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[[FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]] ... Was your question not answered? Get on IRC and pester the relevant person: [[WhosWho| Who's Who?]]
This is a home for information about how '''[http://soylentnews.org SoylentNews.org]''' was started, and the vision for it.


==About SoylentNews.org==


'''Feb 13, 2014  12:33AM EST:''' Status
Welcome to the '''[http://soylentnews.org SoylentNews.org]''' Wiki.


We deliver community-sourced news and discussion. This is an, grassroots effort powered by article submissions from our readers, volunteers, and our forked version of [https://github.com/SoylentNews/slashcode slashcode] called [https://github.com/SoylentNews/rehash 'Rehash'].  We highlight stories on the web which are important to everyone - especially nerds. We also provide a soapbox for discussion moderated by the site's patrons, and allow anonymous discourse as there's no mandatory registration needed to comment.


A select few editors, dev, and system types are working through the system finding bugs. User registration works, there are stories on the front page, comments and replies.
We are mindful of community sentiment, and will not bend to overreaching corporate agenda. The goal is to be an excellent source for discussion and news about technology, art, science and politics.


We've incorporated as a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (similar to a non-profit) as we feel our mission to provide a platform for news dissemination and relevant discussion is not only essential for mankind, but also a legal right (i.e. freedom of press, freedom of speech) in some places, and these are liberties which we aim to protect.


We could use a temporary bug tracking system that's easily accessible by the users (ie - not requiring onerous registration). Can anyone hook us up?
Though the site is young and there are [https://github.com/SoylentNews/rehash/issues bugs], we are improving and adapting to satisfy the community's needs. We look forward to pushing the boundaries of web experience and are committed to involving the community on all major decisions.
: How about "Bug:" namespace here on wiki? [[User:Yahwotqa|Yahwotqa]] ([[User talk:Yahwotqa|talk]]) 00:45, 13 February 2014 (MST)


==Get Involved==


E-mail me: John (at) SoylentNews (dot) com
This project is run entirely by the community and there are many ways to contribute. Here are some of the many ways to participate:


*'''[http://soylentnews.org/submit.pl Submit a Story]'''
** Try joining the #rss-bot channel in [[SoylentNews:IRC|IRC]] for story ideas
*'''Volunteer'''
** Get in touch with the '''[[Development|Development Team]]''', especially if you know perl
** Reach out to one of the other '''[[TeamPages|Teams]]''' (we have openings for many skill sets)
** Contact the relevant person: '''[[WhosWho| Who's Who?]]'''
*Hop on to '''IRC:'''
** #Soylent on irc.soylentnews.org/6697
** [https://chat.soylentnews.org/ Webchat]
** [[SoylentNews:IRC|IRC Wiki Page]]
*'''Bugs''' and Features:
** [https://github.com/SoylentNews/rehash/issues/new Submit a bug or Feature Request]
** [[Suggestions|Add a Suggestion]] - larger projects to tackle for the future
*'''Tell Somebody''' A friend, a colleague, any major news source....
** Do what you can to [[Spreading the word|get the word out]]
** You could participate in [[The_Slashcott|The Slashcott]]


==Contacts==


'''Feb 12, 2014  9:40PM EST:''' Status
A list of people working on this project:
===[[WhosWho| Who's Who?]]===


Freenode is complaining "Server is full" and not letting me into chat, so this is a '''guess status''' :-)
== Useful Links ==


*[[Submission guidelines]] - best practices for story submissions
*[[Story Style]] - a guide for editors on article formatting
*[[Development]] team page
**[https://github.com/SoylentNews/rehash Code Repo] - The Slashcode fork repository for this project on GitHub
** <strike>[[DevelopmentVMHowto]] - How to get our code setup in a VM</strike>
** [[SlashDocumentationIndex]]
*[[UserExperience]] team page
**[[Style]] - some of this info needs to be merged/moved/organized into/with [[UserExperience]]
**[[CssWork]]
* [[SystemAdministration|System Administration]]
*[[Finances]] - Breakdown of our proposed spending
*[[Licensing]] - ideas about which license to use for our slashcode fork
*[[Staff_Meetings|Staff Meeting Logs]]
*[[SoylentNews_PBC|SoylentNews PBC]]
*[[SoylentNews_Site_Policy|SoylentNews Policy]]


Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help test the system this evening. At the last minute, the team found a nest of bugs that effectively broke the moderation system, so testing was put off until 10:PM EST, and then later was put off until Thu.
== Similar Projects ==
* [http://pipedot.org/ Pipedot] - A complete re-write that uses a modern codebase and sports a clean look
* Usenet newsgroup comp.misc - [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/comp.misc on Google Groups], [http://squte.com/ on Squte], [news:comp.misc via newsreader application]
* [http://technocrat.net/ Technocrat] - (now defunt) News site presented by Bruce Perens


== Archive ==


 
[[Archive]] -- An archive of obsolete pages/discussions that occurred before launch
* Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn’t have to do it himself.
* Any project can be estimated accurately once it’s completed.
* The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.
* A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected
* A well planned project only twice as long as expected.
* Schedules are made to be broken
* Work expands to fill the Time. Cost expands to meet the Budget.
* The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time. The last 10% takes the other 90%.
* The only certainty in a project is uncertainty
* On time, on budget, on spec – pick 2.
 
 
 
==WE HAVE A FIRST POST==
 
From the site:
I know its been a long wait, but we've been steadily moving towards launch. With luck, you're reading this on the main index of the site, which means we've gone, and haven't gone mad in the process. Now that we're here, we hope to have made the wait worth it, but we depend on everyone in the community. To make this site a success, we depend on each and every single user even if its just from passing word of mouth. Remember, every single user can submit stories, moderate, and contribute to discussions all at the same time, and that's what makes us unique. May I be the first to welcome you to your new home.
 
[[http://imgbin.org/index.php?page=image&id=16708]]
 
 
'''Site Announcements'''
 
 
'''Feb 11, 2014  8:01PM EST:''' Status
 
Yeah, yeah... we're working on it.
 
 
We're starting to get overlords that manage various features. An overlord is responsible for granting access - it's intended to be a ''no work'' position, so that it can be held for long periods without requiring much time.
 
 
So for example, Applesmasher is the overlord of forums. He grants access to people and recovers access when people leave, but he doesn't ''have'' to do any work himself (although he can if he wants). He ensures that the people with access are reliable.
 
 
So if you need a forum for your group, ask the overlord of forums. If you want a set of wiki pages, ask the overlord of the wiki, and so on.
 
 
The current overlords have agreed to hold the position until Mar 1, at which time we will choose overlords via some formal process. (And the current overlords might ask to continue.)
 
 
The current overlords can be contacted here:
 
 
art@SoylentNews.org
 
editors@SoylentNews.org
 
forums@SoylentNews.org
 
wiki@SoylentNews.org
 
chat@SoylentNews.org
 
 
There will be more to come. This is temporary to get us going - the community can change the structure later, but for now things seem to naturally separate into these areas of interest.
 
 
 
'''Feb 11, 2014  3:01PM EST:''' Status
 
We have a working system, and two people fixing the CSS (sadly, none for sphinx). As far as I can tell, we're trying to get the high-bandwidth aspects of the site running: Varnish, MySQL configuration options, and such. We want the system to be able to withstand a tsunami of visitors 10 meters high.
 
 
The system team has been working around the clock to get things running, and I mean that literally. I have to as-much-as order people to break off at night and go to bed. They *really* want to see this thing work. Send them some love in chat if you can.
 
 
Note that these are not "deadlines", nor do I particularly care if we miss them: We're  reporting when we "predict" things will be ready. The first 90% of the project is done, now we're working on the remaining 90%.
 
 
Stand by for launch...
 
 
P.S. - Check out the logo
 
 
'''Feb 11, 2014 12:01PM EST:''' Need some sphinx help
 
We still need [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_(search_engine)  sphinx (search engine)]
expertise, so if you are familiar with this package, please E-mail me:
 
If you want to send the project lead a message:  John (at) SoylentNews (dot) org
 
----
 
'''The Slashcott is getting attention'''
:A selection of Slashcott/Beta comments from around the web.......
 
::* http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/02/slashdots-new-interface-could-kill-what-keeps-slashdot-relevant/  <=== Nice article by Ars
::* http://spallshurgenson.blogspot.com/2014/02/tragedy-of-commons-redesigning-social.html  <=== A good summary of the situation
::* https://community.republicwireless.com/thread/23151          <== "How not to treat your community"
::* http://www.tidbitsfortechs.com/2014/02/biting-hand-feeds-less-boycotting-slashdot-org-1-week
::* http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/442346-trouble-at-slashdot
 
 
Check out the [http://imgbin.org/index.php?page=image&id=16688| look and feel] of the new site!
 
----
 
'''To everyone involved... THANK YOU!'''
 
We are building a news site alternative to Slashdot. We have started only a few days ago, and this wiki is a temporary measure so that volunteers can coordinate and others can see what's happening.
 
The idea is to build a news aggregation site that delivers what's important - better articles, less fluff, and all the functionality you expect from the moderation system. We are still looking for volunteers so stop by the boards and the IRC and let us know you want to help!
 
* The proposed business model is [[Finances|here]] <br>
* Some business planning is [[Business|here]] <br>
* A statement of functionality (turn into a requirements document?)--- [[FeatureList]]
 
 
''' Get Involved '''
 
'''Hop in to IRC!''' - [[SoylentNews:IRC|IRC]]: ##altslashdot on chat.freenode.net ([https://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=##altslashdot Webchat], we are growing in [http://irc.netsplit.de/channels/details.php?net=freenode&room=%23%23altslashdot strength!])
 
'''Register on the forums''' - http://forums.SoylentNews.org
* Go to forums.SoylentNews.org and register a user
* Read [http://forums.soylentnews.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=38&sid=e55255cb6dfe68b28c8cf5f2b9697a64| this] post if you are having problems. (Thanks MrGuy)
* Add yourself to whichever groups you are interested in
* For tech issues with the forum software, please Email Joel: soylent (at) finite (dot) ms
 
'''Slashcott''' Organized boycott of the Dice-owned Slashdot pages
* Show your support for the "Get rid of Beta" crowd by avoiding Slashdot during the week of February 10-17
 
'''Tell Somebody''' A friend, a colleague, any major news source....
*Do what you can to get the word out
 
'''Contact:'''
If you want to send the project lead a message:  John (at) SoylentNews (dot) org
 
==Status==
 
Check out the [[FAQ]]
 
* Forums are available at forums.SoylentNews.org
::The forums have four user groups: Code, Content, Style, and System.
* We upgraded the hosting by two tiers
* The System team is working on installing SlashCode. They are busting their collective tails to get this site up for us.  Hopefylly, soon!
* Probably won't be non-profit, see [[Finances|business model]].
* We won't poach from Slashdot. This includes articles and logos, also "style" to a reasonable extent.
 
Mailing list update Messages are [[MailingListUpdates|here]]
 
== Site Name ==
We have a '''temporary''' name!
 
Thanks go out to everyone who made suggestions - some of them were
absolutely brilliant! For example, it hadn't occurred to me to choose a name based on a
non-English word, or a palindrome, or a puzzle. Many of the entries were quite clever.
(Adies, it took me more than a day to figure yours out. Bravo!)
 
I won't post the runners up because squatters might take the names before we hold the real
contest. We'll figure out a way to prevent this somehow - at worst case we can choose judges
and do it privately.
 
Jerry had the winning entry.
 
The temp name is: '''SoylentNews''' with the tagline: '''SoylentNews is people!'''
 
Does this rock? It hits the trifecta of website goodness:
 
* Descriptive in a way that mundanes will understand (compare "Photoshop" with "GIMP", "Internet Explorer" with "Firefox", and "MediaPlayer" with "VLC")
 
* It's part of Nerd culture, a pun, and slightly twisted
 
* It's suggestive of being community driven
 
* Possible Trademark issues
 
* It is attached to some movie about eating corpses and implies "News fresh as processed corpses" (??)
 
 
This will be a hard act to beat. Start thinking up names for the contest, or throw your weight
behind this one. The contest will be held soon after we open the doors.
 
(And it was poutine (from IRC) who suggested we use a temporary name. Others may also have suggested it, but it was his post that I noticed. Be sure to thank him if you see him on IRC.)
 
== List of Discussion Pages ==
*[[NewName|NewName]]
*[[MailingListUpdates|MailingListUpdates]]
*[[Finances|Finances]] -- which model would allow to minimise and/or distribute hosting costs
*[[Business|Business]]
*[[Extended moderation|Moderation]] -- how/if to enhance; was it so bad it was the primary reason for the diaspora?
*[[FeatureList]] -- discussion of required/desired characteristics
*[[Submission guidelines|Submission guidelines]]
*[[Content]]
*[[Style]]
*[[Migration of users from Slashdot]] -- how to handle Nicks and UIDs
*[[Licensing]]
*[[WhosWho]] -- points of contact in different project areas
*[[Spreading the word]]
*[[Comments]]
*[[To do]]
*[[Stories from former Slashdot users]]
 
== IRC ==
General Slashdot Discussion: Come on IRC channel #slashdot at irc.slashnet.org. Or use the web client: http://www.slashnet.org/webclient
 
SoylentNews Discussion: Head to IRC channel ##AltSlashdot on irc.freenode.net, Web client is here: https://webchat.freenode.net/
 
'''Mumble (Voice / Text Server)''' : voice.whackperiod.org
 
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 13:43, 30 August 2019

This is a home for information about how SoylentNews.org was started, and the vision for it.

About SoylentNews.org

Welcome to the SoylentNews.org Wiki.

We deliver community-sourced news and discussion. This is an, grassroots effort powered by article submissions from our readers, volunteers, and our forked version of slashcode called 'Rehash'. We highlight stories on the web which are important to everyone - especially nerds. We also provide a soapbox for discussion moderated by the site's patrons, and allow anonymous discourse as there's no mandatory registration needed to comment.

We are mindful of community sentiment, and will not bend to overreaching corporate agenda. The goal is to be an excellent source for discussion and news about technology, art, science and politics.

We've incorporated as a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (similar to a non-profit) as we feel our mission to provide a platform for news dissemination and relevant discussion is not only essential for mankind, but also a legal right (i.e. freedom of press, freedom of speech) in some places, and these are liberties which we aim to protect.

Though the site is young and there are bugs, we are improving and adapting to satisfy the community's needs. We look forward to pushing the boundaries of web experience and are committed to involving the community on all major decisions.

Get Involved

This project is run entirely by the community and there are many ways to contribute. Here are some of the many ways to participate:

Contacts

A list of people working on this project:

Who's Who?

Useful Links

Similar Projects

Archive

Archive -- An archive of obsolete pages/discussions that occurred before launch

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