About.com?

Congrats, Amelia & Colleen!!!

I remember when you didn't get the Cheese topic, Amelia, so I'm really glad you got this one!

Congrats to Amelia and Colleen! You guys are proof that if at first you don't graduate, try, try, again. I graduated on my second time through prep.

Lynn and Katina, sorry you didn't get your sites. It's hard when we've got several people from a prep class because we know someone will be disappointed. I hope you both try again. It's worth it!

Christy

The difference between the first and second time through prep was like night and day too. This time, I had 10 days to prepare and I KNEW that although I knew the topic, I was going to need a lot of content to tweak into their system. So I wrote out my outline-based on their suggestions and then started writing articles. It was such a relief to have at least an idea of what was expected before I started. I also had more time(it felt like) to read their lounge info. There was SO much I never even saw the first time around because I was so busy writing and checking and writing and checking..

Still, I am flabbergasted that I was chosen. Stunned.

I agree, Christy, once you come here, you sort of get to know people and just know that for every one that makes it, 4 more don't. That part is hard.

Going through prep the second time is a whole different ballgame though. You will not have to be completely new and will have an idea of how you want to proceed. It helped that writing about herb gardens was just paralleling real life. I was worried that they wouldn't like my *voice* since I talked about what has worked for me instead of just from a knowledge angle. Who knows? They may want me to get rid of all that when I hear how I am going to proceed.

It is just surreal for me at this point and there is nobody in real life who understands how I feel so you all are my sounding board.

Amelia

I just have to say that I am continually awed by how kind, thoughtful, and positive everyone is on this board. It really does make a difference. I am actually on vacation this week, but couldn't help but check in.

Lynn and Katina, sending good wishes your way. I am so sorry to read your news.

Colleen and Amelia, lots of happy dances for you both.

Tina, I am happy to see you posting again! Here is hoping that a great topic opens up for you and Del.

Well, I better get off the computer…my husband and children are beckoning!

This thread, and about, is like a very bad rash for me. I think its dead, but it not only remains, it spreads

I applied to one more, but I'm not guessing its for me really.

Well, I hope you do not give up! I have tried out for so many topics I probably am forgetting some but let's review:

Spiders
coffee/tea
herbs/spices
family computing
cheese
breads
family business
Pagan/wiccan
local foods
weird news
woman's issues


Those are only a few. I am serious! Applied and waited to hear nothing back. I got into cheese, freaked out and failed due to some sort of ADD symptoms that I invented during the time period. I was really ready too, just got overexcited and lost focus.

I found this thread a while ago and it at least let me know that there was hope. Before the water cooler, I never even knew anyone who was a guide. They were like ethereal beings who had the job I wanted.

Amelia

Ethereal beings! I love it, Amelia. We always say at About.com that we are real people, but many don't believe it, including you. It looks like this AW group continues to have some writers with success and some who will have to try again on another topic. The ability to share the highs (and lows) of the About.com application process certainly has made this thread a popular one.

I'm very happy for the new guides joining About.com, and want to add my congratulations to each of you. I also hope those who didn't make it this time will have the "perfect" topic for them come up soon. Amelia's persistence certainly paid off!

Linda and Christy are right, and I'm their poster child. I really struggled with Prep the first time around (I was on vacation for part of it, but wrote every day and uploaded via a public library), and, although I felt that I'd done my best, it wasn't enough. The second time, I didn't worry about the HTML part or the "what to expect" part, which left me with much more mental energy for the real writing part. In addition, the topic was travel, my all-time favorite thing to read, write and talk about.

I am sure everyone who makes it into Prep has what it takes to work for About.com. Sometimes, events (like vacations!) combine to make Prep harder than it needs to be. Other times, technical problems become so frustrating and eat up so much time that writers don't meet their personal goals. Both times I went through Prep, there was a lot of "real life" going on; the first time, I was away from home for half the time; the second time, I had houseguests and had to send them out with my children (to see things I really wanted to see!) so I had enough time to write and be a quasi-sane hostess.

If you think About.com's right for you, don't give up. Wait for the right topic, then apply again.

Speaking of which, the following topics are available:

Identity Theft
Action Figures

(I know...you have a closet full of Luke, Leia and Han Solo Star Wars figures...or, better yet, Action Jackson! Now you know I am old enough to write about Senior Travel!)

Amelia,

I think this time you probably got the voice just right. About always says that they want a personable voice, but not necessarily personal. Sharing what has worked for you is personable as long as it's applicable to a wide audience. I frequently say things like, "My two-year-old figured it out in no time." That personable voice is one of the reasons we're called "Guides." It implies a one-on-one connection.

Anyway, there has been a lot of discussion in this group about quality vs. quantity, but I think it's a whole package... the person who graduates has the most high quality content that covers the topic and fits into the About brand.

I'm really excited for you...

Christy

I'm with Amelia---going through Prep the second time was totally different. I knew what to expect, and I also knew that a mix of high-quality and high quantity would be important...and that's what I tried to focus on. I almost got sidelined by obsessing about adding tons of stuff to my glossary, but thanks to a couple of experienced Guides here who gently knocked some sense into me, I stopped thinking about that and got back on track writing good, useful articles.

Another thing I did differently the second time around was to pay a little more attention to my blog. The first time around, I did the absolute minimum (3 to 5 posts) and they were far from stellar or personable. This time, I posted nearly every day, and linked to either one of my articles or to one of Marie Iannotti or David Beaulieu's articles. And the sole compliment that I got from Rachel was on my blog--so I figured that at least I was doing that right LOL. But I think they want to see that you'll really use the blog, and it helps if you're kind of paying attention to what others in your niche are doing on their guidesites. Amelia and I have already agreed that we'll do plenty of cross-linking between our sites!

I've said it before: the encouragement and information from the people in this thread is just amazing. What a great group of writers!

Topics applied to:
Culinary Arts
Local Foods
American Food
Herbs & Spices
Herb Gardens

Prep Invitations:
Herb Gardens

I'm the Herbs & Spices feature writer on Suite101 so I can understand why I wasn't asked to prep for that topic. I would have been in competition with myself! But Suite only pays pennies, man $725 per month would have been SWEET!

So now that I've failed my first prep, do I get a t-shirt or something!?!

Kind of thinking about applying for Container Gardens. But don't know if that's already in prep. And not sure if I'd really want to go through prep again so soon after my first attempt.

Container gardens is already a sub topic of Gardening on About. And container gardening was a sub topic of herb garden prep, was it also a sub topic of organic gardening? I'm thinking container gardening is already covered on so many other About sites that it seems to be spreading it a bit thin to make it it's own topic?

Time to go earn my pennies on Suite. Think my next article will be on herb infused sugar. Got a vanilla bean stuck in my jar of sugar at the house, the kids always think it's a bug or something when they dip into the jar.

Herb witch: Green Living (my site) actually is a subtopic of another site too--Environment. It's interesting because even though it's a sub topic, it's soo good on its own too. I halfway wonder if About doesn't look into what subtopics would be good out there on their own when coming up with the available topics list.

Colleen: I'm excited you made it through prep for Organic Gardening (at least, that's what I've gathered by reading through)! I have a feeling I'll be linking over to you a time or two. Maybe we could collaborate on something sometime... For now, have fun post prep! I can't wait to see your site!

Thanks!

Thanks, Courtney! Oh, we will definitely have to collaborate on something. I actually linked to your "Composting Myths" article during prep as one of my pieces of content for my compost category. Post prep is going okay so far, other than having me feeling totally and completely overwhelmed. There is a lot I need to do. They want me to be ready to launch in ten (whoops, now 9!) days....

HerbWitch---container gardening wasn't a required topic to cover for organic gardening, but I probably will end up writing an article or two about organic gardening for container gardens. I think they expect to see some overlap in the related topics. Let us know if you end up applying!

contempochic said:

Herb witch: Green Living (my site) actually is a subtopic of another site too--Environment. It's interesting because even though it's a sub topic, it's soo good on its own too. I halfway wonder if About doesn't look into what subtopics would be good out there on their own when coming up with the available topics list.

Colleen: I'm excited you made it through prep for Organic Gardening (at least, that's what I've gathered by reading through)! I have a feeling I'll be linking over to you a time or two. Maybe we could collaborate on something sometime... For now, have fun post prep! I can't wait to see your site!

Click to expand...

Hey, guys,

When can I get access to Getty images? Do I have to 'go live' first?

Kari

I didn't hear back, but the topic I applied for disappeared from the list. Luckily, that means I can tell myself that it had nothing to do with me since it means I applied right as prep started! None of the current food topics are quite in my areas of expertise, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something perfect opens up.

Kari,

When you go live, you'll be able to read how to sign up for Getty and download images. Meanwhile, you might try StockXchange and MorgueFile for royalty-free images.

Hi all! I am getting my site ready too. Geez, there is a lot! We have satellite internet coming this week so it iwll be so much nicer than our rickety ol' dsl. For right now, I am not online every second as usual. I have found that writing long hand is still enjoyable though. Good thing. LOL

Have a great easter everyone!

Amelia

Thanks, Nancy! That's exactly what I needed!

I'm already beginning to realize what a cool employer About.com is going to be. They are not, in fact, going to drop me because I didn't ready my site to "go live" within the 10 proposed days (although I did get in all of the paperwork!). My mentor told me that he's going to be on vacation all week, so there's absolutely no problem about my having an additional week to pull things together. I guess they figure it's my loss to take so long. Hurrah! Since I've finally begun to get my normal energy back after that stupid flu, I figure I'll move mountains this week.

Or at least clean the kitchen.

Kari

Hey Nancy or other Guides,

Have any of you actually used StockXchange to get images? It looks like it would be fine as far as all of the legalities are concerned. If you do use "creative commons" sort of images, how do you attribute them? To the photographer's actual name or to his/her "handle" at the source site (StockXchange in this case).

Kari

images

Hi Kari,
About asks you to get explicit written permission for each photo, even those with a generalized agreement as on stockxchange or flickr. I have had luck using Flickr photos. I copied a sample permission letter from the lounge and about 70% of the people have responded. I also have a email trail that way.

Getty images is of almost no importance to a food writer, as most of the "creative" images are blocked for us (for herring I found Angela Merkl giving W.Bush a barrel of herring as a present). For example, I searched for herring salad, then salad, then food, and each time got zero results. The French food lady had a getty image of hot chocolate. I don't know how. So try the other sites.

By the way, I think you should have your way with herring and I'll just link to your dishes. I don't like Nordsee fish much.
Jennifer
germanfood.about.com

I thought your herring recipe looked fabulous, Jennifer!

But I did do some experimenting today and developed and stylized my own version of herring salad that was both picturesque and tasted good! Didn't include the dressing, though, which the Scandinavians traditionally have tinted with beet juice so that it looks like Pepto Bismol. I'm still working out how to work that little fact into a blog while still doing justice to a really great salad ...

Kari

Kari,

I contact the StockXchange photographers who have "standard" agreements with the site, so that, as Jennifer has said, there is some kind of email trail. Technically you don't need that if the photog is using a standard agreement, but when you click on their bio link, most want to know how their images are used, anyway, so it's best to contact them. So far no one has turned me down, although one or two photographers have taken a while to respond to my emails.

I'm sure, though, with food writing, it's hard to find images that meet your needs.

Regarding attributions, if the photographer shares his/her real name, I use that. Otherwise, I email asking what attribution the person would like me to use (so far, I have had zero responses to this type of email request). I use the "handle" as a last resort.

Basically, finding images and getting permissions is a pain. Taking your own photos ends up saving time, if it's possible for you to do so. I do use press photos when I can, but requesting passwords and so on is also time-consuming. It's all part of the job, though, so you'll need to figure out your best and second-best approaches and budget your time accordingly.

Accepted into Prep

Hello Everyone!

I was just accepted into the prep program at About.com -- reading through this thread has been very insightful! Thank you so much.

I have a few questions for anyone who might be kind enough to impart their advice.

First, the prep I've been accepted into is a Cities and Towns prep. Does anyone know if the competition for these topics might be less fierce since, in theory, less people will be applying for it? Certainly less than those worldwide who might apply for gardening or breastfeeding, anyway.

Second, the guide who emailed me with my acceptance letter pushed back the start of my prep one week because he said he'd be "on vacation" during the originally scheduled week. Might this, in fact, be evidence that another person has been added to my prep program, or am I being paranoid? Have others experienced similar random delays?

Third, I'm starting my writing now, rather than when prep starts in a few weeks. I've heard several people mention something along the lines of a "site description" or "site outline" that is given to us by the mentors. It is extremely important to follow said outline. Are you just referring to the description which can be read on the "become a guide" page for the topic, which is also included in the initial "You've been accepted into Prep" email?

And finally, for those of you with knowledge specific to the Cities and Towns sections, is it generally more or less difficult to keep your page views growing with such a limited topic?

Thanks so much for any and all input! You guys are great.

mark.

jonquil38 said:

Hi Kari,
About asks you to get explicit written permission for each photo, even those with a generalized agreement as on stockxchange or flickr.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure where you get that. I don't believe it is correct.

But, correct or incorrect, this is something that should be asked and answered through the new guides listserv or the lounge. AWers that are guides shouldn't be coming to AW to ask guide stuff.

Hi, guys,

Havlen--I didn't realize that you were a guide! What is your subject? You may not remember, but before going live guides in the post-prep process do not have access to the new guide listserv. So aside from calling support or my mentor (who's on vacation this week), and after reading the lounge materials multiple times, this thread is in fact my only resource for getting questions answered that I'd like to resolve this week. I don't know why you think it's inappropriate--we never discuss those issues or materials that About.com specifically lists as proprietary or "confidential."

Congrats into getting into prep, Mark! If your mentor is Ryan, he really is on vacation this week. So no worries there! Ditto regarding the amount of competition--there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, so it isn't worth stressing about. The guide site outline is the one that they suggest on the topic description and have probably copied-and-pasted into your welcome letter.

Thanks so much, Nancy! While I did get permission from a photographer to use a photo, I realized fairly quickly after going through the process that it isn't worth it for me. Too much waiting, plus I really prefer using my own pictures without worrying about proper attributions and copyrights. It's just easier, in the long run.

Off to work! Hey ho, hey ho!

Kari