[IMC-Tech] New Features Newswire on Global

[Christopher Loch]

Hello devoted Ed and Tech Teams,

Overall I really like this idea, though I would make the switch to go between 
this and the old newswire more prominent and jumping-out-at-you.

However, I noticed today that a particular feature from Argentina 
titled "semana de luchas" dated 5/24/02 appeared three times in a row.  How 
does the posting of features to this wire work? and why would the same feature 
show up three times in a row?  I had heard that it was automatic, but I haven't 
gotten a thorough going over of it yet.  Please describe in full detail how 
features arrive on the global wire.  Is it a group that decides, or is it a 
mechanism, etc.?

Also, I think that there should be a policy in place that makes sure that there 
is greater representation for different IMC's on the global wire.  Some sites I 
recognize are more active than others, but when you end up with nearly ten 
posts to the global features wire from one single site (as has happened 
numerous times), I have to wonder what good purpose that serves, and how the 
original intention (as I took it to be) of this new features wire gets lost by 
it.  If some of the less pulsing sites have only one new feature on average 
every week or two, isn't there more value in keeping that up on the wire than 
to have such exclusive coverage on the wire as is now happening in some 
instances?  Really, when you look at the new wire now there are a handful of 
sites that have tons of features on the wire compared to any other sites, and 
then a handful of sites who just happened to have put up a new feature in the 
last couple of days.

I think there should be some parameter (that is limit) for how many features 
can be on the wire from any given site.  Like maybe three.  That way when a 
really active site publishes what would be it's fourth feature on the global 
wire, instead of the only feature on the wire for a less active site being 
pushed off, rather one of that active site's three existing features would be 
pushed off the global wire.  This ensures that the global wire isn't only the 
west coast wire, or the US wire, or the whatever wire, but rather truly the 
GLOBAL wire.

Please respond when you can on this, because I think it is extremely important, 
and I'm sure that many others do as well.

Thanks,
Christopher Loch
TC-IMC Collective volunteer
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