Recapping 101 - Guide to Rules, Tips & Tricks

[FistyHT]

THE RULES

1. Make sure there is an actual recap in your post.

Some of us have been known to go on tangents in our recaps. That's fine, in fact, it's practically a necessity for a feed-watcher to keep his or her sanity during boring times such as smoke breaks, naptime or Final Three. But make sure that every post in the recap thread tells us something about what's actually happening on the live feeds. Posts that are merely questions, comments, etc. need to go in a more appropriate thread and will most likely be deleted when spotted by a moderator.

Screencaps and video from the feeds are allowed in the recap thread. Photochops and other manipulated caps are not allowed in the recap thread. See more rules and tips here: http://www.hamstertime.net/ht/index.php?/topic/2018-screencapping-101-guide-to-rules-tips-tricks/

2. Recaps should be more than one or two sentences, unless there is REALLY nothing going on.

Posting a series of two-sentence recaps within a minute of each other is not what Fisty likes to see. If there is enough happening that you can post several times within a short time span, please put it all in one post.

3. Don't go crazy with the nicknames.

Nicknames for the hamsters can be funny and most of us like them. But if you're going to use nicknames, make sure it's a name that is well known or so obvious that readers know exactly who you are talking about. If you are introducing a new nickname, make a first reference to the person's real name in each post, then you can stick with it. If no one else picks up on it and starts using it in a day or two, drop it.

4. Tread lightly on the "still at trivia" or "still at fish" posts.

Your fellow HTers who do not have the feeds will be constantly refreshing the recap thread looking for new posts that are actual recaps, and it's annoying to get excited that the feeds might be back ... only to have those hopes heartlessly dashed with a three word post, "still at trivia."

Limit the "still at ..." posts to one every 15 minutes during fish or 1 hour during trivia/flashbacks/interviews/pets. Check the time on the last post – if it is within the past 15 minutes or one hour, you do not need to post the same information.

Violators will be mocked unmercifully. Or, they'll have their posts deleted without warning, and Fisty will put his finger on the ban button.

GETTING STARTED

Where do I get the live feeds?

Go to the CBS website and sign up. The feeds are not free, but there is a free trial period if you want to dip your toes in the pool to test it out. Once you have signed up, you can access the feeds through the CBS site all season long.

In recent seasons there has also been an "After Dark" feed stream on some US cable stations.

How do I recap on HT?

After you have the feeds, jump on in. Fisty loves to see new blood in the recap threads! Just be sure to follow the rules, or that blood will be coming from you. That little orange dude bites.

Yeah, but how do I RECAP?

Load up the feeds, open a new posting window in the recap thread and then wait.

It's generally best to start on the quad feed that shows you everything the streams have to offer. Once you have a feel for what's going on in the house, pick a set of streams and start recapping what you see, hear and smell. Well, we probably don't want to know what you smell unless you've got a pot roast in the slow cooker next to your computer. Then, post when you're ready.

If there are other people recapping, you probably want to pay attention to what feeds they are on and maybe choose to cover something that isn't being recapped already. But two sets of eyes on one conversation is never a bad thing.

Would you rather have serious or funny recaps?

There is one undeniable truth about BB (well, OK, there are several, but there's one that's pertinent to this question): The hamsters are going to suck. You know it, we know it. Everyone but Cowboy (BB5) knows it. Feel free to spice things up with a bit of humor -- provided you remember Rule No. 1 above.

Fisty encourages you to be creative. There are plenty of sites out there that only allow "just the facts" recaps ... and people that don't like our humor are welcome to go to one of those sites instead of HT.

Crap on a cracker! The board just ate a post I spent 15 minutes writing!

Yeah, that happens from time to time, and it sucks. The board software saves drafts every few minutes as you type. Try hitting the back button on your browser, the board might fill in the posting window with the most recent draft it saved.

If it's happening to you often, you might want to consider typing your posts in WordPad or some similar word processing program and then copy/pasting them into your browser to post.

TIPS & TRICKS

Take a minute to get your bearings with what's going on before posting.

While sometimes it is simply impossible to figure out who is talking, or what the hell they are saying, "someone is talking about something" doesn't really do a whole lot of good. And Hamster Time is all about doing good.

Post recaps promptly, and try to include the time.

Ten minutes can be an eternity during the live feeds. If you post your recaps every 15 or 20 minutes, they will be out of synch with most other recaps. If you know you are the only person recapping, you can hold on to your posts a bit longer. Aim for recap posts that cover about 5 to10 minutes, shorter if there's a lot going on. If you think your recaps are too long, they are. Most of us have very short attention spans, and we get confused if we have to read a whole lot of words all at once.

Also, it is helpful for timeline purposes if you remember to start your posts with the time in the house, e.g. 10:50 a.m. HT. HT = Hamster Time = Pacific Time (because the house is in California). You're not going to be mocked if you don't include the time, but it's a good habit to get into.

Don't censor your recaps.

It is vital to recap all the stupid things the hamsters say, especially if what they say might be considered offensive. It is important that we know the true idiocy of these people. Foul language is not a requirement, but we always like to learn a clever new use for words, so try and impress us.

When in doubt, wish physical harm on the hamsters.

People seem to like that.

If that doesn't work, praise your moderators.

They're cheap and easy!

RECAP, RECAP, RECAP.

All the time. Get addicted. Ignore your job, your friends, and your family. They don't love you like we do, anyway. It is your civic duty to spend all of your time here, watching and reading about these freaks we call the Big Brother houseguests.

 

Readers: Give the recappers love

Recapping is harder than it looks, and showing your thanks is a great way to encourage the recappers to ignore the pain in their fingertips and keep typing away.

 

Some other tips from our recappers can be found here. Feel free to add your own tips and tricks in this thread
 

[Guest dixiedeltadeb]

Basic question - I signed up for the livefeeds for the first time this year. How do I access them?

[Tsylyst]

Through the Live Feeds page on CBS.com: http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_brother/live_feed/

 

There are currently no feeds to access, but after 10 p.m. Pacific / 1 a.m. Eastern tonight, that page will change and offer access to four live-stream videos. For now, you can use your feeds membership to poke around at some of the features such as the videos and live chat.

[Guest dixiedeltadeb]

Thanks Tsylyst

[Tsylyst]

Looks like the feeds have a 1-minute rewind feature this season. That's gonna be pretty handy for doing a quick rewind to catch something you missed while recapping.

[MrsGryn]

Like screencaps of peen that you are so fond of?

[Tsylyst]

You know me: HT's Official Peencapper - BB15 to present

[Guest sam0920]

Hope it's right to put this here. I have a smart tv and can connect through my web browser but can't get it saved as it's own icon. Any ideas?