The Vox Post Editor: Float like a fan, publish like a pro. Tell your peeps.

The skinny on editor features. Visit the FAQ tab for more. Please read the Rules of the Road PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions

Info on the newest editor features, and answers to common problems.

Q: Hitting my ENTER key in Visual view creates a new paragraph. How do I add a single line break?

A: Hold down SHIFT while pressing ENTER. Bam!

Q: How do I insert images, videos or sports data?

A: Check out the Inserts sidebar palette, to the right of the text editor. Set your cursor in the editor where you'd like an insert to appear, then click the media icons and follow instructions. Or try the text links below: these add timely sports data objects into your post. You've got great resources at your fingertips.

Q: Wait, I can post a link on my Facebook wall to any post I write?

A: Indeed. Just click the little checkbox in the bottom of the Post Editor. When you publish your post, take a couple of seconds to write a note encouraging friends to enjoy your genius. It's a great way to share your writing with fans beyond Gobbler Country.

Q: Is it true I can share my post on Twitter, right from this post editor?

A: Yes! You can pair a Twitter account with your SB Nation account, without even disrupting your current story. And then (now and in the future) you can tweet about your story when you publish it, right from here. Our platform will add a short URL for you. You'll be chirping like a bird.

Q: Whoa, the Post Editor has an autosave function?

A: Indeed, my friend. Compose your post right in the editor, and Autosave will take care of you. To save manually, click the big button in the top right. Turn off your computer and have a sandwich. Later you can resume your post from the Editorial Dashboard.

Q: There's odd markup in HTML view, and my published post has weird formatting. What happened?

A: It's possible that you wrote your post in MS Word or another program, and pasted some ugly code by accident. We hope you'll compose right in the SB Nation Post Editor. If you must write in Word, please use the little "Paste from Word" button on the editor toolbar to insert your copy. It'll get cleaned up real shiny.

Q: I can't publish without running Auto Tag & Link? Is it mandatory?

A:Yes. We believe very strongly that good tagging is crucial for bringing attention to your writing and for building a stronger fan-powered network. Our hope is that the automated process makes it easier for you to focus on what you do best: starting and engaging in conversations about the sports and teams you love.

Q: Auto Tag & Link added links that I don't want. Can I remove them?

A: Sure. Scroll through your post, click your cursor into any link you don't want and press the "break link" button on the editor toolbar. Blammo! It's gone.

Q: Is that a spellcheck button I see on the editor toolbar?

A: Yes, and we encourage you to use it. The spellchecker will underline questionable words—click to see suggested alternatives.

Q: What are Clippings?

A:We find that bloggers that post a daily or weekly link roundup get more readers. So we've made it easier for you to grab links to interesting articles and add them to your posts. Collect links with the Clipper bookmarklet tool and they'll be waiting for you in the Clippings sidebar pane when you compose your story. Check out the Clippings Dashboard for more info on all this. And a sweet video

Q: Is it required that I use the Photo selector pane to attach a photo?

A: No. But with access to all these sweet Presswire photos (even in the middle of a game), why not go for it? The system will generate a photo slide show and use the photo to promote the post around the network - even if you upload your own.

Q: What is the graphic in the text editor with the stars, labeled JUMP?

A: Use this image to control where you'd like readers to click a "Read more" link for the extended entry. For short posts, highlight the graphic and delete to remove the jump completely.

Headlines

Write a concise intriguing headline and you'll get more readers.

Headline FAQ

Q: Where do I add a headline to my post?

A: At the top of the post editor, in the field marked "Story Headline". Duh.

Q: What's the value of writing a good headline? Can't I just write any old thing?

Headlines are the critical first impression of your posts. Most visitors find your headlines before they find your blog and the way in which you craft that introduction to your content determines if they click through to read the rest.

A:People click on headlines that make them curious, that match terms they're searching for, or that mention the game/player they're thinking about. Descriptive headlines improve search engine optimization, so more readers find you.

Q: What makes a good headline?

A: Concise, descriptive headlines of less than 60 characters designed to hook in the reader. Include the key players, games or issues that your post focuses on. And a headline that poses a question is always intriguing.

Q: Does the headline effect the URL of my post?

A: Yes, we use the first few words to make a friendly URL. That’s why, if you include a team or player name in your headline, that you use those terms at the very beginning.

Authoring with the SB Nation Post Editor

With spellcheck, visual & HTML modes, and quick formatting: it's unstoppable.

The Creative Basics

You can toggle the editor between Visual and HTML modes, explained in further detail below. The auto-save function will save your progress as you work. The spellcheck button will underline questionable words—you can click each underlined word for suggested alternatives. The draggable JUMP bar lets you decide where you want the extended entry to begin. And the Fullscreen editing button can be quite handy.

Use the toolbar buttons to apply and remove formatting to text you've highlighted with your cursor—you can even apply multiple styles at once. As you move your cursor around, buttons will light up to show what styles are applied. Use toolbar buttons to create lists, to indent a paragraph, or to make text bold or italicized.

When you quote from another source, press the (“) quotation button to use blockquote formatting. You can highlight text before hitting this button to wrap a whole passage in a blockquote.

Easy Editing

In Visual mode, the editor allows you to edit your entry as it will generally look when published. To see exactly how it will look, use the orange Preview button in the Complete section at the bottom of the screen.

By default, this editor will add two line breaks (a new paragraph) when you hit the Return key. Should you only want a single line break, use Shift+Return.

Markup created through either HTML or Visual view will be formatted and checked for errors once saved into the system. In some rare cases you may encounter strange behavior when switching views. Use of valid markup as described in the Style Tips tab will help prevent this.

More Info

For more detailed help, check out the full FanPost Help Guide.

Inserts

Trick out your post with rich media, relevant links and sports stats from the Inserts sidebar palette.

Inserts FAQ

Q: What are inserts, and why do I care?

A: You can add images, videos, files, and sports data alongside your writing. Photos jazz things up. Timely sports data will help you build an argument.

Q: What is the Inserts sidebar palette?

A: We've moved media buttons and sports data insert links into the area to the right of the Visual / HTML editor where you write your post. Click the buttons and links to insert these objects at your current cursor location. The inserts palette will suggest links and sports data based on your blog's team and league affiliation.

Q: How do I insert an image?

A: Click the image button at the top of the inserts palette to open a blue modal window. Type or paste in a URL to an image in the field labeled 'URL', and click the 'Import' button. You may see a progress bar as your image is imported and resized. Once the window closes you'll see your image displayed at the current cursor location. To remove an image, just select it as you would text and hit the DELETE key on your keyboard.

A:If the image is on your computer, click the ‘Upload’ tab. Choose a Title, click the ‘Browse’ button to find and select the image file on your computer, add tags to help you find it later, then click the ‘Upload’ button. You can search through all the images you’ve already uploaded to your Assets in the Find tab.

Q: How do I insert a hyperlink?

A: To add a link, highlight the words that you'd like linked and click the button. Then type or paste a URL into the small popup window to create the link. Easy as cake!

Clippings: Link posts made easy.

Save links & notes from around the web to the Clippings sidebar for easy insert.

Clippings FAQ

Q: What are Clippings?

A: Please watch the Clippings screencast help video.

We find that bloggers who post a daily or weekly link roundup get more readers. So we've made it easier for you to grab links to interesting articles and add them to your posts. Collect links with the Clipper bookmarklet tool and they'll be waiting for you in the Clippings sidebar pane when you compose your story. Check out the Clippings Dashboard for more info on all this.

Tag and Link

Tag well for easy promo across the network. The new Auto Tag & Link process does all the work!

Tagging FAQ

Q: Why bother tagging my post?

A: Tags tell the platform what your post is about, so it can better promote your story around the network. A post tagged with specific Player, Team or Game will appear on the relevant network sport pages. You'll get more readers.

Q: What does the Auto Tag & Link button do?

A:Most of the dirty work. After you write your story, press that button and the Auto Tag & Link process will scan what you've written and add Player, Team and Event tags that it suspects are relevant. It will also add links to these terms in your post, so that readers can click through to relevant pages.

Q: How come some results from Auto Tag & Link are checked, and others unchecked?

A: If the system has high confidence that a Player or Team is mentioned, it will be checked. Unchecked tags are terms Auto Tag & Link is less sure about. Feel free to uncheck tags that you don't think are relevant, and to check others. Only checked tags will be attached to your published post. Use the open field in the last column to add comma separated Topics that describe your post.

Q: I can't publish without running Auto Tag & Link? Is it mandatory?

A:Yes. We believe very strongly that good tagging is crucial for bringing attention to your writing and for building a stronger fan-powered network. Our hope is that the automated process makes it easier for you to focus on what you do best: starting and engaging in conversations about the sports and teams you love.

Q: Can I add & remove other tags?

A: Sure. Check or uncheck suggestions from Auto Tag & Link, such as recent/upcoming games or seasonal Topics. Then use the forms at the bottom of each column to add whatever additional Players, Teams, Events or Topics you think are relevant for your post.

Q: Why did the Auto Tag & Link process add links to my post?

A: Players and teams found in your story will be linked to relevant SB Nation network sport pages, so your readers can explore related content. The network pages promote the posts, and the posts promote the network pages. It's a big love-fest, and everybody wins.

Q: Auto Tag & Link added links that I don't want. Can I remove them?

A: Sure. Scroll through your post, click your cursor into any link you don't want and press the "break link" button on the editor toolbar. Blammo! It's gone.

Article Photo and Template

Crop, attach and caption a timely Presswire news photo to fit the story template of your choice.

Catching your Reader's Eye

Photos attract readers. Though you can also insert images in the middle of your story, photos added as an Article Photo will be used in various sizes to promote the story across SB Nation. Don't be afraid to have fun with the cropping and the caption. In many cases the system will generate a slide show of additional photos based on the tags you've attached.

Please visit the Photo Selector FAQ on the SB Nation Blogger Intranet for answers to other common questions.

Finding a Photo

If your blog is affiliated with a team or league, recent photos will be suggested automatically on the. If you finish writing your text and have run the Auto Tag & Link process, these suggestions will change based on Players and Teams attached to your story.

Poll your Readers

Attach one poll to your post and let the flame wars begin.

Insert a Poll

Use the "Attach Poll" dialog to attach an existing poll or create a new one. Pose a question and then offer as many answers as you like—you can drag the answer options around to change their order. The poll will stay open for two weeks unless you specify otherwise. Once published, you can edit the post and close the poll early.

At present you can attach only one poll per post, and each user can select only one answer. The added poll will appear at the end of your published entry.

Promoting Your Post

Spread the word and get more article eyeballs.

To SBNfinity and Beyond

Is this the kind of post that will hook new readers? Check the "Promote beyond your community" checkbox if your story is appropriate for SB Nation Team & Player pages, and for distribution partners like Yahoo! Sports, CBS Sports, or Google News. Avoid checking this box for posts intended only for your community members (new guidelines, "I'll be offline for 3 days," etc) unless there might be special appeal.

Summarize your post with a short teaser blurb and you'll be hooking new readers in no time. Don't just copy your headline into the blurb - the two are always displayed together. Instead, appeal to new readers with a clever summarizing teaser.

Face to Facebook

Our new Facebook Connect features offer a huge opportunity to draw attention to your posts from beyond existing SB Nation communities. Check the Post this to your Facebook wall box at the bottom of the Post Editor. On publish, you'll step through a quick process to cross-post your understated genius to your Facebook account. Add a bit of context so your estranged middle school friends know how smart you've become!

Once published, other SB Nation users can share their comments on the story with Facebook as well. It's a strange and wonderful future.

A Special Tweet

If you have a Twitter account (or a minute to sign up for one), we've made it really easy to let your followers know you've written something fantastic. Click "Link your Twitter account" and follow the instructions which should walk your through the one-time linking process.

Once linked, tweeting about your post is a snap. The platform will automatically generate a short URL for your post in the form of http://sbnation.com/e/12345 and send it with each tweet.

Add a clever little teaser about your post, something your friends and fans would appreciate. Followers and random passers-by will click through in droves.

Bloggers: you can link Twitter accounts for both yourself and your blog, and send your tweet to one, the other, or both. Your users will only be able to post to their personal accounts.

Saving Drafts and Publishing

Save your draft and come back later! The editor even auto-saves for you, homes.

Q: Whoa, the Post Editor has an autosave function?

A: Indeed. Compose your post right in the editor, and Autosave will take care of you. To save manually, click the big button in the top right. Turn of your computer and have a sandwich. Later you can resume your post from the Dashboard.

Q: How do I know if my post has been saved?

A:Look to the button in the top right corner - it lists the time when your post was saved. In Draft mode, this will be orange. When editing a published post it'll be green. Ah, colors. So pretty.

Q: How can I preview a post?

A: Press the Preview button to see how your final post will look on the live blog. The preview will pop up in a new window.

Q: How do I publish my post to the blog?

A:Once you're done writing, tagging and promoting, press the Publish button at the bottom of the editor page. Only then will folks be able to read it.

Q: Can I schedule a post to publish in the future?

A:Yes! Check off the [ ] Set Publish Date box in the Complete pane at the bottom of the editor screen. Then use the date field to select a day and time for publish. The post will appear automagically at the time you choose. You can always come back and edit the post if you care to change the time.

The Elements of Style

Add CSS style classes to improve the look and layout of your posts. Scroll down for HTML tips.

Stay Classy

We're developing a versatile set of CSS classes that you can add to images, tables, paragraphs and divs in HTML view. We want you to be able to control the coloring, sizing, and layout of your content with little hassle. With testing and feedback, we'll build out some great options. To learn more from the W3 Schools CSS tutorial.

Here's a list of the classes currently available to you. Adding them to your markup is easy—we've included examples below this table.

Adding classes to elements is easy. You can use one class, or string several together with a space between each:

<p class="m10">

  This has a 10px margin on each side.

</p>

<p class="center-c text9">

  This contains centered, 9px text.

</p>
       

More classes, examples and markup snippets to come as we expand this guide! Thanks for reading.

Raising Standards in HTML View

If you view the source of an SB Nation 2.0 blog, you'll see that we're now using the "XHTML 1.0 Strict" document type. XHTML is a markup standard very similar to HTML, incorporating some qualities of XML and a few changes to tags and usage. We've summarized the three most important differences below, but you can learn more from W3 Schools.

This all makes our new platform more flexible and efficient. For you, it may mean learning new practices. In time, posting will be easier than ever, and life will be crazy delicious.

Call 'Em Like You See 'Em

Whenever possible, wrap content in tags that describe the content. Writing a paragraph? Wrap it with <p> </p> tags. Quoting a source? Wrap the quote in <blockquote> </blockquote> tags. For a subtitle, use heading tag like <h3> or <h4>. Use <ul> and <li> tags for unordered lists. Use a <table> for tabular data, not for layout tricks.

The toolbar buttons give you easy access to these descriptive tags. Through use of valid and semantic markup, your content will be better understood by Google, by sight-impaired people using screen readers, and by folks browsing with cell phones. Everyone wins!

Finish What You Start

To ensure your entries look across browsers, keep your tags properly nested and be sure to close every tag you open—even <br /> and <img /> tags. The editor will do this for you in WYSIWYG mode. We also want to make sure to use lowercase tags, and to wrap attributes in quotes.

     <P>Morbi tempus ultricies quam.

     <P>Rhoncus viverra, enim lorem tempor nunc.

       <IMG src=/images/filename.jpg alt=image>

       <UL>

         <li>item

         <LI>another item  

         <li>third item

       </UL>

     <p>Viverra, enim lorem tempor nunc.<BR>  

       Ultricies quam!
           

     <p>Morbi tempus ultricies quam.</p>

     <p>Rhoncus viverra, enim lorem tempor nunc.</p>

     <img src="images/filename.jpg" alt="image" />

       <ul>

         <li>item</li>

         <li>another item</li>  

         <li>a third item</li>

       </ul>

       <p>Viverra, enim lorem tempor nunc.<br /> 

       Ultricies quam!</p>
           

The old lazy ways may work, but results will vary. Rules make the game better.

Letting Go of Old Tags

You'll no longer be needing <center>, <small>, <big>, <font>,  <b>, <u>,  and <s> tags. Many of these simply won't work anymore in some browsers. Instead, we'll use CSS (cascading style sheets) to control presentation.

We've set up a number of class attributes that you can apply to paragraphs, images, tables and divs to make this easy. Check out the Style Guide tab to learn what styles we currently have available and how to implement them.