Substantive diaries only. If you don't have at least three solid, original paragraphs, you should probably post a comment in an Open Thread[.]That's 3 solid, original paragraphs. Not an article excerpt and a paragraph of commentary. Not a short listing of what's pissed you off politically today. It took a while for me to adjust to writing "substantive" diaries when I first joined. It's taken me even longer to adjust to writing for the front page. But the best way to learn is to read the substantive diaries on the site. During my first few months here, I devoured every word of the most prolific and celebrated authors. Today, you can click "subscribe" and follow every diary from your favorite writers. Don't emulate their style--create your own style, for each user brings something unique to the site. But emulate the level of substance they demonstrate, the quality of their analysis. In short, don't settle for Post-It note size diaries.
In the Land of DKos, linkage is a marvelous thing, my friends. Sourcing is sublime. Thoroughness is next to godliness.
My rule of thumb is that if my work isn't good enough to be printed as a letter to the editor, it isn't good enough to put on this site. Simple as that....
Read carefully. I screwed up tonight because I didn't read carefully. Unfortunately, some people do it all the time, and never admit their error....
Be scrupulous about sources ... it's the biggest problem with some diaries, so I'm just amplifying it.
These are some great tips. I'll add one more: Always do some due diligence. Is your topic old news? Is there already a diary on the topic? Have you investigated every obvious angle? For example, if you find a politician doing something you find objectionable, be prepared to find the same thing objectionable if it turns out your favorite elected leader supports your target of enmity.
I make all of these mistakes myself and am striving to be a better diarist. If you'd like to join me on that journey, I'd be honored.
Feel free to post other suggestions in the comments - down the road, I'll compile everything into a comprehensive "best practices" sticky diary.
Well, we don't really have open threads on RK, so sometimes diaries are usefull. For example, my latest diary on Novak and Gilmore seems to have sparked some interest even thought it is a short diary.
The problem over at DKos is that they get hundreds of diaries a day, so the good ones scroll down too fast, I don't think until we get to that point we need a "diary cop".
I vote for let it slide for now.
That way, the more people are chatting, the more inspiration and news and ideas bubble up into more substantial diaries.
I take pride in my photographs, as a lot of people here do with theirs. It would be a shame to get the negative publicity of finding tons of hotlinked images on this site.
It has bothered me for a long time. I have a photo service, so even if I 'borrow' a photo from somewhere (a commercial/political site), I first post it on my page at Smugmug.
Let's all do what we can to respect the property rights of others.