Hello Studio Writers!

We are happy to announce the addition of a new field in all article templates called References. As of Thursday, May 7, you will find a new section for references under the standard Resources box. We added this section to give you the opportunity to cite external sources and reference any material you used for your research. As we’ve said before, sources enhance an article, improve the quality and lend a tremendous amount of credibility to your work.

From now on, all articles must include at least one reference. This can be from any offline or online source.

Please note that this is different from the Resources section. In the past, we’ve urged writers to link to sources in the Resources field. However, with the launch of the new References field, this will no longer be necessary. As of now, the Resources section should be used to suggest further reading for the audience, while the References section should be used to cite sources you used for research.

We have updated all of the format guidelines to outline the style rules for the References section, so please be sure to check them out.

Thanks!

Jennifer

We just want to reiterate that if you grab any titles under the Travel Review or Product Review formats, you must have firsthand experience. This is outlined this in the format guidelines, but we’ve noticed some writers violating the requirement. If you haven’t personally visited the place or used the product, don’t claim the title. We launched these new formats to offer readers real “insider” information they wouldn’t find elsewhere. If we suspect that you do not have direct, firsthand experience, we will immediately remove your permissions to write these articles.

Thanks!

-Jennifer

Just a little note to let you all know that there have been updates made to the DS overall style guide as well as the fact sheet style guide.

Here are the changes that took place:

Main Style Guide:

1. Numbers section updated to defer to AP Style

2. Information on how to write a proper bio

3. Information on how to find rights-cleared photos on Creative Commons

4. Newest formats (Tip, Product Review and Travel Review) added to the the Titles & Formats section

5. Updated information on contacting us before writing an article that could be illegal, dangerous or impossible to complete

6. Tips on citing sources

Fact Sheet:

1. Updated the word count for the intro

2. Information on how every Fact Sheet should have at least five subheads.

3. Fact Sheet example added

-Liana

Demand Studios is proud to introduce three new formats: Product Review, Shopping Guide and Travel Review. Below is a brief overview of each one.

Product Review - The goal of each Product Review is to provide an accurate, objective evaluation of a brand-name item from firsthand experience. The article must be objective, stating both the downfalls and the advantages the product offers. This format will differ from all other Demand Studios articles because it asks for opinion from the user. Use this section to outline your experience with the product in the 2nd or 3rd person. Each article must have an accompanying photograph, provided by the writer. This will offer the reader a look at the product and it will verify that the writer actually used the item. We cannot accept photos from a third-party provider.

Shopping Guide - The Shopping Guide will be an overview of a type of product: for example, golf clubs, treadmills, smart phones. Each article will contain at least four sections: What to Look For, Common Pitfalls, Where to Buy and Cost. You also may add one of the following optional sections: Comparison Shopping, Insider Tips and Accessories. Each of these sections will provide information about the subject. The article must be informative and actionable. A reader should be able to follow the advice within the article immediately.

Travel Review - The Travel Review is an opinionated review of a particular business, destination or event: for example, The Standard Hotel, Hertz Car Rental, the Eiffel Tower) Your article must be based on firsthand experience. Do not refer to other sources to compose your article or form your opinions. If you haven’t visited the location or used the service, do not claim the title. The goal of all “Travel Review” articles is to provide your reader with accurate and objective information that will assist them in making a decision about visiting or staying at a location.

The Travel Review format is currently available for Travels.com, while the Shopping Guide and Product Review will be used for Trails and GolfLink. We will be uploading titles tomorrow and you should be able to find the styleguide for each format when you click "find assignments" through your dashboard. ( Click on the little icon with the "i" next to the title for the styleguide)

Any questions or concerns please let us know!

-Liana

Bonus - For every 10 rev share articles approved you get $50!

At the end of each month, we'll look to see how many rev share articles were accepted and for each increment of 10 we will pay you a lump sum of $50. So, if you have 20 approved articles in a month, at the end of the month you will receive $100.

Contest - The writers with the most approved revenue share articles between April 1 and June 30 will win:

1st Place – 13” MacBook

From the stunning aluminum unibody to the powerful graphics architecture, the new MacBook makes progress a beautiful thing.



2nd Place – Kindle 2

The latest generation of Amazon’s amazing wireless reading device



3rd Place - Ipod Touch

Sleek design, multi-touch display, and amazing graphics. Music, videos, and games have never looked so good.

Hello everyone,

If you come across a travel-related Fact Sheet, chances are it’s for a new site we’re adding assignments to on Demand Studios: Travels.com. If you grab one of these titles, please make sure your facts relate to travel, not history or encyclopedic knowledge. Think about what information you’d want to know if you were traveling to an area.

For instance, “Facts about Las Vegas” could include information about the average price of a hotel room, the most popular casinos on the Strip, the best season to travel to Vegas, tips on how to score free drinks or cheap food, or activities for families with kids.

Use fun facts and other trivia sparingly. They can add color and relevancy to an article, but exercise your best judgment about their relevancy.

Thanks

Due to popular request, here is an example of a Fact Sheet article to reference. - Liana

The Cost of Having a Baby

It is a fact of life that babies are expensive. Some studies suggest that the average cost of raising a baby through his first year of life is $10,000. It's far more if you include the cost of the delivery. The following is a breakdown of these expenses. Keep in mind, though, that there are many variables that could raise or lower these estimates.

Delivery

An uninsured mother can expect to pay, on average, about $15,000 for her baby’s birth. Insured mothers pay about $1,500 on average. Child Care

Aside from the baby’s delivery, child care is the biggest single expense. In the first year, you could spend as much as $6,000 in day care tuition.

Feeding

Between formula, bottles and baby food, it will cost about $2,300 to feed your baby in the first 12 months. If you exclusively breastfeed, though, you eliminate most of this expense. Diapers

If you use disposable diapers and wipes, expect to spend at least $600 in the first year.

Baby Gear

It is amazing how much stuff babies need. From car seats to cribs, you could easily spend $1,500. Medical

Babies have several checkups in their first year of life. Depending upon how much health insurance you carry, these checkups could total anywhere from $100 to $1,000. If your baby gets sick or has special medical conditions, the costs will grow. Clothing Baby clothes may be small but they’ll still cost you. How much? About $600 in the first year.

Hello All,

As the Demand Studios copy editors have caught up with the editing of your articles, we wanted to take a moment to remind you of the benefits of writing our Fact Sheet titles. This is a format that was created to offer you a shorter article option with a quick turn-around. Each fact should only be one or two sentences long and the total article length should only be about 150 to 200 words. We know many of you stayed away from Fact Sheet titles in the past because of slow review times, but now that we have added more editors and sped up the review times we wanted to get this article format back on your radar. They are quick to write and quick to edit, which could result in quick cash for you.

Editorial Team

Always wanted to be a travel writer? Here’s your chance: We’re looking for writers for Travels.com, our new site dedicated to all things travel. Previous travel experience is necessary, either national or international, and previous travel-writing experience is preferred. If interested, please send a quick summary of the places you’ve visited and a writing sample to anna.roth@demandmedia.com. All writers for Travels.com will still write directly through the Demand Studios publishing tools at $5 to $15 per article on titles of our choosing. All articles will have bylines.

Are you an outdoor enthusiast? Do you spend your weekends climbing, hiking or mountain biking?

Demand Media's premier outdoor adventure site, www.trails.com, is looking for writers with extensive backgrounds in hiking, biking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, rafting, canoeing, mountaineering, trail running, bird watching and even fishing.

If your love of the outdoors is equaled only by your love of writing, send a summary of your outdoor experience and a relevant writing sample to soren.bowie@demandmedia.com.

All writers for Trails.com will still write directly through the studio at $15 per article on titles of our choosing. Author's bios will be included on all published articles.