Confused by the new platform? Wondering what you can do as a member of the RaptorsHQ community? Here's a quick 411 on what's available to you.

As we all get adjusted to the new format we thought it would be beneficial to provide a little instruction. This post is intended to be a guide for all RHQ community users so that everyone can take full advantage of the SB Nation platform.

Deciding to become a member of the SB Nation family was a big one. One thing we didn't want to change was the sense of community between us and our readers. We are still a blog dedicated to Toronto Raptor fans. The new SB Nation platform will allow even more conversation and will enhance the sense of community. It's a win-win for everyone.

Below is an extended guide to Fanposts and Fan Shots. However, before reading the details below we strongly advise all members of the community to read the SB*Nation Welcome Guide.

FanShots

FanShots are quick posts, links, images or videos from around the web. Aside from the commenting system, FanShots and the bookmarklet for the easy creation of FanShots are one of the best features of the SB Nation platform.

When Should You Post a FanShot?

Whenever you find a link, a quote, a video (etc.) around the web that you think the RaptorsHQ community will enjoy post them in a FanShot. Post a FanShot when you don't have any commentary to add other than your link, video or quote. Don't forget, a picture is worth a thousand words. You should also use a FanShot when you can't meet the 75 word minimum required for a FanPost.

How Do You Post a FanShot?  

Click "New FanShot"- Rocket science isn't it!  While logged in, visit any page of RaptorsHQ and click the handy "New FanShot" button. Enter the link, pic or video URL in the proper place.

Use the FanShot Bookmarklet- Clicking and dragging the "Share on SB Nation" button to your bookmarks bar (the area under your address bar in your browser) will allow you to post to RaptorsHQ quickly and easily while browsing the internet. Once you have a "Share on SB Nation" button in your browser, you have one-click posting of FanShots at your fingertips. Clicking the button will bring up a dialogue box where you can select the type of FanShot you wish to post, apply the proper tags (more later) and hit publish. Simple. Trust us.

FanPosts

FanPosts are just like front page stories, except they are written by you, the user. Select FanPosts and those deemed worthy by the crack pot Raptors HQ team will find their way on the front page.

What Makes a Good FanPost?

Make it Substantial - When we say substantial we don't mean re-writing your thesis from undergrad but if you see the 75 word warning it's either time to put some more thought into your FanPost or trash it all together. If you can't fill up 75 words on a topic, what you have is NOT a FanPost; it's a comment or a FanShot.

Make it Relevant- Your FanPost should relate to the Raptors or Canadian Basketball (as applicable) in some way. If you want to talk about the Celtics or the Shaq trade there are sites on SB Nation for that. If you want to do nothing more than post a link to you site you're probably a spammer and should expect your FanPost to be swiftly removed! If all you want to do is post a link then use a FanShot. Although the Shaq trade may have some effect on the Raps (by way of example) we are trying to keep things on topic. We are not completely discouraging off-topic FanPosts, sometimes we go on music rants, but your thoughts on Obama as a president should probably be left for a different forum.

Make It Timely- If the link you are posting is a day or two old, chances are it's been posted once or twice before, perhaps in the comments or a FanShot. Check to see if a link has been posted before. Use the search bar for that. It's pretty powerful. If you do have some breaking news then post away. Even though we try and our new team member Defensive Stance is always trying to be the first to hear/read/see every piece of breaking Raptors news we can't do it all. That's where you guys step in. Thousands of eyes are ears are more powerful then just a few.

Make it Coherent - We all make the occasional typo and grammatical mistake and a run-on sentence makes an appearance now and again but we take time to post well written stuff. Hopefully you will do the same. FanPosts are not text messages. Take the time to write out your thoughts. Please use punctuation where appropriate and don't hesitate to use multiple paragraphs. The better written the FanPost the more likely we are to feature it.

Use Proper Formatting- The less we have to edit the more likely a FanPost will be posted. Makes sense, right? If you know how to format Microsoft Word then you can format your posts. In fact some people will probably find it easier to write your post in word, format it there and then just paste it in.

Give is a Good Headline- The better the headline the more attention your post will likely receive. Keep it clean, but be creative. "Hoffa Sucks" just won't cut it but "Is Hoffa the Worst Pick in Raptors History" does.

Tag It - See below.

Tagging

In both FanPosts and FanShots there is an area for tagging your posts. Tagging is very important as it helps your content show up in searches and in dynamically-rendered content areas, such as a player or team page. It helps increase your posts exposure and exposure is good.

Tagging your post is easy. Just run the Auto Tag and Link. Double check to ensure things are tagged right, or if you feel like a tag was missed then add it.

That's a brief introduction to the SB Nation platform. There are a ton of features. We are still learning about our new home and we hope you will take the time to see just what you can do to help ensure RaptorsHQ remains a terrific community of Raps fans.

Now, enough with the technical stuff and back to the Raps....