Guidelines for submitting blog posts

[Hersch]

The Wikipediocracy blog needs a steady flow of new article submissions. Here are some guidelines which will assist you in preparing an article for submission:

1. Our audience is the world at large. Therefore, we want to avoid writing in an "insider" style, with lots of unexplained WikiJargon and insider references of the sort that might go over big at ANI.

2. Our objective is to give the layman an insight into the corruption and absurdity at WP -- not to use the blog as a vehicle for continuing a vendetta against the evil WP personality or personalities who blocked you/edited your favorite WP article.

3. Your article will be edited by some combination of the Wikipediocracy mods and trustees. If this is going to offend you, you probably shouldn't submit it. You can review the past 3 years of blog posts to get a sense of what the site management prefers, in terms of style and content.

4. If you make a non-negotiable demand that your article must be accompanied by, say, a series of images from "South Park," that will probably cause some friction and reduce the chances of publication.

5. The first steps in submitting an article: you may send me a PM, describing what you have in mind, and I will run it by the site management team. That's optional. The next step is to send a draft version in the form of a PM, with sources linked for any claims that may be challenged. The site management will discuss it and possibly request additional material or documentation. Be sure to mention what byline you prefer.

Thanks,
Hersch

---

Hersch has retired from the Wikipediocracy Blog
Please PM everything in Step 5 to me instead: Zoloft

Thank you, Hersch, for doing a great job.

Zoloft has now passed the torch to Midsize Jake

[JCM]

5. The first steps in submitting an article: you may send me a PM, describing what you have in mind, and I will run it by the site management team.

OK, just in the interests of clarifying for the terminally befuddled, like me, wha's a PM?

[SB_Johnny]

Under Hersh's post toward the left there's a little gray button that says "PM". It's self-explanatory from there .

[Johnny Au]

PM is a private message.

I agree with the guidelines. WO's blog entries are much better than puerile rants.

[EricBarbour]

WO's blog entries are much better than puerile rants.

Then write some blog posts.

[Johnny Au]

WO's blog entries are much better than puerile rants.

Then write some blog posts.

Alright then.

I have plans to write about systemic bias on Wikipedia once I have the time.

[thekohser]

WO's blog entries are much better than puerile rants.

Then write some blog posts.

Alright then.

I have plans to write about systemic bias on Wikipedia once I have the time.

Do you think you could free up some time by abstaining from editing Wikipedia for a week?

[Johnny Au]

WO's blog entries are much better than puerile rants.

Then write some blog posts.

Alright then.

I have plans to write about systemic bias on Wikipedia once I have the time.

Do you think you could free up some time by abstaining from editing Wikipedia for a week?

I spend only ten minutes editing Wikipedia each day (and make ten edits each day as well, thanks to WPCleaner). I am very busy on other things in life.

[thekohser]

I spend only ten minutes editing Wikipedia each day (and make ten edits each day as well, thanks to WPCleaner). I am very busy on other things in life.

Ten minutes a day, you say?

Today, you spent from UTC 3:17 to 3:30 (13 minutes) and 15:11 to 15:13 (2 minutes). That's at least 15 minutes. Two days ago, you were on for at least a half an hour. Cut that out for four days, and you'd have a Wikipediocracy blog post written, easy. Get your priorities straight, man.

[Johnny Au]

I spend only ten minutes editing Wikipedia each day (and make ten edits each day as well, thanks to WPCleaner). I am very busy on other things in life.

Ten minutes a day, you say?

Today, you spent from UTC 3:17 to 3:30 (13 minutes) and 15:11 to 15:13 (2 minutes). That's at least 15 minutes. Two days ago, you were on for at least a half an hour. Cut that out for four days, and you'd have a Wikipediocracy blog post written, easy. Get your priorities straight, man.

I have PMed Hersch as part of the first step (the PM is below). Once I get the go-ahead, I will write the draft.

I have decided to write a blog entry on systemic bias. Read here: WP:Systemic bias (T-H-L) and here: Wikipedia:WikiProject_Countering_systemic_bias (T-H-L) and here: Wikipedia:WikiProject Countering Systemic Bias Open Tasks (T-H-L) for primers, along with WP:CRUFT (T-H-L).

I would write about how systemic bias, both in terms of underrepresented content and in overrepresented content.

[Hersch]

The first steps in submitting an article: you may send me a PM, describing what you have in mind, and I will run it by the site management team. That's optional. The next step is to send a draft version in the form of a PM, with sources linked for any claims that may be challenged.

Please do not use "Google Drive".

[Hersch]

Also, if you have launched a thread somewhere in which you are working on your blog post, don't assume that I am aware of it. Please send me a PM.

[The Joy]

Maybe this post should be pinned to the top of this forum?

[Zoloft]

Maybe this post should be pinned to the top of this forum?

Done.

[Johnny Au]

The first blog post that I authored is published: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=6160

I find the guidelines very useful.

[Ross McPherson]

I was looking at the Wikipedia article about this blog and the history page there records a big drop in rankings - ever since I signed up actually, about October 2014 (just a co-incidence, I hope!) It seems to me you need to broaden your appeal and not keep harping on about the same things. In other words, while Wikipedia should remain the main focus, you should be critiquing the internet more generally. You have a stable of gifted writers here with technological guruism oozing from their pores. Why not let them have a freer reign to express themselves? That way you should end up with a more attentive audience for your main mission - the salvaging/torpedoeing of Wikipedia. But who am I to give advice? I haven't helped with the ratings.

[thekohser]

I was looking at the Wikipedia article about this blog and the history page there records a big drop in rankings - ever since I signed up actually, about October 2014 (just a co-incidence, I hope!) It seems to me you need to broaden your appeal and not keep harping on about the same things. In other words, while Wikipedia should remain the main focus, you should be critiquing the internet more generally. You have a stable of gifted writers here with technological guruism oozing from their pores. Why not let them have a freer reign to express themselves? That way you should end up with a more attentive audience for your main mission - the salvaging/torpedoeing of Wikipedia. But who am I to give advice? I haven't helped with the ratings.

A few of us regulars installed Alexa on our browsers. That probably accounted for 25% of the "rankings", you know.

[Zoloft]

I was looking at the Wikipedia article about this blog and the history page there records a big drop in rankings - ever since I signed up actually, about October 2014 (just a co-incidence, I hope!) It seems to me you need to broaden your appeal and not keep harping on about the same things. In other words, while Wikipedia should remain the main focus, you should be critiquing the internet more generally. You have a stable of gifted writers here with technological guruism oozing from their pores. Why not let them have a freer reign to express themselves? That way you should end up with a more attentive audience for your main mission - the salvaging/torpedoeing of Wikipedia. But who am I to give advice? I haven't helped with the ratings.

A few of us regulars installed Alexa on our browsers. That probably accounted for 25% of the "rankings", you know.

It is amazing how quickly the ratings climbed when four or five of us had the Alexa bar on our browser, and how quickly it faded when we stopped. Alexa also changed their ranking methods just before we went into a tailspin.

[Mojito]

Just reporting a problem when trying to comment on the Eric W Jepson post. I entered a name and email address and then it said something like "posting comment" but it didn't appear.

Is there a verification email that's lost in the ether perhaps?

[Zoloft]

Just reporting a problem when trying to comment on the Eric W Jepson post. I entered a name and email address and then it said something like "posting comment" but it didn't appear.

Is there a verification email that's lost in the ether perhaps?

I checked, there is no comment in any sort of queue.

We've had a lot of throughput problems and throttling from our host recently. Refresh, try again, and PM me.

[Mojito]

Just reporting a problem when trying to comment on the Eric W Jepson post. I entered a name and email address and then it said something like "posting comment" but it didn't appear.

Is there a verification email that's lost in the ether perhaps?

I checked, there is no comment in any sort of queue.

We've had a lot of throughput problems and throttling from our host recently. Refresh, try again, and PM me.

Still no joy, unfortunately. PM sent.

[Zoloft]

Just reporting a problem when trying to comment on the Eric W Jepson post. I entered a name and email address and then it said something like "posting comment" but it didn't appear.

Is there a verification email that's lost in the ether perhaps?

I checked, there is no comment in any sort of queue.

We've had a lot of throughput problems and throttling from our host recently. Refresh, try again, and PM me.

Still no joy, unfortunately. PM sent.

It *was* stuck in an approval queue after all. Approved and deleted duplicates.

[Mojito]

Yep, all sorted now, thanks.

Do we think that the comments are still worthwhile? These days, the discussion in the thread is much more lively, so maybe it's better to point people towards that?

[Konveyor Belt]

Yep, all sorted now, thanks.

Do we think that the comments are still worthwhile? These days, the discussion in the thread is much more lively, so maybe it's better to point people towards that?

One news site I visit (TechPowerUp.com) has a system where the comments under their articles are mirrored from the corresponding forum thread. It looks like an ordinary comment section, but clicking reply will direct you into the forum. The forum runs on Xenforo instead of phpBB like ours, but if something equivalent is available it would be nice. Here's an article with a lot of comments so you can see how it works.

[Zoloft]

Yep, all sorted now, thanks.

Do we think that the comments are still worthwhile? These days, the discussion in the thread is much more lively, so maybe it's better to point people towards that?

Not a bad idea, and guiding people to participate in the forum is valuable. I'll consult with the team.