I've been a visitor from near the beginning (and registered for nearly 4 years). I probably got here from a link sent to Bluesnews by Ant. Anyway I've been meaning to make this rant for a long time; I probably should have done it before 5.0, but c'est la vie. I mean it in the best possible way...

I have 8 power points and a rating of 6 stars.

I'm not confident in describing what either of those things are, or are for.

The faq is a tiny link hidden in the footer, when it would be better as a help link on the main menu.

The answers in the faq itself contain assumed knowledge and lack context.

The member privileges page is given much more prominence than the faq, in a Useful pages list. It tells you abilities that require a star level, but doesn't tell you what a star level is, how to get stars, or link to the faq.

The rest of the page reads like it was written by a programmer (probably because it was).

The faq needs to be given to someone who has never used Videosift, and ask them if they understand Videosift after reading it. They won't.

Obviously some people have persisted with it, that's why about 500 people have a Bronze star or more; but I don't think it does much to encourage new users.

I'll never be a user that submits a lot of videos; that's just not my behaviour here. I actually watch almost all my online videos here, so of course... they are already posted

I get that Videosift should be designed to encourage people to submit videos and help out but a system that is hidden away and takes more than a few minutes to understand isn't going to encourage many people no matter how well it's designed.

My suggestion would be to make everything discoverable in the UI itself. "Possible *Invocations" under this box shouldn't give me a list of random words, none of which that I can use anyway (and no indication that that is even the case).

Nor should I be given Power Points if there is no way to use them; it only serves to add to my confusion, and will frustrate other users who think they just got something interesting. In reality they've been given the opportunity to either frustrate or embarrass themselves with a few "User could not X because X is not privileged" messages from Siftbot. Again, this only discourages people from taking part.

I can't flag a post as spam, so why show me the link to do so? Same with downvotes on videos and comments. Inviting a user to read an error message isn't very encouraging at all; it makes Videosift feel like a minefield of punishment. I follow the Sift Lounge link out of curiosity, and again computer says no.

The bookmark and playlist buttons under a video should be words rather than obscure icons.

Showing me things I can actually do will make me feel more useful and encourage me to contribute more. Making those into buttons would be even better. Making those into buttons that tell me what they do and how it helps would be perfect.

This isn't coming from a point of stupidity. I'm a software architect that spent many years developing one of the world's largest community platforms - so I get this stuff.

Mostly I come here for the videos and the comments - I read a lot more than I post. Sifters are not unfriendly to new users, and unlike the train wreck of youtube, they provide their reasoning; so no matter how much you may disagree with someone you can still learn something.

However it feels like a local pub; a small community where everyone knows everyone (except you); and everyone is doing something (except you), and that's because the barrier to getting that community feel is just way too high.

Anyway, I'm done with my rant. To be more on topic; I don't think there is much danger to the Sift if I could declare a video *dead. It seems the sort of thing someone should be able to do as soon as they're out of probation.

For now, I'll just stick to my usual behaviour of watching the videos and reading the comments.

No, the judge has no responsibility towards helping anyone. Would you say that a judge should work to convict someone if we all "know" they are guilty but cannot necessarily prove it? Ie. should he help out society to try to convict, say, a murderer?Take OJ's judge, or perhaps to a lesser extent Casey Anthony's. That is a slippery slope my friend. I will say though that he was out of line with his attitude, but we attribute the wrong attitude towards judges.

A judge should take no position. For example, a judge that gives probation over and over again to juveniles for burglary (Their typical charge) is doing them no favor at all because they think the justice system has no teeth. Then when they rape or agg bat, they go from 3-4 months and probation to 25 years. All because of our joke system that encourages leniency the first few times--then ass fucking after that. I see it everyday. If the kids would have some bitten off at the start perhaps they would not be so disrespectful to rules in general (And no, programs haven't worked often from what I see...drug program? Great for a bunch of addicts to get together and, do drugs...)

Crazy isn't it i hope this video will take away my probation i love to post more and i like this site a lot
thnx

You're too kind. That's what my probation officer says anyway. Stay cool.

In reply to this comment by Hybrid:
Hey, you can (and should) upvote your own videos...

http://videosift.com/video/Microsoft-Multi-language-Technology

Great video by the way! :


Thank you very much! And I'm finally no longer on probation, to boot!

No more probation for you.

The idea that they, and many others, have it worse I wouldn't argue for a second. But rather than say that it doesn't apply to us I'd think that we're talking more matters of degree. We've got a larger percentage of our people under direct control of the criminal justice system than any other nation so the term police does seem accurate in that sense. They've got goons that will kill you instead of lock you up. Sure, they get locked up too, but I'm not sure the police as such are their problem so much as the death squads and such are. Terrorist state for them perhaps? Something else in other cases. But for us, sure, police.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

In 2009 some 3.1% of adults were under correctional supervision, in custody, parole or probation. In "2008 more than 1 in 100 adults in the United States were in prison or jail". This has kinda been a pet project of mine since I was a kid, there's no nation out there with more of their people under police supervision. I don't disrespect others at all. I just tend to call it what it is. Perhaps the term police state isn't the right one for them, rather than it being the wrong one for us.

What an adorable video! Let's try to get you out of probation!!! *doublepromote

‎"Very soon, there is not going to be a single political campaign, no matter how small, that directly affects anything having to do with America's corporate power, which is practically everything, that will not be swamped by anonymous cash laundered through bagmen organized under the banner of some nobly monickered political whorehouse.... So, coming soon to your town: the $40 million race for Register of Probate, and won't that be fun?" via Charles P. Pierce.

All Vacuums r monsters. Sorry can't vote me still on probation too

Why did Jimmy get probation? What was his crime?

WITH GOOD CAUSE:

On November 21, 1980, the Los Angeles fire department responded to a 911 call from Henley's house. Inside they found an unconscious 16-year-old prostitute who later was determined to have overdosed on cocaine. Henley pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and received two years' probation.


There's just not enough love in the world.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Little known fact: Most cats are allergic to Don Henley.

@Crosswords
i am beginning to feel the stirrings of a man-crush on you.

look.
when it comes to money and economics schiff has made some great points and in 2004 was almost prophetic but when it comes to politics schiff appears to be a fish out of water and came to OWS with a self-righteous pre-conception and was rightly shown the error in his ways.

the argument about disbanding the EPA,the FDA or the DOE is a conflation.
we can argue the effeciency vs results but that is an entirely separate argument and has little to do with their actually designed roles and the necessity of those departments.

i do not understand those who keep touting the virtue of an un-regulated and "free" market.
unless you feel that indentured servitude,child labor and unsafe products that may harm or kill are perfectly acceptable.
it not only ignores history but conveniently ignores that uneven disparity that would be inevitable.
you think there is inequality now?
let a true free market become the mantra of pure capitalism and see what happens.
dont have resources and were not born in to an affluent family?
well go fuck yourself and make me a sandwich.

the game is rigged.
the system is fixed.
a CEO defrauds billions and walks away with 160 million in bonuses.
a man steals a pack of underwear and spends 30 days in jail,gets charged for the food and board and owes 500 hours of community service and a years probation at a 100 bucks a month.

all men are created equal under the eyes of the law?
i call bullshit.

We usually read about superheroes in comics. They are noted for protecting the public to the extent of risking their own safety without expecting any reward. Some people imitate their costume as shown in the picture and do their noted actions. However, there are real life superheroes who don't portray a good image. A Michigan male in a Batman suit found himself in the courtroom for holding a weapon and trespassing. He has been given six months’ probation. He has already been ordered not to put on any costumes for 6 months. Article source: Would-be Batman unmasked in court and sentenced to probation

@NetRunner

I don't really believe the "blackmail" theory. It just speaks to how sudden and drastic his about-face seemed to me. I mean, this guy had a HUGE progressive mandate when he got elected. Landslide victory, both Houses, 60-40 in the Senate (although sabotaged by "blueblood" prags). Then, Obama chastising the Repugs that "elections have consequences", and the optimistically prescient Nobel Peace Prize. Finally, some change I can believe in! Go, Obama, go!

And then... he just started caving. Offering compromises when compromises weren't called for or necessary in my view. And then failing to learn very quickly, if at all, that the opposition wasn't interested in anything but opposition. I agree that their "personal courtesy" was truly "partisan posturing", and he may has gotten suckered to a point.

Maybe part of the problem is that he has surrounded himself with people that have never shared his vision. Maybe this is some brilliant plan to expose the Republicans and the system for what it is so he has the support to proffer true progressive change in a second term, but I don't think so.

You can point to the list of his many accomplishments and tell me I'm wrong, but the big picture in this country hasn't changed. His victories are little more than election year bullet points. Very little has changed overall. Health care and financial reforms are a joke. Corporations are still raping this country's middle class by sending jobs and cash overseas while paying very little or no taxes. Unions, the very fucking organizations that created the middle class and kept it strong, are legally and financially weaker and have lower participation than ever. Environmental protections are being stripped at alarming rates, the country's infrastructure continues to crumble, students and teachers alike are being hamstrung by budget cuts, 1 in 50 Americans are in prison or on probation, and although we were walking on the fucking moon forty years ago, we currently have to rent space on Russian rockets just to get American astronauts to low earth orbit. Yeah, we have no money for roads, bridges, schools, health care, or Orion spacecraft, but we spend (borrow) many times that needed to fund these things for three useless wars and an entire Empire of hundreds of bases around the world. I'll spare you the Eisenhower reference.

Something fundamental has to change in this country, and I think that any change that matters is going to have to be HUGE change, even revolutionary.

I see a completely different Obama than the one I supported in 2008. Rhetoric that you want to hear is still just rhetoric. Palliatives for the disenchanted, and dogma for those who should be. Yeah, I know it's "yes, we can", not "yes, he can". That's what OWS is all about. Obama failed. OWS is Plan B.

I hope I'm absolutely wrong. I hope he does well and effects positive, substantive change. Unfortunately, I'll be voting for him not because I think "he can", rather, as the best of a bad lot.