(Updated May 13th, 2016 by Chris Picard)
Scified has seen some drastic changes as we entered 2016 but the fundamentals have remained the same. Posting to Scified has never been easier. This article will cover the new method required for posting Editorials or News Articles to Scified.
Defining out terms:
Editorial, News Article, Post are all referred to as any content made to a Blog on Scified! We've re-branded our Sites platform to personal blogs.
Getting Started
Anyone can post to a Blog! When you click this icon:
A box will appear, which will allow you to either:
- Post News
- Start A Discussion
- Write A Review
- Upload An Image
The tabs are self-explanatory. If you wish to submit news, click Post News. If you wish to mainly ask a question or submit an opinion that isn't long enough to constitute an Editorial (800 - 1,000 words) then click Start A Discussion.
After Clicking "Post News"
You will be taken to a new page with a drop-down menu, an empty image slot, a title input field and a text box for the body of your article.
First thing's first - SELECT A BLOG!
From the drop-down menu, you can select any Blog that has not been marked as personal or private. TRUSTED Blogs are shown first - these are the "official" news blogs for various topics across Scified. Their names will be self-explanatory as well. If you're looking to share movie or gaming news, select one of these Blogs for your article.
Alternatively, you can always select your own Blog! But, if a Blog already exists for the content you're wishing to share, consider posting to the pre-existing Blog for that topic. This will reduce double-posting as well as reader confusion.
Next up, select a unique image!
Next up, you will have the choice to upload an image for your article. This image will be displayed at the top of your post and will also act as the thumbnail for post when it gets shared on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Reddit.
Images should be rectangular and not exceed 1MB in size. We have since scrapped the strict image requirements which were present in the last version of Scified, allowing you to get more creative nd use a wider range of images. This also eliminates the need to have any image editing experience. Simply, select a rectangular image if possible and Scified will handle the rest.
Please note, images will be denied upload if they exceed 1,000 px wide and/or 1,000 px high. This is to reduce load time for users browsing on mobile as well as sharing to social media. Speed is our focus as well as user experience, so please try to keep images to about 700 px wide, max. As well, GIF's are not recommended as they tend to slow down page load times.
Choose a descriptive title!
Now that you've selected a proper Blog as well as a fitting image to associate with your post, it's time to choose a descriptive title!
Your title should:
- Be descriptive of the content in your article
- Contain keywords like movie titles or names of people your article is about
- Not be too long, roughly 5 - 8 words maximum
- Be grammatically correct
- Spelled correctly
Your title should NOT:
- Contain spoiler content
- Contain a description not reflective of the article's content (ie. click-bait style tactics)
- Contain profanity
- Contain an over-exaggeration of puncutation
Finally, on to the CONTENT!
So you've just decided on a catchy, yet informative title. Readers will want to see what you have to say - now is the time to make sure you deliver and cater to their interest!
Your body should be written like any essay or report, follow this template for a successful post:
Paragraph 1) Start your post with a 5-sentence opening paragraph. Summarize the article's content and convey the information you're about to elaborate on.
Paragraph 2 & 3) In the second and/third paragraphs, dive deeper into the information you're providing. People are searching for information you're providing, so give it to them! In a concise yet informative way, elaborate on the points you mentioned in your opening paragraph. This may be referencing specific quotes or offering up broader descriptions in more detail. Again, each paragraph should contain a minimum number of 5 sentences, maximum being 8 roughly.
Paragraph 4) Begin to conclude your article with some closing tid-bits of information. If you're reporting on a film, consider using this space to refresh readers of the film's release dates, cast and plot synopsis. Mention any upcoming events or updates which they can look forward to. This paragraph should be short and to the point but still follow the 5 sentence rule.
Final Paragraph) Your final paragraph should contain resources and credit links back to where you found your news from, or any sources you used to help construct your article. It's good practice and shows respect to those who put in the work to provide you with this information, so linking back is a must. You can also use this paragraph to invite readers to check back in, or follow your Blog for more updates as they surface.
All done! Now proofread!
We all make mistakes and occasionally a grammatical error might creep its way into our articles. It's on you to ensure your article is of good quality and error-free. Spelling as well, needs to be checked prior to posting an article.
Requiring Approval has changed!
Since the new update, writers who have contributed a number of quality articles will NO LONGER require staff approval for new posts. However, new writers will.
Upon submitting your article, you will receive a notification in your inbox here on Scified, letting you know your post was submitted and that it awaits approval. Please do not re-submit the same article over and over again. Once a staff member has reviewed your post, it will either be approved or discarded. Once approved, it will be sent to the homepage as well as the respective Blog where it was posted and will then be available to the public!
Reasons your post may NOT be approved:
1) If the post contains en excess of spelling and grammatical errors
2) If the post is a duplicate (ie. if someone beat you to the scoop and already made a post about the same topic you're writing about)
3) If the post is too short (ie. less than 3 paragraphs, less than 400 words, etc...)
4) If the post contains excess profanity
Once Approved
Once your article has been approved, members will be able to share and comment on it! Your article will be editable, if you catch any errors or wish to expand your post or add updates. Staff will also be able to update your post for the same reasons if need be. If you ever need content removed and/or added, simply message one of our staff and they will be happy to assist you!
To give you an idea, this article is roughly 1,400 words in length. Keeping your articles to roughly 800 - 1000 is recommended. For some news posts we understand it's hard to come up with enough content to fill that quota, but try your best!
Finally - Earning $$$ off what you post
Since Scified's update, ads have been significantly reduced. Our focus has been pointed heavily towards user experience and in order to keep readers happy, we don't want to force feed them a ton of ads.
However, if you prove yourself to be a quality writer and wish to earn some profit off of what you post, you can request to have your own ad code associated with your articles. If allowed, we will substitute one of the ad slots we currently use and replace it with your ad, essentially sharing the revenue from your article with you! However revenue may not be stellar, earning a little something for your effort is nice nonetheless. If this is of interest to you, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Questions / Help
If you need any help with your posts and/or have any additional questions, feel free to message me here on Scified, or send us an email to [email protected] We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you for contributing to Scified!
