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Adam Clark Estes

Adam Clark Estes

Posted: June 2, 2010 05:53 PM

Help HuffPost Name Our Newest Badge

What's Your Reaction:

Are you a wordsmith? Do you have a creative eye? Want to help design our latest HuffPost Badge?

You've seen three HuffPost Badges -- Moderator, Networker, and Superuser -- on the site for just over a month now. We hope to keep adding to that list in order to give our most engaged readers credit for being such valuable members of the HuffPost Community.

We're soon releasing a new badge for these engaged, insightful commenters. And we need your help naming it.

Being an "engaged reader" means a lot of things. Our current badges give credit to those who comment frequently, share stories widely, and keep conversation civil on the site. But what about those community members who start and drive conversations? It's not uncommon for HuffPost reporters like Sam Stein and Shahien Nasiripour to find a great story tip in the comments section or for our editors to look through the comments for guidance on future coverage. Furthermore, our most active commenters forge relationships and make new discoveries in the comments.

The basic idea behind this new badge is simple. Many HuffPost readers invest a great deal of time and energy into writing compelling comments that often turn into lengthy and interesting threads of replies. These comments are often well-researched, sometimes link out to other coverage, and almost always add to the story. We've been spotting these comments for some time and will soon feature them in an optional view of the comment thread. Readers whose comments are featured a number of times will get the new badge.

It's important to point out that HuffPost doesn't feature these comments or commenters because we agree with their opinions -- political or otherwise. Again, we want to credit those engaged readers who start and drive conversations. And we want you to be involved in how we give that credit.

So post your thoughts on what we should call this new badge in the comment section section below. Whomever offers up the best suggestion will win a prize.

Thanks in advance for contributing to HuffPost.

 

Follow Adam Clark Estes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/adamclarkestes

 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
04:12 PM on 07/09/2010
libyan aid ship to gaza.
arrives next saturday
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08:17 AM on 07/10/2010
Ever changing HP, can`t scroll beyond one page in my social friend`s circle, no point to try to figure it out any longer. But if you are off line one day or two , it would be more of a challenge to find anyone...
:(
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08:48 AM on 07/09/2010
Wrote officially to HP, got an instant generic mail, waited 24 hrs to respond to me, nothing so far...
This is one of few..

Thread....

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Role Model

Commented Jul 06, 2010 at 21:41:24 in Religion
“You know how silly you sound, when no one is fighting with you ?”

Cleo CATra replied on Jul 08, 2010 at 03:24:48
“How self-righteous! "The Dalai Lama feels that differences in caste, creed, color, etc. should be placed at a secondary level to the more fundamental thinking of the sameness of human beings, who want happiness and shun suffering. " One comment
is no more or less silly than another. Even a cat knows that.”

Now this Cleo poster has all cat avatar as fans and likewise...
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07:40 AM on 07/08/2010
Snark alert all over.....
Good Morning ..all my friends... alex and cpad...LOL, and at same time very sad...
Just checked Dalai Lama site, CleoCATra ,,newest poster...is posting RUDE remarks to me and others...
You all should be proud of me, I was itching so bad to be "snarky snark" there, but so inapproprate to do that. in that particular site.....
Now seriously we love to be on Huffington Post, the most popular online Post in the world, but also to go back and forth with unfortunate posters is not worth it, but simply to walk away from , is bothersome....must ponder what to do...
Love you all :)
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09:31 AM on 07/08/2010
My obsevation...
This kittycat above came from nowhere in the middle of the night, found me in DL site..called me in 3 different posts..
1. How self rightous I am.
2. Who am I to tell them to be an atheist ?
3. To get my facts checked...I called DL your Highness as opposed to your Holyness...(on purpose).
DL is actually the exiled king of Tibet.
...while we are celebrating 4th of July in the Country some thinks it is Halloween already...how creepy and uninformed..

As I strive to be ethically Buddhist, I am so far from getting there.....
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
11:17 PM on 07/08/2010
here i am!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
11:28 PM on 07/08/2010
nester, here!!!!
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02:38 AM on 07/08/2010
The new badge may well be called the "Ideator". That is , one who offers perspectives and ideas that may not have been recognized previously in any debate. People post for all sorts of reasons. But it's always those who offer a new way of thinking about something that catch my attention. Otherwise, it's just a recital of fairly predictable points of view. The Ideator. A little pedantic, but on the right track.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
04:38 PM on 07/07/2010
dungeons and dragons.

check it out!!
the name, the avatar?

credibility lost.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
05:34 PM on 07/07/2010
http://shackled-city.wikidot.com/religion.

it is a role playing game.

The god of retribution, St. Cuthbert, is lawful neutral. He is known as St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel. St. Cuthbert exacts revenge and just punishment on those who transgress the law. Because evil creatures more commonly and flagrantly violate laws than good creatures do, St. Cuthbert favores good over evil, though he is not good himself. (His clerics can't be evil.)

The domains he is associated with are Destruction, Law, Protection, and Strength. His favored weapon is the mace.

The no-nonsense order of St. Cuthbert does not suffer fools gladly or abide evil in any way. His clerics concern themselves with the needs of the common people over nobles or the well educated. They are zealous in their desire to convert others to their faith and quick to destroy their opponents.
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06:14 PM on 07/07/2010
Let`s not get into trouble...our friends will miss us if we disappear...
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02:39 AM on 07/08/2010
Most illuminating. Thanks.
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07:58 AM on 07/07/2010
Checking back again my friends, I hope everyone had a blast on the 4th of July weekend.
I was on the Dalai Lama thread to wish him happy Birthday, oh boy was it infected with moles !
Anyways, this morning I saw I was flagged by this particular one all over the place. The power of super badge holder. I immediate wrote to the mods and to the author right there...who knows the super efeect of being flagged by the power.
Another fine example why badges should be obsolete..
By the way Alex you are too modest, love ya....
:)
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
04:35 PM on 07/07/2010
you are too generous.

i came here too hide and heal .

this is my safe place - humour, kindness and of course, the latest, HARMLESS gossip.

some girl (?) is following me and continues to demand to know "my position".

i finally told her 2 of my favorites and included places!

(blush)

you got flagged?

for what?

being a delightfully decent, sensitive, and intelligent person ?
i am going to discard by senior picture.
(how i ever wasted so much precious time on "big hair" and makeup applied with a spatula?)

i will return to my real age.

bad move?

all opinions welcome.
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04:56 PM on 07/07/2010
I do the same lovely Alex, inside out, hide and heal here.....where is X...?
Here is one harmless gossip...it is a must check it out ASAP...I insist...you won`t be sorry.
In my friend`s list...DAN from CA...joined in today, already have 16 friends and counting...

The whole day he is going from thread to thread, badmouthing his wife in a funny manner, every single post is about her.

Now the angry ones..
In DL, thread one with a G. Carlin`s avatar was very rude to say the least..

In another thread some angry poster ,meddllesome, between light coversation I was having with a friend..
What gives, why so angry ?
Of course, I was gently snarky in my response to the extreme rudeness (lol)...
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05:05 PM on 07/07/2010
LOL make up is good, I like Bobby Brown foundation, blackberry lipstick,by also BB and undeworld by Mac and some others.. My avatar is from this weekend but had to camoflague for obvious reasons (you are brave). I show my face when some rude trools talk to me as if I am a man, not that anything is wrong with that...but they remain rude.
but my cute pouch loved by GG and TD would be back..
Catch you later {Hug} :)
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12:55 AM on 07/08/2010
Hi, dear bulbul. I adore the Dalai Lama. He's one of the few world leaders I really look up to. Wow - I'm gobsmacked that anyone would bother you because you truly are a kind, peaceful person. I'm glad you reported it. That's the most important thing we can all do to hold these folks to account.

Also, for you or anyone else that's being bothered out there, let us know in this thread - I'll go tune them up as well. This old grandma can be pretty tough when she needs to be :)
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07:04 AM on 07/08/2010
Oh cpad...love and HUG and welcome back, We missed you here, did not chat with you for a while, I was off to Dublin and then you were off also..as ALEX said it is safe to be here...
Dalai Lama is all for kindness and I was there to wish him well...Oh boy ! Moles find you and zap you when you are not even having the conversation with them. Again the power of super badges and hundreds of fans. Did write to mods and the author, as a post, top of the page, and signed off..I had a feeling after my last encounter, they rather not be bothered by emails all the time.
Then I posted the name of the meddlesome poster here to our dear friend ALEX...it is hanging out somewhere in Huffo cyberspace...Old me is sending LOVE to all your grandkids...I am so ready to be a grandma but my son and daughter-in -law tells me, be happy with all the pups...they have 2 and you know mine... :)
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04:33 PM on 07/04/2010
On this July 4, 2010 - let's share the words of great Americans:

The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.

Walt Whitman
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04:43 PM on 07/04/2010
X2
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
05:43 PM on 07/04/2010
FAVED
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08:29 AM on 07/02/2010
So what better thread to wish my friends on Huffpo, and everyone who uses this wonderful website, a happy 4th of July?
May we always be able to pursue our own happiness in the way we desire.
I think that for most of us, that happiness will be found with family and friends this holiday regardless of the difficulties of these "interesting" times that we live in.
See you all next week!
Love and peace to you all,
GAB
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05:01 PM on 07/02/2010
x2 - Happy 4th of July to everyone!
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05:59 PM on 07/02/2010
Wishing everyone a great Holiday filled with all the things that make your life joyful! It is so deserved during these difficult and emotional times. Have fun and be safe!
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01:45 AM on 07/02/2010
To DW (re chilling out in the real world) - I know exactly what you mean - I have been stressed out lately and I realized it is a combination of things all crunching together at the same time. Spending too much time on The Word's Most Exciting Internet Site was making my eyeballs sore - and my brain numb. I'm sure there's a clinical name for the condition. I found this on youtube recently - and I think the video "mashup" that accompanies it is pretty stunning - just all around good crazy monster fun, and I got a real kick out of it, went out and bought the CD and played this song over and over, can't explain it but it gave me a very strange sense of satisfaction - maybe I'm just a bit weary of all the madness in the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65rW_SIzg0
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08:05 AM on 07/02/2010
On the Seashore

Rabindranath Tagore

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet.
The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances.
They build their houses with sand, and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.
They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.
The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach.
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships are wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting of children.
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02:25 PM on 07/02/2010
BB that was beautiful, and a perfect "counterpoint" to the video - I love this poem, thanks for posting it.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
05:47 PM on 07/04/2010
THANK YOU
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07:34 PM on 07/02/2010
The good are befriended even by weakness and defect. As no man had ever a point of pride that was not injurious to him, so no man had ever a defect that was not somewhere made useful to him. The stag in the fable admired his horns and blamed his feet, but when the hunter came, his feet saved him, as afterwards, caught in the thicket, his horns destroyed him. Every man in his lifetime needs to thank his faults. As no man thoroughly understands a truth until he has contended against it, no man has a thorough acquaintance with the hindrances or talents of men until he has suffered from the one and seen the triumph of the other over his own want of the same. Has he a defect of temper that unfits him to live in society? Thereby he is driven to entertain himself alone and acquire habits of self-help; and thus, like the wounded oyster, he mends his shell with pearl.
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04:55 AM on 07/01/2010
On vacation for a week - going to visit family. See you all next week. XXXOOO
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01:39 PM on 07/01/2010
Hi cpad, just missed you :(

hope you have a fantastic vacation and I'll say hello when you return - cheers, friend! X
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02:24 PM on 07/01/2010
X..good to see this overzapped thread is alive again
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
03:06 PM on 07/01/2010
take care! (or not...)

but enjoy!!!!!

xxooxx
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07:27 AM on 07/03/2010
Runway Model with a brain.
Are you the one ? You have both... :)

Happy 4th.
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12:32 AM on 07/01/2010
Stokbrokin at 18:48 june 30 reply to GAB:
Thats why every single day theres a new gadget, gizmo, movie, new gossip whatever..to keep the sheeple dumbed down and numb and SPENDING what little money they have left! I cant believe that apple has another NEW I PHONE?? WTF! ..
please, someone point out what was wrong with the above comment.
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05:32 PM on 07/01/2010
English ?
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04:02 PM on 07/02/2010
"...we want to credit those engaged readers who start and drive conversations. And we want you to be involved in how we give that credit."

Just don't make fun of HP or the seemingly endless catalog of featured new products...
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
StevieTheK
On n'oublie rien, rien du tout
12:24 AM on 07/01/2010
"Instigator"?
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01:40 AM on 06/30/2010
Lately I've noticed very few personal attacks by community moderators. I'm guessing HuffPost has somehow become aware of the problem and is dealing with it.

However, I'm seeing a lot of complaints from people who have had a comment posted, only to subsequently have it zapped. I don't know if they posted something inappropriate, or if their comments were inappropriately removed.

I haven't been online as much - the weather's been great here and we've been spending most of our time outside, gardening or hanging out on our back porch. But these are my observations. How about the rest of you? Have you noticed any trends or changes?

I'm also very curious about the apparent delay in rolling out the new badge referred to in this article, plust the new type of moderator badge mentioned in the "new comment guideline" blog. Do we have reason to be hopeul HuffPost is reconsidering the wisdom of these badges?
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11:42 AM on 06/30/2010
C- you may be on to something- they are taking their sweet time on this. Yes, the question is why?
Last night I was imagining that they may even be considering some means of accommodating a permanent thread like what we have seen here.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
01:13 PM on 06/30/2010
"Last night I was imagining..."

shall we suggest more pleasant things one might imagine?

flag me naughty.....
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
01:18 PM on 06/30/2010
fantastic idea!

why didn't i think of it?
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02:05 AM on 07/02/2010
Hi cpad: Not only reason to be hopeful, but every reason to persuade, push, prod, for improvements. The business model for the blog is important for success. Huffington Post is successful. Now let's help HP look at the ways to carry the blog forward to what Arianna would like its legacy to be.

Surely "censorship" won't be part of any legacy.
Not "bullying."
Not "special interests" or "conflict of interests."
Not "mob flagging" or "mob fanning" of opposition or of friends.

These are some of the current problems that need discussion and some better ideas for improvement. And there is so much more to gain if we offer our ideas. I am concerned about the future of net neutrality. It is one of the few venues for "some" freedom of expression and free speech. "Some" is not good enough. But it is what we have to work with now. And it must be protected, improved, and sustained.

I dread talk of an Internet "shut-off" in case of a national emergency. I want to be part of the discussion to maintain a free broadbandwidth -- whatever the technical term is. Finland just made it a law for their citizens. Why are we behind so many other industrialized nations in the 21st century?

Speaking of freedom, Happy July 4th, Independence Day.
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02:19 AM on 07/02/2010
Great comment DW! I agree with every point. I find the idea of cutting off the entire nation's access to the web to be sinister. I was talking with a friend today about what kind of world we find ourselves in - and I can only describe it as a Postmodern world, where nothing has its original meaning - America is an amazing place, both remarkable and terrifying. We are struggling for more freedoms, and as we gain those freedoms, we are becoming less free, in other ways. I feel we are living in a world where it seems, science fiction is becoming real, we are on the brink of a major breakthrough or a major collapse. Sorry to sound so grim, but that's how I see it. I have the feeling something really good is coming to our society, but that time is not here yet.

Happy July 4th and let's give a shout for all the greatness and fabulousness and outrageousness that is America - let's acknowledge that our society is desperate for change.
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12:34 AM on 06/30/2010
This is a magical realm at times. Your friends may vanish in a cloud of stardust or get sucked into a black hole, only to reappear as new life forms. Sometimes they can communicate only by whispering through the magic portal.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Alex Young
07:05 AM on 06/30/2010
beautiful.
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10:17 PM on 06/23/2010
Wow! do i get the last word? or will Adam or somebody respond to the entire scope of this thread before it is pulled?
(Its o.k if you don't, Adam).
Please let me say one more thing.
All the badgeless ones, and other interested parties (and mod 2's if you are willing to calm down- haha- i kid the mods!), i have a proposition;
Lets meet at the cemeteries of Huff world.... er.... blog posts that have no traffic like "How to eat vegan without eating vegetables".
You know those ones with 2 comments 2 days after posting.
It's a win/win, eh?
The blogger gets a foothold due to traffic;
we get to go off topic cuz there ain't no in house mods worrying about it (hint, hint);
We get to post our thoughts and concerns re: huffpo and current event posting, or whatever;
It is a place that is a source of quotes, poems, existentialism, and cool stuff like that.
That is why i say, kiddingly, that mod2's and the in-house mods need to be cool about the "off topic-ness".
is this reasonable?

I am sure X is having fun, but i hope X'll offer his great analysis. Everyone, just leave your input when you can, here- i'll go scout out some cemeteries. hahahah
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03:52 PM on 06/26/2010
GAB, you still get the honor to be the last troll on the page...
Mods, I am still waiting for my new avatar to show her lovely self, hopefully by tomorrow ?.
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06:35 AM on 06/24/2010
X2