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Tips on posting
2004-05-26
There are a number of long articles stuck in the holding tank, waiting for someone to release them. Most articles that pause don't stay that long. Here's how you can speed up release:
  1. Keep them on topic. WoT is preferred — I read those articles first.
  2. Keep them short. Most news articles contain the meat in the first few paragraphs, then a lot of background in the remainder of the article, until you get to the piece that the editors wanted to bury. Cut the background part. That makes it easier to grasp the whole thing.
  3. Squish the writer's verbiage. An article made up of 15 1-sentence paragraphs can usually be squished into three 5-sentence paragraphs, and even make more sense. (I know... Sometimes I go overboard...)
  4. Don't post opinion pieces. Even if I agree with them, I'll probably end up letting them die of old age. I'm thinking of putting in an editorial page when I get time, but for now you'll just have to wait.
  5. If it's from a blog, either post the link only, or an excerpt with your discussion of why you think it's important or significant.
  6. Keep to the format. Don't bold your entire text. Insert your hilited comments between paragraphs, rather than in the middle of a sentence.
  7. Lastly, see number 1, above. WoT is preferred, then the ridiculous as a break from WoT, then politix as it applies to WoT.
Posted by:Fred

#14  Phil, I fear that would be our favorite resident "troll" Mucky
(PETA is his life!).
Posted by: Jen   2004-05-27 12:44:33 AM  

#13  #9 badanov
I've noticed that problem on the preview, but it seems to go away when the article posts. (Or maybe the editors are fixing it... who knew?)

OT- Rocky & Bullwinkle Season 1 is out. Boris, you impetuous boy, what will you do?
Posted by: Old Grouch   2004-05-27 12:07:50 AM  

#12  Can someone please explain the fascination of bizzare animal stories, since I don't share the interest. And while you are at it, please explain why people who are interested in the WoT are also interested in the dumb things animals do (perhaps I've answered my own question there ;-))
Posted by: Phil B   2004-05-26 9:43:00 PM  

#11  Fred, if you get a chance, maybe you can post a permanent link to these tips somewhere near the top of the page next to the posting links. As a reminder, or for new posters.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-05-26 6:29:06 PM  

#10   don't and you end up posting to the prior day, and not too many of us go back and read yesterday's Rantburg .

What? I do. I can't stand to miss the late nite trolls.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-05-26 3:48:20 PM  

#9  Fred,

There seems to be a bug in your coding that switches single and double quotes in href tags, which mangles links.

For example, I have seen it where I can use single quotes in one href tag and I get a link that looks like this: http://wwww.rantburg.com/http://somelinkhere.com

When I say it switches, it can happen with single quotes or it can happen with double quotes. So when posting an href tag, posters should be advised to at least test the link before submitting, and if the link appears as above, use the other type quotes.
Posted by: badanov   2004-05-26 2:39:57 PM  

#8  I'm back in town and will be helping to clear posts at the midnight hour, for those of you eager to be first out of the blocks. A couple of minor additions:

a. Get the date right -- if you want it to appear on the new day, after midnight, make sure you use that date. I usually catch it if you don't, but sometimes I don't and you end up posting to the prior day, and not too many of us go back and read yesterday's Rantburg .

b. please include the link. Some of you have been providing nice posts but no link. I don't have time to find them so I leave them for Steve/Dan/Fred. Guess what happens.

c. I can cut an oil, gold or currency post to 1 sentence -- or 0 sentences, whatever Fred prefers. Mark E., please take the hint.

d. Hit the tip jar, for Ethel's sake. She deserves a new pair of shoes.
Posted by: Steve White   2004-05-26 2:26:56 PM  

#7  sense? KCNA? I never thought of using those words in the same sentence...learn something new every day..
Posted by: Frank G   2004-05-26 12:48:52 PM  

#6  The Nuggets are among my favorites, too. We should probably post more KCNA, but it's so hard to find items that actually make a bit of sense...
Posted by: Fred   2004-05-26 12:36:12 PM  

#5  That's Fred Pruitt's cousin, Thread Pruitt. BTW, mark me down as in favor of 95% WoT, 5% politix. I prefer reading "Nuggets from the Urdu press" or "signed editorials" from KCNA to reading rehashed reports of Michael Moore's latest fabrications, or Kerry's poll numbers.
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-05-26 11:41:59 AM  

#4  Oops, I meant thank you Fred.


VERY, VERY embarrassed.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-05-26 10:17:34 AM  

#3  thank you thread, I come here for info on the WOT, and am happy to see your attempt to keep it focused that way. In the next few months the press and many blogs will shift their attention to US domestic politics, making it harder to find military, intell, and other WOT related info. Im glad we'll have Rantburg as an alternative.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-05-26 10:16:58 AM  

#2  Keep them short, don't bold your entire text, WoT preferred.

That means you, Mark E. Enough with the daily oil reports! Thanks, I needed that.
Posted by: Steve   2004-05-26 8:41:26 AM  

#1  okeydoke boss! :)
Posted by: muck4doo   2004-05-26 8:04:07 AM  

00:00