I'm currently working on a new policy for those that wish to contribute articles to this website, socPub. Consider this post a first draft intended to reduce the number of  low quality articles submitted for review and publications by guest authors that are complete strangers to me. My goal is not to prevent new authors from contributing articles to the website but to make sure those authors feel a sense of responsibility and purpose to provide informative quality articles to our site that benefits the reader above all else. 

There is a dark-side to allowing contributing guest authors at the website. My Inbox just can't handle the bombardment of people requesting to contribute articles for the sole purpose of pushing products, services, or links toward our readers. While I have never accepted payment for any article to be published on my site (known as paid content) somebody out there is monetary profiting from these articles in question. Quite frankly, I'm not sure which is worse: actually accepting content via some "pay to play" arrangement or publishing content for free that has the appearance that I'm somehow profiting from links included in the article when I'm not. Either way, I'm done with these type of marketing articles being published at my websites.

While current contributing authors will be "grandfathered in" only new contributing authors I'll accept in 2020 will be those I'm acquainted with personally or through their works.   

Friends have a place at the table

Over the years this website, originally as CMS Report and and now socPub, has been blessed with the writings of some very talented guest authors. Many of our more successful guest authors have been thought leaders, executives, or analysts from companies and organizations that focus on content management, information systems and information technology. With these authors, I've built some level of professional or personal relationship via email, blogs, social media, phone calls, or even just a quick handshake at an event or conference. For these professional acquaintances my long-standing invitation for you to contribute your articles for publication here at socPub remains. I love hearing from you folks. You, your ideas, your team's ideas, and your articles will always welcomed here.

If you are a stranger how do you become a friend?

Being a friend to this website does not begin with the intention of contributing articles to socPub. Instead this relationship begins much earlier by having meaningful conversations with me, the authors or our current articles, and even those visiting the site. If you really want to write for socPub then first become part of the socPub community by joining in on the conversation. This conversation needs to be authentic and not a canned marketing response. 

If you really want to catch my attention leave valuable comments at  the bottom of the article we publish. If you have nothing of value to leave in a comment, I'm somewhat skeptical that you have something of value to say in articles you author. At a minimum, I highly recommend that you follow me on Twitter via @socpub, get to know me, let me get to know you, and after some genuine back-and-forth conversation then down the road we can discuss you contributing an article to the website.

So what are your thoughts on this policy? Am I on the right track here to bring better articles to the website?

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