The 2012 sports season for the University of Oregon is fast approaching. As we are getting to know new players and coaches, we are also getting to know new community members who may have journeyed through the annals of the Internet to find that wonderful oasis of Addicted to Quack. Some may come from the salt mines of the ESPN comment boards. Others may come from our brother and sister blogs across the SB Nation network of blogs. For all those fans, both new and old, we the editors, moderators, authors and community members welcome you to the best damn Oregon Ducks blog out there.
What makes Addicted to the Quack the best? Simply put, we are a community first and foremost. This isn't the ESPN message boards. We're your favorite restaurant or bar where you sit down, order your favorite beverage and chat about all things interesting to fans with a focus on the University of Oregon. Because joining a new community can be a little intimidating, we've written up some guidelines to help both new and veteran members alike.
If you are new to the blog, or perhaps just new to posting, drop a line in the comments below to say hello and introduce yourself.
Tips and Tricks
1. Enjoy a comment or post? Give it a "rec"!
On the bottom of each comment or post, you have the option to "recommend" that contribution by clicking the "rec" link. The more recommendations a post or comment receives, the more prominent the post becomes. If a comment receives enough recs, the comment will turn green with a thumbs up in the header. For a fanpost or fanshot, it will promote that post up the board and pin it to the top so that others can see it. You can recommend a post or comment for any reason you see fit.
2. If you have a take on an issue we aren't talking about, make a Fan Post!
Don't let the blog managers, editors and authors have all the fun! You can access the Fan Posts section on the right-hand navigation bar. These are posts created by community members about any number of topics. If you write a particularly excellent or interesting post, one of the blog managers might promote it to the front page, broadcasting it across all the social media platforms, SB Nation and our partner sites. Some of the blog managers here began their writing career in the FanPosts section. So there could even be a future in it!
3. What is a "Quack Fix"?
Everyone needs their coffee in the morning. Who doesn't like some good reading to go along with that coffee? Every weekday morning, the Quack Fix helps us get through that day with a collection of interesting news, media and commentary about all things University of Oregon Ducks. You want an unstructured discussion? This is the place for you.
4. I've heard of these "Open Threads". What is that?
Open Threads are running conversations during a particular event. Come join in the fun with your fellow ATQ members, all in real time. We have open threads for every Ducks Football and Basketball game as well as other special events as we see fit. It's a great way to get to know your fellow quack addict.
5. If you are posting an image, make sure you use a "headline"
Any member can post images in their comments. To help respect our mobile community members, make sure to add a headline to your comment to allow them to minimize the image to reduce clutter and bandwidth usage. Some of our threads get to be thousands of comments long! Being able to minimize the images is a great courtesy.
6. Do people from the blog get together?
You bet! A number of members get together throughout the season regardless of sport. Some of my best friends in life have come from meeting them through our heated discussions right here at ATQ. If you are looking for places to tailgate or get to know your fellow Quack Addict, post in the comments! Chances are you will get invited to come partake at one of the many informal events going on each gameday.
7. Does the Addicted to Quack hold any other types of events?
Every year, we do a fundraising campaign to benefit a charity that is important to members of the community. The last few years, we have been working with the OI Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting families and research for those affected with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Disease). Getting involved in the community is an important mission here at ATQ and we are always looking for opportunities to help further those causes our members care about. If you want more information about community involvement, or would like to leverage the ATQ community for your cause, talk to one of our Blog Managers to get the skinny.
Links
Official Community Guidelines
Addicted To Quack is a community of Oregon Duck members. Posting and commenting is encouraged, and welcomed.
However, certain actions are not permitted, and will be immediate grounds for being banned from community participation:
1) Profanity and personal attacks directed at specific people (other commenters, players, etc.) .
2) Comments that are intolerant or prejudiced (sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.) in nature.
3) Posting information that is private or from a paid site, or copying and pasting articles without proper attribution (linking and block-quoting).
4) Posts that are inflammatory and deemed as "trolling." This will include any posts that are made on other SBNation websites.
5) Posting links to illegal game streams.
We look forward to you joining our community and joining in the ongoing conversation.