FanPosts vs. FanShots

by Ziller on Aug 5, 2008 11:09 AM PDT

Time for a bit of a metathread on how things should work around here.

If you have extended thoughts on subject not currently being discussed in another FanPost or on a front page thread, open a FanPost! These really are meant for extended thoughts. You don't need to be as loqacious as StR laureate pookeyguru, but you should put more than a fleeting thought.

More thoughts on FanPosts:

Decent grammar and proper punctuation can help your FanPost. But even more, poor grammar and bad punctuation, mixed with erroroneous spelling -- I know personally I'll be much less likely to read or rec something that doesn't show a little care has been put into it.
Make those headlines sing. Not to single anyone out, because we aren't like that, but "My thoughts on Such&such" or "SHELDEN WILLIAMS" are not insightful headlines. You can be vague -- lord knows I am in many of my front-pagers -- or you can be direct. Just put a touch of thought into it

Most importantly, FanPosts are not for simple quotes, links, YouTubes or photos. That's exactly what FanShots are built for. FanShots are not appropiate for the types of essays you spend time on, but a fleeting link or a relevant YouTube: it's so much better for the site if those go into the FanShots. Shots are easier to put on the front-page, more attractive and less clunky. Use them!

I also would like to take this opportunity to encourage quality. For a few minutes there after the Artest trade, the site was starting to resemble a message board. That's not what we've built here. Everyone here is lucid and clever and damn funny. If a troll comes along at a moment of piqued attention, deal with them graciously and don't stoop to their level.

The only way we can keep the quality of discourse on StR above that of the damn Bee comments is by policing ourselves. That doesn't mean calling out your neighbor. That means taking care to make sure what you contribute to the site -- your comments, your FanPosts -- strives to keep the discourse in a good place. (This isn't a comment in any way on the inside jokes that go on -- those are fantastic ... though maybe "that's what she said" should be reserved for special occasions. This is about stooping to the level of the invaders.)

And as always, if you have specific concerns or objections you'd like to myself and section214 to address, send a note to tom AT sactownroyalty DOT com. We're here to help.

Thanks for participating.

1 recs | Comment 8 comments

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Comments

first!

sorry, being ironic.

by beevenator on Aug 5, 2008 11:19 AM PDT 0 recs

nice

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Aug 5, 2008 11:57 AM PDT up 0 recs

To add to this...

First of all, thanks for posting this, TZ. It’s not something that needs to be hammered on constantly, but I think that the timing was right for it to be brought up.

In the spirit of this post, I’d like to add a few more suggestions:

Give us a preview. When you make a FanPost, make sure that there is at least some text in the “Intro Paragraph” section, because that’s all that is seen when clicking on “All FanPosts”. If all of the text is in the “Entry Body ” then the only thing that is shown is the Title and a link to “read the rest of this FanPost”. Since that’s what we get looking at the front page, it tells us nothing of the content of the post. If your FanPost isn’t too long, there’s no problem putting it all into the Intro Paragraph, which makes it easy to read multiple FanPosts without having to click on each one individually.
Use the REPLY button! It really keeps threads coherent and prevents confusion when there’s a lot of information being added to a topic.
Use the Return/Enter key liberally. The space is free, and it makes your comment/FanPost so much easier to read. It’s very difficult to parse out information from a giant paragraph.
Look before you post! There is a lot of good information here, and a lot of active posters, so take a look around before posting something . . . it might already be there for you to reply to, disagree with, Rec, etc. This goes for FanPosts, FanShots, and even comments!
Keep an open mind. Sometimes we’re so sure about something that we fail to see information that may alter what we already believe. Being able to see things from different perspectives is what is going to allow us to get the most out of this community.
Take a deep breath. Sometimes things may get heated, with differences of opinions getting the best of people. Take a breath and remember that we’re all here because we have something in common . . . we’re all passionate about the Kings. We may have different ideas as to what that means or what’s best for the franchise, but we’re all in this together at the end of the day, so try not to take/make anything personal.

Thanks to everyone that makes this a place that’s worth coming to every day. It’s a testament to everyone here that this site has a different feel than most, and that’s definitely a complement.

by smgmatt on Aug 5, 2008 11:57 AM PDT 3 recs

Thanks alot TZ for picking on me and singling me out dammit!

You don’t need to be as loqacious as StR laureate pookeyguru, but you should put more than a fleeting thought.

Who would want to be? I’m willing to bet half of the StR readership read that thing, and I don’t blame those who didn’t want to read it. That being said I have a few comments to make.

I 2nd many of smg’s points made above (didn’t feel like hitting reply this time).

Use the Return/Enter key liberally. The space is free, and it makes your comment/FanPost so much easier to read. It’s very difficult to parse out information from a giant paragraph

I 2nd this motion as I’m probaby the worst offender around here. But I’ve seen people write 1000 words in 1 big block paragraph. Even I’m not that bad typically, or I get so tired after the first 3000 words I start to give up. (In my defense I was under time constraints with my upcoming move and little time to finish my total thoughts which was why it was so poorly edited toward the end. And to that end I do apologize.)

One tip on “breaking news” that I learned from the recent Artest “trade”. Don’t post it on Fan Shots. It won’t be seen by the mass majority, so several people will post fan posts instead thinking they’re the first to break info, and unless a mod (section or TZ) see’s it and pulls it to the front page, it won’t do anybody any good. The first thing I look to do with breaking news is to see if someone else has already done so rather than creating my own fanshot/post myself.

Keep an open mind. Sometimes we’re so sure about something that we fail to see information that may alter what we already believe. Being able to see things from different perspectives is what is going to allow us to get the most out of this community

. I’m more guilty of this than probably anyone else. It’s why I try to limit my temper tantrums to the unusual stuff rather than make it an everyday thing. That being said if you call somebody an idiot for having an opinion, you’re probably missing the point yourself.

And to that end I disappear again for days on end. Don’t kill each other while I’m gone. That’s my job. :)

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get tangled, you tango on

by pookeyguru on Aug 5, 2008 12:23 PM PDT 0 recs