Young Writers Society

Very soon (within the next couple of weeks... if not earlier), I will be adding the newest section of YWS: YWS News.

I've talked about it a few times, but here's a recap: YWS News is all about citizen journalism. It'll be like an online newspaper filled with news stories and opinion articles written by YWSers. I imagine the latter will quickly overtake the former, but what I most would like to see are news articles by YWSers about stuff going on in their local community. It could be about a new school, a clothing drive, an earthquake, etc.

I'd also like to see articles ranging from discussing philosophy to the pros and cons of Caesar's Gallic Invasion. Anything non-fiction goes.

But obviously, this depends on the community of YWS for this to be a success which is why I'm announcing it ahead of time. When it launches, it's going to be very empty and not very exciting. I'm hoping that'll change within 24 hours post-launch. So if you can, start writing a news article, an opinion piece, or an essay! That way, we'll have stuff to fill it with.

Some possible questions:

I'm so excited and definitely going to write something! But will there be an approval process?

There will be an approval process, but it's not like it sounds. Approved pieces will get featured on the front page of YWS News and will get more notice elsewhere as well. Unapproved pieces will still be within the sections of YWS News, but won't receive as much attention. Think of it as the difference as something being on the front page of a newspaper and something being tucked away within.


What will be considered in the approval process?

Mostly just grammar and sentence structure. If it's well written and you obviously took care in writing it, it'll get approved. We'll also look to how well the piece is written as a whole. Is it a properly developed news story in the top down pyramid fashion? If opinion, did you properly develop your arguments?


Who will do the approving?

This has yet to really be decided. Me definitely, as well as the mods of Big Brother. Beyond that, there may be an application process for additional approvers. It depends on how well YWS News does; if there are 10+ new articles a day, then we're going to need a lot of people.


How will posting work?

Posting a new article will just be like posting a new story or poem. Nothing different there.


How will commenting work?

Commenting will be a little different. Unlike the Read / Write forums, you won't be posting articles for critique. Instead, you'll be posting articles for reading. Users may then comment on what you wrote, but critiquing won't really be a part of that (think of commenting on news sites).


Summing Up

I really think YWS News could be huge. For one, I think there's a lot of people out there and on YWS who are like me and don't really write short stories, but do write articles. For another, YWS is a global site appealing to people regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion. YWS News should be able to reflect that dynamic and present a wide array of views on a wide array of subjects.

Sweet!

Just a warning, you might get flooded with short pieces on advertising.

Likee.

Cool, looking forward to this. =)

This sounds cool

For another, YWS is a global site appealing to people regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion. YWS News should be able to reflect that dynamic and present a wide array of views on a wide array of subjects.

I love that. Plus we can learn more about the backrounds/livestyles(samething?) of our peer writers. Fun fun.

This sounds like it would be really cool! I already have an idea for an article I want to write.

Just a question. Will YWS News come out it separate issues, like a newspaper, or will it will be like the KB where it's one continuous thing and new articles keep getting added with different ones featured?

Awesome.

This would make a great version of the YWLJ!

-gasp-

This. Is. Epic.

I'm all for this. I work at a real newspaper too.

You, good Nate, have put me in a rather good mood.

I can't wait!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Sounds awesome.

I second Elinor's questions. Will it be like the KB or more like Squillz when it comes to how it comes out? And a second question! Will there be a certain rating limit? You can write articles on quite a few things, including some topics that may be PG-13 or R and such. I personally think limiting it to either PG-13 or 16 (depending on what rating system is being used) would be best.

How will posting work?

Posting a new article will just be like posting a new story or poem. Nothing different there.

Hmm, I'm not quite how that will work. These articles we post, how will they be set aside from the normal literary works? Will we be given a choice between normal and YWS News? Will the submitted (approved or not) pieces be put in a separate thread?
Just a bunch a questions from a noob.
Jenth