Recently we have had several users who have been upset that their contributions to the site have been edited, deleted, or didn't make it to the main "what's new" first page section. I write this to clear up any misconceptions about contributing to our little site.
#1. We're trying something new here at CBM... We've created a news site that is mostly user-generated. Its really the first of its kind. We're allowing our users more freedom to affect the site than any other breaking news site on the web. When you joined up, we explained
what we are trying to do,
what we expect, and how you could help us become the next big phenom on the web.
#2. It's not a giant messageboard. We want to present a professional image in as much as it is possible. We realize that not every contribution will be Shakespeare, and we're OK with that, but we want to keep the professionalism and quality of contributions as good as possible so that the site doesn't look like it is run by a 3-year-old.
#3 User submissions are "articles" and NOT messageboard threads, and as such we expect that they be of a higher standard than what you would find on your average messageboard. We expect proper grammar, spelling and punctuation from the news stories, and prefer well thought-out opinion pieces. If you don't like that, you can post on our messageboard or any one of the millions of other forums on the web.
#4 User submissions may be edited at the discretion of CBM editors. Of course, we REALLY appreciate the contributions that don't need any editing at all. Those are the ones that get on the main page with no problems. Users who show a history of providing good contributions that need little to no editing are asked to become CBM editors and are given editor's privileges. If you feel you meet those requirements, let us know, we are always looking for good editors who want to volunteer to make the site better.
#5 User submissions may be deleted if they are plagiarized, or are duplicates of something already posted, or will just take too much editing time to meet our standards of professionalism.
#6 CBM is first and foremost a "breaking news" site. We also have a huge community that likes to contribute a lot of fan fic, fan art, fan casting, fan made videos, etc. Generally, fan fic will rarely make the main "what's new" section because we do not want the news to become overrun with fiction. We have made a separate section to archive all fan fic articles, so please do not complain that your latest fan casting didn't get on the front page.
We are accutely aware that our community of users is what accounts for our tremendous growth and popularity. We strive to keep the site happenin' and our users happy. To that end, please comment below about how you think we are doing, and leave any suggestions on how we might improve.
Thank you for all your support!
Galactus