FanPost

A Beginner's Guide To Good Fanposting

Greetings! This is a PSA for my fellow Rumblers, as the Fanposts section seems exceptionally clogged with what we will generously term "trashposting," as the alternate nomenclature will doubtless offend some tender sensibilities.

So, what's the difference between a good Fanpost and an awful trashpost? Well, there are many facets to that answer, and I'm here to help you with a few of them. If you follow the steps below as you contemplate your foray into the realm of creative writing, you'll save yourself the embarrassment of being thought of as a useless nimrod and instead be hailed as having a sharp and insightful football mind.

  • What's your content?

    Simply put, what do you have to say? Ideally, a Fanpost will be some form of totally fresh content, or a deep dive into a concept that hasn't been discussed to death on the boards already. For alternate examples, see the six billion "Tyrod sux lol" or "gotta keep Tyrod u morans" threads. These are trashposting, unless you've somehow managed to find a way to look at it that IS different or exciting, which trust me, you haven't.

  • Does your content best fit into a Fanpost?

    So! After thinking twice about posting 76 words about how lame it is that Marcell Dareus smokes pot, you've actually come up with a real humdinger of an idea. Well done! Now, is this idea something that should be in a Fanpost? For example, let's say you really think Matt Elam would be a great free agent signing. However, if the extent of this thought is, "I saw that dude at Florida and he was DOPE," then you don't have a Fanpost. But don't despair! You do have the start of one.

    Any time you've got to staple some gibberish or extraneous thoughts onto a Fanpost to make sure it hits the minimum word requirement, you should definitely rethink hitting that "publish" button. In our previous example regarding Matt Elam, you're on the right track - you just need some additional work. Don't be scared - all good things come from work, and you could do many things to flesh out your idea. What did you see from him at Florida (or in Baltimore) that made you think he's got potential? Or do a little digging and find out Elam's stats for the past few years - has he improved? Regressed? Does he fit the mold of what Buffalo is likely to do now that McDermott and Frazier are in town? How does he compare to other free agent safeties? In fact, should I be writing a Fanpost about ALL the free agent safeties likely to be available next year? Yes, you probably should - but if you really love Matt Elam, show us why.

  • Spell check and proofreading are your friends.

    Nothing ruins what could potentially be an awesome discussion-starter like lazy writing. You've got your sweet Fanpost about the viability of Ohio State's 'tweener WR Curtis Samuel in Rick Dennison's offense, complete with stats, video links, hand-crafted chalkboard doodles, and a personal interview with Urban Meyer. Unfortunately, your opening sentence is "Hey guys!1!! Curtis Sameul is gonna be a STUD somewere y not in Buffalo???" and the entirety of the post is all in one block of text, and oops, everyone's eyes have already rolled completely out of their skulls. There's a handy spellcheck built into the Fanpost publishing system - make use of it, as it only takes a few seconds. Also, don't forget that big ol' orange Preview button right next to the Publish button - take some time and proofread your work. Is it easy to read? Are your links working correctly? Did you select a picture of Urban Meyer where you can actually see that his soul has vacated his living flesh? Great! You and your audience will both be glad that you checked these things before posting.

Utilizing this guide should help ensure that you're adding quality to the content and discussion here at Buffalo Rumblings, rather than just quantity. It also keeps good Fanposts in the mix for people to read throughout the day that might otherwise be pushed down by a pointless treatise on Rex and Rob Ryan being fatty-fatty fat fats, or the sixteenth mock draft you completed this morning.

Of course, this list is not all-encompassing - if you have any further suggestions, please add them in the comments below. And thanks for helping keep the Rumblings Fanpost section beautiful!

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.