So you've been visiting bungie.net for a few days now. You've checked out all the content, posted in all the forums, probably been flamed a few times for posting something that has been posted a lot. But what now? What else can bungie.net possibly offer you in the months leading up to Halo 2?
Apart from new information, you may not think that it can offer much. However, buried deep within the Bungie server farm lies something wonderful, something unique, something that will aid World Domination. That thing is The 7th Column.
The 7th Column is a collection of fanclubs, called chapters. Chapters are owned by individual members of the community, and offer news, databases, a forum - it's a mini-website, only much cooler. A chapter can be about anything - there's one for Xbox Live players, one for Halo PC owners, and even one for people new to the site. A few Bungie staff members even have chapters, so you can try bugging them for the latest information there.
However, The 7th Column doesn't currently allow the creation of new chapters. This is because it has yet to experience the new hotness, and thus is currently running on a dying server. You can still join chapters, though, by exploring The 7th Column (the search tool is very useful) or The Classifieds. You can also look in signatures, as some people will advertise their chapters there, or in the Chapters section of someone's profile - this lists every chapter they are a member of, and marks which ones they have founded. If you're a good user then you could even become a staff member, with almost all the powers of a chapter founder.
So there you have it - The 7th Column is yet another aspect that makes bungie.net so brilliant. If you'd like to pay a visit, and, let's face it, who wouldn't, then that's too bad - the Column is currently down for some essential maintenance work. When it's back, however, it'll be bigger, badder and better, and this guide will be updated accordingly.
[Edited on 9/9/2004 5:06:18 PM]