DUmmie FUnnies 09-30-10 (Head DUmmie Skinner is BACK, and with a SURVEY!)

Head DUmmie Skinner goes for months on end running DUmmieland like an absentee landlord. Inevitably, chaos ensues, the inmates get out of hand, they're at each other's throats, and so Skinner feels compelled to drop in and announce that FROM NOW ON, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT! But true to Skinner's indecisive and inconsistent nature, and true to the nature of DUmmies as DUmmies, before long the inmates are running the asylum again. And so it goes.

But that's what we love about the place! Skins's Island is our DUmmie Ant Farm, providing us with HOURS of endless entertainment! Take today's thread, for example. Head DUmmie Skinner announces the Next Big Thing that's going to FIX DUmmieland: The Dynamic DUo, Skinner and his Mini-Me, Assistant Head DUmmie EarlG (the two of them pictured above), are going to be taking a more "hands-on" approach and--ta da!--there's going to be A SURVEY! A "DUmmie Member Attitudes Survey"--yes, that'll fix everything! A bright new DUmmieland, where everybody gets along, is just around the corner! The Big Announcement is here in this THREAD, "Hello, my name is David. I'm one of the administrators here on Democratic Underground." (Skinner's real name is David Allen.)

So let us now peer into our DUmmie Ant Farm and enjoy our own private reality show, "Skins's Island," in Bolshevik Red, while the commentary of yours truly, saying "Hello, my name is Charles Henrickson, I'm one of the humble correspondents here at DUmmie FUnnies," is in the [brackets]:

Hello, my name is David. I'm one of the administrators here on Democratic Underground.

[Skinner! So glad you could drop by! The inmates must have been running a little wild, eh?]

we both once again find ourselves with more time to devote to Democratic Underground. In other words: You'll be seeing us more often from now on.

[They're BACK! Oh, thank Gaia! Now everything will be FINE! The Dynamic DUo, back with a HANDS-ON approach!]

We signed a lease on a new office on Monday, so EarlG and I will be back together in the same room for the first time in three years.

EarlG is back writing the Top 10 Conservative Idiots (at least until the elections in November).

[November, when your Progressive asses get WHIPPED by those Conservative Idiots!]

Tomorrow we will unveil our first-annual Democratic Underground Member Attitudes Survey.

[No, no, this is too much! The Dynamic DUo back, PLUS, a SURVEY?!?! Skinner, you are too good to us!! This is like the Golden Age of Everything dawning upon us from on high!]

The purpose of the survey is to collect some hard data to help us figure out who our members are, and how you feel about Democratic Underground.

[Wow! Skinner and EarlG on the scene, a new Survey, AND Ask the Administrators! It's a Trifecta of Terrificness! DUmmieland is BACK, better than never!]

I know that Democratic Underground has seen some rough patches over the last year. . . .

["Rough patches"? You mean the constant civil war between the Progs and the Obamabots, the inconsistent tombstonings (of the Homo Community) and un-tombstonings (*cough* Pitt *cough*), the Rec/Unrec train wreck, the widely ignored DUmmieland Rules, the Invasion of the Freeper Trolls, etc., etc., etc.? Those rough patches?]

I love this place. There still isn't any other place quite like it on the Internet.

[It's a never-failing comedy goldmine, the mother lode! THANX, Skinner! Now let's hear from your loyal subjects . . .]

"re-open the Ask the Administrators" that forum . . . bled some of the lunacy/emotion from the main forums.

[Impossible. You cannot take the lunacy out of the main forums. That would be like trying to take the water out of the ocean.]

[Push the lever, and you get a food pellet, not an electric shock. Skinner will train you to be good, obedient, little DUmmies.]

Hmm, maybe we should have a Sock Drawer in addition to a hate mailbag. For those "new" DUers who seem eerily familiar.

Skinner and EarlG. . . . These two men apparently had no qualms whatsoever about taking on "traditionally" women's roles - those of being the primary caretaker for their children. That type of enlightenment and male/female equality can only flow into their oversight of this forum.

Welcome back to the forums! Skinner and EarlG! Elad, we love talking to you too. No, I'm not sucking up. You are genuinely thoughtful guys.

[WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! We're gonna have a Survey, we're gonna have a Survey. . . .]

now that dad's back, we probably should clean up a few of those piles of Cheetos that have been strewn about here and there. And maybe stash the blow-up dolls and other assorted toys in the closet.

[Big Brother is watching you. You see that little webcam thingie on your computer? EarlG is looking at you, writing things down, even as we speak.]

[Seek professional help. An appointment in early-to-mid November might be a good idea.]

I love DU. It's weird. . . . The only place I see DU is on this modern boob tube. Nowhere else does it exist.

there are disagreements and genuine conflicts between members due to heartfelt differences and occasional personality clashes, but underneath it all, DU is a true community.

[$kimmer is only $10 away from making a decent living. Press the Donation Lever and get a food pellet.]

Some of us don't really know what function DU serves other than as message board for food fights, where serious discussion is cut off by snark.

[a. DU rocks and Skinner rules!
b. Progressives are cool and freepers drool!
c. Can't we all just get along?
d. All of the above.]

Guess I can cancel my post titled "Please Kick and Rec this thread to make Elad get a vasectomy."

Actually, I don't think the new office is any better. But it doesn't smell like french fries, which is a plus.

[Almost like rival street gangs. The Bloods and the Craps, the Mods and the Off-Their-Rockers. . . .]

Congratulations Mr. Skinner. I will definitely be filling in the survey and look forward to the Ask the Admin feature.

If I might make one small suggestion. Please try and open up your forums to true debate. After my friend told me that he was banned from posts here because he said something critical of the left and positive about conservatives, I have been afraid ever since to say my real feelings out of fear.

if you want to praise conservative positions There's always Free Republic to go to.

Here is the survey:

2010 Member Survey
Thank you for taking the 2010 Democratic Underground Member Survey. The purpose of the survey is to collect some data to help us figure out who our members are, and how you feel about Democratic Underground. We want as many people as possible to take it, so we can get a really good sample. We hope that the results help give us some idea of where we go from here. This survey is open to all active DU members who registered before August 20, 2010 (the date when we first announced the survey).

Please be aware that this survey was not drawn up professionally; it is merely a series of questions that the DU Administrators would like answers to.

Your responses to this survey are anonymous. Neither your username nor any other personally identifiable information will be saved along with your answers, so the administrators will not be able to figure out how you or any other individual responded to the questions. The usernames of members who have taken the survey are saved separately, to ensure that each member takes the survey only one time.

The survey will be available for two weeks, until 11:59 PM Pacific Time, Thursday October 14, 2010. After that time, no more responses will be accepted.

As much as possible, we want the survey to be “fresh” for each member, and we do not want chatter or spin on the site to influence the way people respond. Therefore, while you are permitted to discuss the survey in this thread, the moderators have been instructed to delete any posts about the survey if they are posted anywhere else. This restriction will be lifted once the survey has been completed in two weeks time.

Thank you for taking the time to take our survey.

Member Information
Year you joined Democratic Underground:

2008

Approximate post count (0-9, 10-499, 500-999, 1000-4999, 5000-9999, 10,000+):

1-499

Overall Attitude toward Democratic Underground

Overall, are you satisfied or unsatisfied with Democratic Underground?

Satisfied
Unsatisfied
Don’t know/Other

Over the last year-and-a-half, a number of people have expressed concerns about the state of Democratic Underground, and have been asking for changes to the way it is run. Which of the following comes closest to your opinion?

Democratic Underground ain’t broke. Don’t fix it!
Democratic Underground is mostly fine. Some minor changes would help.
Democratic Underground is broke. Something significant needs to be done to fix it.
Don’t know/Other

What do you like most about Democratic Underground? (One thing only. 200 character maximum. Be as brief as possible.)

What do you dislike most about Democratic Underground? (One thing only. 200 character maximum. Be as brief as possible.)

Which of the following is closest to your opinion about the type of website Democratic Underground should be?

Democratic Underground should be a safe haven for Democrats only.
Democratic Underground should be a safe haven for committed progressives only, regardless of political party.
Democratic Underground should be a safe haven for Democrats who are generally progressive, and other progressives who support Democratic candidates.
Democratic Underground should welcome all kinds of Democrats, and all kinds of progressives.
Don’t know/Other

Political Attitudes and Alignment

Do you consider yourself a Democrat?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Do you consider yourself to be politically liberal or progressive?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way President Obama is doing his job?

Approve
Disapprove
Don’t know/Other

Would you support a challenger to President Obama in the 2012 Democratic presidential primary?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

If President Obama is the Democratic nominee for president in 2012, do you intend to vote for him in the general election?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Which of the following is closest to your opinion about the two major political parties?

There are important differences between Democrats and Republicans.
Both major parties are basically the same.
Don’t know/Other

Which of the following is closest to your opinion about Barack Obama and George W. Bush?

There are important differences between Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
Both presidents are basically the same.
Don’t know/Other

Which of the following comes closest to explaining how you vote in general elections?

I usually vote for the Democratic candidate — the only left-of-center candidate capable of defeating the Republican alternative.
I usually “vote my conscience” in favor of the left-of-center candidate from any party that comes closest to my values.
Don’t know/Other

Attitudes toward Forum Administration and Moderation

IMPORTANT: When answering the following questions, please keep in mind that the ultimate responsibility for how the discussion forum is moderated and administered lies with the DU administrators. The administrators provide the moderators with detailed instructions about how the DU rules should be interpreted, which posts should be removed, and how the forum should be moderated. The actions of the DU moderators should be seen (as much as possible) as reflecting the will of the DU administrators.

The character of a discussion forum often depends on how actively the discussions are moderated. Some people prefer that forums be actively moderated, to try to keep the discussions relatively civil and promote thoughtful interactions between participants. Other people prefer less active moderation, so members have greater freedom to express themselves, even if uncivil or disruptive postings are more common. Which of the following is closest to your opinion?

I believe that Democratic Underground should be more actively moderated than it currently is.
I believe that Democratic Underground should be less actively moderated than it currently is.
I believe the moderating on Democratic Underground is just about right.
Don’t know/Other

Overall, do you feel that Democratic Underground bans too many people, not enough people, or an appropriate number?

Too many people
Not enough people
An appropriate number of people
Don’t know/Other

Democratic Underground gives members the ability to inform moderators about potential problems by clicking the “Alert” link on any post. When an alert is sent, the moderators always evaluate the post and decide whether to take action. Quite often, however, nobody will alert on posts that violate our rules. Which is closest to your opinion of how these posts should be handled?

If nobody sends an alert on a particular post, it is safe to assume that nobody wants the moderators to get involved. Moderators should evaluate posts and take action ONLY IF a member sends an alert.
A rule violation is a rule violation; it should not matter if someone sends an alert. Moderators should pro-actively search for potential problems, and should take action even if nobody sends an alert.
Don’t know/Other

Would you like to be able to hide your posts from other DU members you consider abusive (and similarly let other DU members hide their posts from you)?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other
Has forum moderation that you perceive to be overly active or unfair caused you to participate less on Democratic Underground than you would like?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Have uncivil or disruptive DU members caused you to participate less on Democratic Underground than you would like?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Have attacks against President Obama or Democrats caused you to participate less on Democratic Underground than you would like?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Has hostility toward criticism of President Obama or Democrats caused you to participate less on Democratic Underground than you would like?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Should Democratic Underground require that all criticism of President Obama or Democrats be constructive?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Should there be any limits on what insults or attacks members can post about President Obama or Democrats on Democratic Underground?

Yes, there should be limits on such insults or attacks.
No, members should be able to post whatever they like about President Obama or Democrats.
Don’t know/Other

Currently, Democratic Underground does not permit members to advocate voting against Democrats, or in favor of third-party candidates (except in rare cases). Should members be permitted to support left-of-center third-party candidates on Democratic Underground, even in races where Democrats are running?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Overall, do you think you understand the DU rules?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Do you feel that the DU rules are difficult to follow?

Yes
No
Don’t know/Other

Is there anything else you would like to tell the DU Administrators? (200 character maximum. Be as brief as possible.)

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