We've decided to continue the @YEMblog Guest Tweeter program through the second leg of Phish's Summer Tour. Our big concern at the first five shows will be the cell reception. We're hoping for the best, but poor reception is beyond our control. Please bear with us and remember this is a free service.

Here's this tour's Guest Tweeters:

Greek1: Scott Gordon
Greek2: DaveO from Hidden Track
Greek3: David Steinberg aka ZZYZX
Tellurides: Adam Edelman
Deer Creek1: Scott Bernstein
Deer Creek2: Scott Marks
Alpine1: Scott Bernstein
Alpine2: Justin Wendt
Jones Beach1: TBA
Jones Beach2: Scott Bernstein


To help provide guidance and more continuity between tweeters we've come up with a list of guidelines for our guest tweeters:

Version 1.0, Summer Tour 2010 - Leg 2

Mission Statement: @YEMblog aims to provide Phish fans with a picture of what's going on at every show by providing informative and entertaining commentary along with accurate setlists.

WHAT WE DO WANT

Be yourself, but remember your audience – which likely includes people who are much older, and even much younger, than yourself. Don’t be profane.

The Setlist: Feel free to use abbreviations, but be aware of those abbreviations which aren't exactly clear. For instance, SOAM can refer to either Split Open and Melt or Scent Of a Mule (aka “SOAMule”) . Also, If you aren't 100% positive about which song the band is playing, definitely wait until you are positive. We'll be sure to text you the name of any new song or cover that you may not know, if we can.

Comments on Anything Out of the Ordinary: Did they particularly nail a transition? Does the guy in front of you have a cool sign that has caught Trey's attention? Did Phish just tease something? How were the lines getting into the show? How full are the seats and how full is the lawn just before the show starts? How is the vibe of the crowd, in your estimation? We want to know what's going on at the show - first and foremost on the musical end and second on the audience and the audience's reaction to certain moments.

Descriptions of the Improv: We know this is a toughie, but when possible try to describe the jams as they happen. If Page hops on the clav or the moog, we want to know. We also want to know about the length of jams. If Trey cut off a section or if they extend improv longer than usual, fill us in. At the same time, if you aren’t confident in your estimations of the jams, then don’t tweet about it.

Stats: If you happen to think up any crazy stats about what's goin' down at the show, feel free to share. Just try to make sure you have your facts right.

Humorous Commentary: Okay, this is where we run into some problems because one man's LULz is another man's eye roll. As long as you don't need to insult anybody to be funny, go for it.

Advertising: Eventually, we hope to sell sponsorships, but nothing in the immediate future. If you have something you'd like to promote please let us know in advance and be sure to use the #ad tag.

Twitpics: If you've got a phone that takes good pictures, let us know so we can set you up to provide TwitPics.

Soundcheck Tweets: If you arrive early enough to hear the soundcheck, we want to know what they are playing and how they are playing it. If you do tweet about the soundcheck, please throw in a shoutout to @phishnet so the setlist folks over there get the info as soon as possible. (And Phishnet has a mobile application that you should be aware of. If you have good cell reception at a show, the phishnet app can help with stats.)

Information About The Venue: Did you have a drink or food that was particularly good? Have any advice about navigating traffic down to that night's show? Are there tips you can share that other attendees might get use out of, for example, that might help them get into the show faster or leave it more quickly? Let everyone know. You have an audience.

Descriptions of Kuroda's Work: Is Chris implementing a particularly unique lighting scheme? As long as you don't get too technical, we want to know about it.


WHAT WE DON'T WANT:

Inside Jokes: You want to make the occasional shout out, fine, but remember that you are providing commentary to thousands of Phish fans, many of whom have no idea who you are. We want to appeal to the common denominator, not just the cool kids.

Extreme Editorializing: You think Prince Caspian is the worst song ever and you're pissed they've decided to play it? Why don't you keep that to yourself. Now, if the band flubs an entire section, feel free to take them to task. Just don't let your personal feelings about a particular song get in the way of reporting on what's going on. Again, remember your audience. It includes a variety of fans, not just those like yourself.

Repetition of the lyrics: We all know the words to the songs. It doesn't provide any value to repeat song lyrics as a tweet, unless - of course - there's a change to the lyrics. Lyrical flubs or changes are noteworthy.

Predictions: If you want to predict what the band will play, make sure to do so well before showtime and be sure to include the #phprediction hashtag. We don't want our readers to mistakenly think one of your predictions is being played when it's not.

Derogatory Terms: Gay & retarded come to mind. You may mean well, but sarcasm doesn't come through in 140 characters. The occasional curse is fine, in fact we encourage making use of our signature "*** As Fuck" tweet as long as you’re creative about coming up with that first word.

Too Much Lot Talk: We're trying to avoid any confusion about what's going on at the show. Too many "brah, breh" references clearly turns some of our followers off and adds to confusion.

Rumors: Your buddy told you Phish is playing 12 shows at the Garden? You think you see Jeff Holdsworth in the crowd? Unless you're positive, please stay away from any rumors and innuendo.

Terrible Grammar and Misspellings: We don't expect you to bring a Style Guide to the show, but at least try to be coherent. Again, remember your audience. They may be a lot more sober than you. And who knows, you may want to get a job from them one day. Seriously, though, be yourself but don’t be a jerk.


Thanks to Charlie Dirksen, DaveO, AK, Scott Marks and Scott Gordon for their help with this document. - Scott Bernstein

http://twitter.com/yemblog