About.com?

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willwrite4food

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Okay, so if my topic isn't listed on the "Be a Guide" page any more does that mean that someone graduated and took the position?? Cause I haven't heard anything personally.

This waiting is killing me. Now I have to wait all weekend with this nagging doubt in the back of my mind . . .

Monday will be a week from my final review.
 
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jenngreenleaf

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I applied for a topic, too, but I'm nowhere near the stage of preparation or anything . . . still waiting for a response . . . ever so patiently . . .
 

klow

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Renee,
Wishing good thoughts for your final review. What a pain to have to wait and wait...and worry about what it means that the topic is no longer up. I hope it is a good sign. :)
 

klow

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GardenWall,
I forgot to mention that I took a look at your site...twice in the last half hour! It looks wonderful. :)

It is helpful looking at these new sites to get a sense about how to structure ideas while going through or preparing for prep.
 

MoreThanMommy

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Hey all!

Well, with my second review under my belt, I am nearing the home stretch of Prep. Hallelujah! :D

Quick Q to existing Guides or other Preppers:

My site description does not have any specific info on the number of photos needed. So, I'm not sure if I should just put one or two up to show them I am capable and concentrate more on content, or if I should take time to "pretty up" the site with photos.
.

Thanks! :)


Congrats on seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

My advice on photos is to include photos where they help illustrate the point, but not just for the sake of it. I think your topic is dance, right? So... you could certainly have pictures galore. Family Computing - they want screen shots for walk throughs (which makes sense) and for software reviews. I'm going to try to get more once I'm official and have an "official" email address to use.

Christy
 

MoreThanMommy

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GardenWall (now I know your real name!) - Congrats on going live. I can't wait til I do. Eric says he's hoping it will be next Thursday morning. Your site looks great, btw, although I think you might have a typo in your blog about typos. =} I'm definitely going to keep reading...

WillWrite4Food - Not sure what it means if your topic is gone. It took a month for me to get my review, but the topic just came down in the past week. If you don't hear early on Monday, make sure to send your mentor a note to ask. I have learned that the mysteries of About.com are well beyond even my imagination.

Christy
 

kewrite

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Congrats on seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

My advice on photos is to include photos where they help illustrate the point, but not just for the sake of it. I think your topic is dance, right? So... you could certainly have pictures galore. Family Computing - they want screen shots for walk throughs (which makes sense) and for software reviews. I'm going to try to get more once I'm official and have an "official" email address to use.

Christy

Exactly. If you can use photos to illustrate or demonstrate something in your content, you should use them. But don't just put random clip art or photos to decorate.

For example, if I wrote something about a St. Patrick's Day parade, then I should use a photo of the parade, not clip art of a clover.
 

kewrite

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HEY ALL! About Freelance Writing is now LIVE AGAIN! WoooHOO! www.freelancewrite.about.com

PS- Keep in mind the content is geared at beginners, although we're all constant learners I suppose.

PPS-Wheres my pic!? GAH! I swear I sent it in.

Great! I look forward to reading your site often. Sometimes it takes a long time to get your picture up and sometimes it happens right away. I think it's just a crap shoot. Mine was up as soon as I graduated prep. I know others who have waited more then six months. I don't know why.
 

klow

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Okay. I've been wondering more about the photos since RitrChick asked. This may be a silly question that shows my ignorance...but where is the best place to find photos to use. My topic is ADHD.
 

MoreThanMommy

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Okay. I've been wondering more about the photos since RitrChick asked. This may be a silly question that shows my ignorance...but where is the best place to find photos to use. My topic is ADHD.

I'm not entirely sure what you'd include photos of... do you have specific ideas in mind?
 

klow

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That's just it...I'm not sure either. I have some research articles and one is about a particular area of the brain, the parietal lobes. I guess I could insert a diagram type picture to show where that is in the brain (though I am not sure where to find pictures that are okay to use).

I have an article about helping ADHD kids succeed in the classroom. Maybe I could include a picture of students in a classroom. Another article is about Adult ADD and strategies at work. I could insert some kind of work/office picture.

I am not really sure what is appropriate. Most of my categories/articles don't seem to lend themselves to photos - what is ADHD, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, etc.
 

MoreThanMommy

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I'd use the diagram, but not the other pictures. Look on Wikimedia Commons for pictures you can use. Each one has its own license requirement, so you want to read those carefully. It's a good place for diagrams, etc. You could also search for something that works for you on google or whatever and ask the photographer for permission to use it.

There are plenty of place for stock images, but I don't see how any of them would really add to what you're writing about and About seems to frown on pictures that don't specifically add to the article.

On a somewhat related note, I saw a press release a few weeks ago about either software that's supposed to help kids with ADHD work on their concentration. The release was on PR newswire, I think. I wouldn't worry about it now, but it might make an interesting blog entry (with the possibility of a photo!) on the site in the future.

Christy
 

wolflady26

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About Photos:
I wouldn't worry much about photos in prep at all, unless your site really cries for them (or it's required by your mentor). I think in my second review, my mentor suggested that I use a picture for a specific article, and I did so. That was the only picture I used in prep.

Now I try to use more pictures, because I think it brightens up the site and adds excitement. However, I place a much higher emphasis on content than photos, which means that there still aren't many. It's just not that critical for my type of site. If I were running a site like Geology or Forestry, that would be a lot different.

Once you become a Guide, you get more options for picture sources. About has a deal with Getty Images, and I believe that the health guides also have a source of images. For a side like ADD, your content is going to be what's important. Maybe one pic to show you can use the tool (the brain diagram sounds good).

About Guide Photos:
Mine took a while to put up, too. I really hated that ghost-like grey picture, so I was so glad when it was gone! I think it was a couple of weeks before it went live.

About the Site Being Removed from the Application List:
My site also disappeared from the BeaGuide list before I was notified. So I think that means you're getting close! :)
 

wolflady26

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GardenWallPubs, your site looks fantastic! I'm looking forward to reading it frequently!
 

PattiTheWicked

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City Guides, of course I know you need more photos than the average bear. But what about Patti, gruuly, wolflady, Christy, Gardenwall and others...

I try to use photos where I can to illustrate stuff, and I really like to add them to my blog posts. However, with the Religion Channel, there's a lot of stuff that's more conceptual than tangible, and it's hard to get access to public domain images that portray what I want them to. I've added my own photos where I can, and I periodically put out a shout-out to friends to send me images they'd like me to use, but for some of it, it's just tricky.

Oh, and about Guide photos -- I sent mine in on July 30 and it just went up last week.
 
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pssssst thanks for the typo hint (you too catmuse)-- wanna hear soemthing funny?

I was looking through the site, and I thinking, gosh, they must have kept some of the old person's stuff, cause I don't remember writing that!!

So I click on it, BUT IT'S MINE!! So there are like 3-4 articles on there I COMPLETELY don't recall writing. Considering this, and all the crazy late nites I pulled, I'm not surprised @ typos at all. Thanks, though, I will get on them when I get a sec
 

RitrChick

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Let the obsessing begin...

Prep officially ended for me today. If someone else gets this gig, then they did one helluva job and thus deserve it greatly, because I really tried to "bring it". Of course, that doesn't mean that nobody else "brought it!" :tongue We'll see.

Just a quick thanks to everyone for all your tips, advice and support. Prep was way more intense than I expected and it was so great to have you guys and this thread (cue sappy music here). :e2cry:

Fingers crossed! :)
 

gruurly

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My site description does not have any specific info on the number of photos needed. So, I'm not sure if I should just put one or two up to show them I am capable and concentrate more on content, or if I should take time to "pretty up" the site with photos.

I have yet to post a photo for the Dating topic. The photo company About uses has yet to work for me, and the topic doesn't really lend itself to a lot of visuals. I just had my ''pre" 3 month Guide review, and photos weren't even mentioned.

I realize, however, for other topics photos are the mainstay of their sites and generate a tremendous amount of hits. For my topic, it's quizzes - which aren't to be created in Prep.

Personally, if there are no mentions with regards to photo requirements in Prep for your topic, I'd focus on the other tidbits.
 

rachellist

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When you start prep do they tell you how many people you are competing against? I don't know why that part is stressing me out so much. You compete against other writers when you send in any sort of submission. I think I just hate waiting for an answer.
 

PattiTheWicked

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They don't tell you how many there are, but you can safely assume it's between three and six.

And chances are REALLY good that half of those people are here at AW looking for tips about how to get the gig!!
 

NancyP

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You know, I stressed more when I knew I was up against other AW-ers, but it was also nice to think that, if I lost, it would be to a nice person AND good writer.

This time around, I don't feel the same pressure...pressure is there but it's more about me vs. me.

Hint: Just after your first review, expect to feel very discouraged at how much more you will need to get done to cover all your category topics. This has now happened to me twice. Grit your teeth, gulp down your caffeine of choice and slog on.

Save copies of everything so you don't have to worry about that later. One thing I've been doing this time is to write a piece, save a second copy, then mark up the first one with the markup language tags. If I don't get hired, I know I can sell these pieces elsewhere (senior travel is an under-covered topic, I am finding) and I don't want to have to go back and take out all those tags.

Good luck...you'll do just fine!
 

ameliawrites

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Hi everyone! I just want to put it out there that I ONCE AGAIN applied for a topic. Ugh...This one is so me! I am a nervous wreck and that means lots of nervous energy so it's a good thing.
I am soooo hoping I get into prep because I KNOW I can wow them but it's that darn *getting into* thing that I find so hard. LOL

Just to show how anal and ridiculous I am, the night I filled out the application, I reread this ENTIRE thread before sending it.

My fingers are crossed and if by some teeny shift in dimensions I make it into prep ~gasp~, I will let you all know.

ramble, ramble,
 
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