What are the ground rules for Black Shoe Diaries?
Black Shoe Diaries is a place where people come to talk about Penn State and college athletics in a fun, harassment-free environment. Posters and commenters are encouraged to speak freely, but be respectful of other people and institutions. Cursing and swearing are not banned, but should be used sparingly since children may read this site.
We also ask that posters and commenters respect copyrighted material. It is illegal to copy and paste entire articles into this space without referencing the author or source. We kindly ask that you not post entire articles, but rather provide a link and maybe a small quote from articles you wish to draw to the attention of the group.
What if I don't want to follow your rules?
Black Shoe Diaries believes in the "Three Strikes Policy". Anyone who cannot follow the simple guidelines stated above will be met with the following actions:
First Offense - Public verbal warning
Second Offense - Offensive comments will be deleted
Third Offense - User will be banned from the site
The editors of Black Shoe Diaries reserve the right to ban any person at any time at their discretion.
How do I comment on a post?
At the bottom of every post you will see a link that says "Comment". The number in front of the word "Comments" indicates how many comments have already been made. If it just says, "Comment", then nobody has commented yet. Click on that link and a new window will open.
You have two options for commenting on Black Shoe Diaries. You can make anonymous comments or you can comment as a registered user.
How do I register for an account?
In the upper right hand corner of the home page you will see a link that says, "Create Account". Click on that link and you will be asked to create a user name and password. You will be asked for an email address so your ID can be confirmed. After you click "Sign Up", you will get an email at the email address you specified. In that email there will be a link you must click to confirm you want to open an account.
Am I going to get a ton of spam if I give you my email address?
No. Your email address is competely private. You will not get any additional email after the confirmation email. We only ask for your email so we can confirm you are a real user and not a spammer. This protects the site from spammers jamming up the comments section and allows you to enjoy BSD spam free.
Does it cost anything to create a user name?
No. Registering is completely free. No gimmicks.
What is a Diary?
Diaries are where anyone can create their own post. If you don't like the topics I put forth or you have some information you feel the readers might enjoy, feel free to post a diary. You may write about anything you want, but we ask you to keep it related to Penn State or college athletics. Well written diaries may get promoted to the front page at the discretion of the BSD editors.
How do I post a Diary?
Click on the "Post New Diary" link in the upper right box on the home page. Simply follow the directions from there. Diaries must be at least 300 characters long.
Can anyone post a Diary?
At this time, only registered users may post diaries.
What if I have another question?
You can contact Black Shoe Diaries via the "Email Black Shoe Diaries" link in the upper right box on the home page.