Studio Blog

Hello all,



We will be performing some maintenance work between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. PST today. That is less than an hour from now. Please make sure you SAVE your work and log out by 10:45 a.m. PST in order to ensure your work is not disrupted.



If you have trouble when you log back in after 1 p.m. PST, here are a few tips to ensure the site works properly for you:

o Clear private data in Firefox

- Clear Authenticated Sessions

- Clear Cookies

o Delete browsing history in IE

- Clear Temporary Internet Files

- Clear Cookies

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we are going to be approving and sending payments to PayPal a day early this week. Payments will be approved late tonight! Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

-Demand Studios Editorial Team

Another series of writing tips from Richard Lally. Enjoy and comment!

• Don't quote anonymous "experts:" Never commit the journalistic taboo of writing "Experts claim," "Many people think," or "Studies show" unless you can name and quote the expert, the person or the study. When people read any of those unsupported openings, they assume the writer is making the fact up himself.

• Don't include what should be a step in your introduction. When you write the introduction, think "Why would I want to read this article? What are it's benefits?" and use the answers as the basis for the intro. The intro should be actively written and contain a compelling tease to draw in the reader.

• Don't overstate: We've actually seen this "Trying to choose a flat screen TV from among the many options is a daunting task." Well, if that's daunting, what would you call facing a grizzly bear with only a fly swatter as a weapon. Refrain from hyperbole and don't make a task or subject more than what it is. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Hello DS writers!

Demand Studios will be performing maintenance work on Tuesday Nov. 25 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PST. Please save all your work and log out by 12:15 to avoid disruption.

As many have you noticed, there have been two categories that have been added at Demand Studios: Other1 and Other2. These are not associated with eHow and should not be selected when suggesting assignments. Any title that is submitted with the category "Other1" or "Other2" will have their submission rejected based on an "invalid category."

Thank you and please direct any questions to the comments portion of this post, or email the editorial team at editorialteam@demandstudios.com.

-Demand Studios Editorial Team

Hello again!

Just a quick note to tell you that more titles (a bit more than 400) have all been uploaded with a $5 price increase. These titles are in various templates, including "About," "How Does," "Fact Sheet" and "How To." Like last time, we ask that these titles be completed by writers who have experience in the given topics.

Thank you!

-Demand Studios Editorial Team

Hello Demand Studios writers,

In an ongoing commitment to provide you with titles at variable pricing, we have added 200 titles in the system with a $5 increase in the "About," "How Does," "Fact Sheet" and "How To" formats.

Please note that because of the price increase, we would prefer these titles to be completed by writers who have experience in the given topics.

These titles can be found under the categories, "Other 1" and "Other 2" and will not be published on eHow.

-Demand Studios Editorial Team

Due to the overwhelming amount of interest for the title proofing positions, we currently cannot take any more applications. We now have many qualified candidates, but, unfortunately, only a few open positions. For the applicants who have already submitted an email/application to the Help Desk, please be patient as we work through all of your resumes. You will be contacted shortly by our Titling Team regarding the status of your application. We appreciate everyone's interest in title proofing. Please keep an eye out for more opportunities in the future!

Please note: Currently, we have no more open positions for title proofing and transcribing.

-Chai

Hello. I help lead the editorial teams and quality control efforts at Demand Studios. While I was visiting several of our forums yesterday (November 6, 2008), I noted that many of you are wondering how you can raise your ratings and earn more assignments. Some writers also asked how they could avoid the low ratings that restrict their article allotments and may eventually result in termination. Well, we have an answer for you. Here are six surefire tips to earn and maintain high rankings:

1) Research. Don't compose information articles off the top of your head unless you're an expert in the field. Never guess. Verify your data. Fill your articles with information supported by evidence. Quote sources and studies; never write the generic "Experts say." Linking to Resources earns top points. Adding images also enhances your score.Fulfill these requirements and your ratings will climb along with your article allotments.

2) Don't write to word counts, except in the introductions which must contain at least 75 words. Write economically and don't use two words when one will suffice. For instance, never write "You will need to connect the wires for the car to start." Instead: "You must connect..." You don't "Check to see if the light is on," you "Check if the light is on." Avoid wordy, extraneous phrases, such as "Be sure to rewind the clock." Go right to the verb instead: "Rewind the clock." If a format requires a word minimum, fulfill the requirement with information, not the filler of empty verbiage. Writing words for the sake of fulfilling a count will render your article prone to rejection.

Note: Start most sentences with actionable words. This produces dynamic content that immediately engages the reader and earns points that will raise your rating. Instead of writing, "You should climb the stairs two steps at a time," write "Climb the stairs two steps at a time." Starting with an actionable verb forces you to compose economic prose.

3) Write actively. The passive voice is flaccid, uninteresting and it slows the reader. According to various studies in neurolinguistics, the mind more easily accesses information when it's presented in the noun-verb-object construction of the active voice. So it's "The waiter poured the wine," not "The wine was poured by the waiter." When you write passively, the reader momentarily "thinks backwards" and pauses. The active voice compels the reader to move forward through your article.

4) Particularize. If you're writing one of our many "How to Do Something in a Particular Locale" article, such as "How to Open a Franchise in Seattle, Washington," all three steps in a three-step article must be particular to the location. If you can substitute other locales with the same instruction, your article probably is too generic to pass. If you have more than three steps, at least 2/3 of them must be particular to the article, and any generic content must appear in the final steps or as Tips or Warnings.

You can apply that substitution to almost any article.

5) Avoid the obvious. Don't send readers on random Internet searches, tell them to ask friends for references, make a budget, check the Yellow Pages, go to flea markets or anything else they obviously can figure out on their own.

6) Avoid repetition. Trust the power of your prose to communicate. Repeating a point doesn't add emphasis, it only frustrates your readers.

Fulfill these six requirements and your ratings will climb along with your article allotments.

One last tip: Read "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White from cover to cover and heed its advice. I've written 19 books, including three bestsellers, and I still review it before starting a project. It's invaluable, a book every reader should own.

If you have any questions, send an email, marked to my attention, through the "Contact Us" link or to editorialteam@demandstudios.com.

- Richard Lally, Lead Editor of Demand Studios