The Site Premise
The entire site is based on user provided content. Registered users of the site submit new Storiess (Pictures with News) from various gossip blogs on the internet. These Storiess are then voted on to weed out the good and bad gossip. Each Stories requires a picture to go with it. After all, what good is celebrity gossip without a picture? The best stories land on the front page. All gossip you see on this site were submitted by visitors like yourself.
Site Terminology
PWN - This is an abbreviation for "Picture with News". These are the stories that registered users submit to the site to be voted on.
C-PWN - This is an abbreviation for the site name.
Fresh Stories - These are new gossip stories that were submitted recently but need votes to become popular.
Hot Stories - These are new gossip stories that were submitted recently and are very popular.
Newbie - Someone who is newly signed up to the website.
Site Features
The Front Page. The front page has two main tabs, "Hot Stories" and "Fresh Stories". If a story gets enough votes in a certain amount of time then it will be promoted to the Hot Stories category for all to see. Fresh Stories are user submissions that were recently submitted and need votes to make the front page.
The Right Column. The right column changes depending on whether you are on the main page or a celebrity page. The stats listed in the right column keep you up to date on the most popular Storiess on the site, or on each individual celebrity. Not only that, but it will have a listing of the hottest blog sites on the internet overall or for each individual celebrity. This way I can easily direct you to the gossip expert on your favorite celebrity.
Conversational Comment System. Comments on this site are a lot more advanced than the average site. I have a fancy name for the comment system here because it is extremely powerful and promotes conversations.
Let's take a look at some of the features shall we:
- Comments can be posted by registered and unregistered visitors of the website
- Comment colors are based on how many positive votes they recieve
- Both registered and unregistered users are able to reply to anyone's comment
- Registered Users have the ability to:
- Get notified of a reply to their comment via email and/or the website
- Get notified of a comment on a story they submitted
- Subscribe to a story to get notified of all new comments
- Vote for, against, and flag a comment as abusive to be reviewed
The Search Bar. The search bar can be found throughout the site and is the most powerful feature of the site. As you type in a celebrity name to search for, suggestions will pop up aiding your quest. If you type in an exact name or select one from the suggestions, you will be taken directly to that celebrity page. A broader search phrase will list available celebrities on the site and related Stories stories. Expect even more advanced searching in the coming months.
The QuickNav. The c-Stories navigation is at the top of every page with the alphabet. Click on the letter "A" and you can see all of the celebrities ( listed by first name ) on the site starting with that letter appear underneath. If you find someone you want to see Storiess of, simply click on their name and the site directs you to their celebrity page. If you're not intesterested, then simply close the dropdown box or pick another letter. As if the search bar wasnt cool enough?
The Celeb Pages. Each celebrity automatically gets their own dedicated gossip page. This page will have its own tabs of Hot Stories and Fresh Stories related to only that particular celebrity. For example, if you go "http://www.celebrityStories.com/celeb/justin_timberlake/", then you will only see that celebrity's hottest and freshest Storiess. You can keep track of that celebrity's news by adding their RSS feed on the page that is related to that specific celebrity. Each celebrity page also features a slideshow of his or her highest rated stories. Plus, each celebrity page has a biography tab so you can learn all their is to know about your favorite celebrity. (Thanks to wikipedia.com) Seriously, what more could you ask for?!
The Gossip Story Notifications. The best way to describe this feature would be similar to a myspace comment. You will be notified on the site when a user makes a comment on one of your story submissions. Now its much easier to see what people are saying about your posts. Also, gives you the chance to chime in ASAP.
NSFW Mode. This stand for "Not Suitable for Work". This is For those of you who need your gossip while at work but want to prevent the riskier thumbnail pictures from loading. Best of all is that it uses a cookie that is computer specific so the PC at home is unaffected.
How to Submit a Story
Submitting a new story requires a few basic things to understand. First, all stories MUST be located on a blog site. Secondly, it MUST have a picture to go with it. The site is called Celebrity PICTURES with news for a reason. :)
Celebrity Name. As you type in the celebrity name, the box will have a list of helpful suggestions that are already being tracked. If you wish to add a new celebrity, simply ignore the suggestions and proceed.
Title. Each story needs a catchy title to grab votes. You can copy the title from the blog site or make up your very own.
Description. The description tells the user what to expect.
Link to Image. The link to an image is the most important part about the Stories! The site will create a thumbnail and full sized image that will accompany the story and attract votes. The link to the picture MUST end in .jpg / .gif / or .png. In order to do this correctly in Firefox, right click on an image from the gossip site and select "Copy Image Location. IE6/IE7 users have to right click on an image and click "properties", then copy the "Address: (URL)". The size of the original image must be bigger than 200x300 pixels, otherwise it cannot be submitted.
Link to Blog. This is a direct link to the gossip blog to view more information and pictures about the Stories post at the original source.
More Pictures. If the blog source has more pictures, check off this box.
Suitable For Work? If the blog source or story submission has risky pictures then check this off. But remember, nudity is NOT allowed here.
User Classes*
Here at C-Stories, not all users are created equal. Sorry to Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the founding fathers. We have a class based system to give the power to the most active users. There are a total of 5 classes. A new user starts out in the newbie class and can work their way up to an A-List member.
* Class benefits and features are subject to change. Also, I will not tell you how classes are calculated or how much it improves your voting power. Needless to say, your class makes a difference.
If you have a question I have not answered, go to the FAQ page. If I STILL haven't answered your question, go to the contact page. All emails are welcome, so please do not hesitate.
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