Since April 2006, Devlounge has quietly grown into a strong resource for design and development related information. Featuring tips, suggestions, methods, guides, reviews, and much more on a multitude of topics, many our turning to DL for advice and guidance. With over 600,000+ page views and over 200,000 unique visitors, about 1,000 subscribers (growing daily), and countless other people who have yet to discover Devlounge, the site is vastly becoming a major player in the design community.
But the hardest part of maintaining a site like this is being able to publish a fairly high frequency of articles on a weekly basis. Long gaps between new posts only turn readers away, because the Internet moves quickly and we live in an impatient world. Throughout our first year, the Devlounge team has been fairly small, and it is somewhat amazing to consider how many articles we did put out with such a small team. As we gear up to enter our second year, having such a small staff is now impossible to continue with. The purpose of this document is to answer any potential questions you, as a potential author, may have if you are considering joining the staff as a contributor. Each section is outlined with a corresponding heading.
Why Write
The top question on everyone’s mind is, why should I write for Devlounge anyway? These days, just about all of us maintain our own personal blogs and sites, and want to keep our valuable articles for ourselves, so we can benefit. This is fully understandable, and If I was in the same position, I too would be considering whether or not it was truly worth it to be publishing my articles somewhere else instead of on my own site.
In fact, publishing on Devlounge will only benefit you and your site much more in the long run. Most personal blogs and/or portfolios would take a very long time to reach the level of traffic Devlounge receives, but by publishing helpful articles on Devlounge, your content will reach the community quicker, in turn leading to more promotion for yourself and your site. The Devlounge Articles page will drive traffic to your site, without a doubt. As of the newest Devlounge design (The Ocho / June 2007), an Author Snapshot and mini description is available on the side of every published article, depending on the author. That means constant linkage, and your own personal billboard on a highly viewed site that is only going to continue to grow over time.
Our Reputation
It took a while, but Devlounge has built up a strong and constantly growing reputation for quality stuff among some of the Internet’s best. Associating yourself with a large(r)-scale design resource will only help with your own PR.
We strive to be as accurate as possible in all our articles. While sometimes we may take a more opinionated approach to our articles, they are to benefit are readers and to prevent them from making careless mistakes in their own work. Readers appreciate when a resource listens to their feedback, and takes into account the common thoughts of today’s design/development world. By listening and trying to relate as much as possible with our readers, we have built up a reputation for caring about our readers and the content we are serving them.
Does Devlounge Make Money?
Yes. I, the admin, do. I understand, for many, this becomes a deal breaker, because you find yourself saying “Why the hell should I contribute so this guy’s pockets can get fatter?”. Devlounge is not out there making 6 figures. Money is earned through selling advertising spots, and almost all of it gets re-used to pay for site requirements such as hosting, contests, and etc. I’m not, in any way, trying to take advantage of any one of our current or future staff members and use their/your writing for my own monetary gains. If Devlounge beings receiving a consistent cash flow, authors will be paid for their hard work.
What we look for in writers
As an author, we look for a couple of key things that are musts in order to be a contributor for Devlounge. They are: Do you know what your talking about and have experience to back it up? Does your writing make sense, and it is easy to understand and follow? Do you provide examples, and can you promise all articles will be original? We also require our writers to agree to our Staff Agreement prior to joining the team. We screen you on these key questions and ask you accept the agreement, because a reputation can crumble 10 times faster than it took to build it up.
Our Authors Are Our Future
Simply put, Devlounge can not continue to hope for a successful second year if the staff did does not grow. As a student in high-school attempting to maintain a site that 1,000+ unique people head to everyday, it’s imperative that new content gets published as often as possible. Without a larger staff team to help anchor the site and make sure new things are being published, Devlounge will falter and readers will tumble over the next few months. On Friday, March 23rd 2007, Devlounge was exposed to 40,000+ email subscribers to a student newsletter. These students have visited and will continue to visit Devlounge with hopes of learning something valuable. You can help Devlounge help them, and thousands of other readers.
So all in all, what I’m saying is Devlounge needs you! If you have a love for design, development, on business, start spreading your knowledge with others. Submit an application for the team if you are interested!
If you are seriously interested in contributing, please send an email to [email protected] with the following requirements, and I’ll be in touch with you shortly.
- Full Name
- Email Address
- Native Language
- Website (If Available)
- Why would you like to be part of the team?
- Type the following line if you accept the Staff Agreement: I have read and fully understand, and intend to comply with the Devlounge Staff Agreement.
