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(141 votes) Published: Mar 22, 2009 10:51 p.m. In 1 Favorites Lists Viewed 643 times
This Egg is for all the nubs who may be intimidated or confused by the Egg-Producing process. Hopefully it will help increase the number of successful Eggs in the New Egg section.
What is an Egg? It’s half of what RottenEggs.com IS. Without the Egg Directory, most of us wouldn’t have found or joined RottenEggs, and wouldn’t be using the forums every day. There is a brief description of what an Egg is by Weasel on this page. Use your imagination. Think outside the box. RE members like new ideas.
In general, there are three basic types of Egg:
An exploration Egg is image-dependent. The images should be no more than 580 pixel wide, or they will stretch the page. If you don’t have good, sharp, interesting pictures of the area you explored, I suggest not posting an exploration Egg. Members want to feel like they were there with you. They want to look at the images, and say "Wow! That’s cool!" Descriptions should accompany every image. The more detail you add, the better.
Here is an example of a great exploration Egg.
Killer Egg, Clegg!
A tutorial Egg has one purpose: Sharing knowledge. The subject should be something that you think the members of RottenEggs will find interesting and useful. It should also be within the Rules. There should be a basic overview at the beginning, a parts/materials list, step by step instructions, and a finished product/outcome image. Pictures should be used throughout the Egg. Again, the images should be no more than 580 pixel wide, or they will stretch the page. If you need to show larger images for detail, you should link to the full-sized images with thumbnails. Use of video is a definite plus, so long as the camera is decent and the videographer has a steady hand or a tripod.
Here is a perfect example of an awesome tutorial Egg.
Excellent, Ecko!
A story Egg is used to convey an interesting or funny story or event in your life. The event should be unusual, or a description of a prank that you pulled off. It should have pictures and/or video (if possible). It should contain as much detail as possible, and keep the interest of the viewer. In my opinion, you should have at least 3 paragraphs worth of story. An intro, the body, and conclusion.
Here is an example of one of the best story Eggs I’ve seen.
Kudos, Coopz!
Search the Egg Directory. Check to see if the idea you are planning has been done before. If not, it’s a go. If it has been done, you can still do it, but your Egg should provide better instruction, better images, and or a better layout. It’s important to try to improve the Directory rather than take steps backward.
Text
I find it beneficial to type the Egg up in notepad before opening the ’Add an Egg’ link. It helps me iron out the layout, and there’s no risk of premature posting. I put BB code in, as well as links. I also add [img](description of image)[/img] tags, so I know where I will be putting the pics. You may choose to simply write out the text in notepad, then paste it into the Egg body, and add BBcode last.
Images
You’re going to want to get all your images together, resized (if necessary), and uploaded to an image host. If you’re using a digital camera, download the images into a folder on your desktop, then open, crop, and resize all the images. If you’re using screenshots, I suggest a little program called ScreenHunter 5.0.125. Works great, and it’s free. As for image hosts, I personally recommend Photobucket.com, but some people use Imageshack.com. Both are free and easy to use. Simply visit the site, make an account and follow the instructions to upload all the images for your Egg. Then copy/paste the links they give you into the body of your Egg.
Mouse over [ADD] at the top of any RottenEggs page,
then click [Submit an Egg to the Directory].
Now, you’ll see this:
Copy your text from the notepad file and paste it in the body section. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to add bold, color, italics, links etc. The BBcode is pretty basic, and here is a link to a great tutorial on acceptable BBcode. While you’re there, be sure to 5* Coopz’s Egg!
Preview your creation. Be very careful about clicking that preview button! It’s right next to the submit button!! Don’t post prematurely.
Double and triple check all your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. This is a very important step! No one likes having to mentally stutter through an Egg because of poor grammar. o.O
Time to choose your title. This will be displayed on the New Egg page, as well as at the top of your Egg. Don’t try to use BBcode or HTML or anything. It won’t work, and will screw up your title.
Now, choose the directory. Do this after you’re finished previewing. If you don’t, it will default back to a blank selection, and your Egg won’t be in any specific directory. That makes your Egg harder to find. It won’t be accessible from the Egg Directory Page.
Submit your creation!
Now you can add a main image from your computer to be displayed with your Egg. This will show up on the New Egg page, as well as in the Directory if it’s accepted. Just view your Egg, and click the Edit Page link. Then click ADD/EDIT/VIEW PHOTOS just under your title. click Browse, then find your image (.gif or .jpg, 475Kb max), and click Add Photo.
Then proceed to watch it like a hawk, waiting for people to comment and vote.
Some people may not be as interested in your subject as you, but that’s just the way it is. If you present your Egg in a clean, neat, interesting way, people will rate it higher. Overall, don’t sweat the ratings. As long as you did the best you could, people will show their appreciation.
Regardless of what this Egg gets rated, if it helps anyone, it is a success.
Thanks for reading. As always, please rate fairly and comment!
Mar 22, 2009 11:02 pm - this egg looks amazing at a glance, I’ll read it thoroughly tomorrow and will probably be giving it a 5* along with your profile.
Mar 23, 2009 6:33 am - Very informative and designed with a consistent flow. I would have emphasized the preview button more – as in making a golden rule to always preview.
2 cents: A little more on the benefits of adding a suitable image after posting could have completed this very nicely.
Those banners you used seemed to move right then left as I was reading below them; very unusual effect.
I see why you were so confident about kicking my ass this month! Great egg Dodge, fantastic idea. Very nicely put together too. And you linked to 2 of my eggs! I feel so special! Thanks man! XD
I will definately be linking back to this one of yours from a future egg. I’ve told right_hand about my plans to make a complete newb guide to RE, and this is the exact kind of thing they need to know.
Mar 23, 2009 5:03 pm - Thanks for the great ratings.
Colin, I will see what I can do later today about adding some more info about previewing and main image selection importance. Thanks for your input!
Coopz... Coopz, Coopz, Coopz.
Don’t you think it’s funny that I’m using two of your Eggs (including the one that started your monopoly) to help end your run in the Egg Spotlight? I LoL’d while linking. :-P
But, I know you’re a very capable RottenEgger. I am expecting a good competition.
Mar 23, 2009 6:03 pm - 0.o Really Dodge, I’d expect better from you, I’d rate -5 if I could. C/P, link egg, spegg... LOL.
Obviously I’m just kidding, 5*.
Epic egg, I’d rate more then a 5 if I could.
Mar 23, 2009 6:53 pm - lol, that is pretty ironic now that I think of it Dodge!
I can’t believe you’d try to crush me like this... After all the effort I put into my egg and you’ve done this just to spite me. :’(
Now comes the dilemma, do I move up plans for next months eggs and make them all and post them before the end of this month, and squash your egg into insignificance? lol :P I do actually have a bit of a series that I was going to do next month (I have started but there’s a lot of work!) I guess I’ll just stick to the plan, as I can’t be assed doing them this week, lol.
Mar 23, 2009 7:18 pm - I thought about posting multiple Eggs, but that would increase the chances of a loss. If you were to produce two equally killer Eggs, each would wind up with less votes than if you only made one killer Egg...
Mar 23, 2009 7:31 pm - lol, you make a good point there. I’ll save them for next month, I don’t want to detract votes from my Vista egg. You will be good competition, and I believe there was another egg at the beginning of the month which seems like it will be presenting a worthy challenge. May the best Coopz win! XD
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