The Internet is fun, even more so when you know what you're doing.
The same is true of OBNUG. There are so many features and tools and resources that you could very well find extremely cool if only I would tell you about them. Well, today is your lucky day. After the jump, I run down a list of OBNUG's best stuff just in time for the start of the season. Let the learning begin.
If you are new here, you may want to check out past community posts on How To OBNUG and the OBNUG Community Guidelines. I assume most of it is still relevant since the idea of change gives me the heeby-jeebies.
How to FanPost and FanShot: Your keys to blogger fame and fortune
Just kidding about that fame and fortune stuff. Haha, joke's on you. No wait. Joke's on me. Nuts.
FanPosts and FanShots are the best way for OBNUG readers to share what is on your mind and in your heart and scribbled in scented marker all over your diary. Got a theory about Bryan Harsin's infatuation with the option? FanPost. Got a picture of Coach Pete at a scientology lecture? FanShot. Got a link to a Bleacher Report article? Banned.
I hate reinventing wheels, so allow me to copy and paste liberally from the FanPost vs. FanShot How To article I penned last fall.
FanShots and FanPosts make their home in the sidebar both on the main OBNUG homepage and on the onion-like, layered interior pages where I'm sure fives of tens of you get lost every day. Knowing that FanShots and FanPosts exist is one thing. Using them is entirely another. Here's a primer.
The FanShot should be used for quick hits - videos, links, quotes, chats, lists. If you find something interesting but are intimidated by the English language, use a FanShot.
The FanPost should be used for blogging. You know blogging. It's that thing you beat up kids in school for doing.
Despite our best attempts at not leading lives, Drew and Nick and I are not around 24/7 to monitor Bronco news. So when we are late arriving to a story, we may very well bogart yours for our purposes. Don't be surprised to wake up one morning and see your FanShot or FanPost sitting flush inside both the right and left sidebars. Or don't be surprised to wake up one morning to see your FanPost or FanShot deleted entirely because it linked to Bleacher Report and that makes the Internet sad.
How to buy an OBNUG T-Shirt: They exist!
For those of you who have always wanted to wear a website on your person, OBNUG T-shirts are now available. Here are the designs (more colors are available at the store).
Shipping is free on all shirts because that's how we roll. And if you happen to take a pic of yourself wearing an OBNUG T-shirt, then ... I'll probably put you in my Christmas card because that would be pretty cool.
How to like OBNUG on Facebook
Allow me to retrace the awkward timeline of OBNUG's history on the big FB.
- Fall 2008, OBNUG starts a Facebook group, thinking that those are cool.
- Fall 2009, OBNUG remembers that it started a Facebook group in Fall 2008.
- Winter 2009, OBNUG starts a Facebook page.
- Summer 2009, OBNUG remembers that it started a Facebook page and puts Nick in charge.
The good news is that Nick is good at the Internets, as witnessed by our burgeoning Twitter feed. He is in the burgeoning process on Facebook, so go like us if you haven't yet. The page currently has 875 OBNUGgers, which I am just going to go ahead and round up to 1,000.
If my egregious rounding bums you out, then feel free to "like" us to make it an honest 1,000.
What are you getting yourself into if you join OBNUG's Facebook page? Nick does about one update a week, or more often depending on the news. As an infrequent Facebook user myself, I understand how frustrating it can be to log on to Facebook and see updates like: "OBNUG is in line at the supermarket and the guy in front of us looks like lesbian Paul J. Schneider" or "What famous libertarian is OBNUG? Ron Paul, of course" or "OBNUG is only two heifers away from running a self-sustaining farm community on FarmVille. Help them now!" We won't bug you with stuff like that. At least not until the offseason.
How to not be a lurker
Some of my favorite people in the world are the people I never talk to, like old high school friends, the Indian guy who provided me excellent tech support on Madden 07, Kellen Moore, and lurkers. What's a lurker, you ask? It's you, if you read this site and have yet to comment. Let's be friends.
There are a lot of benefits to joining OBNUG, not the least of which is cracking wise with the best Bronco fans you will ever meet and one Virginia Tech guy. Plus, you get these fancy features:
- Live comment counts.
- FanPosting and FanShotting.
- Custom profile.
- A top navigation bar you will seldom use.
Signing up has never been simpler, provided you are on that Facebook thing. FB Connect yourself to OBNUG in seconds flat. And when you're done, leave us a comment to let us know you're here.
How to comment
Pretty much all the time, commenting on OBNUG is top notch. But I have some reminders on how to make it topper notch.
Recommending: When you see a comment that you love, give it a rec by clicking on the rec action at the end of the comment (probably hidden under "Actions"). Three recs and the comment turns green.
Flagging: If you read a comment that would make grandma cringe, you can flag it and an OBNUG moderator will look into it.
Replying: If you want to respond to someone's reaction, hit the reply button instead of starting a new comment entirely. This makes the flow of conversation run a little more smoothly, conversation being a loose term if you happen to be on an Anagram Roster post.
Guidelines: When you signed up as an OBNUGger, you agreed to a commenting Bill of Rights, and a very prudish one at that.
Welcome to the OBNUG community. Just a few rules: no swearing, no inappropriate topics, respect the community, stay on topic, and don’t make fun of my pick ’em choices. Other than that, make yourself at home.
If you do find yourself really needing to cuss up a storm, you'll be happy to know that OBNUG has you covered. In lieu of actually swearing, OBNUG commenters have adopted the phrase BAD WORDS and use it often to replace stuff I would otherwise have to delete. Works like a chram. I mean, charm. Arrgh. BAD WORDS!
Now get out there and make me proud!
Keep up the great work in the FanPosts, FanShots, and comments. You guys are the best. Let's have some fun this season.