CSC membership has increased since the 2008 season has ended so I wanted to take this time to make sure everyone knows how everything works around here. I apologize in advance to our veteran readers who know most of this stuff already but I think these occasional posts help in making the community stronger. But I ask that you guys stick around and continue reading because there will still be a few new tidbits.

FanPosts

This is the off-season and I'm sure you guys have a lot more stuff you want to talk about other than what I write for the day. The FanPost section is exactly where you can do that. Or maybe there is some breaking news and nobody has mentioned it yet. Throw up a link and quote a quick blurb so CSC is always up to date. Bring up any Saints or football or even New Orleans related topic right here. It can be long or it can be short. It can be well written, well researched and well thought out, or it can be quickly typed up and riddled with spelling errors. It doesn't matter. There is a 75 word minimum but thats really not too hard to reach. If I really like what you've written here, I have the option to put it up on the front page for all to see. In reality, the FanPost section is just a fancy looking message board. Check out what it looks like when you click "All FanPosts." Click on the picture to enlarge.

Cool huh? So if you're really more into the whole message board thing, this is for you. And the best part about it is the fact that each of these threads is auto-refreshing. That means, just like our open game threads, comments update in real time as they're written with no need to hit the refresh button. It also means that as traffic and participation increases, each thread will become more like live chat rooms!! This is where most of the action should be taking place and lots of participation will always keep CSC fresh and make everyone want to keep coming back. 

FanShots

Also a big part of the community atmosphere here at CSC is FanPost's evil twin, FanShot. The FanShot section is where anyone can quickly put up Saints related info from around the internet. Find a video from YouTube you want to share? Paste it as a FanShot. Found an article about the Saints? Share it with all of us. There is power in numbers and if everyone shares what they find then CSC would be a one-stop shop for Saints links. Check this area frequently. That means multiple times a day...at least. I personally use it all day to post stuff I find. Every single FanShot I post is a different link to an article, video or other website. I may present it as a quote or as a link but either way, this is where all of your Saints news comes from. Members  MtnExile, HansDat, Satchmo26 and Stujo4 are all shining role models for how this is supposed to work.

To help get you all better acquainted with this feature I've created a miniature tutorial that everyone should find useful. Below is a screenshot of what you see when you go to put up a FanPost. 

Areas 1, 2 and 3 are where you add all of your tags. Please do this whenever you make a FanShot or FanPost. Whoever or whatever the FanShot/FanPost is about should be added as a tag. So if I am posting a YouTube video of Drew Brees lighting up the Packers on MNF, I am going to add tags for "New Orleans Saints" "Green Bay Packers" "Drew Brees" and I am going to type in Monday Night Football in the "TAGS" section. I am also going to click "Attach Event" (area 4) and choose the actual game from the list provided. This helps link all stories, FanPosts and FanShots and allows SB Nation to provide suggestions of related items not just from Canal Street Chronicles but all other SB Nation blogs that you will probably be interested in. Tag it! Some of you may be confused on how I make my FanShot quotes look like I do. Let me help. First, I put the name of the person in area 5. Then in area 6 (between the two quotation marks) is where I put the URL or website address. Then in area 7 (between the ><) is where I put the actual name of the source. Here is what one of my completed FanShots looks like (not a real quote!).

If you want to post a video directly onto CSC, all you have to do is copy the Embed code from YouTube...

...and paste it right here in the FanShot section.

The rest of the FanShot options I think are self-explanatory. You can always email me or comment in this thread and ask me any questions you may have. 

Rec's

To help maintain a heirarchy of quality, we've got a recommending system here on Da Chronic. Anytime you see a story, FanPost or FanShot that speaks to you, Rec it. If it receives four Rec's, it will get moved to the top for a while so others may see it and keep up with it easier. Let me know how you feel about my posts by rec'ing them. This way I know what to give you more of and what to stop writing all together. Even comments within threads can be rec'd. Two rec's will highlight the comment forever. All of this also makes sure the good stuff gets read. 

Yahoo! Buzz

Often times the stories I write will have little icons at the bottom, the most important of which is the Yahoo! buzz button. Click this!! It takes two seconds out of your day and it helps CSC's Yahoo! rankings, allowing for more visitors and more Saints fans to be able to find us.

If you want to share them on Facebook or Digg you can also do that here. 

CSC on the go!

You will be glad to know that when you access CSC from your iPhone, Blackberry or other PDA you will automatically be redirected to the easy-to-view, PDA friendly mobile version of our site. If you'd rather view the full version you can do that too. Unfortunately, commenting from your mobile device isn't available yet but it's on the way. 

Other notes:

• If you don't have an avatar, I highly recommend installing one. It's a cool way to represent yourself. 
• Remember this is an entire network of blogs. We have a great site for every one of the NFL teams. If you are looking for information on another team, why not look for it right here on SB Nation first. 
• We have a Facebook profile and group. We are on Twitter. 
• If you have a Facebook profile, MySpace page or other website please add our Canal Street Chronicles widget.
  
• You can sign up for any of our feeds over on the left sidebar. 
• I write all my posts in wide format. I recommend reading CSC in wide format.
• Take advantage of the RotoWorld, ESPN and CastTV widgets on the right sidebar. They are all updated regularly and all interactive. 
• This post and others like it can be found whenever in the "Tour of CSC" section on the left sidebar.
  
• If you have any technical problems, email bugreport@sbnation.com and report it. Put the name of the blog and the problem you are experiencing in the subject line.
• Always feel free to email me with any comments, questions, problems or suggestions. This also includes advertising inquiries. We are always looking for people who are interested in advertising. If anyone out there knows someone who might be interested, please contact me. 

This thread is now open for any questions, comments, quotes and quibbles anyone has.