1. What is a Rafter? |
| A Rafter is a new kind of correspondent. The perfect mix of attitude and aptitude. He or she not only is aware of the cutting edge, but can report on it with style, insight and substance. |
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2. What happens after I submit my application? |
| We review it to make sure the content is appropriate. Then we’ll post your submission for the rest of the world to see and validate. You get some exposure, we get some feedback. |
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3. When does my application get reviewed? |
| We’re pretty prompt. We usually look over applications the day they are submitted. |
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4. What is the selection process for Rafters? |
| Assume we post your submission. We look at the ratings, comments and the number of hits your entry generates. And then we factor in our own good judgment. In general, the more interest your articles create, the more likely you are to be selected and promoted as a Rafter. So get the word out by any means possible. |
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5. How many Rafters will be chosen? |
| Initially, we’ll be selecting 200 Rafters. Our goal is to be up and running by 2008. The sooner you get in, the sooner you can build a following. |
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6. Can I make money? |
| Absolutely. Rafters have a chance to earn significant cash if they contribute regularly and wind up being popular with our membership. |
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7. Who owns the content? |
| During the current application/audition phase, you retain all the rights to everything you submit, assuming you had them in the first place (as we require). Once the official site goes up, we will be requiring certain rights. We are working out those rights with our lawyers to create policies that protect our business interests but are also fair and reasonable for our Rafters. Everyone who is eventually selected as a Rafter will be advised about our rights policy and will have the choice to consent before we publish his or her materials on the official site. |
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8. Can I submit previously published articles? |
| If the copyright belongs to you (which we require), and you’d like to submit, then by all means do. Just realize that you will be held responsible for any and all copyright infringement issues that might arise. And this should go without saying, but: we are not interested in plagiarized work. You will be held responsible. |
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9. Can I use an alias? |
| Yep. Pseudonyms are fun, so long as they’re not obscene or misleading. However, we will need your actual legal name somewhere on your application if you want to get paid. |
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10. How can I promote my work? |
| If you have your own blog, we encourage you to promote your column there. Any online communities to which you belong are also good places to promote yourself, for example, MySpace, Facebook, etc. We know of one enterprising Rafter who mentioned her column link in her signature on her email, another who plugged his column on a radio show. Whatever works. To help you, we’ve provided links under your photo on your column that you can paste in, including a graphic link. |
