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I have received several requests for submitting guest posts, and I have always declined because I did not have guidelines for guest posts. I figured it would not be fair to all of the people involved mainly because there are certain requirements, guidelines and constraints that go with normal guest posts. So, I finally have guest post guidelines, and they are as follows:
What are the basic requirements?
First, there are some basic requirements that should be met. All posts must be submitted as HTML. This is not strict HTML, as most of the content can be submitted as text, but if you want something to be a heading, it should be marked up that way. Generally, there is a short list of things that I care about in the content:
- Headings (H2 and H3) should be used to break the content into sections if you feel like there should be sections. H1 headings should not be used.
- Use bold and italic as needed to emphasize your point.
- Lists are fine to use. Please use a numbered list when there is a specific ordering that needs to be maintained, otherwise use an unordered list.
- If quoting another blog post or article, please use the blockquote tag and have a link to it in the prior sentence or two.
- You may link to your own site once or twice but please be reasonable using the links as I will check the links for relevance. Also, no affiliate links can be included.
- Do not use tables unless you are presenting tabular data.
- Images are allowed limitedly. I generally post without images, but if it is truly relevant please include a link to the image as [IMAGE: http://domain.com/path/to/image]. I will review the image and determine whether it will be downloaded and included.
Otherwise, I will be editing the content based on how I tend to write. This may not mean making the grammar completely correct, but it means I may modify some content to fit my style more. I also reserve the right to edit the post as I see fit, but will typically just remove content that is not truly relevant to the topic or is just an attempt at advertising.
What should you write about?
If you read this blog regularly, then you already know the answer. If not, then there is a broad range of topics that could apply. First, I would love to have more software development and web development content. So, if you are a geek and love to throw some code around, feel free to send in a guest post. Second, social media is something that I talk about a lot as well. Typically, this normally does not mean a specific Facebook application unless it is regarding programming or maybe something small business or marketing related. The impact of Facebook and Twitter or some other social application in some niche is always a good topic.
There is also general technology commentary, like what is Google or Microsoft doing. Commentary on recent news is good, but it also should be timely and have an interesting angle. Regurgitating the news covered by all of the other tech blogs will just make me regurgitate my lunch. Gadgets, specifically all things mobile and portable computing are becoming more popular on this blog as well. Reviews of gadgets are OK, again having a specific angle is helpful, but I will not accept posts gushing about the newest iPhone, iPad or Android device. There are enough fanboys, this blog will not be one of them.
People love application and tool reviews. I am not a fan of these types of posts. However, you may submit a comparison of a few tools or a list of available tools like the Google Analytics alternatives post. Comparisons are good because they show the strengths and weaknesses of each tool. A laundry list of tools is also good because it shows how many choices you have. A review of a single application is less helpful because there is not a lot of context to support the review.
Post length is always an interesting question as well. I tend to write long, boring posts, but that does not mean that you should. I am all for lively discussion if I can get it. That being said, the post should not be too short either, only Seth Godin seems to be able to do that successfully. So, please make the post somewhere between 500 and 1200 words. In my editing, I will go for a shorter and more concise post, mainly because the readers deserve a break from my longwindedness.
How you apply to guest post?
First, you send in your post using the contact form below. You must give me a valid email address or your post will end up ignored. Include your Twitter and Facebook accounts if you want them included in your bio. You can also provide one link to your website or blog. Please fill in the bio as you would like to see it included at the bottom of your post.
I will provide an introductory sentence to the blog post, typically a simple “This is a guest post from Your Name, who blogs at http://yoursite.com/”. At the end of your post, your bio will appear with links to your Twitter and Facebook accounts if provided.
Other Stuff
I reserve the right to reject any post that is sent to me. If I do not like the post or it does not fit the content or style of this blog, I will not publish it. If your post is thinly veiled advertisement, I will not publish it. Also, if I do not publish the post, I will not use it in any way and you are free to publish the post on your own blog.
I will try to reply within a day or two to any guest post request. If there are significant edits that need to be made to your post, I will email you and ask you to make changes. I will also try to tell you quickly whether the post will be published at all. I will likely make some light edits to the post before publishing. Lastly, this blog must be the only location that this post appears, otherwise the post will be removed.
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