Newsvine Help

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Your Column: Writing and Seeding

What can I use my column for?

Like a newspaper column, your Newsvine column is a place to write about or point to (seed) anything you consider newsworthy. It could be an eyewitness account of a news event you observed or just an editorial piece about something that happened to be in the news that day. The only two requirements are that the item not be self-promotional, inflammatory, or otherwise against the Code of Honor, and that it could be considered "newsworthy" by a reasonable person. Please also classify your content correctly by selecting "News Event", "News Opinion", or "Other" when submitting content. To get to your column from anywhere on the site, just click the "home" icon on the far left of the navigation menu.

How do I customize my column?

Your column is customizable by "module". Just click the "Customize My Column" button in the black navigation bar at the top of your column page. From there, you can choose to show or hide different modules, rearrange the placement of these modules and fill out information about yourself. Give it a try. The more other Newsvine users know about you, the more likely they are to send you a Friend Request or comment on your column.

How do I publish articles?

We've made it easy to post articles. Click "Write Article" in the black bar near the top of the screen and you'll be taken to the writing interface. On this screen, enter a headline, your article text, upload some photos if you'd like, and then enter some tags (keywords) so that people can easily find your article. If you want to leave your work in draft form, just click "Save" and move on to other things. You can save as many drafts as you want. Once you've done all your proofreading and are ready to publish your article, click the radio button labeled "Published" above the headline field, and then click the "Save" button. This will publish your article immediately.

What is "Seeding Newsvine" and how do I do it?

"Seeding Newsvine" is a way for you to contribute to Newsvine without actually writing an entire article. Find anything interesting anywhere on the web, and you can add it to Newsvine, along with your comments, in just moments. Not only is this a great way to keep a personal trail of news that is interesting to you, but once you seed an item to Newsvine, all other Newsvine users can comment about it, right from your own column. Seeding your own site or blog, however, is considered self-promotion and is not allowed. For more information, please see our Seeding Newsvine page.

How much text can I borrow from an article I am seeding to Newsvine?

Use as little text from the original article as possible to orient the reader to its nature. Newsvine aims to send traffic to destinations that offer value to our readers. By copying too much, you are depriving other sites of traffic (and in some cases, are also violating our Copyright Policy). The best thing to do is to write your own description. But as an alternative, please highlight the first few sentences (or first paragraph) before pressing the Seed Newsvine bookmarklet. The highlighted text will be quoted as the description of your seeded link.

How do I create a poll?

When writing an article, you are welcome to create a poll for your readers to use. Simply click the "Create Poll" button underneath the text field when you're editing an article. After choosing a poll question and the available responses, click "Preview Poll". You will then need to confirm that this is how you'd like your poll to appear by clicking "Looks Good… Publish It".

I'm a new user, Why isn't my content showing up around the Vine?

If you've recently registered for Newsvine, the content you produce (articles and seeded links) will likely appear in The Greenhouse. The Greenhouse is a section where new users are featured for the community to discover and endorse. Once you receive enough votes and comments, your content will show up around The Vine. Additionally, users in the Greenhouse are able to comment around the Vine, but not able to post links in their comments until they graduate from the Greenhouse. We appreciate your patience and understanding that this helps in preventing spam and also in helping the community discover new contributors. If you'd like to get out of the Greenhouse early, simply send us an e-mail.

If I write a column on Newsvine, how much do I get paid?

Newsvine works hard to sell advertising around the site so that everyone can benefit from contributing. You will receive 90% of the display advertising earnings from your own domain (e.g. "yourname.newsvine.com"). Ad earnings are based on traffic to your articles and seeds. The other 10% will go to whoever referred you to Newsvine. If no one referred you to Newsvine, the other 10% will be used to offset the cost of bandwidth, upkeep, and improvements to the site. The revenue you earn will be proportional to the following you acquire. Our philosophy is that where you add value to Newsvine, you should receive value in return.

When are my earnings available for redemption, and how long does it take to process?

Earnings are available for redemption 45 days after the end of the month in which they were earned (e.g., August earnings become available on October 15). Payments are processed on the 5th and the 20th of each month (or the nearest business day).

I already have a blog and would like to continue using it to write. Can I Seed Newsvine with articles from it?

Cross-posting full articles from your blog to Newsvine is perfectly ok, however, "self-seeding" is considered self-promotion and is not allowed. If you write great stuff on your own blog, others will no doubt seed it for you.

Who owns the content I produce on Newsvine, both through seeding and writing articles?

You own and retain all rights to your works published on Newsvine. By publishing that material on Newsvine, you grant us a license to use that material. Please see the User Agreement for more information.

What should I do if I am getting "comment spam" or otherwise unsavory comments on my column?

Newsvine has certain safeguards in place to prevent automated comment spam to your articles, but occasionally these may be breached. You can always delete comments manually via the "User Tools" area on the left side of your pages, but please let us know if you are experiencing any difficulties with fighting comment spam. If someone leaves an otherwise inappropriate comment on your column that you wish to delete, please think twice before deleting it. A difference of opinion is not a valid reason to delete but blatant or repeated Code of Honor violations are.

Can I use Newsvine logos and buttons to direct my readers to my Newsvine column?

Yes. You're welcome to use Newsvine artwork found on the Logos & Identity Page in any non-commercial, non-lame capacity. Please exercise judgement and care in your use of these files. Additional uses include screensavers and wallpaper.

What are "Comments & Feedback" for?

Users can leave each other comments and feedback on their columns. This can range from such things as stating the reasons why you like their contributions, to asking them a question on a topic you think they're knowledgeable about, or even just saying hello to a friend. Please keep in mind that the author of that column approves all comments prior to them being posted to the public.

Can I change my domain name or display name?

It is important to the integrity of Newsvine that people are held accountable for the things they say. For this reason, we do not allow users to change their domain or display names without the approval of Newsvine Staff. If you have good reason for wanting to change one of these values, please contact us directly.

What Is ‘Vineacity’, and how do I improve mine?

"Vineacity" is a measure of one's overall level of contribution to Newsvine. Since users come in all forms and levels of interactivity, we've come up with a simple, yet powerful way to convey – at a glance – the relative productivity and credibility of Newsvine Users. By using Newsvine regularly and judiciously, your Vineacity should increase over time naturally. For a detailed description of the components of Vineacity, click here.