[Ed. note: please indulge a short administrative detour… or skip it.]
In keeping with the spirit of the New Year, I figured I’d toss a little self-help your way (though I suppose it’s not self-help when it’s me telling you what to do) in the form of Rink Reader Resolutions for the New Year. Here are a few things you guys might consider doing to help keep this blog a-rockin’:
1. Use the FanShots and FanPosts more. Go back and read BCB on FanPosts and FanShots and don’t be afraid to use ’em when you’ve got something to say (in a FanPost) or when you stumble upon a link/pic/video you think we’d be interested in. Look at Pension Plan Puppets for good examples of this kind of user generated content (and given that you guys are smarter than them, just imagine what you can do). But please be sure to check the “What We’re Reading” widget and the links in the morning Roundups to make sure you’re not posting something that’s already on the site, because then I’ll be forced to delete your FanShot, and we’ll both feel bad.
2. Recommend good content. SB Nation allows you to “rec” stories, comments, FanShots, FanPosts… pretty much any content on the site (in some spots, you need to click “actions” then “rec”). By recommending, you help make sure that other readers (and writers) don’t miss anything good. Plus, people dig positive reinforcement.
3. Get yourself an avatar (if you need help in doing so, reference the Welcome Guide). It helps to differentiate you from everyone else in a way that’s not as annoying as numbering your sentences, typing in all caps, etc. There are tons of great examples, but Sombrero Guy‘s, ns‘s, Wisper‘s and Uncle C‘s are among my favorites. Just keep it (relatively) clean.
4. Glance over what you’ve written before posting. I hate typos. So does everyone else. Do everyone a favor and read your comment/FanPost/FanShot before hitting “post.”
5. Follow and interact with The Rink on Twitter. The hip crowd tells me that Twitter is sweet and that I should gently solicit followers, so if you’re a Twitterin’ type, follow me. I promise there’ll be no Kool-Aid at any point.
6. If you’ve got a suggestion, let us know. If something’s not working right or you’ve got an idea to make the site better, let the techies at SB Nation know by emailing support@sbnation.com. Seriously, these guys get paid to make your experience better, so don’t be shy.
Now it’s your turn – what resolutions would you like to see us make for the year ahead? (And I immediately regret the decision to ask that question…)