Happy Thursday, Dear Crankies! (Crankists? Crankers? Crankologists?)
Since I can't dazzle you with techie tips or anything else useful, let's just spend a minute considering "crankiness" in general. Personally, I am enjoying allowing myself to be openly cranky when I feel cranky: I figure 70 years of stifling it is damned well long enough.
I'm not nearly as cranky about DK4 as I was the first few weeks, but that's only because I know a little bit about letting go of the things that I can't change: 30 years in recovery gives one a lot of practice. I can't transform DK4 back into DK3 and I can't make anything work here that doesn't work now, and I can't stop anybody from changing something they own however they damned well feel like changing it. Dammit!
What I can do and did quite loudly was bitch and piss and moan about it all. And I will again when I need to. I figure if it helps my cranky level go down it's good for me, especially if it's mixed with some humor and ends in laughs. But if it only makes me MORE cranky, which also happens sometimes, then it's on to Plan B.
Plan B is simple: take myself the hell away from what's making me cranky! Log the hell off, if it's online stuff. Walk away from people acting like jerks. Turn off the idiots parading as TV journalists. Go for a walk. Listen to some music. Watch funny you tubes of giggling babies or cats talking to each other. Throw darts at my Sarah Palin target.
I'm still in a holding pattern with DK4, myself. I've managed to learn my way around enough to comment and do a simple diary now and then. I don't spend nearly as much time here as I did at DK3, which really isn't a bad thing: I spent way too much time here before.
But I know there's many who really do want to stay and truly are having a lot of trouble, and that makes me sad. Wish I had a magic wand that could make things better for everyone. Just know you can always drop in here, and find understanding eyeballs, ok?
Ok, your turn, it's an open thread so whatever goes. Maybe share your Plan B's for how you handle your bad cases of the crankies-that-won't-let-up?
I will be out for the afternoon, but Belinda will be dripping in..oops, dropping in to offer her considerable expertise on all things techie!
WHERE TO TURN: LINKS
☀ For more stuff sort of like this, the Cranky Users group.
☀ For lots of official detail about the site and its workings, the DK4 FAQ (frequently-asked questions). The main Daily Kos FAQ is still here.
☀ To report something not working to the dev team, the bug report form. A bug report will not be directly responded to, but will be kept on file by the development team until the issue is resolved or otherwise closed.
☀ To get immediate response for technical help or urgent site problems, the contact form (be sure to select the tech support radio button). A tech support request will get prompt response, but does not get added to the bug report database. If you use it to report a known bug, you'll be told it's a known bug, and that's it.
☀ For immediate catharsis, complain in a Cranky Users thread. These threads are regularly scanned by kos and developers, but it's not a guaranteed way to bring an issue to the attention of these folks. But sometimes you just need some sympathy from other cranky people! (And sometimes, other cranky people have advice that can help you.)
Our thanks to kos, the development team, and the Dkosopedia contributors for their vigorous efforts to deliver a site that works well and to help us know how to work it!
cranky