Post by Fuzz on Oct 2, 2016 15:34:09 GMT -5
Up until now, I've been running the CaliStar Gazette primarily as a side project that's a fun way of handling rumors and plot synopses in the setting, since Steampunk allows for printing presses and newspapers are awesome.
Many players might have noticed that we have several articles written by PCs, which is something we definitely support, as a team, and would like to promote. Thus far information about participating in the Gazette has been kept as IC as possible, either via printed ads in the paper (Found HERE) or via PCs and NPCs ingame, but I thought it was about time to outline some basic guidelines to both make it easier for you players to get involved, and also save me a lot of headaches with regard to explaining hows and whys of getting printed:
1- All articles should be based on IC knowledge your character knows, and are written by your character ingame.
If your PC wasn't present for an event or it was something you heard about OOCly, you shouldn't be reporting on it. Now, reporters aren't always on scene, and if your PC wishes to interview other PCs that were there for their stories (and maybe use some quotes and/or give them credit!), that is perfectly acceptable, however bear in mind that the Gazette would probably rather print a firsthand account of something. You also CANNOT concoct a reporter character that you do not play ingame at all to be your reporter, and essentially godmod them as an NPC writer. Only I get to do that.
2- Not all articles submitted will automatically be printed.
While it would be nice to just print every bit of players' hard work, unfortunately that's not feasible for a variety of reasons. First is the fact that multiple PCs may write about the same topic, in which case the Gazette would go with the more well known reporter and/or the more well-written or insightful article. The Gazette also has IC standards (despite what you may think), and only venerated and known reporters can generally get away with editorializing in their articles. For the same reason, these established (in PC terms, having had at least a couple articles printed before) reporters would have much higher seniority when it comes to having an article make the front page. You will find out when the paper is published if your article made it in!
3- Op/Ed pieces are allowed, but you will not be paid for them and in fact will have to pay to have them printed.
Opinion/Editorial style pieces are allowed and are printed often in the Gazette, however the paper only actually pays for real reporting, not spouting your opinions. Op/Eds are treated like advertisements, which are outlined below.
3- All articles are reviewed by the Gazette staff ICly and are printed based on merit.
This may sound odd, but what that means is that every article, once submitted, is committed to the IC world. Keep that in mind when submitting, as particularly controversial, aggressive, insulting, etc articles probably won't get printed, but the Gazette will receive them and they could hurt your PC's reputation for future printing or even spark some IC repercussions. Even on the forum, your actions have weight and the world will respond to them, that is a key facet of this server.
4- PCs will get paid with ingame currency for published articles.
The Gazette isn't a faction and is more of a side job that's just a fun thing to be able to do. As such, there's no such thing as a salary and there will more than likely never actually be any specific Gazette related plotlines, so no reporter is ever truly an "employee" of the Gazette. Payments are made on a published basis, with the payment schedule as follows:
Single Column: $200
Half Page: $500
Full or Front Page: $750!
Image accompanying your article: +$200
5- There is a limited amount of space you have to work with, so keep that in mind when submitting.
Wherever possible, I will try to edit articles to fit within the allotted space, however this is extremely tedious and time consuming and actually takes MORE time that it would for me to just write the article myself in the given space. The more editing an article needs, the less likely it is to be printed. A rough gauge on how long an article should be for a given size:
Single Column: 100-150 words
Half Page: 150-250 words
Full Page: 300-450 words with an accompanying image
If a given article ends up spanning multiple pages, it will usually be a single column + half a page, or two single columns. On rare occasions, it might be a full page + extra column, but I don't foresee this really happening. Practice being succinct with getting your point across, and try to avoid really, really long sentences. Also, the Gazette DOES use the Oxford Comma, so learn it, and please run your article through a spell/grammar check prior to submission, there are multiple free ones available online.
6- If you want an image to be printed alongside your article, include it with the submission, but bear in mind this will limit your space further.
If you write a really great article that warrants an image, I may be inclined to go hunt one down for you, but it's unlikely. Easier would be to submit an image to go with your article, and then I can just use that. Please keep your images period appropriate and SFW! Fine art paintings are the only exception to the NSFW rule. Photographs are allowed, as long as they're not anachronistic. If it's your own personal artwork, you will be paid double for it and I will do my utmost to get it in the paper.
Please don't try to apply the filters and whatnot yourself, I have a uniform system I use to keep the papers looking relatively consistent. Even if your image isn't printed, your article still can be, the image is always considered as an adjunct to your article, the article is the main thing. If you're submitting something you think is worth a full or even a half page, you should probably include an image, as full page articles will NOT be printed without some sort of image to go with them. This is simply a stylistic thing to keep with the overall presentation and avoid walls of text on a sepia background... the newspaper is meant to be visual!
7- Gazette will come out biweekly, give or take, and will always be dated for the last Sunday even if it comes out a couple days later.
I will post here if there will be no edition of the Gazette for a given weekend. Keep the timing in mind, as reporting on an event that happened AFTER that Sunday morning wouldn't make a lot of sense. Totally fair to submit it for the next edition, however.
8- You can have up to TWO submissions per Edition, but more than likely only one will be printed.
The exception would be if no one else wrote anything on both of your topics and both articles are better/good enough compared to what I would have written on the topic with an NPC, anyway.
9- You can advertise in the Gazette!
Are you a crafter? Do you offer some other service? Do you just want to advertise your opinion on something? You're in luck! The Gazette will post it if you pay them enough and it's not utterly ridiculous and is fit to print. Costs are:
Half Column: $100 (<100 words!)
Single Column: $200
Half Page: $500 (MUST include some sort of image or logo)
10- All articles must be attributed to a name.
Pen names are allowed, for those of you in the black hood and trenchcoat crew. Pen names should follow the naming conventions, the Gazette will not print anything by 'A Concerned Citizen' or 'The Secret Avenger' or 'Captain Fartypants'. The Gazette attaches a reputation to the author's name, so changing your pen name with every submission is basically undoing all of your progress. The more reputation you earn (by getting printed), the more lenient the paper will be on letting you write the things you want.
Many players might have noticed that we have several articles written by PCs, which is something we definitely support, as a team, and would like to promote. Thus far information about participating in the Gazette has been kept as IC as possible, either via printed ads in the paper (Found HERE) or via PCs and NPCs ingame, but I thought it was about time to outline some basic guidelines to both make it easier for you players to get involved, and also save me a lot of headaches with regard to explaining hows and whys of getting printed:
1- All articles should be based on IC knowledge your character knows, and are written by your character ingame.
If your PC wasn't present for an event or it was something you heard about OOCly, you shouldn't be reporting on it. Now, reporters aren't always on scene, and if your PC wishes to interview other PCs that were there for their stories (and maybe use some quotes and/or give them credit!), that is perfectly acceptable, however bear in mind that the Gazette would probably rather print a firsthand account of something. You also CANNOT concoct a reporter character that you do not play ingame at all to be your reporter, and essentially godmod them as an NPC writer. Only I get to do that.
2- Not all articles submitted will automatically be printed.
While it would be nice to just print every bit of players' hard work, unfortunately that's not feasible for a variety of reasons. First is the fact that multiple PCs may write about the same topic, in which case the Gazette would go with the more well known reporter and/or the more well-written or insightful article. The Gazette also has IC standards (despite what you may think), and only venerated and known reporters can generally get away with editorializing in their articles. For the same reason, these established (in PC terms, having had at least a couple articles printed before) reporters would have much higher seniority when it comes to having an article make the front page. You will find out when the paper is published if your article made it in!
3- Op/Ed pieces are allowed, but you will not be paid for them and in fact will have to pay to have them printed.
Opinion/Editorial style pieces are allowed and are printed often in the Gazette, however the paper only actually pays for real reporting, not spouting your opinions. Op/Eds are treated like advertisements, which are outlined below.
3- All articles are reviewed by the Gazette staff ICly and are printed based on merit.
This may sound odd, but what that means is that every article, once submitted, is committed to the IC world. Keep that in mind when submitting, as particularly controversial, aggressive, insulting, etc articles probably won't get printed, but the Gazette will receive them and they could hurt your PC's reputation for future printing or even spark some IC repercussions. Even on the forum, your actions have weight and the world will respond to them, that is a key facet of this server.
4- PCs will get paid with ingame currency for published articles.
The Gazette isn't a faction and is more of a side job that's just a fun thing to be able to do. As such, there's no such thing as a salary and there will more than likely never actually be any specific Gazette related plotlines, so no reporter is ever truly an "employee" of the Gazette. Payments are made on a published basis, with the payment schedule as follows:
Single Column: $200
Half Page: $500
Full or Front Page: $750!
Image accompanying your article: +$200
5- There is a limited amount of space you have to work with, so keep that in mind when submitting.
Wherever possible, I will try to edit articles to fit within the allotted space, however this is extremely tedious and time consuming and actually takes MORE time that it would for me to just write the article myself in the given space. The more editing an article needs, the less likely it is to be printed. A rough gauge on how long an article should be for a given size:
Single Column: 100-150 words
Half Page: 150-250 words
Full Page: 300-450 words with an accompanying image
If a given article ends up spanning multiple pages, it will usually be a single column + half a page, or two single columns. On rare occasions, it might be a full page + extra column, but I don't foresee this really happening. Practice being succinct with getting your point across, and try to avoid really, really long sentences. Also, the Gazette DOES use the Oxford Comma, so learn it, and please run your article through a spell/grammar check prior to submission, there are multiple free ones available online.
6- If you want an image to be printed alongside your article, include it with the submission, but bear in mind this will limit your space further.
If you write a really great article that warrants an image, I may be inclined to go hunt one down for you, but it's unlikely. Easier would be to submit an image to go with your article, and then I can just use that. Please keep your images period appropriate and SFW! Fine art paintings are the only exception to the NSFW rule. Photographs are allowed, as long as they're not anachronistic. If it's your own personal artwork, you will be paid double for it and I will do my utmost to get it in the paper.
Please don't try to apply the filters and whatnot yourself, I have a uniform system I use to keep the papers looking relatively consistent. Even if your image isn't printed, your article still can be, the image is always considered as an adjunct to your article, the article is the main thing. If you're submitting something you think is worth a full or even a half page, you should probably include an image, as full page articles will NOT be printed without some sort of image to go with them. This is simply a stylistic thing to keep with the overall presentation and avoid walls of text on a sepia background... the newspaper is meant to be visual!
7- Gazette will come out biweekly, give or take, and will always be dated for the last Sunday even if it comes out a couple days later.
I will post here if there will be no edition of the Gazette for a given weekend. Keep the timing in mind, as reporting on an event that happened AFTER that Sunday morning wouldn't make a lot of sense. Totally fair to submit it for the next edition, however.
8- You can have up to TWO submissions per Edition, but more than likely only one will be printed.
The exception would be if no one else wrote anything on both of your topics and both articles are better/good enough compared to what I would have written on the topic with an NPC, anyway.
9- You can advertise in the Gazette!
Are you a crafter? Do you offer some other service? Do you just want to advertise your opinion on something? You're in luck! The Gazette will post it if you pay them enough and it's not utterly ridiculous and is fit to print. Costs are:
Half Column: $100 (<100 words!)
Single Column: $200
Half Page: $500 (MUST include some sort of image or logo)
10- All articles must be attributed to a name.
Pen names are allowed, for those of you in the black hood and trenchcoat crew. Pen names should follow the naming conventions, the Gazette will not print anything by 'A Concerned Citizen' or 'The Secret Avenger' or 'Captain Fartypants'. The Gazette attaches a reputation to the author's name, so changing your pen name with every submission is basically undoing all of your progress. The more reputation you earn (by getting printed), the more lenient the paper will be on letting you write the things you want.
