I have been coming to DKos since 2004. At the time I found it, I lived in Indiana and this site was like Manna while I wondered through the wilderness. It helped me keep my grasp on reality, but I have been a bystander until recently. I mostly read the diaries and not the comments. This was mostly due to a lack of time but also they can really get tangential, and that can be quite irritating.
Having said all that, I have some questions. If they seem obvious to you I am sorry. However, I am smart enough to know if I have these questions, other people have them too. I am not so smart as to be the first to do most things. I know this because every time I come up with the next "great idea" I discover that someone has already thought it and is getting rich from it.
Below the squiggle are me questions.
Where the hell is the FAQ? I have done a search using FAQ and no luck. I went to help desk, and again no luck. With all these smart computer people, there has to be an FAQ, right? If not, can someone please make one?
Question 2, Is there a glossary? If not, can someone make one? Please? TTFN, GWCB, IMO, etc, etc, etc. I read the site in the morning. My brain doesn't work without 3 cups of coffee. So if people use short-hand, can there please be a place to go so I can figure out what they are saying. TTFN took me freakin' forever and ultimately it was on the context, but seriously I had to take three Advil after figuring it out.
Where are the written rules of conduct? I know I saw some when I created a username, but I cannot find them on the help desk. Would have figured the would be in the FAQ, but see above for that issue.
Who gets on the front page? Is it just paid staff? If not, who decides, and what is the criteria? The same can be asked about the Community Spotlight, and the Rec list. Who decides, and what are the criteria. Transparency here would be nice, and would make the site feel less like a clickish college newspaper.
What is a "trusted user", and how is that determined and by whom? Does this give a TU any special rights? If so, what are they?
I probably will have other questions about the functioning and culture of the site, and it is hard for me to imagine that others don't have similar questions, so please chime in in the comments. I read them now that I am writing diaries.
Thanks for the time, and to those who are snark inclined (I know I am asking for it) please save it for another post. I ask these questions to make this site better for me and others who rely on this community as a refuge and a place to share with like minded and interested people.