto-generated comments, or for comments that serve no other purpose than to sow hurt, confusion and dissent among the posters.  Only Trusted Users may give 0s.

Comments that fall below an average ranking of "1" become hidden comments, meaning they disappear off the thread.  “Trusted Users” can see hidden comments, and are allowed to either rate this comment down to keep it off the board, or to give it a higher rating so it remains visible, if this helps the conversation.  If a comment collects two 0 ratings, it automatically becomes hidden, regardless of its average rating. (Note: A comment's rating does not become visible until two users have rated it.  A rating of 0/1 is not necessarily a zero; it simply means only one person has rated that comment.  Also, comments currently cannot be edited, and ratings can be changed, but not removed altogether)

Ratings reflect an evaluation of behavior, not of agreement.  Users should not give 1s or 0s to comments simply on the basis of disagreeing with another user's perspective.  They should give out 1s for language that is rude, abusive, insulting or otherwise offensive.  This is a self-policing community, and we covenant with one another to make this board a place where all voices can be heard without fear of ridicule, hostility, or overtly hurtful responses.
Explain your negative ratings: Generally, you should accompany a low rating with a comment explaining why you think the user deserves a 0, 1, or 2. It is considered quite rude for a person to give "fly by" troll ratings.


Should I rate every comment I read?

A good guideline to determine whether you should rate a comment at all is to ask yourself whether you could explain your rating if asked to do so. If you could not, it would probably be wisest not to rate the comment at all. Rating purely on the basis of emotional agreement without actual knowledge on the subject or rational/logical disagreement is considered bad style by many users.

When more than six people rate a comment, the overall rating is the simple average of all the ratings. This is nicely displayed next to the comment name in the form of X/Y. X is the average, and Y is the number of people who have rated it. If a comment has not been rated, it will say "none/0". If the comment has been rated by between 1 and 5 people, it will say "none/Y".


How does the “Rate All” button work?

The easiest way to do it is to rate a Comment after you read it. Then keep ratings Comments until you are done with the Story. Then when you're completely done handing out Ratings, click on one of the "Rate All" gray boxes.

When you click on "Rate All", the screen refreshes and you will lose your placemark where you are. The easiest way to escape this is to hit "Rate All" when you're completely done reading the Story.


What's This "Rate? -- Yes, No, Hide" above the comments sections?

You can choose whether or not you wish to Rate Comments by clicking on either "Yes" (I want to Rate) or "No" (I don't want to Rate). If you click on "Hide" you will not see the Ratings other people have given.


How Do I Find Out How People Rated My Comment?

First go to the Comment you wrote then click on the Rating beside it. This will tell you who rated you and what rating they gave you.


What is a ‘Trusted User’?

Somehow, some way, when you write enough Comments that get enough positive ratings, you are awarded the power of being a "Trusted User" of Political Cortex. You now have the power to rate people with a "0" and also to see "hidden Comments". In essence, you are rewarded with a status of respect and the power to more forcefully invoke your will on the community at large via increased comment rating flexibility.

‘Trusted User’ status can come and go depending on your activity level and volume of positive comment ratings received. So if you lose your TU status, rest assured that you can just as easily regain it.


How Can I Tell If I'm A Trusted User?

If your user listings allow you to view hidden comments, you are a Trusted User. If you are rating a Comment on a Diary or Front Page Story and see "0 - Super Troll", you are a Trusted User. If not, you're not :)


What is a ‘Tip Jar’?

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (DailyKos before 2004)... there were a lot fewer users. A person would write a Diary and get maybe just three or four Comments, even though the Diary might've been read by 20 to 30 people. People started to add a Comment to their own diary and called it a "Tip Jar" where people could add a rating to that particular Comment, so the person would get "mojo". It's a way to reward a person for writing a Diary they liked when the reader doesn't have the time or inclination to add a Comment saying so


What is the “Mojo” System and how does it relate to the “Trusted User” status?  

The “Mojo” system boils down to this:  hang around the board long enough and collect enough 4s, and you become a Trusted User.  This enables you to see and review hidden comments, and to give comments a 0.  In return, Trusted Users are asked to take extra responsibility in policing the site by helping to banish trolls and ensure the fairness of comment ratings. Trusted User status is not permanent for most folks: if you collect enough 1s and 0s, you can lose it. But it can also be regained by more productive contributions.

The precise workings of mojo are shrouded in mystery deliberately to prevent gaming the system.  How do you know you've become a Trusted User?  When you see 0 included in your rating options, or when you can access the "Review Hidden Comments" page.


How do you know when you've become a troll?

Presumably, you get a notice informing you that you're no longer welcome to post.


What are the comment viewing options?

At the bottom of each story, you can set how you view the comments about the story. You have several options that allow you to make it easier to read and follow a discussion:

View: There are two types of comments, "Topical" Comments which relate to the content of a post and are visible at all points through the submission process as well as after the piece has been posted. "Editorial Comments" are those that relate to the author's writing. These comments are intended to be constructive editorial advice to the writer. They are visible only in the "Editing Queue". Thus, your choices for the type of comments you will be viewing are “All comments” (includes "Hidden" if you are a "Trusted User") , “Mixed” (which is the default), “Topical Only”, “Editorial Only”. How you choose to view is your preference.

Display: This determines the structure of the comments sections themselves. These structures include “Minimal”, “Flat”, “Threaded”, “Nested”, and “Dynamic”.

  • “Minimal” shows only the comment names in a nested format.
  • “Flat” and “Nested” show ALL the body of the comments, in either a flat format (chronological order -- oldest to newest), or a nested format (with replies directly following the 'parent' comment).
  • “Threaded” shows the comments in a nested format, with any comments that are replies to other comments in a minimal format.
  • “Dynamic” mode allows you to expand and collapse comment and threads without refreshing the entire page.

Try them and see what works best for you.

Sort: You can sort the comments by their ratings, their lack of ratings, and by their posting date.

Rate: This is whether you want to be able to rate comments. We recommend that you leave this on and rate comments. Feedback is always a good thing.

Show Hidden Comments: Trusted Users can choose either to always see comments which are rated at below 1, or to never see them.

Once you have made your changes, click the set button and watch them come into effect. We recommend you try several different settings. Fiddle around and see what works best for you.


What is an “Open Thread”?

On the front page you will see a "Story" sometimes called the "Open Thread". It’s the perfect forum for you to write a Comment about anything under the sun - especially if it's just a simple link to an article on another website.


What are trolls?

A "troll" is an old internet term which means someone who writes deliberately inflammatory things to upset people. Sometimes, however, ‘regular’ people write crass or uncalled for things, and these too are considered "troll" Comments (or Diaries). If the combined Ratings for a Comment falls below 1.0, then the Comment is "hidden" from non-Trusted User users. This is to keep people from hijacking this website. So, in essence, “troll” comments will be down-rated into oblivion by the community while consistent trolls will be deleted from the system.


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