evil geek
Posts: 2957
Joined: 10/18/2005
Credibility: 4621 pts
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Submissions
We totally love to receive user submitted content, we have a great and informative site and it’s all thanks to you the member. There are a few things you should consider before submitting something to the site, members receive credit for submissions so a little work is expected in return :-)
It's even more important to do a good job to get those credit points read this News Topic. Credits = prizes.
In order to make life easier for you and the staff, here are a few guidelines you should follow and a few handy hints.
Spelling and Grammar
If you are submitting any kind of written document you should write it in Word or another text editing program first. You should check it for spelling and grammar, try to make sure you have used well-formed sentences and paragraphs to make it easier for the reader to scan.
Never use all caps!
Caps are seen as shouting amongst the online community, therefore it’s seen as bad manners and makes your text much harder to read.
Save your work
If a member of staff decides not to approve your submission and asks that you spend a little time on it this will ease the process for you considerably. If there was a problem uploading the content and it disappears into hyperspace then you have a copy of your precious work to fall back on.
Screenshots
Guild Wars saves your screenshots in a folder in the main game directory (usually C:Program Files/Guild Wars/Screens). The format the program uses is not suitable for submission to the site and you will need to change the format to a jpeg file first. The simplest way to do this is to open the screenshot in Paint (usually from Start > Programs > Accessories) then use the ‘Save As’ option from the File menu. Make sure that JPEG is selected next to 'Save As Type', give it a name and save it on your desktop or somewhere easy to find, and then upload it.
Make sure it’s suitable
Please remember that a wide range of age groups and backgrounds use our site, any kind of swearing, inappropriate images (including those silly suggestive in-game poses), flaming or hate fuelled content won’t be approved. Promotion of any political or religious groups is not appropriate either, we aim to include everybody, we do not censor free speech but nor are we here to be used as a platform for promotion of one groups ideals.
Links
If you decide to include a link in your submission make sure it’s appropriate, links to any kind of profanity, hatred or pornographic content will be removed. Make sure they are on-topic.
Copyright
All content should be completely original, staff cross reference content with all the other major game fan sites, any content that is even suspect of being in fringe of copyright will be rejected.
Section Specifics
Always look through the section you want to submit to and ensure that your guide, article or tip hasn’t been done before. If staff feel your content resembles something already present, or some topic we have an abundance of it could be rejected.
Screenshots
A screenshot is an image taken in game using the print screen button on your keyboard, combining it with the shift button also removes the interface from the captured screen. See above for information about saving the image in an appropriate format. Screenshots presently give you 10 credit points and are an easy way to gain credit - in return we do expect certain standards be met.
A screenshot should be exactly that; a whole screen from your game, a cropped image is not a screenshot. The only exceptions to this rule are submissions to the Armor and Weapons, Fan Art and Tailored To Perfection sections.
The screenshot must be at least pleasing to the eye. If you decide that you wish to block out parts of your image, perhaps to keep that ultra powerful secret build to yourself or to protect the anonymity of team mates please try and make it tidy.
It should contain what is described – if you submit a shot of a group of Stonesummit Dwarves you should be able to see them clearly.
For landscape shots please use the combination of print screen and shift, if the interface is in the way it ruins the beauty of the landscape.
If the chat window is visible in your screenshot make sure there is no inappropriate content in the chat.
If there is already a multitude of screenshots of the same thing, your screen could be rejected, try and be original when picking your shot.
Please don’t submit more than 5 screenshots at one time.
Screenshot Section
Submit a Screenshot
Not a screenshot but still want to share it?
Sometimes you will come across something in the game you want to share with the rest of the community, we love it when you do! Remember there are other ways to share those images outside of the screenshot section. You can add them to your posts or start a new thread if you think they will spark debate. Heres two ways to add other images:
You can use your image gallery in your profile to host images, its a really simple process, the only things you need to bear in mind are that acceptable formats are - jpg, gif and png, there is also a maximum file size of 300kb. Once you've uploaded your image to the gallery, click on the thumbnail to open the full size version then right click on the image and copy the image address, to add it in to a post use the IMG button and paste that address in.
You can also use another host such as imageshack. Use the 'choose' button to locate the image on your computer then press 'host it', on the next page that loads you will need to find the very last image address on the list, this is titled 'Direct link to image'. Copy that address, again use the IMG button when posting and paste in the image address.
Signatures
Have a unique work of art you want to share and that your willing to let other people use on the site? This is the place to share it. There are a few things you should bear in mind, size; there is a fixed rule on dimensions for total sig areas in posts, try and make your sig art small enough to allow the end user to add text in to the sig area too, 500px wide by 150px tall is a great size for the artwork and allows the user to add text into their sig area as well. Try and create something that will appeal to lots of members if you want to see it used. Keep the file size small - modem users can get annoyed having to wait for large images to download. Remember the idea is to provide users with easy to edit sigs they or you can customise for their use.
Are you prepared to take personalisation requests if a member wants to use your art? Ticking yes to that question makes it more likely it will get used.
Signature Section
Submit a Signature
Wallpapers
Wallpapers must be a minimum image size of 800x600. Original content should be of high enough quality to withstand stretching to fit different screen resolutions. Wallpapers taken from other sources should be submitted with a link to the originating source to ensure that copyright is not infringed through duplication.
Wallpaper Section
Submit a Wallpaper
Tips and Hints
Should be short and to the point. Most should be no longer than a few short paragraphs. Content should be helpful and original. Things that are obvious to people who play the game already e.g. ‘ join a guild’ shouldn’t be submitted. A tip is a short ‘how to’ or a short ‘did you know’. Think about how useful it will be to other players. Information should be clear and well thought out, if you refer to a collector, an area or an item make sure to include the name. Like all written content it should be spell checked and well formed.
Tips and Hints Section
Submit a Tip
Guides
If you are planning on submitting a guide please refer to these excellent guidelines. Remember that Guides gain the most credit so require the most attention.
Guides Section
Submit a Guide
Articles
Can be pieces of fan fiction that you’ve written based on the game. They should be lengthy pieces of written work with time taken on their development. They can range from 4 or 5 paragraphs in length to on-going serialised pieces of fiction spread across several articles in instalments. The important thing is to enjoy what you write and think about the reader, does the story follow a logical path? Does it make sense compared to the in-game characters it’s based on? They can be witty in content or serious pieces of literature.
Other pieces of written work submitted as articles could be insights in to game play, game mechanics, online social behaviour, psychology of gaming, economics of gaming, comparative studies – you name it, as long as it’s relevant to the site and well written you can submit it here. Remembering to follow our guidelines on copyright and content of course.
Articles Section
Submit an Article
News Items
Submitting a News Item is likely to be one of the trickier things to get approved. We are fortunate enough to have an active membership that posts news in the forums when it happens, news can quickly become old news. If you think you've got a scoop or found a great story we should hear about then submit it to the news section, bearing in mind the usual considerations of grammar and spelling and that of course it should be site/game related.
News Section
Submit a News Item
Videos
Should be in a format that can be played on the widest choice of players and good quality. Windows media format is a good choice; it is both good quality and compresses well to reduce file sizes and therefore download times. Please bear in mind our rules on swearing and appropriate content, if you submit a ‘music’ video ensure the lyrics are appropriate. Please note that we have an abundance of farming videos, we love the fact that we have so many skilled farmers out there but we can have too much of a good thing.
There is plenty of information about the technical aspects of creating videos here.
Video Section
Submit a Video
There you have it – the more we get from you the better our site is. The site is only as good as it’s members. Get submitting now and earn those credit points!
If you have any constructive feedback about these submission guidelines you can leave your thoughts HERE. Remember it's your site!
Gwen won’t always own you, though she may haunt your dreams....
***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***
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