We scatter clues to our personal brand all over Daily Kos, through usernames, signature lines, and avatars. Usernames are permanent, but avatars and sig lines can be changed as often as we wish to suit our mood of the moment.
I felt judged the first time I noticed a sig line—it was Meteor Blades’, and reading it was like being spoken to privately: “Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe.” After reading it often, though, I viewed the message as an encouragement that reflects the heart of Daily Kos: Don’t just talk about what you believe, take action! Perhaps my dichotomous reactions are why his was the only one I could recall off-hand when I decided to write about sig lines.
If usernames are labels, and avatars are images, sig lines are our voices conveying individual cadence, tone, and syntax. By elaborating on our politics, professions, and values, they offer a quick punch of personal disclosure. The sig line “Watch out or I'll go get my shovel and unload plant divisions on you!" expands on the warning in Attack Gardener’s username.
Now is the time to celebrate our apt, wacky, informative, and thoughtful sig lines; we need to do it before old profile pages are retired. Sig lines won’t appear on the new profile, although bio text will, where we can always migrate a cherished sig line.
With some help, I’ve unearthed other examples of great sig lines, but I’m counting on you to share even more memorable and quirky ones in the comments ... and to explain your own.
I asked a few people for examples of unforgettable sig lines. True Blue Majority recalled an older one from Rb608 that remains apt: “You can't spell CRAZY without R-AZ.” Smileycreek suggested I look through the comments to Neeta Lind’s memorial story for Jotter, and kos’ send-off to Meteor Blades when he retired. As I skimmed hundreds of comments, noting the sig lines revealed when I scrolled over usernames, I categorized them into genres, such as famous quotes, original sayings, promotions for personal projects or Twitter accounts, and self-description.
Mine is in the first category, though I’ve never been able to choose a bumper sticker because there is no pithy message I wish to permanently attach to my car. My sig line is a quote from Gabriel García Márquez that, to me, is evergreen: “There is always something left to love.”
It became a core truth for me after Lyme disease transformed my life, and I thought there was nothing left to love. Finding what there is to love and focusing my life on that, instead of what I’d lost, was instrumental to my healing from Lyme.
Subsequently, this core truth carried me through the Camp Fire catastrophe and the ensuing two years it’s taken to recreate my home.
Bubbanomics offers a memorable personal saying ("Always rainbow unicorn out my ass happy when I see you”). So does Glen the Plumber, (“We are not broke, we are being robbed”), as well as aoeu (“Let cheeses show you the way. Peace?”). SFBob’s sig line promotes an important fundraiser that tells his personal story. Another sig line also uses a link to provide self-description: Twigg’s links to his biographical 300th Daily Kos story, “Who is twigg?” N in Seattle, who joined in 2003, cites his low user ID so we know he is an OG: “I'll always be UID: 180, even if Markos tries to pry it away.”
What memorable sig lines can you recall? What is yours, and why did you choose it? Do you ever change your sig line to emphasize different ideas as your interests change? Tell us in the comments; I’ll share some in my next roundup edition, on July 10.
Reading for Community Spotlight these past years, I’ve grown familiar with the names of Community writers who appear regularly in our blog of rescued stories. Perhaps you’ve come to recognize repeated names from reading these roundups since our first edition last September. We’re always pleased to find new names, whether people who either joined recently or who finally took the plunge and posted their own story.
This week, three of the writers have been rescued previously this year. Skralyx appeared most recently in April, Jazzmaniac in May, and LimeyExpatDave in January. We also have two stories from the same author—oldmanriver elaborating on his proposal to turn Alaska blue by adding 20,000 more Democratic voters. Other stories cover beer and opera, grassroots organizing to mitigate voter suppression, a celestial phenomenon, religious freedom, a historic 1971 day in NYC, and two personal stories.
Read the blurbs below to discover Community gems you missed.
Venus and Mars are hosting a sunset after-party in June and July: A race to Regulus! by skralyx describes an apparent two-planet race to reach the bright star Regulus, in the constellation Leo. “Who will get to Regulus first? Mars has the lead now, but dusk after dusk, speedy Venus will keep closing the gap. And just when you think you’ve got this contest figured out, there’s a surprise ending….” The author goes on to explain the rare planetary alignments creating this celestial show. Skralyx, who joined in 2005, has written 423 stories, with at least 42 rescues.
"Early last month, I saw something akin to product placement … in an art form that is at the total opposite of popular appeal, compared to movies and TV.” Friday Night Beer Blog: Produktplazierung edition is 3CM’s lighthearted look at a COVID-19-compliant production of Bizet's Carmen, a show that might not be to purists' tastes, but was nonetheless worth watching. The product placement of three types of local beer inspired the author to check out the brews and their respective breweries. The author joined in 2005 and has written 718 stories, with at least 53 rescued.
In Freedom of religion: A primer for churches, LimeyExpatDave discusses what the Constitution really delineates as freedom of religion. “The guarantee of your freedom to practice your faith is one of the most precious things guaranteed to you in America. Unfortunately many of you seem to be unaware of some of the implications of this freedom or of the fact that it is equally guaranteed to others. Similarly you seem to have a bit of blind spot when it comes to what this guarantee prohibits you from doing. Let me help you out a bit.” LimeyExpatDave joined in 2008 and has written 46 stories, with at least two rescued.
Snowboard reports on grassroots organizing to make voter suppression mitigation a year-round activity in Juneteenth special report on Georgia voter suppression mitigation canvass. The campaigns include texting about voter suppression, canvassing to ask people if they have the required type of voter ID, and helping them acquire ID if they don’t. Snowboard joined in 2005 and has written 44 stories. This may be their first rescue.
Five years ago, because of the ACA, jazzmaniac had healthcare coverage for the first time in a decade, and could afford going to the emergency room. In Five years ago today I should have died. The ACA made sure I didn't, the author recalls, "I felt an odd kind of weakness, as though I was walking in a swimming pool up to my neck." Thanks to the ACA, he was in the hospital when his mitral valve failed and he became one of the very lucky few to survive a medical emergency with a 98-99% mortality rate. Jazzmaniac joined in 2003 and has written 170 stories, with at least 12 rescued.
In Occupy Alaska, oldmanriver proposes a Democratic way to influence voting. “Republicans have decided their best chance of getting an edge is voter suppression. It’s anti-democracy to its core. It’s no-holds-barred political war that has been fine-tuned to deliver wins. Democrats, being morally opposed to such actions, will not try to prevent Republicans from voting. We do have one more tool in the toolbox though, and it’s a powerful one. It’s legal, it’s moral, and it can’t be filibustered or gerrymandered. It’s called MOVING.” Oldmanriver joined in 2005, and has written 15 stories, with two rescues, both this week.
In Occupy Alaska: Ground game, oldmanriver walks us through what awaits people who move to Alaska, mainly to Anchorage. It’s the only major city, has modern conveniences, and is a port city in a spectacular setting. It’s still a seasonally cold place, but that’s mitigated somewhat by being near the ocean. If you move there, you get “free” money (oil revenue dividend check); depending on your skillset, you get a better crack at more responsible jobs; housing costs, while not insignificant, are still better than most major U.S. metropolitan areas. And if you like outdoor activities, the setting can’t be beat. The politics can be strange and there’s plenty of rightward skew, but if 20,000 people moved to Anchorage tomorrow and voted for Democrats, the state would flip instantly.
The most highly recommended (over 450 recs) rescued story this week was Today a pair of vocal Republicans joined my golf foursome. I had an insight, I think … by KKwriter. The story delivers exactly what the headline promises. “We and this other couple may be neighbors, but we live in two very different realities. I wanted to reassure them, but is their fear real or a cover for something darker? … They really believe that hordes of … frenzied Black people stormed our cities and set them afire. That the insurrection was a few slightly out of control Trumpers who were no big deal. That the acceptance of transgender and gay people herald the breakdown of decent society. That the Dems have stripped immigration restrictions and many thousands of illegal vagrants now just pour in.” KKwriter joined in 2020 and has written 59 stories. This is their first rescue.
Joseph P Griffith joined and wrote their first story, The last Sunday in June, 1971, on the same day. “What is so rare as a day in June? Well, one 24-hour stretch 50 years ago proved to be one of the most extraordinary June days ever seen in New York.” The author details three separate events: the second annual Gay Pride March marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising; the last concert at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East; and the shooting of Mafioso Joe Colombo at a huge rally for Colombo’s Italian-American Civil Rights League. This is Joseph P Griffith’s first story and first rescue.
I felt judged the first time I noticed a sig line—it was Meteor Blades’, and reading it was like being spoken to privately: “Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe.” After reading it often, though, I viewed the message as an encouragement that reflects the heart of Daily Kos: Don’t just talk about what you believe, take action! Perhaps my dichotomous reactions are why his was the only one I could recall off-hand when I decided to write about sig lines.
If usernames are labels, and avatars are images, sig lines are our voices conveying individual cadence, tone, and syntax. By elaborating on our politics, professions, and values, they offer a quick punch of personal disclosure. The sig line “Watch out or I'll go get my shovel and unload plant divisions on you!" expands on the warning in Attack Gardener’s username.
Now is the time to celebrate our apt, wacky, informative, and thoughtful sig lines; we need to do it before old profile pages are retired. Sig lines won’t appear on the new profile, although bio text will, where we can always migrate a cherished sig line.
With some help, I’ve unearthed other examples of great sig lines, but I’m counting on you to share even more memorable and quirky ones in the comments ... and to explain your own.
I asked a few people for examples of unforgettable sig lines. True Blue Majority recalled an older one from Rb608 that remains apt: “You can't spell CRAZY without R-AZ.” Smileycreek suggested I look through the comments to Neeta Lind’s memorial story for Jotter, and kos’ send-off to Meteor Blades when he retired. As I skimmed hundreds of comments, noting the sig lines revealed when I scrolled over usernames, I categorized them into genres, such as famous quotes, original sayings, promotions for personal projects or Twitter accounts, and self-description.
Mine is in the first category, though I’ve never been able to choose a bumper sticker because there is no pithy message I wish to permanently attach to my car. My sig line is a quote from Gabriel García Márquez that, to me, is evergreen: “There is always something left to love.”
It became a core truth for me after Lyme disease transformed my life, and I thought there was nothing left to love. Finding what there is to love and focusing my life on that, instead of what I’d lost, was instrumental to my healing from Lyme.
Subsequently, this core truth carried me through the Camp Fire catastrophe and the ensuing two years it’s taken to recreate my home.
Bubbanomics offers a memorable personal saying ("Always rainbow unicorn out my ass happy when I see you”). So does Glen the Plumber, (“We are not broke, we are being robbed”), as well as aoeu (“Let cheeses show you the way. Peace?”). SFBob’s sig line promotes an important fundraiser that tells his personal story. Another sig line also uses a link to provide self-description: Twigg’s links to his biographical 300th Daily Kos story, “Who is twigg?” N in Seattle, who joined in 2003, cites his low user ID so we know he is an OG: “I'll always be UID: 180, even if Markos tries to pry it away.”
What memorable sig lines can you recall? What is yours, and why did you choose it? Do you ever change your sig line to emphasize different ideas as your interests change? Tell us in the comments; I’ll share some in my next roundup edition, on July 10.
Remember—this is also tonight’s Open Thread, ready to host your Saturday night comments!
Nine RESCUED STORIES FROM 1 PM PDT JUNE 18 TO 1 PM PDT JUNE 24, 2021
Reading for Community Spotlight these past years, I’ve grown familiar with the names of Community writers who appear regularly in our blog of rescued stories. Perhaps you’ve come to recognize repeated names from reading these roundups since our first edition last September. We’re always pleased to find new names, whether people who either joined recently or who finally took the plunge and posted their own story.
This week, three of the writers have been rescued previously this year. Skralyx appeared most recently in April, Jazzmaniac in May, and LimeyExpatDave in January. We also have two stories from the same author—oldmanriver elaborating on his proposal to turn Alaska blue by adding 20,000 more Democratic voters. Other stories cover beer and opera, grassroots organizing to mitigate voter suppression, a celestial phenomenon, religious freedom, a historic 1971 day in NYC, and two personal stories.
Read the blurbs below to discover Community gems you missed.
Venus and Mars are hosting a sunset after-party in June and July: A race to Regulus! by skralyx describes an apparent two-planet race to reach the bright star Regulus, in the constellation Leo. “Who will get to Regulus first? Mars has the lead now, but dusk after dusk, speedy Venus will keep closing the gap. And just when you think you’ve got this contest figured out, there’s a surprise ending….” The author goes on to explain the rare planetary alignments creating this celestial show. Skralyx, who joined in 2005, has written 423 stories, with at least 42 rescues.
"Early last month, I saw something akin to product placement … in an art form that is at the total opposite of popular appeal, compared to movies and TV.” Friday Night Beer Blog: Produktplazierung edition is 3CM’s lighthearted look at a COVID-19-compliant production of Bizet's Carmen, a show that might not be to purists' tastes, but was nonetheless worth watching. The product placement of three types of local beer inspired the author to check out the brews and their respective breweries. The author joined in 2005 and has written 718 stories, with at least 53 rescued.
In Freedom of religion: A primer for churches, LimeyExpatDave discusses what the Constitution really delineates as freedom of religion. “The guarantee of your freedom to practice your faith is one of the most precious things guaranteed to you in America. Unfortunately many of you seem to be unaware of some of the implications of this freedom or of the fact that it is equally guaranteed to others. Similarly you seem to have a bit of blind spot when it comes to what this guarantee prohibits you from doing. Let me help you out a bit.” LimeyExpatDave joined in 2008 and has written 46 stories, with at least two rescued.
Snowboard reports on grassroots organizing to make voter suppression mitigation a year-round activity in Juneteenth special report on Georgia voter suppression mitigation canvass. The campaigns include texting about voter suppression, canvassing to ask people if they have the required type of voter ID, and helping them acquire ID if they don’t. Snowboard joined in 2005 and has written 44 stories. This may be their first rescue.
Five years ago, because of the ACA, jazzmaniac had healthcare coverage for the first time in a decade, and could afford going to the emergency room. In Five years ago today I should have died. The ACA made sure I didn't, the author recalls, "I felt an odd kind of weakness, as though I was walking in a swimming pool up to my neck." Thanks to the ACA, he was in the hospital when his mitral valve failed and he became one of the very lucky few to survive a medical emergency with a 98-99% mortality rate. Jazzmaniac joined in 2003 and has written 170 stories, with at least 12 rescued.
In Occupy Alaska, oldmanriver proposes a Democratic way to influence voting. “Republicans have decided their best chance of getting an edge is voter suppression. It’s anti-democracy to its core. It’s no-holds-barred political war that has been fine-tuned to deliver wins. Democrats, being morally opposed to such actions, will not try to prevent Republicans from voting. We do have one more tool in the toolbox though, and it’s a powerful one. It’s legal, it’s moral, and it can’t be filibustered or gerrymandered. It’s called MOVING.” Oldmanriver joined in 2005, and has written 15 stories, with two rescues, both this week.
In Occupy Alaska: Ground game, oldmanriver walks us through what awaits people who move to Alaska, mainly to Anchorage. It’s the only major city, has modern conveniences, and is a port city in a spectacular setting. It’s still a seasonally cold place, but that’s mitigated somewhat by being near the ocean. If you move there, you get “free” money (oil revenue dividend check); depending on your skillset, you get a better crack at more responsible jobs; housing costs, while not insignificant, are still better than most major U.S. metropolitan areas. And if you like outdoor activities, the setting can’t be beat. The politics can be strange and there’s plenty of rightward skew, but if 20,000 people moved to Anchorage tomorrow and voted for Democrats, the state would flip instantly.
The most highly recommended (over 450 recs) rescued story this week was Today a pair of vocal Republicans joined my golf foursome. I had an insight, I think … by KKwriter. The story delivers exactly what the headline promises. “We and this other couple may be neighbors, but we live in two very different realities. I wanted to reassure them, but is their fear real or a cover for something darker? … They really believe that hordes of … frenzied Black people stormed our cities and set them afire. That the insurrection was a few slightly out of control Trumpers who were no big deal. That the acceptance of transgender and gay people herald the breakdown of decent society. That the Dems have stripped immigration restrictions and many thousands of illegal vagrants now just pour in.” KKwriter joined in 2020 and has written 59 stories. This is their first rescue.
Joseph P Griffith joined and wrote their first story, The last Sunday in June, 1971, on the same day. “What is so rare as a day in June? Well, one 24-hour stretch 50 years ago proved to be one of the most extraordinary June days ever seen in New York.” The author details three separate events: the second annual Gay Pride March marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising; the last concert at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East; and the shooting of Mafioso Joe Colombo at a huge rally for Colombo’s Italian-American Civil Rights League. This is Joseph P Griffith’s first story and first rescue.
| COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT is dedicated to finding great writing by community members that isn’t getting the visibility it deserves.
An edition of our rescue roundup publishes every Saturday at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) to the Recent Community Stories section and to the front page at 9:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT). |