Welcome Page

New Guy: PB? Who the hell are you?

PB: Ah, sorry. I'm Peter Bean, one of the site's two founders and authors. AW is Andrew Wiggins, the other site founder and contributor. AR, just to confuse you a little, is Andrew Rist. He's our intern. More on us here, if you like.

New Guy: Now what's this about participation?

PB: Oh, right. You're new. Burnt Orange Nation is more than just a blog where I and my co-authors ramble endlessly about the Longhorns. It's also a community. Readers are urged to register with the site so that they can participate in the conversation, which is what this really is. Don't worry, registering is free, takes 10 seconds, and your information remains 100% private.

New Guy: Got it. I'll register now. What are the benefits?

PB: Along with being able to comment on stories, you'll be able to write your own Diary.

New Guy: A diary?

PB: It's just the word we've chosen for posts written by readers. All diaries show up on the main page, in the right hand column labeled diaries. As you'll soon discover, some of the best content of the site comes from reader-authored diaries.

New Guy: It all sounds a little intimidating.

PB: Nah, the water's nice. You'll like it. And there are readers of every stripe here at BON. In fact, speaking of diaries, one of the best ones written to date was this one, which is a fun explanation of all the different kinds of folks who participate in the site. Whatever your style, you'll fit in just fine.

New Guy: You mentioned something about rules?

PB: Right. There are ground rules for participation. To be sure, we rarely censor what people have to say, but on occasion, it becomes necessary. Readers are required to avoid derogatory and hateful language. Demeaning a person of a certain race or sexual orientation, for example, is a great way to get censored and, if the problem persists, banned altogether.

New Guy: Do you censor anti-Longhorn stuff?

PB: Never. We only censor hateful language or behavior that seeks only to disrupt the harmony of the community. Posting "Vince Young sucks" 100 times in a row will get you banned. Posting it once, though, will not.

More importantly, we have readers who hang out on the site and don't have any rooting interest in the 'Horns at all. Some of our most frequent commenters are fans of schools like USC, Michigan, and even Oklahoma. At BON, it doesn't matter who your team is. Differing viewpoints make the conversation more rich. We welcome fans of Longhorns' opponents.

New Guy: Anything else I should know?

PB: That's it, really. Try to take the 'community' idea to heart. We insist everyone treat everyone with respect. Disagreement is welcome and encouraged, but we want things to remain conversational and cordial. Calling names and raising hell needlessly is severely frowned upon.

New Guy: Sounds like fun. I'll go register now, I guess.

PB: Yup. See ya around.