Category Editors
Category Editors are responsible for maintaining reviews of one or more software categories on this site. Additionally they may write articles, tutorials, tips or other content for the site if they so wish.
Category Editors are privileged users who have the power to create or edit site content without moderation. We trust our editors fully. In return we ask editors to discharge their responsibilities diligently and to comply with our site practices, policies and rules.
Responsibilities of Category Editors
The primary responsibility of Category Editors is to ensure the quality, accuracy, and currency of the review sections which they oversee.
Very few Category Editors need to write their reviews from scratch, although there is nothing stopping them from doing so.
More commonly, Category Editors inherit a set of reviews from a previous Editor. Their initial task is to bring these reviews up-to-date, ensure they are in the correct format, and then change or add content as needed.
Editors are completely free to change reviews based on their own knowledge, but often this is in response to suggestions made by site visitors through comments.
Responding to visitor suggestions is an important part of a Category Editor's responsibilities.
Editors are expected to login to the site at least twice weekly to check and respond to any new comments. This may take anything from a few minutes to an hour depending on the activity level for the particular software category.
Editors are not expected to enter into email correspondence with users who have made comments, although they may do so if they so wish.
Editors are expected to delete any out-of-date or unwanted comments. That is, comments that are inaccurate, contain commercial material, or do not comply with the site rules (see below.)
At least once a month, Editors are expected to update their categories by incorporating into their reviews user comments and suggestions. This may involve downloading and testing suggested products. No product should be recommended by an editor until it has been tested.
Site Rules and Conditions
In assuming the role of Category Editor you agree to abide by the following site rules and conditions:
- No swearing, and no obscene, blasphemous, or libelous content.
- No content that promotes or encourages illegal activities.
- You will maintain a civil relationship with other editors in accordance with our site rules for courtesy between editors, and never publicly criticize, abuse or vilify another Editor or their work
- You will not use your reviews, comments or forum postings to promote products or services for your own financial gain other than as permitted by this site's back linking and self promotion policy.
- All material you contribute will be original and not in violation of another author's copyright.
- You retain copyright to any original content you contribute, but agree to assign to this site and its successors a perpetual, unrevokable and unlimited license to use your content free of charge.
- Editors who leave the site voluntarily or are asked to leave will lose all editor rights and entitlements.
- You promise to be good and shower daily :> (unless you're like MC in which case twice is recommended)
Any violation of the site rules or other inappropriate conduct may result in your Category Editor account being canceled. Our policy here is "two strikes and you are out." If this happens you can discuss it with Gizmo, but his decision is final and is without appeal or other recourse.
Help and Resources for Category Editors
Essential reading for new editors
- Video tutorial: Becoming an Editor for Gizmo's Freeware
- Tips for new category editors
- Format guidelines for reviews
- Moderation and revision explained
- How to moderate comments and revisions
- Site rules for courtesy between editors
- How to get and setup your own techsupportalert.com email address
- How is Gizmos Freeware Managed and Funded?
- Video tutorial: How to Publish Content (Understanding & Using the Revisions Module)
- Style guidelines for writing reviews
- Tips for using the Drupal online editor
- Safe editing practices when using an online editor
- How to add margins to your images
- How to link to other sites
- Permissible ways to back link and promote your site or blog
- Permissible ways to discuss commercial software
- How to grant awards for your recommended software
- Video tutorial: How to Update Products Details in the Quick Selection Guide of Your Review
- Video tutorial: How to Remove a Product from Your Reviews
- Video tutorial: How to Add a New Product to Your Reviews
- Video tutorial: How to Add Screenshots to Your Reviews
- Video tutorial: How to Add a New Title Section or Heading to an Existing Review
- How to create a new software category
- How to Upload and Add Article Excerpt Images
- How to convert a stub to a review
- How to write a "Hot Find" item
- How to suggest a new software category / create a stub
- How to optimize your article for search engines
- How to optimize your screenshots for pageload times and search engines
- How to avoid losing your work when editing
- How to create page addresses and links correctly
- How to choose the right article title
- Video tutorial: How to create a workspace
- Video tutorial: How to Move Content between Your Workspace & the Final Article or Review
- Recently posted user comments
- Recently posted user comments to your reviews (i.e. logged in user)
- Administer/Delete comments
- Software categories without editors
- Categories allocated to each category editor
- Contributed articles needing moderation
Resources
Links
We are looking for people with skills or interest in the following areas: