http://thenewstalkers.com/tig Mon, 09 Nov 2026 14:42:54 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2781/how-will-the-courts-decide http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2781 Section 3 Disqualification from Holding Office
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Disqualification Clause
This means that Trump is, unless overruled by the SCotUS, not allowed to run for office per the State of Colorado.   Trump cannot appear on the ballots and thus will have no opportunity to gain Primary ground from Colorado. 
An interesting point is that this ruling predated a legal finding that Trump is guilty of engaging in an insurrection or rebellion or giving aid or comfort to enemies.   So this is an aggressive move by a state supreme court.   But it also will likely encourage other states to take this matter seriously.
This is one of but a few ways for the GOP to NOT put forth Trump as their nominee.   Given Trump is a traitor by attempting to steal the 2020 election based on fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement and that he violated his oath of office by trying to circumvent the CotUS and to violate the foundation of democracy —the votes of the electorate— I think it is proper that he should never be allowed an opportunity to violate his oath of office again.   Especially the office of the presidency.
Although this is a long shot, it is good to see at least one state stand tall and refuse to allow a former PotUS who blatantly and destructively violated his oath of office be allowed a chance to do it again. ]]> Tue, 19 Dec 2023 19:07:35 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2142/guide-to-fetch http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2142
The Challenge

Seeding is a clumsy process.    Source articles have very different structures, embed advertisements and other distractions, including at times complex HTML that screws up the formatting.  Time must be spent copying & pasting contents and then cleaning up the resultant mess in NT.    On top of that, the process of downloading an appropriate image so that it can be uploaded and attached to the article is annoying.   Finally, it is not always easy or possible to attribute the seed properly to the original author.    
Fetch

The Fetch functionality uses a collection of heuristic techniques to acquire as much good content while ignoring as much bad as possible.   It aggressively pours through the HTML of seed articles to get:
Title :  This is almost always easily found in an article so Fetch will typically provide the correct title
Quote or Summary :  If supplied by the author, Fetch will place the summary in the Quote field
Author (and site) :   Surprisingly, the author is often omitted or embedded in the actual content of the article.   Fetch uses a sophisticated method to determine the author.   But since this must be extracted from unstructured English, the author will not always be correct.   Also, sometimes articles provide a meta-data field for author but then put in the wrong information.   Author is one key field a seeder needs to scrutinize.
Content :   Ideally this is the core content of the seed.   This is often buried as a minority of content in an otherwise complex mess of HTML and related instructions.   Further, publishers often embed advertisement and teasers among the content (before, within and after).   Although Fetch tries to weed out the bad content, the seeder will often need to do more editorial work.
Designated Image :   Most every seed has a designated image.   This is the image deemed by the author to go with the seeded article.   Fetch can find this almost every time, but there are occasions when the seeded article has no image, states the wrong URL for the image, etc.   In these cases, the seeder must manually provide an image (but Fetch can help there too, see: FETCH IMAGE).
Embedded Media :  Optionally, the seeder can ask Fetch to include appropriate embedded images and videos.   These are graphical media sprinkled throughout the content of the article.  This is not something the seeder would typically do, but the option is available.
Fetch appears to the user as one or two buttons on the upper right corner of your Create Article or Update Article forms.   The principle button is labeled FETCH SEED .   This is the workhorse that accepts a URL from the user and then goes to the web to attempt to acquire that which is needed for an NT seed.   The FETCH SEED button appears when you are trying to create a Discussion or a Group Discussion .   It does not appear when creating a Blog because blogs are always original work (never seeded).
The other button is FETCH IMAGE .  This button appears when you create or update any type of article.   It gives the user the option to enter a URL instead of downloading a file to one's local machine and then uploading into NT.  FETCH IMAGE does all that work for you.   
Note :  you will not usually use FETCH IMAGE since FETCH SEED   frequently brings in the author-designated image for you.
Disclaimer

Fetch is atypical automation;  it works on imperfect data and the results will vary per article and per site.  Fetch contends with a very messy world of inconsistent standards, human error and wildly different formats and styles.  It must grab raw code from an arbitrary target website (what Browsers process before presenting a nice view to the user) and extract only that which is needed for an NT seed.  To make sense of this content, Fetch contains a complex set of inferencing tools designed to cleanse and surgically extract desired content.  While it is usually not possible for Fetch to construct a seed as well as a human seeder (Fetch operates at the server level and thus does not have the benefit of a sophisticated browser), it does handle a lot of the grunt work and ideally leaves the seeder with minor cleanup work.  
Sometimes Fetch delivers perfection, sometimes the results are ugly.  Expect to find cases where Fetch ed content contains embedded advertisement, and sometimes complete junk (like portions of script code).   These items are usually a result of poorly encoded HTML content that lacks sufficient information for Fetch (and its supporting third party tools) to detect and remove.   Basically, if an author / site embeds content in the middle of an article and provides no markers to distinguish it from the true content of the article, there is nothing Fetch can do.  To Fetch, it all looks like article content.
In contrast to excess unwanted content, Fetch cannot always get necessary information from a site.  Twitter delivers almost entirely junk so Fetch will typically at best get the tweet itself.   Some sites (e.g. Bloomberg) prevent bots ( Fetch is effectively a bot ) from acquiring their content.  Some sites forbid access to their images (access denied).   Other sites use dynamic content which appear only as a result of the browser interacting with the server;  Fetch cannot even see this content (an example of this is a picture gallery).  When Fetch is not able to provide good content, the seeder should create the seed using the old manual approach (copy & paste).    However, even here, the FETCH IMAGE function will be available to facilitate acquiring a suitable image directly from the web (vs. download / upload).
Usage

When you click on the FETCH SEED  button you will see the following dialog box:

Seed URL :  is the URL you wish Fetch to access.   Paste in your fully qualified URL.
Include Compatible Embedded Media : checkbox is normally unchecked.   Thus Fetch will normally not include pictures and videos.   If you would like pictures and videos (at least those that are valid for NewsTalkers) then check this box.
Starting Point :  is rarely used.   Its purpose is to give Fetch your desired starting point in the article.   This will be used if the article has a bunch of junk content upfront and Fetch has no way to distinguish it from good (MSN likes to do this).   In this case, you would copy & paste (this must be exact) a unique portion of the starting sentence in the article.   Fetch will scan the content looking for this exact match and, if found, take that as the beginning of the article (and will throw away all content that precedes it).
Once you have entered in your data (typically just the URL), press the FETCH  button to automatically populate your seeded article.
Summary

Fetch seeks to make seeding easier.   It will not eliminate all the work but in most cases greatly streamlines the process.   If Fetch does not work well for a site, the legacy functionality (the copy & paste you do today) for seeds is still in place.
One should use Fetch as a support tool and always verify the content it provides.   The data Fetch can acquire will not always be perfect.
]]> Tue, 21 Apr 2020 14:31:29 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2053/guide-to-comment-panels http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2053
Comment Panels

At the beginning of the comments section for each NewsTalkers article you will find a series of circular buttons.   These buttons each are a minimized representation of a comment panel.   

These buttons represent, respectively, the panels: Tracker Panel – for navigating tracked comments
Finder Panel – for navigating text found in comments
Bookmark Panel – for navigating bookmarked comments
Thread Panel – for managing how threads are displayed
Clicking a button will disclose the panel for use.   The tracker, finder and thread panel functionality are not new but have been enhanced.   The bookmark functionality is a new feature.
Thread Panel

This panel is simply an updated version of the existing panel which used to look like this:

Now, when you click on the Thread panel button you will see this:

The Collapse All , Expand All and Automate buttons have not changed in functionality.   They are just housed within the panel construct and thus can be minimized.   To minimize this panel, click on the panel button on the far left.  The panel will then shrink down to the button: 
Finder Panel

As with the Thread panel, the Finder panel functionality has not changed.   When you click on its button, the following panel will appear:

Enter the text in the ‘Find’ field and press enter (or press the FIND button) and the text will be located in each comment.   If the desired text was found, the Finder will display a tool for navigating the found text in the comments.   This tool will appear on the upper right corner and will look like this:

Click on the upper part of the tool to go to the prior found text (in this case to 1 of 15) and click the lower part of the tool to go to the next found text (3 of 15).   The CANCEL button will end the navigation and remove the navigation tool.  As with the Thread panel, clicking on the button (on the far left of the Finder panel) will minimize the Finder panel back to its button:    
Tracker Panel

This panel helps navigate through tracked comments.   If you are in an article that you are tracking, the comments in your tracker (seen via the Tracker main menu item) are managed by this panel.    Clicking on the Tracker panel button discloses the panel:

The large button ‘Go to tracked comment …’ holds a list of all comments tracked in this article.   Clicking on this button reveals a scrollable list like this:

The tracked comments are listed in the order in which they will be navigated.    You can now click on the comment you are interested in.   In response, the system will scroll to that comment and display the Tracker navigation tool:

As with the Finder, click on the upper portion to go to the prior comment (8 of 21) and the lower to go to the next comment (10 of 21).    Pressing CANCEL will end the navigation.
The DISCARD button on the panel performs the same function as the discard button (  ) on the Tracker page (Tracker main menu item).
Pressing the DISCARD button will clear all tracked comments for this article.   You will still be tracking the article, but the currently tracked comments will no longer appear on your tracker.
Finally, as usual, clicking on the button (on the far left of the Tracker panel) will minimize the Tracker panel back to its button:  
Bookmark Panel

Bookmarking is a new feature on NewsTalkers.   This feature provides the means to bookmark any comment.   The bookmarked comments can be navigated within their article and are recorded on your page (the page that comes up when you click your name on the far right of the main menu).    Other members (other than mods) will not be able to see the comments you have bookmarked.   Bookmarking is a private function for you to use at your convenience.
The Bookmark panel looks similar to the other panels.
Clicking on the Bookmark panel button discloses the panel:

As with the Tracker panel, the large button ‘Go to bookmark …’ holds a list of all comments bookmarked in this article.   Clicking on this button reveals a scrollable list like this:

Clicking on one of the listed bookmarked comments will cause the system to  scroll to that comment and display the Bookmark navigation tool:

As usual, click on the upper portion to go to the prior bookmarked comment (1 of 5) and the lower to go to the next comment (3 of 5).    Pressing CANCEL will end the navigation.
The UNMARK ALL button on the panel deletes all bookmarks in this article.   
Clicking on the button (on the far left of the Bookmark panel) will minimize the panel back to its button:  
Bookmarking

The Bookmark panel can only work if you have bookmarked comments in the article.   Bookmarking is a new function.   It is available on the same menu used for Friend, Ignore and Impasse.   This is the menu attached to the avatar on each comment.    Clicking on the avatar will show a menu like this:

Clicking on the MARK item will bookmark this comment.   Bookmarked comment will always show a bookmark on the avatar.   In this case, the bookmarked comment looks like this:

To remove a bookmark, bring up the menu and you will find an UNMARK menu item.
Bookmark History

To review your bookmarks across all articles, click on your name on the far right of the main menu to go to your personal page.   There you will see a new tab entitled ‘Bookmarks’.   In my case the history looks like this:

The list is organized by article and shows the bookmarked comments within each article.    You can click on a bookmarked comment and the system will take you to it.
Summary

The new comment panels will always initially show in a minimized fashion:

And when fully expanded the four panels together look like this:

The menu now contains a Mark | unMark menu item.    In addition, your personal page now contains a list of your bookmarks across all articles where you have left a bookmark.
]]> Sat, 08 Feb 2020 23:33:55 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2035/guide-to-threads http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/2035
Thread Basics

NewsTalkers uses hierarchic comments to organize long discussions.   First level comments have integer identifiers (1,2,… n).   Second level comments have two integers such as 3.4 or 12.7.   The third and final level of comments have three integers such as 3.3.1 or 12.7.5.
First and second level comments define threads.   A thread is defined as the first or second level comment and all of the replies that fall within it.   Thus the first level comment ‘3’ defines a thread that includes 3.1, 3.2, … 3.n comments.    The second level comment ‘3.3’ defines a thread that includes 3.3.1, 3.3.2, … 3.3.n comments.
Each thread can be closed.  Closing a thread hides its contents.   Closing thread 3.3 will cause all comments beginning with 3.3… to be hidden.   Not only does closing allow the user to dismiss comments that are no longer of interest, it helps substantially with performance.   A closed thread will not be downloaded from the server and prepared for presentation by your browser.   Less work for the browser translates into a faster load.
New Features

Enhancements have been made to thread functionality for convenience and performance.   Each feature is discussed below:
Thread Panel

In each article, you will now see a panel consisting of three buttons: 

These buttons condition all the comments in the article:
Collapse All Threads will cause the article to show only the first level comments (i.e. those numbered 1,2,3, … n).   This gives you the best load performance, but you will often see a delay if you need to open a thread to see its comments.
Expand All Threads is the other extreme.   This will open every thread in the article.   It can result in a very long load, but every comment will be loaded on your browser and available to you.   This is good if you need to browse (or search through) a bunch of comments.
Automate Threads is middle of the road.  Pressing this button will cause the system to automatically determine which threads to open and close based on timeliness of comments, tracker history, etc.  
It is expected that you will use Expand All Threads only on rare occasions.   Collapse All Threads will be used when an article gets big and you want to just collapse everything and manually open one or a few threads.   The Automate Threads option is the default; all new articles are in ‘Automate Threads’ mode.   You would use this option if you (for some reason) wish to return to the default after pressing Collapse All Threads or Expand All Threads .
Long Thread Suppression

At times, a second level thread can grow very long.   For example, a comment made at 2.1 might trigger a debate that could add hundreds of comments all starting with 2.1…  (e.g. 2.1.134).  In this case, having the ability to close threads does not help.   We need the ability to partially close a thread.
Now, when a thread grows too long, the older (stale) comments will be suppressed.   This means that they will not show on the browser.    Suppression is based on a variety of factors, but ultimately it will be used when a thread passes a size threshold.   Typically, a percentage of the comments will be suppressed.   At times comments will also be suppressed due to age.   For example, comments that are a week old in a thread are very likely to be suppressed.  
The following shows a tiny example of suppressing comments.   ( Here the threshold has been set very low for illustration purposes .)  There are 12 comments starting with 9.1… in this example.   The first 11 are suppressed due to age (they are months old).   The only comment showing is 9.1.12 because it is recent.

Suppressed comments can be disclosed by the user.   When suppression is in effect, you will see a button indicating the suppression state and a count of the comments subject to suppression.   In this example, where suppression is in effect, the button you see is the DISCLOSE button.  

If you were to click the DISCLOSE button, the 11 suppressed comments would be disclosed and available to you.    At that point the SUPPRESS button will now show.  

Clicking this button will suppress (hide) the 11 comments subject to suppression.
[ These buttons use icons ( ► and ▼) that are frequently used on websites to mean ‘content available to disclose’ (►) and ‘content is fully disclosed’ (▼).   ]
Navigating Comments


Given the new features, it is possible for comments you are currently tracking to be hidden within closed threads.   This means that as you use the Navigator (on the right) within an article, you could navigate to a hidden comment (one that is in a closed or suppressed thread).
The Navigator will now automatically reveal comments to you in real time as you navigate.   If you, for example, navigate to comment 3.3.2 in a closed thread (3.3), that thread will be revealed and the system will position you to the newly visible 3.3.2 comment.    The revealed thread is only temporarily revealed.   If you want it to show each time you open (or refresh) the article, you will need to open the thread yourself.   Manually opening a thread tells the system to keep the thread open until you change your mind (same is true with manually closing a thread).


]]> Fri, 03 Jan 2020 12:46:11 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1953/the-threat-of-socialism http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1953
Senator Daines has submitted a resolution to ban ' socialism ' in the USA.   In effect, this resolution is stating that any policy that can be labeled ' socialism ' is a threat.
It is one thing for people to talk loosely about a term, but when a self-contradicting meme becomes the subject of a proposed resolution it is difficult to suspend disbelief that many of our elected officials are incompetent.




III

116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 289
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 29, 2019
Mr. Daines   submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the   Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that socialism poses a significant threat to freedom, liberty, and economic prosperity.

Whereas Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines socialism as—
(1)  any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods; and
(2)  a system of society or group living in which there is no private property;

The resolution initially establishes that 'socialism' is that defined by Merriam-Webster.   Okay, so we have the word 'socialism' defined in basic terms as it is commonly used.   That is what dictionaries do.
The first problem is the 'government ownership ' aspect.   That immediately contradicts Marxism and implicitly tags statist approaches with the former USSR as the exemplar.   But, that is how the senator wants to define socialism, so at this point he has defined it as a system where either the people (as a collective) or the state (a minority consisting of officials) controls the productive resources of society (the means of production and distribution of goods).
Continuing on ...
Whereas socialism and the policies advocated by self-described democratic socialists have an underlying historical connection to the Marxist theory;

Seriously?   This basically refers to the collective policies of anyone who self-references as a 'democratic socialist'.   Thus if Bernie Sanders advocates a policy as 'socialism' (such as worker-owned businesses or making it easier for kids to get college degrees), this resolution would deem it ipso facto 'socialism' and reject it.   
Whereas history has witnessed countless failed Marxist-inspired regimes;

True.   The states who historically claim to be 'socialist' all do indeed also claim to be inspired by Marx.  Being 'inspired by' Marx does not say anything about the system.   Which part of Marx' volumes of work are they inspired by?   Are they inspired by the ultimate goal of economic utopia?   Are they inspired by economic power by the people?   Something else?   
Whereas, because of the perverse incentives and inherent flaws of the Marxist theory, socialism inevitably leads to societal rot, resulting in devastation, economic poverty, and destruction;

This is just name-calling.   Name the perverse incentives and the inherent flaws.   Some call China socialist;  Red China certainly was 'inspired by' Marx since they were 'inspired by' Leninism who was in turn 'inspired by' Marx.   So is everything in the Chinese system perverse and flawed?    Some call the Nordic states socialism (Bernie Sanders for example).   They all are based on social democracy which was based on the Fabian movement which was 'inspired by' Marx.   All perverse and flawed?
Whereas prominent elected officials in the Senate and the House of Representatives are self-described socialists and espouse socialist proposals;

Why does it matter if they self-describe as 'socialists'?   Especially since most of what they advocate is social democracy (and the USA is already a weak social democracy).


Whereas socialist policies such as the Green New Deal and socialized medicine would— (1)  eliminate the private property rights of all people of the United States; and (2)  force taxpayers to pay trillions of dollars to implement;

Immediately, ' socialized medicine ' is not socialism.   It is redistribution of wealth.   It can be properly labeled a common policy of social democracy or a public service.   Next, ' eliminate the private property rights of all people ' means what?   What does this resolution mean by ' private property ':  the means of production and distribution (conventional meaning in the context of socialism) or personal property (as in home, car, iPhone)?   Seems like an important thing to define if it claims that legislation would remove private property rights for everyone.  Second, I think it would be great if Congress would actually put forth a bill that stops them from spending trillions of dollars of tax revenues to implement anything without a referendum from the people.   Much better than this wasting time on an ambiguous meme resolution.


Whereas Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.;

Whereas Margaret Thatcher once stated, Socialist governments … always run out of other people’s money, and thus the way to prosperity is for the state to give the people more choice to spend their own money in their own way;



Quotes from dead people sans specifics (for example Thatcher was referring to redistribution of wealth when she used the term 'socialist governments') is just more vague nonsense in what is supposed to be a serious resolution of the US senate.
Whereas free-market capitalism is the greatest engine for human advancement in the history of the world, bringing more people out of poverty and into prosperity than any economic model in the history of mankind;

Capitalism thus far is indeed the best economic system that has been put into effect.
Whereas the United States is the single greatest country in the history of the world, due in large part to its system of government that secures the private property rights of all citizens through the genius of the Constitution of the United States; and

Our system of government is one of the best.   But again the senator adds on with language that does not distinguish between private property (means of production and distribution) and personal property (homes, cars, etc.).   Nothing in the CotUS states that the productive resources of the economy must be controlled by a minority.   Personal property rights are not affected by socialism.


Whereas, on February 5, 2019, in the State of the Union address, President Donald J. Trump declared—
(1)  We are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country; and
(2)  America will never be a socialist country: Now, therefore, be it

So now the senator notes that Trump declares the USA will not adopt socialism yet the term 'socialism' (as Trump used it) is undefined.   Does Trump include social democracy as 'socialism'?  How about statism?   Certainly Trump likely would include failed states such as the former USSR and Venezuela in his definition, but what about China, the U.K., France, the Nordic nations, etc.? 
That the Senate—
(1)  acknowledges that Marxism and socialism are failed ideologies;
( 2)  recognizes that socialism poses a significant threat to the freedom, liberty, and economic prosperity of all countries and people around the world;
(3)  accepts that socialism is a failed experiment of governance that inevitably ends in misery and suffering;
(4)  declares that, throughout the history, tradition, and national civic spirit of the United States, the United States has been a beacon of light shining like a lighthouse to the rest of the world, demonstrating that freedom and liberty are the surest foundation of government; and
(5)  affirms that the United States should never be a socialist country.

Great!   The USA will never be a 'socialist' country where 'socialist' is by this resolution an entirely vague term.   Tell us senator, if the SCotUS had to use just this resolution, how would that body determine if the USA has crossed any 'socialist' boundaries?   What, senator, are the defining characteristics of socialism?   Is there a level of statism (control by the state over economic and social factors) that would mean the USA is now 'socialist'?   A level of taxation?   A level of public ownership of businesses?    A level of wealth redistribution?


If you are going to put forth serious content, senator, then state what you mean by 'socialism' using specific language.   It is easy enough to do, the terms for various factors that are oft-used when identifying 'socialism' are well-known and have good definitions.   For example the resolution could have stated factors that it considers a threat such as ...
redistribution of wealth :    Lay out the limits on how much the US can tax private citizens.

expropriation of private property :   Specifically outline measures.   A good start is to ensure the state can never just seize businesses and make them state-run enterprises.   

excessive public services :   Define your limits on how much 'free stuff' the state can provide.

single payer, etc. :  Might need to be a bit more specific

funding support for higher education :  Same here, preclude all federal support or specify the limits.

command economy :   State that.

single party rule :  State that.

brutal authoritarian regime :  State that.

reducing everyone to the same economic level (pure egalitarian) :   State that.

productive resources of the economy from being owned by the people as a whole vs a minority of people :    Specify your threshold.

public services labeled 'socialized _____' :  State what must be true for a public service to be 'socialized' and thus ( apparently ) bad.

statism :  Too late.   Specify how much statism is allowed.

social democracy :  Too late.   Specify what percentage of revenue can go to public services and how much businesses can be taxed to fund this.  
...
Montana might need to consider electing a senator who contributes more than wasting time on a vague resolution for a very confused meme.
]]> Wed, 07 Aug 2019 10:39:13 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1844/guide-to-migration http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1844
Types of Articles

NewsTalkers provides three types of articles:  discussion, blog and group discussion.   The discussion type is the most common - it is used to create articles (original or seeded) in the general forum.   Blogs are typically used by original authors who might syndicate their work from NT.   Group discussions are articles that are hosted within a particular NT group.
In the past, articles were frozen into their type.   If, for example, you have a series of 'discussion' articles that you would like to organize under a new group, there was no option to do so.   You could copy & paste the article content, but the comments and other components would not follow.    The new Migrate function addresses this limitation.
Migrating Articles

To migrate an article from one type to another first locate the article in your Collection.   Click the MIGRATE button on your right to get the form where you can select the target type.

The migrate form will look something like this:

The actions available to you depend upon the type of article you are trying to migrate.   
  Article Type   Available Actions   Discussion
  migrate to a blog   migrate to a group discussion   Blog
  migrate to a discussion (in the forum)   migrate to a group discussion   Group Discussion
  migrate to a discussion (in the forum)   migrate to a blog   migrate to a group discussion in a new group In the form, select your Action and supply the remaining details and then push MIGRATE ARTICLE .   The article will be migrated and you will be returned to your collection. Alternatively, you can migrate an article when it is presented.   For articles you have authored, you will see a migrate icon: This icon will perform the same function as the MIGRATE button. Usage
The migrate function is intended for special cases.   It works one article at a time (i.e. does not migrate a group of articles).   Basically, if you have a need to organize your collection, the migrate function provides a means to clean things up.   ]]> Sat, 26 Jan 2019 00:21:11 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1753/guide-to-participating-groups http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1753
Groups Have Grown Up

NewsTalkers groups provide a forum for like-minded individuals to focus on a particular subject matter.    As an example, we could easily have a Chess group where chess aficionados discuss the latest in the chess community, analyze games, admire chess piece designs, etc.   The group members could informally communicate using the group wall (like a bulletin board) but could also host articles and discuss same.    But groups have the downside of being out of the limelight.   Articles produced within groups can only reach group members.   This makes it difficult to attract new members and deprives the general NewsTalkers community of (often relevant and interesting) content generated within groups.   
To remedy this while still preserving privacy and protections, we have the functionality of Participating Groups.  A participating group is one that can, by its own choice, make some (or all) of its articles available to the general Newstalkers community.   This is accomplished by promoting articles.
Promoting Articles

An author within a group can now promote an article to the front page - making it available to the entire NewsTalkers community.   The author can promote (or demote) an article at any time by clicking the check box ' Promote to Front Page ' in the details of the article.

A promoted article will appear on the front page in the Recent Articles section.   Everyone will be able to click on this article, read it and read the comments.   The following shows three promoted articles as they appear on the front page:

You will always be able to identify a group article since the group avatar will be attached to the lower right of the article's image.
Group Membership

Everyone can read the comments in a promoted article but only group members are allowed to enter new comments.   Joining a group, however, is easy.   NewsTalkers members who are not part of the article's group will see the group badge on the upper right corner of the article.   Clicking the badge (see below) takes the member to the group and thus access to the ' Join Group ' button which instantly allows the member to comment.

Group Ownership

Every group has a distinguished owner who serves as the ultimate authority for the group.   Each owner has the ability to allow or disallow members from participating in the group (using the Active checkbox).   The owner also determines which members of their group are allowed to promote articles they have authored to the front page.   To allow promotion, the owner clicks on the member's avatar and clicks the new ' May Promote Articles ' checkbox:

As long as that checkbox remains checked, the member will have a ' Promote to Front Page ' checkbox on the member's articles for this group.
Group Moderation

The owner of a group is also the lead moderator for the group.  Owners can also recruit other members as group moderators.   The 'Group Moderator' checkbox above lets the owner empower the member as a moderator for the group.   Each group moderator has certain capabilities - similar to those of the site moderators (the traditional NewsTalkers moderators).   A group moderator can: edit or redact a comment on an article
ticket a comment (or an entire article) as a violation of policy
The system used for group moderation is a subset of that used by site moderators.   It is driven by the NewsTalkers flagging system which is now engaged for all group articles.   When an item in a group article is flagged, the flag notification will not go to the site moderators but rather to the group moderators.  It is up to the group moderators to determine the course of action for each flag.   Group moderators run their own show (albeit with site moderator oversight).  
If a flag exists for any group in which a member moderates, the personal menu (on the far right under your member name) will have an entry labeled 'Group Flags'.   Clicking on this menu item will present the Group Moderator - Flagged Items panel:

This panel allows the group moderator to see all flags for all groups the member moderates.    From this panel the group moderator can go to the comment (or article) flagged and look at the context.   Alternatively, the group moderator could click the Comment button to see the comment without navigating to its hosting article.   Ultimately the group moderator will either issue a Ticket or Allow the comment (or article) to stand as it.   The Allow button disables the flag and removes it from the list.   The Ticket button provides a form showing the comment, allowing the group moderator to edit if needed, and lets the group moderator select the offense.   

Any changes to the comment will appear in the article.  The offense will be shown (along with the name of the issuing group moderator) on the lower right of the comment.   For this example, here is how the issued ticket looks in the article:

All tickets issued by group moderators are warnings.   However, comment contents may be deleted and the group owner might, at some point, remove a repeat offender from the group.
Private Groups

Groups can be made private (as before).   Private groups do not have the ability to promote to the front page.   They remain isolated in their own private chamber.   However the articles within private groups now have flagging and group moderation functionality if the group wishes to use it.
]]> Sat, 25 Aug 2018 00:38:42 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1723/guide-to-threads http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1723
Threads

Comments on an article tend to split into threads of discussion.   A thread is a topic comment along with its set of reply comments.    The topic comment typically focuses on an aspect of the article and, properly done, the replies would do likewise.   The current hierarchic structure of NewsTalkers facilitates threads by organizing comments into a basic hierarchy as shown below: 

Using the diagram as a reference, here we have three top level comments: 1, 2, and 3.   Each would be directly addressing the article and each might focus on a distinct aspect.   For example if the article was about renewable energy, the first comment might focus on political aspects, the second on environmental concerns and the third on technological feasibility.   In this example, comment 3 has 5 replies - comments 3.1 through 3.5.   Comment 3 along with comments 3.1→3.5 are a thread.     Note that comment 3.1 and 3.3 also have their own structures.   These replies mean 3.1 and 3.3 are themselves topic comments for distinct threads.    In all, the above structure has three threads:  3:     3.1→3.5 
3.1:  3.1.1→3.1.2
3.3:  3.3.1→3.3.6
Threads have been in use on NT for a while, but up to now they have simply been a way to organize the ' threads of discussions ' within an article.   The new threads functionality takes advantage of the existing structure to give new benefits to users.
Collapsible Threads and Browser Performance

Browsers are limited in resources.   The more comments accumulated in an article the longer it takes for the browser to prepare the article for use.   The delay is mostly the time it takes to download comments from the server coupled with the time spent by the browser to prepare the comments for viewing.   The more comments downloaded and shown, the slower the operation.  The best way to deal with this situation is to work with fewer comments.   This is where collapsible threads become quite powerful.  Collapsing a thread means shrinking it down to its topic comment.   If we collapsed thread 3.3 in the above graphic, comments 3.3.1 through 3.3.6 would disappear leaving only comment 3.3.   
A user would typically collapse a thread when the user has read it and no longer wants to see it.   Once a thread is collapsed, the system remembers the user's request and will leave it collapsed until the user decides to expand it ( exceptions to this discussed later ).    When the user later returns to the article, the collapsed threads are not even downloaded from the server thus the user saves all the processing time and the article loads (typically substantially) quicker.  If the user has collapsed a thread but then has a change of heart, that is easily remedied.   The user can expand any thread at any time.   If the comments within the thread have not been downloaded they will be dynamically retrieved from the server and shown to the user.   In result, collapsing a thread offers no loss to the user but provides a great potential gain in performance.
Collapsing and Expanding Threads

There is nothing difficult about collapsing and expanding a thread.   Basically this involves a single mouse click.    When the user looks at comments some will show a plus icon ( ) others will show a minus icon ( ) and the rest will show no icon at all.   The meaning is as follows:

Expand :    Click to show  comments; the newly shown comments are the replies for this thread comment.
Collapse :   Click to hide  comments; the newly hidden comments are the replies for this thread comment. ( no icon ):  Means this comment has no replies.  It is not a thread, just a normal comment. In an article, these symbols appear next to the avatar and to the left of the Like button:   Comment 1 has one reply (1.1).   Comment 1.1 also has one reply (1.1.1) but this is not showing (but the count is showing).   If you click on the   button it will expand (even if the system has to retrieve from the server).   Similarly, if you click on the   button for comment 1, comment 1.1 (and its comments if showing) will be collapsed and the button for 1 will turn into a  . Note :  if you see this symbol (   ) after you press a   that simply means the system is loading your requested comments from the server.   This symbol continues until the comments are on your machine and ready for use. Explicit Expand and Collapse
When a user presses the   or   button, the system treats that as an explicit command.  It will attempt to keep the explicitly expanded or collapsed threads true.   But there are situations that affect this. First exception situation is when the user creates a new REPLY comment.   If a user replies to a collapsed thread (by REPLY ing to the topic comment) the system will automatically expand the thread.   This is necessary because the new reply cannot be shown unless the thread is expanded (showing its comments).    Second exception is that all threads containing a currently tracked comment will be expanded.   Basically if your tracker contains comments, the system ensures that the tracked comments are available to you when you go to the article.   To stop this automatic expansion, simply cease or discard in your tracker. The third exception is when you open an article using a link to a comment.   When this is done, the thread containing the target comment is automatically expanded. Effective Use of Collapsible Threads
The main idea is to collapse all threads that you have read (or are done with).   Collapsing a thread makes it easier to navigate around the comments you are interested in reading, but also dramatically saves system resources.   The more collapsed threads the faster your browser will operate.    Given the tracker, you can aggressively collapse threads and not miss anything.  If a new comment is posted to a thread you have collapsed, the system will automatically expand the thread.   So the net result is a win-win.   You can tuck away comments that you no longer need to see, boost your browser's performance and not miss anything. When an article reaches a certain size (configured by the site) the system will automatically start collapsing the least recently used threads.   These will typically be threads you would want collapsed, but if not you can stop this.  If you explicitly expand a thread, it will remain expanded until you explicitly collapse it (unless one of the above exceptions apply).   That is, the system does not automatically collapse threads that you have explicitly expanded. ]]> Sun, 22 Jul 2018 13:15:22 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1694/notes-on-new-moderator-functionality http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1694
Moderators now have a support system to automate most of the manual work that has taken place behind the scenes.   The new system will be largely transparent to members - especially if one is never suspended.   Most of the new functionality will only be seen (and used) by the moderators.
The most visible change to members will be the flagging icons (and behavior), the new moderation area and the ticket status function.
 
Flagging

The flagging icons and behavior are as follows:

Available .   Flagging is available.   A red flag indicates that you can flag the associated item.   Clicking on this flag offers the usual menu where you can indicate the reason for the flag.   Once a flag is issued for an item it is considered flagged .
Flagged .   Flag has been issued.   A lowered green flag indicates that you have flagged the associated item.   Now it is up to the moderators to rule on the flag.   They will either accept the flag and issue a ticket to the author (rule in favor of the flag) or they will accept the item as is (rule against the flag).   In either case, no further flagging will be available for this item once a mod has acted.   When a moderator has ruled, the flagging for this item (site-wide) will be disabled .
Disabled .   Flagging is no longer possible.   A lowered grey flag indicates that you can no longer flag this item. Note that a flag icon may not even appear on some items.   For example, you will never see a flag on any of the articles ( i.e. the article itself, not its comments ) or comments you have authored.    Also, items that have grown stale (from prior months) will no longer have a flag icon.   Moderation
In the past, moderation comments were accomplished by moderators editing the offending comment and inserting 'purple ink' along with the initials of the moderator.   With the new system, moderators are still free to edit comments and insert notes as they see fit.   However, there is a special area (where the flags reside) that holds the ruling of the moderator and the name of the moderator who has acted.   Thus when a moderator acts on a comment, the ruling and moderator name will appear in purple on the lower right corner of the comment.   Purple ink in the body of the comment will be on an exception basis. There are two symbols indicating the nature of the ruling:
Violation .   This symbol notes that the associated item has violated the CoC.   In result, points have been added towards a potential suspension.
Warning .   This indicates that the item has a problem as noted, but this has no points associated with it and thus does not lead to a suspension.   Ticket Function 
Members now have a way to check to see if they have outstanding tickets and to investigate same.   If a mod has issued a ticket (ruled in the favor of a flag) your comment will have something in the moderator area (lower right corner) with a violation ( ) or warning ( ) icon.    If you have at least one ticket you will see a Tickets menu item (and a number in parenthesis) under your name (in the user menu on the far right).   The number is the current number of active tickets.    When you select the Tickets item you will be presented with a list of tickets as shown below: This shows the date of the ticket, the offense (deemed by the mod), the moderator and the article or comment to which this ticket applies.   You can click on the article and will go directly to the item.   You can also click on the Comment button (on the far right) to see the comment.   The comment button has the added advantage of showing you the original comment to compare with the moderated comment (if the comment was edited by a mod).   That way if the mod removed content you can see the portion of your comment that was removed. Note that if you have accumulated enough tickets to warrant a suspension, this panel will let you know.   In the upper right corner, if you see the message:   ( you are up for suspension )   then a mod at any time could authorize a suspension.   Suspension
Suspensions will work the same as always.   That is, the decision to suspend will be made explicitly by a moderator.   The key difference is that all record keeping and administrative tasks are now automated.   Suspension email messages are automatically generated and will include a list of all outstanding tickets that contributed to the suspension.   In addition, suspension (and expiration of same) are handled automatically including the email message informing the member that the suspension is now over. ]]> Mon, 25 Jun 2018 23:46:44 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1673/guide-to-the-publisher http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1673
Why Do We Need A Publisher?

NewsTalker’s underlying platform provides native support for three types of articles:  Blog, Discussion and Group Discussion.   Blogs are for authors (or columnists) to produce and publish original content.   Discussions, in contrast, are less formal.   A discussion can be original content or it can be a seed.   A seed is an article whose original content was written by a third party author.   Seeds always reference the original content with a link.    Group discussions are like discussions except that these are localized within a group.   Only group members can participate in group discussions.
The three types of articles are handled very differently by the platform.   This makes it difficult (especially for new members) to figure out how to publish articles on NT.    It also makes it difficult to access one’s collected works.
The publisher unifies the three types of articles (blogs, discussion and group discussions) into a single concept – an article.   It provides a central spot to manage one’s collected works and to create, update, delete, lock, unlock and discard articles.
Publisher Menu


On the main menu you will find a Publish menu item to the right of Track.   This menu provides four options: Collection: Manage your collected works
Discussion: Create a new article as a discussion
Blog: Create a new article as a blog
Group Discussion: Create a new article as a discussion with a group.
The Discussion, Blog and Group Discussion options are largely self-explanatory and will be treated later.     We will begin with the first menu item:  Collection.
Collection

Collection is basically one’s collected works on NT.   It is your NT ‘book shelf’.   It holds all ( up to a maximum of 500 most recent articles ) blogs, discussions and group discussions and provides a convenient means to manage your collected works.

 At the top right are three buttons to sort the collection in various ways: By Recent – Reverse chronological order by update date and time
By Title – Alphabetically by Title
By Type – Grouped by article type (blog, discussion, group discussion). Within each type, original content work will appear before seeds .
Click a button and the collection will be sorted accordingly.
Each item in the collection is an article.   The image is the identifying image for the article.   Click on this image to navigate to the published article (where others can add comments). 
The action buttons are on the right - one set of buttons for each article.   The buttons are as follows: Lock – Lock the article. (When an article is locked, this button will read as ‘Unlock’)
Update – Navigate to the update page to edit this article
Discard – Remove this article from the collection. (The article will still exist.)
Delete – Permanently delete the article.
The Discard function only affects the Collection.   If you discard an article it will no longer appear in the Collection.   It still exists and can be accessed through history (or other means).  Discard is useful when you have articles that you no longer want on your ‘bookshelf’ but you do not want to throw them away.    If you change your mind, simply edit the discarded article and check the ‘Add to Collection’ field.

Creating an Article

The remaining main menu functions enable creating a new article as a discussion, blog or group discussion.   The functionality is largely the same for all three, so we will focus on the most common usage – the discussion.
When you click on the Discussion menu item the system provides an empty form for you to create your new discussion:

The fields are mostly self-explanatory, so we will skip to the ‘Seed URL’ field.   This is where you paste the URL of the external original work you wish to seed into NT.   This must be a fully qualified URL (e.g. https://www.somedomain.com/somearticle.html ).   By including a URL you implicitly inform the system that this is a seed (rather than original content).   In turn, the system will wrap this URL into a button on your article that offers a convenient (and obvious) way for your readers to go to the seeded article.  The actual button is shown below:

If you leave the ‘Seed URL’ field blank (for discussions), the system will consider this original content and will include it as your most recent work in the Columnists section on the home page.
The ‘Add to Collection’ field is automatically checked.   Leave it checked and this article will be included in your collected works.   Uncheck this field if you do not wish this article to be in your collected works.   Usually one will leave this checked.
The ‘Article Image’ field is where you select the image that identifies your article.   All three types of articles now can associate a distinguished image.
Updating an Article

With the Publisher, every request to update an article will bring you to the unified forms of the Publisher.    Here is what will show when you hit the update (gear) or press the Update button on the Collection:

Summary

Blog, discussion and group discussion are the three types of articles supported by NT and the Publisher.   The Publisher unifies the treatment so that everything is logically an article.    It also provides main menu access to create a new article and to manage existing articles via the Collection.

]]> Tue, 22 May 2018 17:10:51 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1512/guide-to-the-new-comment-structure http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1512
One Newstalkers’ objective is a comment structure that encourages discussion and debate.   Oddly, many sites have resorted to strict linear comments 1, 2, 3, … n.  (In part because this is very easy to implement.)  Each new comment simply falls at the end of the list.   This works fine for small discussions but does not scale.   Very quickly, people lose track of who is responding to whom.
Threaded Comments

One solution to the scaling problem is to provide what is called ‘threaded’ comments.   Threaded comments offer a link from a comment to the comment it has replied to.   This is very helpful, but as the list grows it still is difficult to follow a stream of comments.   To mitigate this, comments are often organized into a hierarchy.   This produces ‘threads’ where each thread is defined by a root comment whose children comprise the thread.   For example, a root comment with an id of 3 would define a thread where all children start with 3.  (e.g. 3.1, 3.2, …).   Note that sub-threads are also possible.   3.2 could define a sub-thread consisting of 3.2.1, 3.2.2, …

The hierarchic structure of comments as shown above is a great way to allow comments to self-organize but it too has limits.   After three or four levels it is difficult to comprehend the structure and thus is a new way for people to get lost in the comments.   
Hybrid Hierarchy

NewsTalkers’ underlying platform offers a hierarchic structure of threaded comments.  This is what has been in place since inception.   The move to make this structure more easily understood has required two development efforts:  phase I and phase II.   Phase I focused on presentation.  It limited the nesting of comments as presented to three levels (even though the hierarchy goes well past three levels).  It also introduced hierarchic numbering (e.g. 3.2.5) to give information on where the comments are within the structure.   
Phase II introduced a hybrid approach.   Under phase II, comments are organized into a hierarchy for the first two levels.   After that, the comments form a simple list.   Every new comment falls at the end of the list.   In result, the NT phase II comment structure is now a hierarchy of lists as shown below.

The level three (and beyond) comments (green) are sequentially numbered.   The next REPLY to comment 3.3 (in the above example) or to any comment whose ID starts with 3.3 will be 3.3.7.   
Summary

The transformation of NewsTalkers’ comment structure is now complete.   All comments that have a single id number (e.g. 1, 2, 3 …) or have two id numbers (e.g. 3.1, 3.2, …) are organized in a strict hierarchy.    Comments below that will all have no more than three id numbers (e.g. 3.4.2) and will be linearly ordered under their parent sub-thread (in this case, 3.4).
]]> Mon, 15 Jan 2018 02:53:37 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1480/guide-to-the-tracker http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1480
What is a Tracker?

A tracker is a mechanism built within a discussion forum that tracks comment activity and presents a custom record of this tracking for each user.  The tracker is based on the idea that each user wants to follow activity on one or more articles (a discussion or a blog).  
With a tracker, a user can quickly identify the new comments across all articles the user is following.
Following Articles


To track, a user must first register interest in an article (a discussion or a blog).   This is called ‘ following’ the article.   For discussions (not blogs) one can explicitly register interest by clicking the Discussion Notification button in the upper right corner of a discussion.   This tells the system that you are interested in being notified of comment activity in this discussion.    This button is a toggle, so if you click again, you will un-follow.
Another way to follow an article is to enter a comment.  The system will automatically recognize you as following the article.  
Once you are following an article (either implicitly or explicitly) every new comment made on the article by other users will be tracked for you.
Tracker Page

The new menu item (to the right of home) is labeled Trackers .   If you go to the tracker page you will find two columns:  Current and History .   The Current column holds the actively tracked comments.   This is what we commonly label ‘the tracker’.   The History column also is doing a form of tracking, but in this case it is tracking the history of discussions and comments.
The tracker (Current column) makes it easy to jump back into articles and pick up where you left off without missing any of the activity.   The lists in the History column are good for finding items you have already visited.
Our focus for the balance of this document is on the tracker-proper – the Current column.
Tracking Comments in Articles

The tracker column looks like this:
 
The tracker organizes recent comments by article with the most recent comments appearing first.  Further, it organizes the articles into two categories:   Authored Discussions and Followed Discussions .
Authored articles (discussions or blogs) are those you either authored or seeded into NT.  In both cases, you are considered the NT author.    Followed articles are those you did not author but are tracking (following).
Each article profiles information for you to recognize the subject matter.  The comments you are tracking are listed below the article profile.   You can click on the article to go directly to its content (if you wish to re-read).   You can also click on a listed comment to navigate directly to that comment in the article.
The tracker will provide the tracked comments for an article in a scrollable list.    Each tracked comment shows the comment author, action (‘ posted ’ or ‘ replied ’) and a sense of the content.  The term ‘replied’ is used when the comment is directly replying to a comment you made.



Cease and Discard

Each article in the tracker provides two buttons:  Cease and Discard .   These buttons manage your personal tracking for the article.   Clicking Cease will remove all comment tracks for the article and un-follow the article.   When you have lost interest in an article, click Cease .   (You can always follow the article again if you later change your mind – just go back and enter a comment.)
Discard , in contrast, simply forgets your current tracked comments.  You are still following the article, so any new activity on the article will be tracked.
Tracked comments are controlled by the user.   They will stay on your tracker until you discard them, cease tracking or explicitly un-follow the article.   You can explore one article (even in part), return to the tracker and explore comments in another article and then return to the first article.   Your tracked comments will stick around until you are done with them.
Using the Tracker

The value of a populated tracker is that it serves as the master index into comments you are most likely interested in reading.  When you click on a tracked comment, the system will bring up the article and position you directly to the comment.   It will also automatically bring in the Navigator tool.

Navigator

A tracked article looks the same as any other article except for a few features.    First, every tracked comment will highlight the avatar of its author.   In result, you could manually scroll down the comment list looking for highlighted comments.
Another option is to use the Navigator.   The Navigator is controlled by the Navigator button (on the right).   This button has two parts.   The top part navigates up (previous) and the bottom part navigates down (next).   If you press the control key ( CTRL ) while clicking the Navigator, it will navigate to the first (top part) or last (bottom part) tracked comment.  If you have scrolled and simply want to return to the current tracked comment, press the SHIFT key while clicking the Navigator.
There will always be a current comment.   The current comment is the last one the navigator took you to.  (By default, this is the first tracked comment in the article.)    This means that you can scroll up and down the list of comments without losing your place.   The Navigator will always remember the current tracked comment.
When you click on the Navigator to navigate to a comment, the target comment will be highlighted in its entirety. 
The Navigator will stop when it runs out of comments.   When this happens, the Navigator will show gray for the direction that is exhausted.   This is simply a visual clue that there are no more tracked comments to be found.
Summary

The tracker consists of three parts:   Following ,  Tracking and Navigation .   One follows an article by explicitly clicking the Discussion Notify button on a discussion or by simply entering a comment.    Tracked comments will be marshaled by the system and presented to you in the Current column under the Trackers menu item.   This is where you manage tracked comments ( cease and discard ) and how you go to the comments (and articles) of interest.
Once in a tracked article, the Navigator will provide highlights and custom navigation to help you focus on the tracked comments.

Appendix:  How to Start Using the Tracker

If you would like to cut to the chase and just see the basics in action, then do this: Go to an article of interest (a discussion, group discussion or blog).
Enter a comment.   (You are now officially tracking the article.)

B E   P A T I E N T     Nothing will happen until someone else enters a new comment on your article of interest.
When someone enters a comment you will see it (and the article) on your Tracker page.   
(Menu item 'Trackers').
Note that none of your comments are ever tracked;  only comments by others. 
(You can see your own comments in History.)
Find a desired tracked comment and click on it.
You will be taken to that comment in the article.
Each new comment in the article will have a highlight around its avatar to show it is new.
]]> Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:12:49 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1422/newstalkers-comment-structure http://thenewstalkers.com/tig/blog/1422
A few new members (especially ex-viners accustomed to NV's structure) have questions regarding the structure of comments in NewsTalkers.   The questions are fair, so here is a description of what is going on under the covers (and, importantly, why).
Threaded Comments

NewsTalkers is built on a sophisticated (and powerful) web platform.   Beyond the mechanics required to be a website, the platform provides quite a bit of user-facing functionality.   One piece of functionality is what is known as a 'threaded comment' structure.   Threaded structures are critical for sites that engage in serious discussion and debate.   The diagram below depicts, by example, the threaded comment structure currently implemented in NT. 

Basically this is a simple hierarchy of comments.   The hierarchy is formed by the REPLY.   That is, if you REPLY to a comment, your new comment becomes a 'child' comment.   Per the above graphic, if you are the first to REPLY to comment number 3, your comment will be 3.1.   The next REPLY to 3 is 3.2, and so on.  
The reason why a discussion forum such as NT seeks threaded comments is because threading places the REPLY comments physically near the comment they are replying to (the source comment).   This makes it much easier for readers (and those engaged in the discussion) to follow the discussion thread.  Your 3.1 comment could have been created days after other comments, but the system will insert your 3.1 comment immediately after comment 3.   This is desirable ... to a point.   This nesting of comments -if taken too far- will become confusing.
Phase 1 of 2

NT's threaded comment design consists of two phases.  Phase 1 (already implemented) limits the hierarchy to 4 levels and exposes the hierarchy to the user by giving comments hierarchic numbers.   Thus when NT labels a comment 3.2.3 the user knows that this is a REPLY to comment 3.2 and that comment 3.2 is a REPLY to comment 3.   This (and other features) arrived in phase 1.   
Phase 2 is much more complicated.   In this phase NT will provide a hybrid structure.   The hierarchic numbers will, at a certain level, switch to consecutive numbers.    So what appears as a hierarchic ID followed by ellipses (the  ... ) today will have this structure under phase 2:

The level 4 (and beyond) comments (green) will be sequentially numbered.   So the next REPLY to comment 3.2.3 (in the above example) or to any comment whose ID starts with 3.2.3 will be 3.2.3.7.   ( Note that Phase 1 provided a convenient back reference from a REPLY to its source comment and that will remain no matter how deep things get. )   From a user perspective the ellipses (the ... ) will be replaced with consecutive numbers.   That will be the only difference visually and functionally.  Unfortunately the technical measures required to effect that simple change in appearance are substantial (odd as that seems) so this was deferred to phase 2.
Summary

The current comment structure of NT is phase 1 of a 2 phase implementation.   The remaining piece (a big one) is to move from a simple hierarchy to a hybrid hierarchy.   This will deliver the full design - a threaded comment structure that places REPLYs close to their source comment.   But when the nesting moves from being an advantage to a hindrance, the system will address that by numbering all subsequent comments consecutively.
This blog is open for discussion.

]]> Thu, 30 Nov 2017 01:33:36 -0500