Two of the most common questions I receive related to the site are; "How do I become a writer for the site?" and "Why don't you replace *this* writer?" This, despite the disclaimer at the bottom of every post that states, in part "This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. As a user-generated content platform..."
The long and short of it is that the BLS Network of sites, which currently consists of ActioNewz.com, AnimeMojo.com, ComicBookMovie.com, FearHQ.com, GameFragger.com, SFFGazette.com, TheRingReport.com, Toonado.com, isn't like other sites. There is no editorial team per se, as you find with most other online outlets. The vast majority of content is created by users just like you.
Let's jump back in time for a very brief history lesson that will more fully explain this... You see, back in 2003, when Best Little Sites came into existence. At the time, one of the first web sites that we launched was ComicBookMovie.com. At the time it was like many of the other news outlets finding their way online. The difference was that we made the conscious decision to focus on what WE loved - Comics and Comic Book Movies.
The issue that we found is that keeping up with all of the news and content was almost impossible for a small team, especially with how popular CBMs were becoming.
To combat this, in 2008 we opened up the site and made it a user-generated platform. This allowed anyone and everyone that took the time to register for an account to not only participate in the community by commenting on articles and posts by other users, but it also allowed users to contribute and share content themselves! Some of the most prolific writers in the BLS network of sites are regular users just like you who decided to start sharing their passion for the nerd culture that we all know and love.
With all of that in mind, I'd like to answer some recurring questions that I receive from users:
How can I become an editor for the site?
As explained above, there are no editors. Anybody and everybody that registers for an account can contribute content to the sites (think of it like YouTube, but for articles). If you would like to contribute, simply register for an account and confirm your email address! Once confirmed, you'll find a "Articles" tab in the members area. This is where you can contribute content, whether it be news, an interview, a review, etc.. If you can imagine it, and think that others will be interested in it, feel free to share it!
Note that you should review and familiarize yourself with the Community Guidelines, as well as Quality and Content Guidelines. These will set your posts up for success and answer many of the questions you may have when you begin.
How do I get my content to appear on the homepage?
All content, regardless of who posts it, appears on he main "News" page and other secondary site pages (category pages, etc.). Users who both contribute regularly and show that they can follow the content and quality guidelines (i.e. they include a nice banner image, share content that users are genuinely interested in, etc.) can have their account permissions updated to allow their content to be posted directly to the homepage. This generally leads to more users seeing, reading, and commenting on your content.
Can I earn money with my content?
Do you recall earlier when I mentioned that you can think of our platform like YouTube, but for articles? That also extends to the ability to earn money with your content! We are able to do this through our Contributor Partner Program. The Contributor Partner Program takes a portion of the advertising revenue earned by the site and shares it with the users who are accepted into the program proportionately based upon how popular their content is!
Noe that there are specific requirements to be a part of our Contributor Partner Program, including following the Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, Content & Quality Guidelines, as well as strict rules regarding copyright and trademark complaints.
If you're interested in joining our Contributor Partner Program, you can learn more by visiting our Contributor Partner Policies & Guidelines page, which includes additional information and details on how to receive an invitation to the program!
Sound off in the comments below if you have questions or if there's something that I missed! You can also reach out via the Contact Page!