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Kuro5hin

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Kuro5hin (K5) (/k[invalid input: 'ɵ']ˈroʊʒən/ corrosion)[1] is a collaborative discussion website. Articles are created and submitted by Kuro5hin's users and submitted to queue for evaluation. Site members can vote for or against publishing an article and, once the article has reached a certain number of votes, it is then published to the site or deleted from the queue.[2] The site has been described as "a free-for-all of news and opinion written by readers".[3]

Kuro5hin is powered by the Scoop collaborative system. Its motto is "Technology and Culture, from the Trenches". It was founded by Rusty Foster in December 1999, being inspired by Slashdot.[1] Kuro5hin's membership used to number in the tens of thousands,[2] but its popularity has declined significantly from its peak in the early 2000s, and the present number of active users is much less.[4] As of November 2012, the site appears to be almost entirely dead; only about a dozen posts have been added since the beginning of the year, with almost six months between the last two.

Overview

All content is generated and selected by the users themselves with the exception of site news, that are written by the site administrators. Registered users can submit stories to the submissions queue. In the queue, users vote +1 FP (front page), +1, 0, or -1. If the story reaches a predetermined threshold score, it is posted to the front page or to the relevant section depending on the proportion of FP votes. If it fails to make the threshold, other factors (such as number of comments, type of comments, and their ratings) can still cause the story to be posted to section or front page. Otherwise, it is dropped.[5][6][7]

One feature of the story queue is edit mode, in which a story is protected from voting for a period of time and the author can make changes. Comments can still be made on the story to suggest changes before voting begins. They are distinguished as being editorial or topical comments. The edit queue is now rarely used.[citation needed]

A further section is known as the diaries. They have no editing or moderation vetting and are essentially weblogs.[8] They are the source of most of Kuro5hin's content by volume, though unlike the edited article sections, they are not widely syndicated. Other users may also comment on these diaries, similar to stories, however without the "Editorial" or "Topical" stipulation.

History

Rusty Foster named Kuro5hin — which is, as noted, pronounced corrosion — as a pun on his first name.[1] In January 2002, OSDN ended the advertising affiliate agreement with Kuro5hin.[9]

Financial difficulties

In June 2002 Foster suggested that he might be forced to sell or shut down Kuro5hin due to lack of funds, and he solicited donations to support the site.[10] In response, readers gave more than $37,000 in donations and other support in less than a week.[1][11] Shortly thereafter Foster announced plans to create a non-profit organization known as the Collaborative Media Foundation (CMF) to manage K5.[12][non-primary source needed] Since then, some users have been critical of a perceived lack of active management and functional improvements to the site. As of 2008, the CMF is not legally incorporated, and the site runs on bandwidth provided by sponsor voxel dot net, with ad revenues going directly into Foster's pocket.[citation needed]

Subscription

On March 25, 2004, Foster closed off new user accounts because of posting of a photoshopped pornographic image of his wife fornicating with a large man of African descent. He later announced he was going to implement new user sponsorship.[13][non-primary source needed] Many users believed that it would be the beginning of the end of Kuro5hin [14][15][non-primary source needed] and some believed the whole scheme wouldn't work at all.[16][non-primary source needed] On July 13, Foster reopened new user accounts and informed the community that he was abandoning the idea of user sponsorship.[17][non-primary source needed] This user sponsorship initiative never came to pass.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Boutin, Paul (21 June 2002). "It Takes a Village to Save a Site". Wired. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b Murphy, David (20 September 2005). "Google's ad network spreads the wealth: here's how Google's AdSense program can make money for your Web site. (INTERNET BUSINESS)". PC Magazine. Vol. 24, no. 16. p. 74. {{cite news}}: More than one of |work= and |magazine= specified (help)
  3. ^ Brandt, Andrew (2001-08). "Kuro5hin. (Internet/Web/Online Service Information) (Brief Article)". PC World. Vol. 19, no. 8. p. 96. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); More than one of |work= and |magazine= specified (help)
  4. ^ http://k5.trolltrack.com/stats.php
  5. ^ Orlowski, Andrew (27 July 2000). "Script kiddies fell Kuro5hin". The Register. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Five rules for building a successful online community". OJR: The Online Journalism Review.
  7. ^ Song, Ronggong; Yee, George; Korba, Larry (2007). Trust in E-Services: Technologies, Practices, and Challenges. Idea Group Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 159904207X, 9781599042077. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Interview with Rusty Foster of Kuro5hin.org". Dotcom Scoop. January 28, 2002.
  9. ^ Orlowski, Andrew (31 October 2001). "VA drops Linux name, boots out Kuro5hin". The Register. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  10. ^ rusty (17 June 2002). "We're Broke: The Economics of a Web Community". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  11. ^ http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/20/focus/2591321&sec=focus
  12. ^ rusty (19 August 2002). "Introducing the Collaborative Media Foundation". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  13. ^ rusty (25 March 2004). "User Sponsorship and Managed Growth". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  14. ^ myrspace (5 May 2004). "this post awakened me." Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  15. ^ alby (3 May 2004). "The Last K5 User". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  16. ^ Ta bu shi da yu (18 May 2004). "Why sponsored users won't work". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
  17. ^ rusty (13 July 2004). "New Users Re-opened". Kuro5hin. Retrieved 6 October 2006.
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