Say hello to seven new Rock M writers

Honestly, with the news of the last couple of days, I was going to hold off from writing this until some happier times, but ... to hell with it. Rock M is fantastic when things are going well, but the reason I am so thankful for Rock M is because of how it handles itself during the more difficult times. I started my own Mizzou blog (which eventually got folded into Rock M Nation) because I wanted to create a community that didn't lose its collective mind when things turned sour, one that I could still visit on a daily basis even during the bad times. And with a 5-7 football team and Mike Dixon's departure, there has been plenty of sourness recently. But Rock M remains a place where we can have rational discussions in tough times, and I thank you all for that. I wanted to create, basically, exactly what this site has become, but it wouldn't have become that without all of you.

That said, I think Rock M needs more content. Real life has begun to intrude for a lot of our original roster of writers (a roster that perhaps should have been bigger for a while), and I decided some new blood might be a good thing. So over the past week, I have invited seven Rock M posters aboard the masthead. We are still in the process of figuring out what each new poster will do (and how often), but I'm excited by this list. I hope you are, too.

• AlaTiger. A Mizzou fan in SEC country, he will bring both SEC-related content and solid rationality to the table.
• BillSelfsToupee. Because this site isn't funny enough anymore. (My wife has, however, banned him from using pictures of clowns and spiders.)
• CBonerfied. In a few weeks, he will begin contributing weekly basketball content.
• countrycal. He will provide lovely historical perspective and, basically, be asked to be himself.
• CPC. The new SBN United functionality allows for topic-specific hubs like this one. CPC will be given free reign on the soon-to-exist All Sports hub.
• CapnCribbs. The new functionality also allows for better news reporting through story streams, and I don't take advantage of that nearly enough. I have asked the Capn to help me in that regard.
• tigers and chiefs fan. She has already become the community mom, basically, and her posts will reflect that.

This is a fun group, one that should mesh quite well with the roster of Rock M writers you already know and (hopefully) enjoy. And though it will take a while for all the moving pieces to come together, I think you will see these writers making an altogether positive impact on the site as a whole. I love this place, and I decided I was incapable of providing all of the content I wanted it to have. So I asked for some help. Please welcome our new writers! Actually, that's not quite right. You don't "welcome" somebody who's already here. Congratulate, maybe?