Guide [Issue 74] Submitting a Successful Reporter Application

[Vikingsrallentando 3,058]

 

Hello content hungry readers, it's time we discuss applications again. It's no secret that the number of reporters has been slowly diminishing for some time now. The newspaper administration has not given up its quest to bring new writers on to the newspaper team. Today, the goal is simple; explain how you can submit the best application you can in a way that gets our attention and ultimately earns you a spot on our roster.

 

Introduction

 

If you're familiar with the newspaper, you may remember Fen-Harel's article, What makes a Good Reporter Application? This article follows the same premise, although this time it is being told directly from an administrator's perspective. The paper itself is much different than what it was only 2 years ago. The paper hasn't stopped taking applications for a long time and the application itself has evolved to what it is currently. This is in addition to other new initiatives and practices that occur now but did not back then; thus, it is time to review what we're looking for in applicants to the reporter team.

 

We recently came to the realization that many of you reading through the application or this article are not that familiar with the newspaper itself. As a result, we've added extra descriptions and noted some of the benefits of being a reporter. Since that is stated in the application topic, I won't go there. This article is meant to address the requirements to become a reporter and how you can fill out the application in a way that shows you fit the qualities we are looking for in candidates.

 

 

There are two main parts to the application, the questions and the article(s) you provide. Lets talk about the questions first and then we'll get to the actual writing portion of the app where you truly show your skill.

 

Application

 

There are two underlying sections to the application that most do not know about. Question number 1-6 are the introduction of you as it relates to Tanki and the newspaper. Questions number 7-10 are the meat of the bones in terms of what we judge and are looking for. Here is a little bit of background on each question.

 

#1. What is your in-game nickname (include all alternate accounts used)? By far the easiest question to answer. Simply tell us your full, unedited or shortened, accurate nickname for the account you are applying with and all other alternate accounts you own. You cannot apply with an alternate account from the one you would prefer to use. Alternate accounts are checked as well, so if the main account you're applying with checks out but your alternate doesn't, that can have an effect on the outcome.

 

#2. What is your gender? We've deemed this appropriate to properly introduce who you are because all we see is a nickname, we can't see through the screen. We don't want to assume your gender only to find out we were wrong. Getting it out and done up front saves time.

 

#3. What is your Skype ID? If you don't have Skype, you'll want to get one. Our primary communication is through the well known program.

 

#4. When did you register your account (approximate date)? This tells us how long you've been playing the game, if you couldn't tell. While its true that new accounts (less than 6 months in existence) are not usually accepted, it is still worth showing your writing skills even if your game knowledge and tenure is lacking.

 

#5. How much time do you spend in Tanki? Looking for how many hours a week you spend playing the game. It can be 5, 8, 10 3, 2, even 1 hour a week. Zero hours a week can cause some concern, but we're looking for good writing and knowledge of the game, not someone that plays the game the most. It can also give us an idea of your availability.

 

#6. Do you have any writing experience in other projects? Maybe you've written for a school paper or for another online game. Anything that relates to writing for a sizeable platform of viewers is worth mentioning. Whether or not you have worked on other projects is not a huge factor in our decision, but still relevant.

 

#7. Why do you want to write for the Tanki Newspaper? Answer honestly, compellingly, and be genuine above all. We can tell if you have alternative motives behind why you're applying by the way you answer this question. I shouldn't have to tell you what you should and should not say, you can deduce what your answer will be.

 

#8. What is your age? This gives us a general idea of what you have going on in your life and who you may be as a person. Also, by the nature of the position, we can't let just anyone take the reigns. We do not accept people younger than 15 years of age.

 

#9. Please provide at least one example article. Example article should contain at least 700 words. It MUST be related in some way to Tanki Online. If you want to submit a story, please provide at least one additional article that is Tanki related. This is self-explanatory, we will get to the specifics in the next section.

 

#10. Any other information relevant to your application that you feel would be helpful? Things that would be relevant are awards for good writing, community service projects, what you're studying if in college/university, what kind of articles you'd prefer to write about, etc. You have a lot of freedom with this question, don't let it go to waste!

 

Presentation

 

Not only does an eye-opening introduction help direct attention and increase the likelihood of someone reading an article, the way in which an article is presented play's a huge part. An article that is laid out with different headers to separate different points and has pictures that help enforce content creates a more enjoyable read. Without such breaks in between paragraphs, all that is seen is a wall of text and is much less pleasing to the eye.

 

Headers introduce and separate ideas

 

As I did above, I used a small header in between paragraphs to break up the pace and transition to other content. Sometimes they speak for themselves but are used to hint at the next point much of the time.They can act in place of a transitional sentence, although its find if you still use a sentence to transition to the next point in addition to a header. Using a mix of large and small headers are essential for articles on this platform. I've already used 3 in the pale turquoise color and one small header in this section using white.

 

If you're wondering how you come up with these headers, it's very simple. Before you start writing the article, list the topics you want to cover as if it were your grocery list. Make sure you go through your points the order that best suits the information discussed. You wouldn't want to talk about how to capture a flag before you talk about how to take the flag. You should be able to come up with some large sections and specific topics within that group to talk about in smaller sections. Here is a quick example from Hexed and Zenith's article The Ultimate Guide to Magnum where he describes the learning curve in a small header and introduces several tactics to enhance performance with the turret.

 

 

Other tools can be used to not only break up stretches of paragraphs but get to the point much sooner. Bulleted or numbered lists (whether inserted with forum tools or with text formatting) make it easier to explain an idea. Images or video are also quite helpful and often convey ideas better than when using words. Pictures also help with associating the ideas presented. If you're going to talk about how a turret performs against another, its worth using a picture of the turret you're talking about as seen in most Ultimate guides to turrets.

 

Spoilers can also be used if the content that does not absolutely need to be seen should be included in the article but hidden from view.

 

Only use a maximum of two different colors and leave most of your content on they automatic grey color. Avoid using text colors (for an extended duration) that appear very sharp on this background like red or blue as they are hard to read in any exposure. If you do not find the desired color in the section above click "More Colors..." and find a lighter hue of the red or blue you want.

 

Information

 

Introduction

 

Now that we've gone over how to plan and showcase your discussion, now it's time to get specific about what that discussion might entail. I want to preface this section with some of what I said in response to Fen's request for comment about his article. I know it's selfish of me to start with this, but I mention this because my view hasn't changed simply because I help manage the paper and the ideas mentioned are pretty universal. These things are relevant to candidates, reporters, and writers of all levels.

 

"In my view, the article you submit for an application to join the team should be thorough, concise, and thoughtful. To be thorough is to be aware of different sides or angles. Concise in your phrasing, along with grammar; your style. Thoughtful, the one that weighs the biggest. This paper has seen a lot of diversity in writer's style and what they chose to write about. Each piece has its purpose. Each piece has creativity within..."

 

By "different sides or angles," I mean covering everything you can address in relation to the topic discussed. It means you've gone over everything you possibly can in a guide or you've addressed differing opinions in a review. The next point relates to presentation but ties into the point of the article because you want to make sure you're phrasing your ideas in the best way possible. Lastly, a "thoughtful" article is something that is noteworthy and should be featured in the newspaper. At the end of the day, the reason you're writing about a specific topic should be clear and it should be about something that other people would want to read.

 

Topics and Themes

 

What should you talk about in your article? Well, it's probably a good idea to write something about TANKI! Even something that vaguely relates to the game, such as Quantum's Rocking Out on Tanki or Yisroel.Rabin's If the English Community was a Bowling Alley. We ask for articles that tie into the game so we can judge your knowledge of the game; this is why if you send in a story, we ask that you submit something else Tanki related.

 

When deciding what to write about, it's important to consider the overall theme or purpose behind the article itself. What is it you want to do with this piece of writing? Do you want to inform, persuade, or entertain?. This is a question you have to ask yourself every time you go to write something if you accepted as a reporter. You have to make the decision based on what you are capable of writing, based on knowledge of the game, style of writing, and ability to convey that theme in the given article type. Here is what I mean for each kind of article.

• Guide: requires the most game knowledge and ability to instruct others on how to be better
• Review: ability to present your opinion of something convincingly
• Interview: ask questions that enable the interviewee to express thoughts and opinions
• Stories: tell a tale that captivates the reader
• Other: create laughter with obvious humor
• eSports/Parkour: knowledge of eSports or Parkour and ability to write about them within parameters of different kinds of articles

If you cannot maintain the purpose behind the piece you are writing the entire way through, then you might have to look to writing something else. It is possible to mix some humor into an interview or review an aspect of something you're writing a guide about and integrate them in a way that doesn't take someone out of the article. It takes some practice, but it can be done.

 

Originality

 

This cannot be overstated, a reporter has to be able to think on their feet and come up with something that is new. New content and new ideas catch the readers eye and ultimately make the newspaper a better resource for enjoyment. If you're accepted as a reporter, you have to maintain your creative juices so that you get the most out of your writing career for the Tanki Newspaper.

 

We're not saying you have to reinvent the wheel. This administration is not opposed to using old ideas that appeared in the newspaper previously because some themes are important enough to reiterate and update, such as the Ultimate Guides. That doesn't mean you can get on the reporter team and mooch off old articles, you have to be able to produce something fresh or else your tenure as a reporter will be short.

 

Before Submission

 

If you've read this far, clearly you are interested in filling out and submitting an application. One last thing before you get started on that, I want to give you a final few tips using the word successful.

 

Spend more time than you think you need to. Don't whip out an entire article and application over a weekend, take a few days, a week even! Your submission requires a lot of thought, which requires the time to do such thinking.

 

Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Write what you are capable of writing about. Don't force a guide on to yourself when you're better at doing something else. Be yourself, know yourself.

 

Creativity goes a long way. Being creative and original go hand in hand. Think outside of the box, don't follow someone's footsteps.

 

Check your writing. Then, check it again. It is never a waste of time to reread your writing over and over or to rewrite something that can be said better. This is how our writing improves.

 

Expect your writing to evolve. Even as you prepare an application, your writing should look different from anything you've written before because you've put in extra time to make sure it is great.

 

Seek helpful resources. Don't get stuck in a rut, dig yourself out with writing tools that are at your disposal; dictionaries, thesauruses, the Amateur Writing Section, and various writing guides that have been published before.

 

Separate your ego. If you've made no changes to your writing after you've finished, you've probably convinced yourself that you've done everything right. Take a step back and look at it from the perspective of someone who would be reading your work.

 

Focus on portraying your ideas as best you can. Don't be shy about taking the time to explain your points clearly. Often times, the best writing is super clear by virtue of it's length.

 

Understand your chances. Most writers are turned away and never get the chance to write for the Tanki Newspaper. The small caveat in this case is that our numbers are low and we want to bring in some new faces. But ultimately, still have to be good at writing to get a spot.

 

Learn. We would not have made the AWS section if we did not want to learn. We would not give feedback on applications if we did not want you to learn. Whether you apply and succeed, or apply and fail, we want you to have learned something along the way.

 

Conclusion

 

At the end of the day, you have to have the writing ability to earn a spot. Other factors like age, motivation, and karma can affect the outcome of the application regardless of whether you're good at writing or not. The newspaper administration tries it's best to make the right judgement on each applicant. Best of luck to all that apply!

 

I highly recommend possible applicants to try writing content in the Amateur Writing Section. It is a great place to get feedback from reporters and forumers. In addition to writing for feedback in that section, it is now possible to write for the newspaper without being a reporter in a recent initiative.

 

I hope you found this discussion helpful if you are looking to become a reporter. These topics discussed not only apply to candidates but reporters as well. Everyone that joins the reporter team must be a capable, independent writer that creates articles that people of this community want to read. I hope to see some of you doing just that very soon.

[Magenta 5,165]

Excellent guide! Very concise.

 

Found some typos, will address them once I'm on my pc.

[gokuMI6 1,290]

Thank you 

and GL to all

[Guest]

Found some typos, will address them once I'm on my pc.

Still waiting...

 

Anyone find this helpful?

[Magenta 5,165]

Still waiting...

 

Anyone find this helpful?

OK umm firstly, don't you use postimage, imgur is much more reliable. All the pictures seem to have vanished...

 

Secondly, sorry, the transition from mobile to desktop seems to have caused some kind of short-term-memory loss, #BlameTheNS. Give me 15 mins :P.

[thunderousrailgunner 1,934]

Anyone find this helpful?

++++ 

Me  ^_^

[Aigaion 636]

Im thinking of applying