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Frequently Asked Questions
 

What is Discordia?

  • What is a blog?
  • Is Discordia different from other blogs I've seen?
  • What are Discordia's topics for discussion?
  • Is it basically like a web site with a mail forum?
  • With so many mailing lists already devoted to art, media, politics, theory, what is the point of yet another discussion forum?
  • Do weblogs like Discordia aim to replace mailing lists altogether?
  • Who is Discordia for?
  • Who developed Discordia?
  • Who are the current Discordia editors?
  • Why does the Discordia project have a .us top level domain name?
  • Who hosts Discordia?
  • Is all this only in English?
  • Sometimes things appear to change unexpectedly on the site, why does that happen?
  • What plans are there for the future of Discordia?
  • How can I help Discordia continue?

  • How can I participate in Discordia?
    About Discordia's structure and sections...


    What is Discordia?

    Discordia is an experiment in social filtering, collaborative moderation and different styles of communication. In order to try out how software structures influence discussion, Discordia is a weblog - also known as a blog.


    What is a blog?

    Attempts to define a blog, or weblog, are currently proliferating all over the Internet. What interests us is the open publishing aspect of blogging (similar to Indymedia) combined with community moderating (similar to Slashdot). We think this structure has the potential to promote more open discussions and a more fruitful exchange of ideas.

    Is Discordia different from other blogs I've seen?

    Most blogs only post stories written by the editor or editors. Some blogs allow readers to post comments about stories, and some allow users to submit stories to editors, who then decide what stories get posted. But very few blogs allow readers to decide for themselves what stories get posted - peer moderation. On Discordia, readers submit stories into a moderation queue, and other readers decide what stories get posted. Examples of other peer moderated weblog sites are Indymedia and Kuro5hin.


    What are Discordia's topics for discussion?

    While the overall emphasis of Discordia revolves broadly around art, media, activism and theory, the blog structure is intended to provide more scope for looking at where the boundaries blur and tie into each other and also into different areas. The emphasis on filtering is intended to look at how ideas change and evolve when they are filtered through different perspectives, confronted with unexpected questions, treated in different styles of communication.


    Is it basically like a web site with a mail forum?

    Yes and no. As a blog, Discordia features a combination of stories and comments. Some content is invited by our editors and/or guest hosts, so in that way it has some similarity to a mail forum (such as Telepolis). Based on the principle of open publishing, however, anyone registered as a user can submit a story to Discordia, but other users vote to decide whether it appears on the site or not. As with a mail forum, users can comment on any story or on previous comments to a story. With Discordia users are also invited to rate comments, though, and select which kind or how many comments they want to read.


    With so many mailing lists already devoted to art, media, politics, theory, what is the point of yet another discussion forum?

    Mailing lists tend to favor an essay-type style of writing and/or a statement-rebuttal type of communication because of their linear structure. Discordia uses the blog structure and different sections to encourage shorter posts and different styles of communication. Since this structure enables prioritizing, it should also be easier to follow and combine various topics.

    Another thing - if you're as overwhelmed by mailing lists constantly bombarding your inbox as some of us are, we hope you'll appreciate the way you can come and go to Discordia at your leisure. It's sort of like one of those hot/cold media differentiations. Mailing list posts come to you; with a weblog, you go to it.


    Do weblogs like Discordia aim to replace mailing lists altogether?

    Mailing lists have become such a standard instrument in every area of life, it is not likely that they would be easy to replace. They have limitations, though. Some of the problems mailing lists encounter include domination by a few members with more time than fresh ideas, spamming (flooding the list with petitions, forwarded messages, etc.), trolling (disruptive behavior). Discussions may be choked by a plethora of announcements or excessive self-promotion. It is often difficult to find the right balance between moderation and openness. Based on past experience, Discordia is designed to avoid or alleviate problems like these. This will not make mailing lists obsolete, but should open up the territory for more diverse communication.


    Who is Discordia for?

    Anyone interested in the general direction and discussion topics of Discordia is invited to participate. Although Discordia is more interested in open-ended ideas than finished essays, all users are encouraged to both submit stories and moderate other people's stories by voting on where the stories should appear on the site, as well as commenting freely on posted stories.


    Who developed Discordia?

    Discordia was developed by Saul Albert, Amy Alexander, Aileen Derieg, Geert Lovink, Alex McLean, Trebor Scholz, Pip Shea, Sintron, and Peter Traub.


    Who are the current Discordia editors?

    At the moment, the editors are Saul Albert, Amy Alexander, Aileen Derieg, Geert Lovink, Trebor Scholz, Pip Shea and Peter Traub.


    Why does the Discordia project have a .us top level domain name?

    The short answer is the obvious one: because .org, .net and .com are currently owned by others. Rather than trying to rename the project (we like the name Discordia), we decided to register the .us domain shortly after this top level domain name (TLD) became available. Instead of looking for some hidden patriotic U.S. agenda, the founders suggest that the domain name should be pronounced as 'discordia r us'. In general, in this post-dotcom era it might be better to forget the presumed symbolic (read: commercial) value of domain names altogether and instead focus on the collaborative content and community aspect of weblogs such as Discordia.

    Who hosts Discordia?

    Discordia is currently hosted at the O.K Center for Contemporary Art in Linz, Austria
    Special thanks to the O.K Center and the O.K system administrator, Peter Hütmannsberger!



    Is all this only in English?

    Like many international forums, Discordia primarily uses English as a kind of communication tool, the most common denominator among people who speak many different languages. However, Discordia's filtering principle also applies to language. To make explicit how often ideas may be read or written through the filter of a different language, Discordia offers two types of translation "aids": the crude but sometimes useful BabelFilter and the completely useless but sometimes entertaining Discordia DeBabelfished!

    Perhaps more pragmatically: since Discordia users can be individuals or groups, a group with a common language can delegate the person(s) with the least inhibitions about writing in English to convey the group's ideas, activities, etc.: communication is a collaborative project. Another possibility: simply post in a language with which you are more comfortable.

    In addition, we hope that the shorter format of most Discordia posts will itself alleviate some of the language barriers associated with many list-based discussion forums.



    Sometimes things appear to change unexpectedly on the site, why does that happen?

    Discordia is an experiment. Some of the features are more experimental than others and may be modified depending on new ideas, solutions or whims. Since we have not yet been able to implement all the ideas that we have come up with, we also have a wish list. Volunteers with the right interest and abilities to implement some of these wishes are always welcome. Further suggestions are also welcome.



    What plans are there for the future of Discordia?

    The future of Discordia depends mostly on the users. With enough interest and participation, it can continue to grow and develop, and responsibilities for maintaining it can be shared, delegated and rotated. If it proves more practical and convenient, Discordia can become a temporary forum that is only activated at certain times or for specific occasions. It could also be handed over to someone else as a complete "package", if that proves more productive.

    Our interest is in developing a structure for communication and making it available for use. We hope that many people will use and enjoy it, and what happens next is up to those people who do. We are open to all possibilities.


    How can I help Discordia continue?

    In order for Discordia to continue, we need help of all kinds! As always, people interested in posting and bringing in interesting stories, guests, etc. But also, people interested in joining the 'management team' - helping keep things running, helping answer user questions, making sure the moderation queue is moving smoothly, etc. We also can use people interested in working as developers, sysadmins, etc. Wanna help? Get in touch!


    How can I participate in Discordia?
    About Discordia's structure and sections...


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