Housekeeping: FanPosts and FanShots

With spring training just around the corner, now seems as good as any to remind you about FanPosts and FanShots. I know it can be a bit confusing about which to use and when, where to find them, or even how to use them, etc. Hey, it took me a little while to figure out all the options you have with FanShots. But when you use them correctly, it unlocks a whole new level to the web site and everyone can have a lot more fun.

First the definitions, because the terminology might seem a bit unnecessarily confusing.

FanShots are for quotes, photos, videos, or links you find of interest. They can also be used for short commentary or requests. In short, well, FanShots are what you should use when you're going to be brief. FanPosts are for longer, well-thought out discussions. This is where you get to create your own post at Bless You Boys. 

You want some good examples of how to use them? Great. We've got some.

FanShots:

• Quick thought or request
• Link to share
• Quote to share
• Photo to share

When you use FanShots like that, it makes it really easy and useful to promote them to the front page for everyone to find. This includes with breaking news, where it might be better for us to promote while we work on a piece of longer analysis. Just remember: if you don't have much to add to a link or topic, you probably want to use a FanShot for it.

How about FanPosts? These are some of my favorite things. This is basically where you get to write for the site for a day (or more, your choice!) If you take the time to do some research and write a nice post, it will probably end up on the front page where a lot more people will find it and add to the discussion. What constitutes a good post? Again, some examples:

• Tigers make the right decision in not targeting Vladimir Guerrero, by SweetLouDoubleU
• Armando, an Appreciation, by SabreRoseTiger
• Are the Twins Still Public Enemy No. 1? by BayesLaw
• Arbitration, The Final Tally, by TigerDog1

Basically, these FanPosts were all timely topics where the writer really built their thoughts into a cohesive topic that others might want to discuss, too. And by the way, for anyone who might ever want to write regularly for Bless You Boys, creating thoughtful FanPosts on a regular basis is the best way to make your case.

What don't I want to see? For one, links to your web sites are always welcome in your signatures, but using BYB simply to advertise your site through FanShots and FanPosts will not be tolerated. Those will be deleted. If this was a one-time mistake, no harm, no foul. If it becomes regular, we have a problem. Any FanPost that is basically just a paragraph or two is going to be questionable and may not make the cut. Any FanPost that is just what you think the lineup is going to be or your amateur projections won't make the cut either. If you FanPost requires you to use filler like "Go Tigers Go Tigers Go Tigers" 30 times means you are probably better off using a FanShot. Redundancy to recent topics will also be deleted.

Remember, if your FanPost or FanShot gets deleted, it's nothing personal. We just strive to make the site as accessible as possible while keeping it organized and maintaining the level of conversation at a higher level than you might find at other message boards or comment sections.

How do you use FanShots? Find the + New Fanshot link underneath a list of the most recent ones on the right sidebar. Then you're given a couple of different tabs: link, quote, image, video, list, chat. Most are self explanatory. Chat should be used when you have a short thought or a request.

What about a FanPost? Find the + New FanPost link on the right sidebar. Write your post in there. You might want to write your post in a text editor first and then copy and paste it. The "T" and "W" clip boards allow you to easily do so. Use the "W" clip board in order to keep your formatting from Microsoft Word. You can even attach a poll. Again, it should be self explanatory but if you have any questions feel free to email any of editors or writers for help.

Again, the most important thing is to remember FanPosts are for ideas you can really expand on, while FanShots are where you just quickly want to share something. When you use the tools properly, they're fun and useful. Thanks for participating! And if you have any questions we can answer, please ask them here in the comments now.