Welcome!  We think you'll find this to be the most provocative, thoughtful, amazing community of Blazer fans talking basketball that you'll find anywhere, online or off.  We are happy to have you as part of the community.

This post will clue you in to the features of the site and also give you a couple of helpful hints about how to keep this community the best there is.

First off, if you haven't read the community guidelines and your online personality or communication style treads the edge, you'll probably want to.  They're right here.

Those are the things that can get you banned from the site, but there are a couple other things you'll want to know to make your transition here happy.

Fanposts, Fanshots, and Comments

This site is wholly interactive.  There's nothing said here that can't be responded to.  You'll find posts in a couple of places.

THE MAIN POSTS

On the center of the page you'll find the main posts.  Beneath each is a comment section.  Go ahead and fire away whenever you please.  The authors read, and often respond to, the comments you make.

FANPOSTS

In the right sidebar you'll find two sections.  The upper section is titled "Fanposts".  These are like mini blog posts from members of the community.  Anyone can contribute a post...even you!

Before you post a Fanpost you may want to read a couple to see what they're like.  Something important to remember is that only a limited number of Fanposts are displayed on the front page.  You can read older ones by clicking on the links below the Fanpost section.  Practically speaking, though, most people don't read or comment on Fanposts that have left the main page.

The Fanposts are arranged in order of posting.  That means each new Fanpost pushes the bottom one in the list off the page.  Therefore most members are interested in keeping the quality of those posts pretty high, so as not to have fantastic posts pushed off the page by more mediocre ones.

This is not to say you should be intimidated to post!  Have at it!  But do realize this is not the same format as a traditional forum or message board.  Your Fanpost should be interesting, reasonably well thought out, and relevant.  It's also important to make sure the topic you want to cover isn't already being talked about in another Fanpost on the page.  If the topic has been brought up, your contribution should probably go there unless it differs significantly from what's being discussed.

Also realize that people will tend to get fussy if your Fanpost doesn't really allow room for thought or discussion.  For instance saying, "I disagree with Coach McMillan on these points..." and enumerating them would allow people access to your thought process and the post.  Just typing, "Nate sucks and should be fired!!!" doesn't really add anything meaningful or discussable.  Plus there's probably a Game Recap on the main page you can put that in instead of making it it's own Fanpost.

Each day there is a "Junk Drawer" posted for people's random thoughts.  The rules about importance and significance are suspended within that Fanpost.  If you have a one-off thought, consider posting it there.

You don't have to be Shakespeare and you don't have to be an expert, just make sure you're bringing something to the table when you create a Fanpost.

FANSHOTS

Below the Fanposts section is another, similar section titled "Fanshots".  These are shorter, single-item posts by readers.  They might be a single link, a picture, or whatever.  If you just have a short item that needs no explanation, the Fanshot section is for you.

COMMENTS

Both Fanposts and Fanshots have comment sections just like the main posts.  People love it when you respond to their posts.  Please stay on topic and be respectful to them, even when you disagree with them.  Debate is always encouraged.  Flame wars and personal attacks are not allowed here.

To reply to a post simply start typing in the comment field below that post.  To reply to somebody else's comment look beneath it and click the button marked "reply".  Your comment will be indented beneath the comment you're replying to.

The Rec/Flag System 

Every post and comment also has a button marked "actions" beneath it.  Clicking on this will bring up options to "rec" or "flag".

"Rec" is short for "recommend".  If you think a post or comment was great, click the "rec" button.  If enough people agree with you the post or comment will get promoted.  If it's a Fanpost or Fanshot you're recommending then enough recs will promote it to the top of the list in a special section.  If a comment gets enough recs its background field will turn green.  Either is considered an honor here.

"Flag" is used to mark questionable or offensive content for review by the community moderators.  Use this if you see things that violate site rules or are otherwise disturbing.  Flags are anonymous.  Only the moderators will see your flag and your explanation of it (should you choose to add one).

Please do not flag things just because you disagree with them.  Only offensive material should be flagged.  Similarly it's possible to rec comments even when you don't agree with their conclusions.

Frequency of Posting

You can comment all you want on anything you want.  People are glad to hear your responses to their work.  Because of the space limitations please limit your Fanposts so that you don't see multiples on the front page at once.

Personalizing Your Account 

At the top of the left sidebar you will see a button marked "Edit Settings".  This button will let you personalize your account.  You can choose to display more posts and Fanposts on the front page, turn avatar displays and auto-refreshing comments on or off, and do a couple other things.

Enjoy the site.  Make it better by your presence.  And again...welcome!

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)