Adding SoGoPro Slideshow

So first there was the SGP Flickr Group, then the SGP Flickr Pictobrowser, and now there's the SGP Slideshow. It's pretty awesome folks. To see your pictures flash one after another-it looks pretty sweet. It's also probably the easiest widget to add yet. All you have to do is follow these simple steps...

1.Go to your Blog and click Customize/Layout.
2. Click Add Gadget and then, Html code.
Code:
*Add < align="center" src="http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?group_id=1006036@N25&" frameborder="0" width="300" scrolling="no" height="300">

Copy and paste the link above into the blank Box and press Save

(remove the space between the < symbol and 'iframe' before you save)
4. Press Save again on the Layout page.

*You can adjust the size of the slideshow by changing the numbers for "height" and "width". Remember to keep them pretty similar though so the box stays even.*

Using PayPal

So hopefully by now you've all had a chance to check out the awesome t-shirts on the SGP Blog!!!

Since a couple people asked for a tutorial on using PayPal - I'm going to do my best to help you out!

First things first - do you want to create a PayPal account? It is a safe and easy way to make online payments to a LOT of online vendors. CLICK HERE to sign up for a PayPal account. You can choose to view the page in English, Spanish, French, or Chinese.

If you would rather not sign up for a PayPal account - you can still get a SoGoPro t-shirt. Once you choose the color and size you want on the SGP page, click the 'Add to Cart' button and when you're finished shopping click the 'Proceed to checkout' button. It will then take you to a page that looks like this:


and you'll want to click "Continue" over on the left-hand side if you don't have a PayPal account:


At this point - all you have to do is fill out this form:

and click 'Review Order and Continue'

...
after this I really don't know what it's going to tell you - I already have an account and already got my t-shirt so I don't know what happens after this point. I hope it's not too confusing!

Chatroom Tips and Guidelines

CAN I MAKE THE CHAT BIGGER?
Yes! Bookmark this address: http://cbox.ws/?n=4-3695001-alx5f8


ADDING A USER ICON
1. You will need to upload a photo to a photohosting website like Flickr or Photobucket (2 examples).
2. Copy and Paste the DIRECT LINK of the photo (ending in .jpg, .bmp, etc) into the box that says "e-mail/url" in the chat box
3. It does not need to be a specific size, the chat will make it fit. But if your photo isn't cropped into a square, it will get distorted in the chatroom.
RULE: No photos of celebs, no offensive images, and obviously - no porn. As IF I needed to tell you that.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE CHATROOM
1. We are all aware that you love OTH. We do too! However, the chatroom is about Southern Gothic Productions. So please share how much you love OTH on your blog and we'll all be sure to read it! We try to stay "on topic" as much as possible in the chatroom - and the topic is SOUTHERN GOTHIC PRODUCTIONS and the many blog posts they give us to chat about... so as you will see the moderators reminding people often, "please keep the OTH talk to a minimum" THANKS :)
2. Keep it PG-13 - no swearing. no linking to things not related to SGP or Pedestrian. You know... I won't explain further.
3. Use your real name, please. We just like to know you by your real name and not as "hottiewithabodyxoxo890475". Cuz we keep it REAL, yo.
4. Not gonna lie, the chatroom can get crazy from time to time. When you jump in, you can READ BACK to see what's being discussed and who is in the room. You can read back to about 500 messages that have been posted. So please, as a courtesy, just read back before you jump in - just so you know what's going on and no one has to recap for you. :)
5. We have people from ALL over the world in the chatroom. It is preferred that everyone uses English in the chat so Hilarie, Nick, KT and the rest of the SGP folks can all understand what's going on!
6. Please read what you type before hitting enter to save yourself from correcting typos (that we all likely understood anyway. see: Typonese). And please make sure it's relevant to the conversation and not a possible flood-inducer (see below about flooding).

PASSWORD PROTECTING YOUR USERNAME
When you set up a user name in the chatroom, simply click "Profile" on the right-hand side and it will let you set your password.

"IS HILARIE IN THE CHAT ROOM!?"
hmmm... probably not, guys. Sorry. Although, she MAY be lurking on the chat, you never know. (One good reason, among many, to keep it focused on SGP). Occasionally Kelly Tenney, Nicholas Gray, and yes, Hilarie stop in the chat - unexpected. You just never know. It's just important to remember to keep it respectful, keep it real, and DON'T FLOOD THE CHAT. It gives everyone a headache and it scares the children.

What is flooding the chat?
It's writing things
in spread out sentences
and talking about things
that aren't really relevant or necessary
or filling up space
with
:)
:(
;)
hello
goodbye
how are you
posted by about 6 different people in the span of 3 seconds
or posting hotlinks
or continually typing at a pace of 75 WPM and hitting enter every time you reach the character limit in the chat box.
etc.

^^ that is flooding, my friends. Sometimes it's no biggie in the chat when it's slow... but when Nick or Hil or KT come in willing to answer questions, please keep it calm so you don't scare them away like deer in headlights! Moderators in the chat will likely step up their game during high frequency times such as those and flooding or disrepecting guidelines will likely get you banned for a couple of minutes.

which brings me to my next point.
"What does it mean if I'm banned?"
It means you're not allowed to post in the chat for a set period of time. It could be 30 seconds, 30 minutes, 30 hours, 30 days, or... FOREVER *DUN dun DUUUUNNN!!!*

Don't worry, we're not mean. We're not going to ban you unless you abuse the chatroom, continually go off topic after being reminded to stay on-topic, flood the chat, or harass or repeatedly offend others, or the like... you know... you're not in kindergarten. We'll let you know if you're getting out of line, like a schoolmarm with a ruler stick - *WHAP!* huzzah! (And I'm kidding. We are gentle. like kittens. No one actually really ever gets banned, because you are all such well-behaved boys and girls)

Privacy
Your IP address is logged when you post and is available to the administrator of the Cbox. For your convenience, your name and selected URL will be stored in a "cookie" on your computer so that they are filled in automatically when you return to the Cbox.

Creating Your Own Blog

If you're trying to figure out how to leave a comment on the SGP Blog - you need to first register an account with one of the following:

Google (actually, Blogger)

LiveJournal

WordPress

TypePad

AIM

or OpenID

Click on the above links for more information about registering for a free profile/blog.

Once you are registered, you can use that account to leave a comment on the SGP blog.

You can leave a comment on each and every blog post, at the very end of the blog post - click on "comments."  If you're not already logged in to your blog account - you will have to choose which account you have from the drop down menu under the comment box before clicking "post comment" and it will take you to your login page.

SGP Lexicon

There are many things said in the chatroom that you may not understand just yet, my young goslings. Here is a little guide to help you discern the meaning behind our befuddling utterances...

Pay It Forward - is not said nearly enough but often practiced - we're ALL learning new steps in the dance of life: be patient, be positive, don't be afraid to reach...

Read Back = scroll down in the chat (and each others webpages and in comments and SGP ancillary sites) and see what other people are talking about and WHO is in chat before jumping into the convo or asking "what's up?"

Wombo = word combination (as referenced by HB here)

Hellick = Hilarie+Kelly+Nick

Vlog = Video Blog... which you will find many of on the SGP Blog

The Quilt = the SGP fans from all over the world

Cake = gets handed out frequently. It's a virtual cake, but you'll take it anyway. Accept It. Appreciate It. Enjoy It.(any thoughts of Marie Antoinette may be coincidental)

"Am I bovvered?" = This is a Catherine Tate (as Lauren Cooper) reference. Watch videos of her on YouTube to fully understand and appreciate this comment, as well as....

"Are you disrespecting me?" and

Beheading = When anyone refers to beheading you or someone else - it's probably not a good thing. But it's all in good fun. Few actually hold the power to behead. It is similar to banning but also includes a side-order of public humiliation within the chatroom. (oooh, all in good fun. you will enjoy it)

"How very dare you" = yet another Catherine Tate (as Derek) reference. It means what it says.

Phase 1 (2, 3, 4, etc.) = See Tutorial blog entitled "7 Stages of Leaving Chat"

You'll soon have them memorized.

Flood/Flooding = See Tutorial blog entitled "Chatroom Tips and Guidelines." Please don't flood, because then we will have to....

Get out the mop = Clean up the chat so it's easier to read back. Or just behead you.

dum dum dum didi dum dum = This is a Queen reference. UNDER PRESSURE! It is often just randomly spurted out or used when talk of "the suits" comes up in chat.

The Suits= the men/women in suits who deal with things like legal matters, money, etc. who sometimes also forget to look both ways when crossing the street. metaphorically speaking, of course....

*poof* = "I am leaving now, don't talk to me"
*foop* = un-poof ('cause you just can't stay away)

cue *insert song here= we like to make song references for various situations. don't let this frighten you. we're just musically in tune. join us. embrace it. and if you don't know the song - Google it, last.fm it, YouTube it, etc., etc. - you might hear some pretty swell tunes.

"Who's on first?" = An Abbott and Costello skit from the 1940's. It's our way of saying "what the hellick are we talking about?" in the chat. (click here to read the skit)

typonese - the language of excited (or tired) SGP chatters - when computer keyboards start rebelling. (Urban Dictionary Definition)

y'all - a perfectly logical and elegant second-person plural contraction

vox pop - impromptu opinions recorded - often on the street...
(see also vox populi)

Sidebar = If someone asks you to "sidebar please" - it means: take your conversation to another chat source like msn, AIM, Skype, facebook, etc.

OT = Off-Topic

Do YOU speak english?

(will add more as new words/phrases are created and/or remembered)

7 Stages Of Leaving Chat

We've all done it by now. You tell everyone in chat that you must go, that you have a class that morning or work to go to, or that you've missed the past 4 meals chatting and fatigue is setting in. Well, we've taken it upon ourselves to warn you of the stages you are bound to become victim to if you haven't already. We know that the awesomeness in chat is addicting, but we also know that if you don't leave at some point you won't have the money to pay the electric bill and therefore, you'll lose the glorious chat altogether. So, take it upon yourselves to read and remember these, because we care and because it's hilarious.

Stage 1) You say good-bye but really you are just informing everyone that you will be lurking for a bit.

Stage 2) You say, "oh man my eyes are drifting"... or "I really should be going."-really this means that you know that you are getting tired or running late but you can't seem to turn off computer

Stage 2 1/2) "Alright guys, i know i said i was leaving but..."

*KEY PHASE: This is when you are truly making everyone aware of your attempt to leave*

Stage 3) If i'm not off in 15mins...shun/ban me...
*KEY PHASE: Forming accountability patterns*

Stage 4) Your grammar begins to falter, aka your spelling is so horrible - no one can understand what you're saying

Stage 5) "Ok really, I'm going." Then you add something like "*shutting off computer" when really you are still typing

Stage 6) You finally go to bed or where you're supposed to be. and you *poof* disappear.
*KEY PHASE: You say you're gone, but really you're refreshing the blog looking for a new post*

Stage 7) You realize you can't sleep and keep chatting. Or, you log on at school or work.
*KEY PHASE: Then you repeat the 7 stages all over again*

Sincerely,

Raquel and Becca

Adding SoGoPro Street Team PictoBrowser To Your Blog

Well, over at the SGP Flickr account, there are so many amazing pictures being added from all over the world by you guys so here's a way to show those picture from your blog and also just another awesome way to represent SPG . It's really not that hard and it's really quite easy if you follow these steps:

*You must already have a Flickr Account and be a member of the SGP Streetteamgroup*

1.Go to the PictoBrowser at the bottom of the SGP page and look for the PictoBrowser logo at the bottom right.
2.Click on the PictoBrowser Logo
3.A box will appear and will ask for you Flickr screename. Enter it.
4.Then another screen will show up asking you where you would like to select your pictures from. Click Groups.
5.Click SoGoPro Street Team.
6. Next a code will pop up-Copy and Paste it.
7. Go to your Blog and click Customize/Layout.
8. Click Add Gadget and then, Html code.
9. Paste the code in the box and press Save.
10. Press Save again on the Layout page.
11. Hopefully, you've got it now.

*If you find that the PictoBrowser is too large for its place on your blog's layout, simply move the gadgets around to fit better.*

Directions with pictures for steps 2-6: http://www.db798.com/pictobrowser/index.html

Joining Twitter and following SGP

There are a couple of ways to go about this...
If you already have twitter:
1) log in and click on find people on top of the screen.
2) under "who are you looking for" type in SouthernGothic
3) once their name shows up just click on follow.
If you don't already have twitter:
1)go to http://twitter.com/
2) click on the green box on page that says "Get Started-Join"
3) fill out information
4)follow steps 2 and 3 from above list.

Twitter is a great way to get quick updates on new things that Southern Gothic is doing. It's basically like a facebook status.
Enjoy!

Trouble Watching SGP Vlogs

So the guys at SGP have been awesome enough to take the time to record videos and entertain us. What you may have noticed, however, is that sometimes the videos don't work right away. That's because there are so many fantastic fans trying to watch it at once. That's great, but it does cause some problems with loading. There's most likely absolutely nothing wrong with your computer, the poor post is just overloaded. So just try to be patient and it will work for you eventually. You can try refreshing the page, sometimes that helps, or you can wait until it's on the SGP youtube site.

If you're really anxious to see it though, you can also try moving the scroll bar on the video ever so slowly and sometimes it will load in bits. Don't worry, there's enough awesomeness to go around. You just have to have a little patience. :)

Last.fm Tutorial

1) Go to http://www.last.fm/ and log in
2) If you don’t have an account:
- Go to http://www.last.fm/ and sign up.
Sign up button is on the top right hand screen.
3) Fill out all your info.
4) Once you are logged in,
scroll down to the bottom of the page under “Join In”.
5) Click on “find people”
6) Type in SouthernGothic under the name.
(Make sure you have checked username, not name)
7) Once at the SouthernGothic profile,
click the "add as friend" button on top of the page underneath their picture.
Now, just wait for them to approve and that's it!
Listen to their music - listen to your own...

Congratulations :)

Ok - so you've done all that but it still feels like last.fm just doesn't HEAR you...
You might be right! (Perhaps you're just not telling it how to)
HINT: Scrobble or IScrobble


Making your own playlist: (Keep in mind that you must subscribe to listen to your playlist on shuffle, as many times as you want. Subscription is $3 (US) a month)
1. When you go to the last.fm homepage you should see this under your icon and name on the top left side of the page, click "Your Profile"

2. Once on your profile, you'll see this at the top. Click where it says "0 Playlists"

3. Click where it says "Make a new playlist"

4. Click "Add a Track"

Now you can search for any track you want.

Once you have at least 45 different tracks by at least 15 different artists on your playlist - any subscriber can listen to your playlist! (and it will show up on your profile page)

Add the last.fm widget to your blog:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find this:

Click on "Widgets"

Now you should see this:

Choose the color you want your player to be and then click the icon for your blog-host.

Copy and paste the HTML code into your blog widget box for HTML/Javascript

Linking to SGP with a banner

Hey Everyone!
I'm going to give you instructions on how to link to SGP with a banner


1. Go to your blog dashboard
2. Click on "Layout"
3. Click on "Add Gadget" in the long box at the bottom
4. Choose HTML/Javascript
5. Enter in the content:<a href="http://southerngothicproductions.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/2ennwcx.jpg" width="600"/></a>
6. Save it. Then you can drag that box to the top of your page or leave it at the bottom.

If you have a layout that doesn't display the banner at the top, you will need to change the 'width=600' part to a smaller number until it fits.

Any questions - let me know!

Putting Pictures on SGP Flickr Map Info

Okay, I had a really hard time putting my photos on the map just because i had missed a step. This is to help you guys avoid that...

1. Alright, you have pics on your flickr right?
2. Alright when you click on one of your photos, does it say where it was taken?
(if not, you need to add it to the map)
To Add To Map...
a.Okay click on the pic you want (make sure it says that it is available to Anyone) and look under Additional Info
b.Click Add to your map (check on that page and make sure that you have a Green square that says Anyone will be able to see it. If not, click Edit and change it. This allows your map to be public.)
c.Type your location in
d.Click Save to Map when it gets there.
e.It should add it to your map now
*Be sure that you select Anyone when it asks who can see the picture*
(If you have already added it to the map, but had it under something other than Everyone, simply select Edit and change it)
3. Then go to SGP Streetteam Group (be sure you are already a member)
4. Then to Group Pool
5. Then Add photos or videos
6. Then under Your Photostream click All your items (not your pictures, but the actual button)
7. Then click all geotagged items (Geotagged items are the pictures that you saved to your map-they have a location)
8. Now just select the pics you want and hit Add to Group

SoGoPro Street Team- http://www.flickr.com/groups/1006036@N25/

*If your pictures show up on the group page but not on the map try...

1. Make absolutely sure you made every picture Public for Anyone.

(Remember-you have to do it twice:

1. when you first upload it

2. when you add it to your map)

If you have any questions, just pop in the Chat and someone should be able to figure it out.
Hope this helps you guys. :)