Hello there. My name’s Evan. I co-founded Onward State, along with Davis and Eli, back in November 2008. I’ve been a writer, an editor, and even an amateur sketch artist over the past two years.

But, as Kanye West once said, “I’m living in the future so the present is my past,” so let’s move on.

I’ve now taken over the reins as the Community Manager for Onward State, which will be a different position than it has been in the past. Essentially, I will be acting as a liaison between the Onward State staff and you, our glorious readers and commenters. Since this position is new, it will surely develop and evolve as the semester progresses.

For now, though, let’s focus on one of the things that makes Onward State really neat–great online conversations. As some of our more regular readers may already know, our comments section can be both entertaining and engaging (ideally both at the same time). To start off the new semester, here are some guidelines to follow in order to keep our comments great and make them even better over time:

• Be constructive/have depth. “Graham Spanier is stupid” is not a good comment. If you think he’s dumb, explain why. There’s plenty of space in the comments section, and a well-thought-out comment will get a better response.
• Use your real name (or at least a unique, consistent pseudonym). Sure, you can sign in or comment as “Guest”, but that’s boring. Using your real name lends more credibility to your thoughts, as it shows you’re not afraid to let the public know who you are. If you do choose to use a pseudonym, though, make it unique and consistent as to build an Onward State identity.
• Stay on topic. Let’s say there’s a post about an involvement fair. That post is a great place to comment on what kinds of things you saw or what clubs are cool. It is not, however, a great place to talk about why 9/11 was an inside job. Keep it on point, y’all.
• Maintain a dialogue. After commenting somewhere, check up on the post every once in a while. Someone may have responded to you, or someone could want some clarification on something that you said. Do not go gentle into that good night. Stay a while!
• Stop trolling. Yeah, yeah, we all know being a jackass online is a hoot and a half. But keep it to a minimum. No one likes a troll. If you want to get your troll on, take it to the armpit of the Internet.

Remember this advice and keep it on your mind as you comment and you will do well, my friend. It’s a magical world. Let’s go exploring.