Here we are. The air’s a little bit easier to breathe out here in the internet wasteland, out from under the safe cover of a parent network. But it’s good for us. It builds character.
And it’s with that said that on behalf of Sam and Killion, I’d like to formally welcome you to The Committed Indian. Whether you’re new here, or just following us from a previous venture, we’re glad to have you. After the jump, we’ll delve into some of the particulars about the site.
First off, I’d like to extend a very large thank you again to all those who contributed to the fundraising drive. Your support was more than humbling and has made something like this even possible. Secondly, another thank you needs to be given to Coulee Creative, who have exceeded every possible expectation for the look and feel of this site. Which segues nicely to the first matter of business.
Comments
One of the biggest priorities for us with this site was to bring over a live commenting system similar to that which so fostered the growth of the old one. Being that SBN’s system was proprietary, there was going to be no way to fully replicate that feature set, but we think that Disqus brings to the table some other features that the other one did not.
While there is no “z” key to mark a comment read, Disqus offers a variety of sorting options under the Discussion menu at the top left of the comments, which includes sorting by Newest or Best first. And every user will have the ability to “rec” comments as before, or vote comments down, which again, is a tool that should always be used with discretion. A Disqus account can be registered with an email address or with a variety of social media outlets such as Google+ or Facebook, and as long as one is registered, logged in, and viewing a comment thread, they will update in real time, based on the sorting method you have selected. Comments in reply to a previous post also denote automatically who the reply is to, and no one will have to worry about self-replying any longer, as it is possible to edit your own comment posts.
Regarding the content of the posts, we’ve once again deputized a full stable of mods, and their badges are clearly shown next to their name in comment threads. As was the case before, any racism, misogyny, homophobia, or other hate speech will be met with zero tolerance. The posting of racy pictures in thread will also not be tolerated, and those posts will be deleted and the users who do so will be reprimanded. We encourage a full if sometimes profane discourse in the comments, but we ask that you keep it within reason in staying on topic, which is why we created the Forums section.
Forums
With the start of this site, we’re going forward with a bit of an experiment, and that’s the Forums section. Our intention for the Forums is to provide a place for the community to discuss off-topic topics, as it is sometimes wont to do. Additionally, if you have a lengthy thought that doesn’t necessarily fit as being related to a comment thread or is simply too long, feel free to post it there, and it just might end up on the front page, as we have the ability to promote it.
There is no official “sign in” method to the Forums as yet, as we’re still its still in a trial mode for us, there are just fields to fill out for each post, which should be easy to set your browser to remember. Despite that, the authors of this site can see plenty of identifying information on the back end, so attempts to subvert what’s going to be an honor system for now will be noticed. The same rules that apply to the comments are going to apply to the forums, save for more leniency regarding subject matter. Please respect the outlet as a whole by not starting provocative political, religious or otherwise inappropriate discussions. Remember- this is a hockey blog, and one that’s supposed to be fun.
UPDATE: Due to some confusion and some first-day hiccups, we’ve decided to have the Forum be login based. It will be a seperate account from Disqus commenting, but it will be ultimately more convenient than anonymous posting in the long run. For those who posted anonymous already, we apologize but you’ll thank us later. Everyone can register here.
Content
For those who have followed us from the previous site, most if not all of your familiar features will have their new home here, which includes Atop The Sugar Pile, Angry At Numbers, Grinds My Gears, Beards of the Day, along with previews, game threads, and wraps chock full of familiar jargon and recurring jokes. We’ll also begin posting daily links in the mornings soon, once the dust has settled on the grand opening.
On top of all of that, once hockey actually returns, we’re excited to bring to you some new features that we’ll how have more leeway to get the feel for, such as more X and O “chalk talk” that some readers have long requested. And maybe, just maybe, you might see the triumphant return of Live From The Five Hole.
All in all, we’ve got a lot of ideas ready to fall out of our skulls, and now have our own very special venue to subject the world at large to them. Now if only the league and the PA would cooperate.
Print Issues
We are now your official outlet for purchasing digital issues and subscriptions of Sam’s game day program, The Committed Indian. We’ve implemented a more streamlined automated service for the delivery of issues via email, and payment is still handled via PayPal. Long time subscribers will probably notice little difference to start (if and when games start this season), but there are some options available to us that we’re excited to have at our disposal. Additionally, there are plans in the works to be able to provide for you the Committed Indian logo emblazoned swag you’ve long pined for the ability to purchase. As these things roll out, we will keep everyone aware of the situation.
Contact
In the event that you need to reach out to us with questions or concerns regarding any of these topics, we’ve provided a contact form for you, and it will get into the appropriate hands. Additionally, if anyone reading this is interested in advertising here or in the print wing, there is a section for that, as well.
Aside from that, we can be reached on a variety of social media platforms, as you have likely already seen the links for around the site, but for clarity’s sake, our Twitter handle is @RealFansProgram (grumble), and we can be found on Facebook simply by searching for the actual name of the site and paper, or clicking here. And for you tech nerds, we have an RSS news feed running as well.
I think that about covers everything. So once again thank you for visiting, enjoy your stay, and we hope to have you around regularly.
