Writer's Guidelines | WebReference

Writer's Guidelines

 

Writer's Guidelines

Who We Are

Webreference.com is designed to be a gateway to Web and Webmastering information. We feature original articles on topics of interest to Web professionals - our audience is primarily well-educated, well-compensated intermediate to expert Webmasters and Web Developers.

Our Mission

Our mission is to educate readers about the Web and the art of Webmastering in order to help improve the quality of sites on the Web.

Types of Submissions

One-time Web site articles

We are seeking submissions for the Feature Articles and Developer's Corner sections. The Feature Articles section is where we showcase original articles on Web-related issues of interest to webmasters. The developer's corner area is where we have shorter do-it-yourself hands-on tutorials and articles on new and innovative techniques readers can use to enhance their Web sites. Both of these areas are linked directly from the home and TOC pages.

Feature articles should run between 2,500 and 3,000 words and cover any subject of interest to Web developers. Although most feature articles deal with the more technical issues on the Web, we are also open to opinion pieces, humor pieces, innovations on the Web, and trends. Developers corner submissions should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words and should be more hands-on, how-to-articles with examples.

Expert Columnists

On occasion, we also seek experts in their fields to become regular columnists, which we showcase under our "experts" section (and on the home page). We first require a one-time article (above), which we give you fame for, in order to evaluate your writing and ability to make deadlines. If you pass the muster, we'll ask you to join our growing cadre of expert columnists.

Expert columnists (what we call our Content Providers) write a biweekly column in their subject of expertise. Experts are paid on an incentive basis, based on your traffic. The longer you write, the more you'll make as your content, following, and backlinks build. Many of our columnists make four figures each month.

We are pretty selective, but if you know your stuff, contact us.

Subject Focus

We're interested in how-to and feature articles related to Web development.

Please don't send unsolicited manuscripts. Convince us that your article will be something our readers will want to read. We will respond with our feedback about your story idea within 48 hours. New freelancers must present reasonably clean copy. Here's how it works.

Steps for Publication

We only accept e-mail submissions. Be sure to proofread, spellcheck your piece, and check your references and links. Footnote your references to the end of your piece or a separate page.

Payment

We now use an "open publishing" model for newsletter and one-time articles. In exchange for your article, we give you exposure, promotion, and occasionally free prizes! Take a look at the Submit page to get more information about our Open Publishing intiative. For articles we publish, and meet our criteria we give author credits and bylines are always acknowledged. Full reciprocal 'backlinks' to email or Web site always provided, you'll get announced in our newsletters, and on the front page, giving you plenty of exposure.

Thank You

We appreciate your interest in Webreference.com and look forward to working with you.

Submission Details

  1. All submissions must be written using straight ASCII text and submitted as an e-mail message or attached ASCII text file. Aligned left. Ragged right. You may also submit in HTML document format.

     

  2. NEVER LEAVE TWO (2) SPACES AFTER COMMAS, PERIODS OR OTHER PUNCTUATION! We don't care what your high school typing teacher told you. They weren't webmasters. In your text use no curly quotes or apostrophes and put commas and periods inside quotes regardless of their meaning.

     

  3. Please spell and grammar check your work before sending it. We accept only near final or final copy.

     

  4. Get permission if you plan to quote someone or take their picture. Get it in writing! It is considered a professional courtesy to allow the person(s) to read and approve of the content of your article before submitting. It also helps to avoid lawsuits.

     

  5. Graphics, artwork, or accompanying photographs will be accepted, preferably saved as GIF, or JPEG files. Multimedia such as Quicktime, Shockwave, and Real Audio will also be accepted, but make sure it is optimized for the Web. Send along with your submission as e-mail "attachments."

     

  6. Maximum length of a Feature Article is 3,000 words. Page length should be a maximum of 2-3 screens. Use a table of contents page as an index to longer articles. Developer's Corner maximum length is 2,000 words.

     

  7. Have fun with it. Humor goes a long way on the Internet. Make it interesting for the reader. If you use highly technical terms make sure you explain them, and be sure to expand acronyms. Our readership includes new computer users.

We hope these tips and requirements have not discouraged you. If you've got a good idea for an article let us know about it. Webreference.com is currently experiencing tens of thousands of visitors per day. Don't be surprised after your work appears, if you suddenly get tremendously busy. Good luck and good writing.


All Rights Reserved. Legal Notices.
Revised: March 16, 2000

URL: https://www.webreference.com/writers.html