Pork Chop Platoon Blog Gets Refreshed

• The Pork Chop Platoon welcomes you to our newly overhauled blog and reintroduces you to our community for older gamers on the Xbox console
• PCP lists out each section of the new blog site and gives explanations on the functions and features of each section in order to help you navigate and get the most from the site
•  The community invites you to connect with us for a game and would love for you to register and see why we have been a premier, mature Xbox gaming community since 2007

First and foremost, welcome to the updated and refreshed Pork Chop Platoon blog! Whether this is your first visit to our humble abode or you’re a long time member, we are glad you’re here.

In this welcome note, we also want to show you a few things you can do to make the most of the new website and, we hope, the community in whole.

For starters, we’ve been around for a while–since 2007, in fact. That is a pretty big accomplishment when you consider how fast things change these days. What that means to you is that we are a stable gaming community where you can find someone playing the same game(s) as you, even if your schedule looks different than other people’s. I mean, we all lead different lives, right? Our community of older gamers (by old(er) we mean 25 yrs old and up) has members across the 50 states and even internationally! We are dads and moms and retirees and outdoorsy types and well, you get the point–we’re just like you!

Let’s get to some of the things you will find on Pork Chop Platoon’s new digs.

For starters, you can read all about the Pork Chop Platoon (or “PCP”) on our “ABOUT PAGE.” There, you will find a little about:

• Pork Chop Platoon’s commitment to older gamers on the Xbox console
• How we never use skill level or required play schedules as prerequisites to membership

Next, if you still have a question or concern about how we do things at PCP, check out the Pork Chop Platoon “FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS PAGE.” FAQs are generally self-explanatory, but if we haven’t covered something there, we will tell you how to contact us down below.

Now a little about our games. PCP has a “POPULAR TITLES PAGE” where you will find a running list of games the community is playing most often. We are constantly updating this list, so if you don’t see your game of choice on there, don’t worry, someone is probably still playing it.

What’s on the menu?

Depending on the device you are using to view this page, you will see a text-based navigation menu in the upper right or center of the page OR it will appear as what they call the “hamburger menu” (the three stacked lines) in the same location. Both contain the same pages listed above and some more options.

The first of those options is our Pork Chop Platoon “BLOG PAGE.” When you click that link, it takes you to the blog home page. Hover over that link, it will show you the blog’s categories. (If you are on the hamburger menu, you’ll see all the categories by default.) Choose a specific game or article category, or go to the blog “home” page and browse all our posts. The choice is yours. Each category will have a header on it’s page that describes that category.

Next, you will see three buttons labeled MEMBER FORUM, PCP TWITTER, and PCP CHAT. These are described below.

• MEMBER FORUM – This takes you to our main home, the Pork Chop Platoon forums. This is where almost all member communication happens. We use Discourse for our member forums, and there is a lot of information and general talk between members in here.
• PCP TWITTER – This is pretty self-explanatory also. If you are a Twitter user, connect with us here.
• PCP CHAT – The Pork Chop Platoon chat is a new feature. We started using Discord as a way to supplement communications a few years ago. It helps to reach out to members for quick pick-up games among other things. This Discord server was just added for new recruits who don’t yet have access to the member Discord. If you have quick questions or are looking to play with us before you become a member, this is where you can do it.

The sidebar.

Depending on the device you are using to view this page, you will see a different style of navigation section–the WordPress sidebar. This will appear as small, independent “widgets” either along the right side of the page (on a computer or possibly a tablet) or below the main page content (if on mobile or some tablets.) Both contain the same information and options, but the page is mobile responsive, so it will automatically place the widgets where they fit best. This area is subject to change based on site needs, but for now here is what’s on the sidebar:

• SEARCH – The Pork Chop Platoon website search. Type in a search term and click search. Easy.
• SOCIAL ICONS – This is a small listing of PCP social media sites. Follow us wherever you prefer!
• RSS QUICK SUBSCRIBE – Currently, we do not have an email subscription option. We’d prefer you come here to visit and join the member forums, but if you still like to use RSS, here’s where you can subscribe to our feed.
• RECENT POSTS – This is a small section listing the last five posts from the blog, in case you missed them.
• TWITTER TIMELINE – In case you don’t use Twitter, this is a little tool where you can see what we’ve posted there recently.
• MEMBER DISCORD MODULE – This is a display of the member Discord. This is NOT the PCP chat. You’ll be able to access some rooms in this area once you register to become a member.
• BLOG ARCHIVES – This drop down menu will show you months/years in which we posted to our blog. Click on a listing to take you to that month’s archived posts.
• CATEGORY LISTING – Another way to access the blog’s category archives. This is the same as the listing in the menu.

The footer.

The footer is easy. It’s always going to be on the bottom of the page, regardless of your device. It will either stretch across fully or will be stacked vertically, like the sidebar. What you will find in the footer for now is:

• SOCIAL ICONS – Another small listing of PCP social media sites. Follow us wherever you prefer!
• RSS QUICK SUBSCRIBE – Another area where you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
• TOP POSTS AND PAGES – This is a small section listing the top three trending posts and pages across the entire site. Don’t miss these!
• MEMBER-ONLY CALL TO ACTION – This area is for Pork Chop Platoon members only. It is all locked up, so just ignore this section, please.
• SEARCH – Another convenient Pork Chop Platoon website search. Type in a search term and click search. Easy.

And finally, the posts…and a “subtle” request.

And now, friends, we come to the final point of discussion. The blog post. That’s what this is. Sometimes you will also hear it referred to an article.

On the upper left, you will see the date, author, and category. Each of these can be clicked on for a different version of post or author archive. Next is the post itself. Pay attention throughout, as any links that we share with you will be in our signature orange color. We will also try to make them all caps. At the bottom of the post, there will usually be some sort of author signature or some other fun stuff to do or way to connect with us or the author.

Under the post, there are a few neat features. The first being ways you can share this post. Right now, you can share on Twitter and Facebook. Simply click to “SHARE” on your platform of choice, add a note if you wish, and share away. Why don’t you try it now? We can wait.

…

Easy, isn’t it? (And thank you for sharing this post! We really appreciate it.)

Under the sharing buttons are “LIKE” buttons. This is a fun feature and gives us another indication if the post was helpful for you, even if you don’t share it.

Finally, under the “like” and “share” (…you did share this post, right?) is a “RELATED POSTS” section. This populates three other similar posts to this one on a random basis. Feel free to click on one and read some more while you are here!

And that, as they say, is that. Again, we are glad you stopped in for a visit. Enjoy the site and the community!

If you would like to learn more, join the Pork Chop Platoon, or want to chat with someone, simply click on one of those buttons we mentioned in the menu.

See you on the battlefield!