diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..35a40aa --- /dev/null +++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md @@ -0,0 +1,203 @@ +Do you have expert knowledge of some aspect of bitcoin related technology ? Do +you have an urge to write high-quality articles for +extremely picky editors and demanding readers, sometimes under +tight deadlines, for minimal pay? If so, writing for BTW may be for +you. Please read on for information on how you can participate in +the creation of BitcoinTechWeekly. + +# What we are after + +BTW is seeking authors who can contribute +articles on a free-lance basis. Our needs fall into three areas: + +1. Lead-in editorials for the various Weekly Edition categories, based on +current events. + +2. Brief updates and highlights, based on current developments in the + mailing lists and community projects. + +3. Longer, feature articles that are not so tightly tied to this week's news. + +## Lead-in + +As of this writing, we are particularly interested in contributions to our +weekly Protocol, BIPS, Crypto and Lightning pages, but other subjects are +welcome too. + +Contributions to these pages will run in the "lead-in" position at the top of +the page. They usually cover some topic from recent bitcoin news (a release, +mailing list discussion, plans made, etc.). Our general guideline is for +articles to be around 1500 words in length, though somewhat longer or shorter +can work too. The best articles cover a fairly narrow topic completely, without +any big omissions or any extra padding. We are generally looking for authors +who have their own ideas on topics they want to write about. Looking at past +weekly editions in the Archives is a good way to get an idea of the kinds of +topics we cover and how we cover them. + +First drafts of articles are typically due on Monday, with a (hopefully) +one-day turnaround for a final draft sometime on Tuesday. Our deadline is early +Wednesday morning, CEST time (UTC+2), but it is best to not push up against +that if possible. Articles that are less tightly tied to the news of the week +can be delivered at most any time, the earlier, the better. + +## Briefs + +We are looking for contributors to our weekly briefs. The format is shorter +than usual articles; the recommended length is less than 600 words. +It can cover an update, release, new announcement or other developments in the +Bitcoin technology space, and usually includes quotes and citations from the +covered topic. + +The priority sources of news should be the development mailing lists +bitcoin-dev and lightning-dev as well as other bitcoin tech communities like +/r/BitcoinDiscussion and bitcointalk forums. + +Since brief updates are time sensitive, contributions approval will be faster +but you need to contact us first to check if the topic is not already covered +on our upcoming Weekly Release. The time of the news or event covered should be +in the period *starting from the Thursday of last week to the Wednesday of +current week* (last day before the release day). + +If you want your contribution to be included in the upcoming Weekly Edition +release, the deadline is a strict early Thursday morning, CEST time (UTC+2). + + +## Feature articles + +We are also always on the lookout for standalone feature articles. +Feature articles can run independently, on the Weekly Edition front +page, or both. Articles intended for a specific week's front page +are subject to the same deadline constraints as other Weekly +Edition material; others can be more flexible in their timing. + +Please note that we are, as a general rule, not looking for "how +to" articles; there are plenty of other outlets for such content on +the net. We're more interested in the current news and in informing +our readers of interesting developments in the community that they +may not have previously heard of. + +We are especially interested in authors who follow an area well +enough to propose topics for articles and follow through quickly. + +# How to contribute + +There are two ways to submit contributions: + +## Open Contributions + +If you just wish to contribute your writing in an open way you should head over our [Github repo](https://github.com/sp4ke/bitcointechweekly.com). + +We encourage open contributions as they are more transparent and much easier to +review. The contribution process works this way: + +1. Submit a *PR* including the *title* and a *brief summary* of your writing. + +2. You PR is reviewed and will accept or reject your proposal at our discretion, based on the topic relevance and other factors. + +3. If you PR is accepted you will be able to work on your drafts updates over PRs which we will review until the article is ready for publication. + +4. Your article is published under the "Open Contribution" section on BitcoinTechWeekly.com + +When you start a draft you need to use the [TEMPLATE](TEMPLATE.md) provided in the github repository and fill in +the metadata at top of the template. (See [Formatting](#formatting)) + +Open contributors will have the opportunity in the future to receive payments through community donations. +If you wish to receive compensations for your contribution you should include your BTC or Lightning address in the metadata section. + +## Direct Submissions + +If you wish to send us directly your writings, the first order of business +is to contact us (at authors@bitcointechweekly.com) or +[on our matrix room](https://matrix.to/#/!CbOXWmBuZVDBBmPKdT:matrix.bitcointechweekly.com) +to discuss your interests. Please do not just send articles without talking to +us first. We'll discuss subjects and timelines and come to a determination on +if and where your contributions fit into BTW. + +*Submission must be done done in Markdown format*. Please read our writing +style and formatting information (below) to understand the kind of content we are +looking for. + + +# BTW style guide + +One can find on the interweb an abundance of Bitcoin related journalism. BTW is +trying to distinguish itself from the lot through (1) a high degree of respect +to its readers, (2) a significant level of technical accuracy and (3) +top-quality writing. Contributors to BTW must aim for those goals. To that end, +we will edit contributions before publication if necessary (though we +much prefer writing which requires little to no editing), and we must reserve +the right not to publish work which, in our opinion, does not belong to BTW. + +Furthermore, BTW is a *Bitcoin* technology magazine, not the run-of-the-mill +"everything Blockchain" website you will find elsewhere. We will reject +any "click-bait" writing in the form of "10 reasons you need a Blockchain" +and make sure to ignore such a contributor. + +We will likewise reject any contribution which, at its substance, tends to +primarily focus on price behavior or market predictions, unless the technical +subject of the writing is tightly linked to the economics aspect (such as +mining incentives, block rewards, transaction fees, etc.). + +*Audience*. You must assume BTW's readers to be be highly educated and strongly +technical. Some of them will likely be participants in the projects you are +writing about. Should you feel the urge to "dumb down" material, that urge +should be resisted. Our readers are most certainly not "dummies". If you talk +down to them, or only tell part of the story, they will call you on it. + +# Formatting + +Our preferred format is *Markdown*. For direct submissions we will prioritize contributions in this format. + +For [Open Contributions](#open-contributions), markdown is the only format accepted. + +If you prefer any other specific markup language, let us know we might be able to accommodate you. + +"Word" documents should be avoided at all costs; we will still consider contributions in this format but +we strongly advise against it as it makes the review process much slower. + + +# Compensation + +Compensation can be made in BTC and Lightning. Let us know if you want to get paid in an alternative crypto-currency. + +There are two ways to get paid for your writing. + +## Compensation On Open Contributions + +For [open contributions](#open-contributions) you need to provide a bitcoin (or LN[^1]) address in +the metadata section. The readers will have the opportunity to make direct +donations to each article. Half of every donation will be distributed to the original author. The +other half is reserved to the costs of running the website and the BTW editors team. + +## Direct submissions + +For direct submissions which are accepted, there will be a "one time only" payment. Those +contributions are not elligible to donations from the readers. If you wish to receive donations +directly from the readers consider making an [open contribution](#open-contributions). + +Compensation starts at $200 for well-done articles from new authors. Those +figure do go up quite substantially for authors who, over time, establish a +record of good writing and on-time contributions. We'll entertain proposals for +in-depth articles (or a series of articles) of greater complexity at a higher +price; please contact us if you have an idea you would like to pursue. + + +# Copyrights and further reproduction + +Authors retain the copyrights for their work. We ask that you grant BTW +exclusive rights to publish your work during up to two weeks after publication. +Thereafter, we retain the right to publish the material, and release it under +the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license ([CC BY-SA +4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)). After the exclusive +rights period, authors may republish their work however they wish. + + +# Still interested ? + +Drop us a [mail](mailto:contact@bitcointechweekly.com) or join us on [matrix](https://matrix.to/#/!CbOXWmBuZVDBBmPKdT:matrix.bitcointechweekly.com) and let's talk. + +[^1]: {{< footnote >}} +For lightning payments you need to establish a LN channel with us. We are still setting up our LN node and will soon give +more details for this procedure. +{{< /footnote >}} + diff --git a/TEMPLATE.md b/TEMPLATE.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1333ed7 --- /dev/null +++ b/TEMPLATE.md @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +TODO