How to help Every Bit Texas grow
About 3,100 of you are here, and last month you made roughly 500 posts and 34,000 comments. That's why this place works. If you want to help it grow, you don't need to do much. You just need to do something small, and do it again tomorrow.
Pick one small thing today
- Upvote a post you actually liked.
- Reply to a post that has zero comments. "Where was this taken?" is plenty. Nobody posts twice into silence.
- Post one thing this week. A county, a photo from a shoebox, something your grandmother swore was true.
Once you've done one, the next one gets easier.
When you post
Tell us what it is and where it's from. County, year, who's in the picture. A bare photo is a guess, and a photo with a caption becomes a story people can add to (that's Rule 4).
Your own finds beat links. Family albums, a historical marker you pulled over for, the courthouse nobody photographs. We have plenty of articles. We don't have enough of you.
The weekly threads are the easiest way in, because the prompt is already written. Monday is Mystery Monday, Friday is Shoebox Friday, and there's one every day. The full list is on the threads page.
Afternoons in Central time have worked best for us, if you want to pick a time.
When you comment
Add one thing nobody has said yet: a date, a name, a memory, a correction with a source. Answer the person you're talking to, not the whole thread. If you disagree, argue about the thing and leave the person alone (Rule 3).
If you spot a newcomer's first post with no replies, go first. It costs you ten seconds and it decides whether they come back.
Reward what you want more of
People repeat what gets noticed. So notice it.
- Upvote good posts and good comments, not just the ones you agree with.
- Say thanks in a reply. "I never knew that, thank you" lands harder than a vote.
- Report spam and made-up claims instead of arguing with them. That keeps the thread readable for everyone else.
Bring one person
Pick one person who'd care about a specific post and send it to them. "This is your hometown" works. "Join my subreddit" doesn't. Family group chats and county Facebook pages are good places to share a link that's actually about them.
Free Texas photos and video
Credit the source and add the county and year (Rule 4). Only post images and video that are public domain or freely licensed, and check the rights statement on each item.
- Portal to Texas History (UNT): digitized photos, maps and newspapers.
- Texas Archive of the Moving Image: historic Texas film and video.
- Library of Congress Prints & Photographs: many public domain Texas photos. Check the rights field.
- National Archives Catalog: US government records, mostly public domain.
- Texas State Library and Archives: state photos, maps and documents.
- Wikimedia Commons: freely licensed Texas media. Check the license on each file.
- Digital Public Library of America: search across many archives.
- Internet Archive: old films, books and photos. Check rights.
- National Park Service: Texas park and historic site photos, usually public domain.
- Texas Historical Commission: historic sites and markers.
Free Texas news and reference
These didn't need a subscription when this was written, though some sites cap free articles. Link the original article, not a repost or a screenshot, and check the date.
- The Texas Tribune: nonprofit statewide news.
- Texas Standard: statewide public radio news.
- Public media: KUT, KERA, Houston Public Media, Texas Public Radio.
- AP News: wire reporting.
- Texas Highways: travel and culture.
- Handbook of Texas Online: history reference.
What doesn't help
Asking for upvotes, posting the same link again and again, spam, and fake accounts. Reddit bans vote manipulation, and so do we.
Want to go further? Pick a user flair and tell us your county.