Videogam.in Sblog F.A.Q.

Everything you need to know about posting to the Sblog.

Whats a Sblog

The Videogam.in Sblog (A portmanteau of "news" and "blog") is the backbone content posting system that anyone can use to post almost anything related to videogames.

• It's a collection of News, Blogs and Content posted by users like you.
• Post text, videos, pictures, quotes, links, or audio.
• Use it to review games, game soundtracks, or pretty much anything.
• Rate Sblog posts based on your opinion of quality, interest, and relevance.
• Create your own personal blog, or post to the public communal Sblog.

When should it be used?

Whenever you find a link, quote, video, pictures, or MP3 that's interesting, insightful, or so vapid that is must be shared with the community. It can also be used as a personal web log to do with as you will. Most people would probably write about their videogame experiences or their opinion and insight into recent gaming news.

On the other hand, you can use the Sblog to report recent gaming news or post media like screenshots, artwork, and video.

The Sblog can also be used to post reviews about games or game soundtracks. There are a variety of reviewing features available.

What is the point in tagging stuff?

You should always tag games, people, companies, groups, and topics related to your post. This is essential in categorizing your post and creating cohesion within the site. It also publicizes your post in appropriate categories.

No tag spamming plz

Only tag those things that are explicit and express in your post. In other words, your tag subjects should be only the main subject(s) of your post, the things that your post is clearly and deliberately about.

What are the guidelines and requirements for Public Posts?

If you choose "Public Post" instead of "Blog," your post will see significantly more exposure, but it will be subject to the approval and ratings of the site editors and readers. If your post is poor quality, irrelevant, or redundant, the editors and users might choose to downrate your post. If your post is downrated enough, one of several things might happen: it will receive less exposure, be hidden completely, moved to your blog, or removed completely.

Here are a few simple but important guidelines:

• No spoilers — Leave spoilers out or use the [spoiler] tag to hide them.
• Be relevant — Your post should be relevant, interesting, and important to most people in the gaming community.
• Don't be redundant — Make sure you check the corresponding archives before posting. News and other content that has already been covered without adding new value to the topic will probably not be well received.
• Proofread — Read and reread your article before publishing it and consider a spell checker before submitting your post.
• Use unbiased and objective language — If you can't remain objective, consider posting to your blog instead, or follow your post with a comment that shares your opinion. Using first-person language (I, me, my) never helps when trying to be objective. (This rule does not apply to Reviews and Impressions, of course.)

How can I cite my article sources?

When using information from another source, it's important to cite the source for several reasons: 1. It gives credit to the author. 2. It validates your writing. 3. It informs your readers. Unsubstantiated articles may end up getting downrated or deleted.

You can cite a source using the [cite] or [source] tags. If warranted, also make use of the [quote] tag. More information about these tags can be found in the BB Code Guide.

How are Sblog posts rated?

Registered users can rate posts up or down based on their own opinion of quality and relevance. The total rating is weighted, meaning the more ratings there are the more it affects the total rating. Just one or two ratings will only move the heart meter slightly, whereas 10 ratings will move it more dramatically.

You can view the rating data by hovering your mouse cursor over the heart rating of any given post. The number in square brackets is the weighted value given to the post. This value will also decide whether or not your post will be hidden (if the weighted value is -5 or less, it will be hidden or removed from post lists). The weighted value is also added to your total Sblog post rating.

When and why should a post be archived?

A post should be archived when it is meant to be supplementary. In other words, it's not really fresh or relevant at the time of posting, but it's still important. This FAQ, itself archived, is a perfect example. It's not newsworthy, but it's meant to supplement the Sblog and be a guide for users.

Some other examples of when to archive a post:

• Images and footage of an older game, or old images and footage.
• Pictures of a person
• Soundtrack synopses
• A link to an official website or a resource website

Archived posts will still appear on indexes, but they will be condensed to a link and description only.

See Also

For more tips and standards, see Writing a better Sblog article.