FanPosts & FanShots

One of the greatest features of the SB Nation platform here at Amazin' Avenue is that fan commentary isn't limited strictly to the comments section. You have the ability to have your voice heard via our FanPosts and FanShots sections, located along the right side of the Amazin' Avenue homepage. So is there a difference between the two and how you should use them? Yes, there is!

FanPosts

FanPosts are meant for longer blog-style pieces, sort of like what the Amazin' Avenue writers do on the main page. These pieces are typically either creative or otherwise researched, using stats and information gathered from another website. As a word of caution, the Amazin' Avenue community has high expectations for the FanPost section, so your piece should be well-developed and thought out. If it takes you just 5 minutes to slap a FanPost together and you find yourself having trouble getting past the word count minimum, you should probably reconsider putting up your FanPost.

To give you a little more of an idea of what we expect, let me introduce you to two Amazin' Avenue FanPost posters: DickeyFan and Spotty.

DickeyFan logs on to Amazin' Avenue one day and decides that he's going to write a FanPost! He decides what topic he wants to write about and he begins to do research, utilizing websites such as Fangraphs, Baseball Reference, Brooks Baseball, and Cots Contracts in order to get information to help support his argument. Great job, DickeyFan!

Spotty, meanwhile, logs on to Amazin' Avenue and also decides he wants to write a FanPost. He decides what topic he wants to write about but feels he doesn't need to research his piece. He already knows what he wants to write about and research is for geeks! That is a bad attitude, Spotty.

DickeyFan, armed with research and some coherent thoughts about the topic in which he wants to write, decides to start writing and creates an interesting argument about David Wright's Hall of Fame chances. He uses data, historical comps, and other information that can help to enlighten the reader and give them something to think about. You're on the right track, kiddo!

Spotty, though, is already 54 words deep into a piece about "WHY DAVID WRONGZ SUCKS AND SHOULD BE TRAIDED FOR SOMEONE CLUTCH RITE NOAW!" and he's run out of things to say. Uh oh, I don't think that's going to end well, Spotty.

DickeyFan is deep into his piece and it's going quite well. He occasionally checks his grammar and spelling, making sure that what he writes is both legible and reader friendly. Good work, son!

Spotty, still short by nearly 100 words, decides to just write nonsense through the rest of the FanPost in order to get past the word count. Furthermore, his post is rife with spelling mistakes and would likely be deemed unreadable by a 3rd grade student. Oh, Spotty.

DickeyFan posts his FanPost to the site and it's met with great enthusiasm by the readers. It receives a number of Rec's and is so fantastic that Eric even promotes it to the main page of the site, where it can be seen by a larger scale audience. Congratulations DickeyFan on a job well done!

Spotty puts up his FanPost and it is met with sheer derision. "This is terrible!", says one commenter. "What the hell is this?", says another. "I want to dig a hole, jump in it, and curl up in the fetal position because this is so bad!" says a third. Spotty's post is an example of what NOT to do when you're putting up a FanPost. Be a DickeyFan, not a Spotty.

Here are a couple of examples of DickeyFan type FanPosts:

The Inani-Mets is a great example of a creative FanPost.

Sandy, Where do wins come from? is an example of an analytical FanPost.

And here are some examples of Spotty FanPosts:

Scotty is just one example of a bad FanPost.

LETS GET MANNY!!!!!! may be the holy grail of bad FanPosts. Don't do this.

So to summarize, your FanPost should:

-Be well-written (and thorough!)

-Be interesting

-Contain some sort of analysis using facts, or...

-Be creative

-Follow all of those grammar and spelling rules you were supposed to learn in school

FanShots

If you're looking to put up something shorter, FanShots are for you. FanShots are meant for posting quick hits, such as linking to news or interesting posts from other websites. In fact, there are five different types of FanShots to choose from: links, videos, images (at Amazin' Avenue, we've long been fans of Photoshops and especially terrible MSPaint creations), quotes, and lists.

Examples:

Mets Sign Aaron Harang To Minor League Contract – This is an example of a link FanShot

I Love You, Man – This is an example of an image FanShot

Possible return for Parnell? – This is an example of a quote FanShot

How do I post FanPosts and FanShots?

Well, that's an excellent question! If you head to the Amazin' Avenue homepage, you'll see a pair of links on the right side of the page: "write a FanPost" or "create a FanShot".

FanShots:

You can access the FanShots section either via the "FanShots" button on the site's top navigation bar...

...or by scrolling down the front page and finding the FanShot section on the right side.

When you get to the FanShot section, you'll see five links at the top of the page: "Link", "Quote", "Image", "Video", and "List".

Choose which type of FanShot you'd like to create, give it a title, and fill out the rest of the boxes. You can also tweet a link to the FanShot from your personal Twitter account.

FanShots On The Go:

So let's say you're surfing around the internets and you come across a great video, link, image, or something else that you'd like to share to Amazin' Avenue as a FanShot. But then, you realize that you're too lazy to actually go to the site yourself. I know, it's tough typing AmazinAvenue dot com in the search bar. It's a longish name and it has a "Z" in it and nobody ever uses their "Z" key. Also, sometimes you write AmazingAvenue dot com in the bar, which isn't the name of this site or any actual website! Oh no, what can you do? Well, never fear because at the top of the FanShots page is the handy "FanShots On The Go" button.

All you have to do is click and drag that button to the bookmarks bar in your browser. When you find something great to link to, click that bookmark, and the FanShots window will open up. Fill out all of the information there and like magic, your FanShot will post onto the site! Like I said, it's magic. Believe me.

FanPosts:

You can reach the FanPost page by clicking FanPosts at the top of the home screen...

...or by clicking FanPosts on the right side of the screen.

Once you get to the FanPost page, click the "New FanPost" button. This will take you to the editor, where you can begin working on your FanPost.

Create a headline for your post, write the body of your FanPost in the big box, hit post, and then you're all set!

That's it! Now you know how to post a FanPost and a FanShot, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get to it!