Announcement: New Columnists and Submissions Guidelines

Written by | October 13, 2010 | 37 comments | 551 views | Rating: 0

A couple weeks ago, Kenny Wisdom e-mailed me with the stellar idea of gathering a staff of writers for the site. I was hesitant at first because we already get ton of article submissions from our readers, but he convinced me that it would be a good idea.

So the past week I spent some time planning this out and went ahead and contacted several people that have written for the site before (along with some first-timers) and asked them if they would like to join the staff. Most people said they like to do it, so here is the new brand new writing staff as of now, listed in no particular order:

- rokman (Michael Weldon)
- smacktack (Zach Lesage)
- kwisdumb (Kenny Wisdom)
- Poteet (Graham Poteet)
- cpeterik (Colin Peterik)
- Pikey (Alex Pike)
- Dakota (Dakota)

(smitham9, the “funny guy,” could also be considered part of the staff)

They will each be writing about 2 articles/columns a month. I just made a topic on the forums where you can request articles on specific topics, but the writers will for the most part be free to write about any interesting or buzz-worthy topics at the moment.

Having this staff means that we will be cutting down on reader submissions somewhat. I really appreciate all the contributions that have been sent in the past year, but it’s difficult for me to be a good quality control measure when I have a bunch of other stuff going on. Having the writing staff will help ensure that solid content makes it to the site, thus meaning that the articles you read from day to day should be of higher quality.

I also don’t want to schedule too many articles per day, as this cuts away from the limelight they all receive. I would like to keep it to 3 articles a day maximum, including the Card of the Day.

More submissions will be denied because of all of this, but there will still be room for about 1 (maybe 2) reader contributions per day. I want to keep the front page stocked with the most select stuff.

If your submissions do get denied, feel free to post them to the forums! You are always welcome to start conversations there as well.

Also we will not be accepting tournament report submissions to the main site anymore, unless they are extremely detailed, interesting, or include some content besides your report (like a deck analysis). I just don’t think most people are that interested in reading tournament reports on the main site, and they are probably better suited for the forums.

(If everyone does like reading tournament reports, please comment and let me know. I’m just making an assumption here.)

There will also be a minimum word requirement for all submissions (right now I’m thinking at least 500 words for the bare minimum).

You can check out the updated submission guidelines page for more details.

Tentatively, this is what the new daily post schedule will look like (all times listed are EST):

9 AM: Staff or Underground Article
Noon: Card of the Day
6 PM: Reader Contribution

What do you get out of this?

1. Better articles on the home page. Even though many articles are well intentioned, they do contain subpar strategies that may mislead newer players without realizing it, which isn’t good. The articles posted will also be more conversation worthy, and draw interest for discussion from players of all skill levels.

2. More activity on the forums. Many articles that have been getting posted to the home page will hopefully now be posted to the forums instead, making them more lively and sparking more discussion.

I hope everyone is ok with these slight changes. Right now things are kind of hectic for me in terms of editing and scheduling articles, so this should help set a more consistent article put-out schedule and help improve the site.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment below or shoot me an e-mail.

Let me know how you feel about tournament reports as well… do you enjoy them or would you rather see other types of articles instead?

Thanks,

Adam

P.S. I am going to be away on business this weekend and may or may not bring my laptop with me, just as a heads up. I have some posts scheduled through Friday, but nothing for Saturday and Sunday at the moment.

Please login or register in order to rate this article.

You should write for 6P! Click here to get started...
Image Credits: Pokemon Paradijs, Pokegym, Pokebeach

Like Us!

Commenting Etiquette

Be cool. That's all we ask. The writers and editors put a lot of time into bringing you these articles, so show some respect. It's ok to be critical, but please be civil about it. Don't embarrass yourself in front of everyone by making juvenile remarks because you may regret it later. If you have issue with someone, "Get a room." Nobody wants to see your childish back-and-forth banter. Think twice before commenting, use proper grammar, HAVE FUN, and thanks for adding to the conversation!

  • Anonymous

    Hmmm…
    I really liked to read about peoples tournament reports d:D

  • Rokman

    Hey Sixprizes people! I’m taking this writing opportunity VERY seriously and want to contribute a lot of great content to the site! Things you can expect from me are well written articles discussing a broad range of topics related to Pokemon TCG as well as the possibility of videos, game commentaries, etc.

    I hope everybody will be happy with the work the Staff writers produce!

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

      Yeah, same for me, too. I will do my best do give top-notch articles that are enjoyable, but I probably will do more on new things that I think could be worth using/exploring, but will probably be a little more mainstream than my Arceus report. However, rest assured that all my ideas will be pretty mainstream, just a bit different and will be heavily tested.When HGSS came out, I might have done an article on LuxPhan or whatever. I’ll rarely do an article on something like LuxChomp unless if I have something new or an interesting idea that could help.I assume most of you know what LuxChomp does for the most part, so I’ll probably try to focus on things like that.One of my next articles will be on a new take on Garchomp SV (which, has only gotten better from the rotation, I’ll let you know why).Like Rokman said, I hope you guys will like what I do, I’ll do my best.

      Dakota

  • http://www.teamomar.com/ Ed

    TeamOmar.com isn’t set up for article submissions like 6P is, but if you’re someone that likes to write tourney reports and you want somewhere to post them, let me know. We wouldn’t be opposed to opening that up for some people that have a track record of writing detailed reports (especially ones with deck lists).

    I’m not trying to take anything away from 6P. I think I get what Adam is going for, but I also think that some people like reading/writing reports. We could use some more content like that.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

    Here’s my opinion on tournament reports:

    BRs
    1-2 from each weekend will be fine, anything above that should have something special to it. Like you said, deck analysis or things like that.

    Cities
    See Brs

    States
    Some reports would be nice, as this is a little more helpful as it’s a higher scale, but don’t overdo it and most should have something besides just a report.

    Regionals
    If you want something added to the report, that’s fine, but the report in itself should be interesting.

    Nationals
    If you didn’t make top cut: 1 report max
    If you made top cut: As many as you can get. If you get 10 reports, I’d love to read em.

    Worlds
    I’d love as many as you can get.

    Summary, the lower scale the tournament is, the less I wanna read about it. You pretty much have it dead on, Adam.

    Note: This is all IMO, some will probably disagree completely.

    • http://www.teamomar.com/ Ed

      This sounds about right. Lately (BRs), I just kinda skim most reports to see if there are any interesting looking matchups. Decklists are nice, because then you can see if they made interesting choices.

      One thing I’d like to see is an obvious/standardized place/way for indicating which deck the author played (right up at the top).

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

        Yeah, I like that. Perhaps instead of saying “Austin, Texas 2nd Place Report” It should say “Donphan Battle Roads Report”, cause the location typically isn’t that important. I think the deck would be better, but hey, that’s just me.

      • http://www.teamomar.com/ Ed

        I was thinking more along the lines of a standard “Tourney Report header” that goes on the top of any report. To me, the important thing would be to have the deck name/archetype, but it could also have the location, date, division, outcome, or whatever else you’d want to know at a glance.

        Having the deck in the title would be a great way to go about it, too. Except then 6P would have tons of articles with the name, “LuxChomp Battle Roads Report.”

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

        Lol.

  • Anonymous

    This is me but how you guys got me wrapped around your finger in late March was the Tournament Reports, I enjoy them and read all of them as I tend to like reading how other peoples emotions at tournaments are and how they thought through a match.

  • Anonymous

    I actually enjoy tournament reports, especially around Regionals/Nationals. So maybe you could be a little stricter with the quality control on what tournament reports get accepted, but a “not accepting any (aside from a few exceptions)” policy would cut down on readership somewhat, or at least not make it grow as much.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

      Yeah, I don’t think they should be cut down completely, but just added to something else. Also, it’s not like they won’t be seen at all, they should go in the forums, so in theory, it’d make the articles better and help boost the forums a bit.

      • Anonymous

        I know, but just the way he worded it, it sounded like he wanted the tournament reports to be a rare occurance.

      • Anonymous

        I agree the article mad me a little angry at how he worded the article. I love to read tournaments, since they give you a good perspective at the tournaments.

  • http://www.adamcapriola.com/ Adam Capriola

    Hmmm well if everyone likes reading tournament reports we can keep them.

    I personally feel that they water down the content on the site. I mean I guess you can see what decks other people are playing, but that seems to be the biggest thing you get out of them. I think it would be better to keep more actual articles with strategies on the site.

    I honestly don’t have time to really go on any other Pokemon sites, so I’m not sure if you can find tournament reports as detailed as the ones on here though.

    If enough people want to keep them, just let me know. I’ll do whatever you guys want. One other option would be for me to make a weekly or twice a week post linking to tournament reports in the forums to get them some publicity.

    Just let me know. :)

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZZ2AMUZXD4M66Y7EBCWX6SZTKQ Dakota Streck

      “One other option would be for me to make a weekly or twice a week post linking to tournament reports in the forums to get them some publicity.”

      Best idea IMO.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Austin-Mitchell/100001472467418 Austin Mitchell

        Agreed.

      • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZETUB3TM3ZC4KJULZ4PYPEJR7I Tony

        great idea!

      • Anonymous

        +1 …or you could create a little Tournament Reports box out of the way, on the side (maybe below your “Scheduled Posts” box?) that would list the most recent two or three, and that you could get rid of when it’s not premier event time…

  • Anonymous

    I really want to write an article about a GREAT new deck Idea I had but don’t have the time to test/play and write about (because of school) but if someone else wants to that’d be great!
    The deck is a SableLock Variant known (only to me) as BENlock (ha,ha) and it features Palkia G X, Honchcrow SV, and Lost Link stadium (from HGSS Triumphant). The Idea is to use Palkia G X’s power to remove your opponent’s Pokemon to the Lost Zone and refill his/her bench with Pokemon using Honchrow SV’s Power. Once 6 Pokemon land into the Lost Zone, drop Lost Link Stadium and Declare victory.
    I’m not sure how it’d work, but I’d love for somebody to write an article about it or test it out!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Austin-Mitchell/100001472467418 Austin Mitchell

    I like reading reports in actual article format, but forum activity is definitely more important.

  • Anonymous

    Hey Adam,

    I understand why you’re making this decision to drop the tournament reports, but honestly, they’re one of my favorite parts of the site.

    Here’s my reasoning: occasionally the regular articles are subpar. While by having a stable of set writers churning out quality article will alleviate this a lot, there will be times when the set writers will put up articles on topics I’m not interested in. On the other hand, there has never been a tournament report posted to the site that I didn’t get something out of, even when the writer was inexperienced or running a deck that wasn’t great.

    I know that tournament reports are available other places, such as the gym, but they are honestly my favorite kind of article on Six Prizes. I will still be checking out Six Prizes, even if tournament reports are dropped, but I will miss them.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Martin-Garcia/676689170 Martin Garcia

    Im bit disappointed to hear that reader´s contributions will be cut down, since i liked to write articles sometimes, tough i have to admit i havent written anything since the start of the new collegue term due to lack of time.
    Well, if the contest is gonna be better, i guess thats ok.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kennywisdom Kenny Wisdom

    Super excited for this.

    I am pro-tournament reports staying on the main site, but I’d like to see stricter quality control measures taken. Like I said before, Adam, deny all tournament reports except those which include both a.) a good finish, and b.) details about the matches. I think that would be a nice medium.

  • http://www.facebook.com/zlesage Zachary Lesage

    I am so psyched to write my 1st article for this site, it will definitely be interesting. I hope I can do some sort of insight.

    How about my 1st article is an in-depth analysis on Smeargle XD, LMK what everyone thinks.

  • Anonymous

    I like the reports too. But, like Kenny said, they do need to have certain criteria (word minimum, details, and a good finish).

    But, as for the rest, well have to see. I like the idea but I fear it will just slow down the articles. You have 7 people writing 2 articles a month and are planning on releasing 1 a day.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZETUB3TM3ZC4KJULZ4PYPEJR7I Tony

    Hi, this is Mr. Smitham9. I honestly don’t know where my articles should fall. Is there a weekend edition or read-at-your-own-risk section we could form? I kinda like throwing a hand grenade article in periodically just to keep things interesting, so I’ll let Adam decide the best place to contain the explosion…hopefully with minimum casualties to quality articles :)

    • Pikey

      *Double Thumbs Up due to my like button not liking me* :D

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZETUB3TM3ZC4KJULZ4PYPEJR7I Tony

    On a serious note, I kinda have mixed feelings about articles. I’m not sure everything should get full publicity on the front page, but even a random battle roads report can be an enjoyable read. Maybe display on the front page but just in a smaller section with no pictures?

    Also, another option would be to have some of us edit articles that were submitted to make them a bit more tantalizing. I’m reminded of one article written with the title “Time for A Quickie”. I can’t remember what the article was about- but I won’t forget that title! I think sometimes some articles could be some really great reads with just a little TLC. I’d be glad to help modify/edit/warp/demolish submissions if it makes sense in some cases.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Peter-Bae/583235222 Peter Bae

    is it possible that other than the original members, more site writers can be included in the bunch?

  • http://www.facebook.com/jordandbaker Jordan Baker

    Great move. Right now the site is all underground content and tourney reports. This should help add some actual content to the site.

  • Pikey

    I don’t know how anyone else feels but after finally catching up with all the articles, coming on today to see about 6 new articles actually put me off reading again XD.

    Maybe 2-3 articles a day? 1 Underground and 1-2 other submissions depending on the quality? I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a decent queuing system if you’re getting a lot of good articles that deserve a reading.

    When I come on I’m prepared to spend maybe an hour or so reading articles and commenting on them and when I see an entire page of articles I tend to put it off for another day to be honest. Reducing the number of articles released a day will also mean those articles get more attention and useful responses from those who are reading them.

    Oh and I don’t know if anyone else has this issue (feel free to say something now) but it is really starting to drive me nuts. If i want to post more than 1 comment on an article I have to logout and login again between each post. When responding to people on your own article it’s a pain in the proverbial backside. And also my like button doesn’t work! Pikey Dislikes having no Like button :D This isn’t a new thing by the way it’s always been an issue. Is there anything that can be done to fix it?

    Ahh I haven’t written a long comment in such a long time. It feels so good :D I do tend to drivel on a bit don’t I o_0. Anyways good luck everyone in whatever you may be doing ^^ I think I’d better stop writing now.

    • Pikey

      Oh and also the edit button doesn’t work, that’s annoying too. Look I’m having to reply to myself! That’s the first sign of madness!

      (Note: Having to login and out of Disqus by the way not from actual 6P)

      I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop writing o_0

  • Anonymous

    I really like tournament reports actually, I’ll be sad to see them banished to the forums…..

  • Anonymous

    I do think that some of the tournament reports like Top 4 at States, Regionals, and of course Nationals/Worlds if we somehow get them here would be great. Even though I have submitted a few sub par reports myself, I would rather see good analysis instead of the reports. Good call.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XVNTS6D43ALI4GW74Q22WXNPZU Red Ados

    Well as of now there haven’t been any new articles for three days… :(
    What Jordan Baker said was good: All of the deck analysis is in Underground :(, good luck with your Sablelock article D!

  • Pingback: I’m Back. | Pokemon TCG Tips and Strategy - SixPrizes.com