NowPublic News Wranglers
Want to get more involved in
NowPublic? Consider becoming a News Wrangler. It's a rewarding experience and will deepen your news skills.
If you've been invited to become a wrangler, please read the following. If you like what you've read please email our Quality Control Coordinator.
News Wranglers are trusted members of the community who have access
to specialized tools to help improve the quality of submissions,
provide assistance to contributors, and have some extra powers
when it comes to promoting stories of others. Wranglers also
participate in regular live news discussions with NowPublic staffers
and overall, help shape the front page with their actions.
Wrangling Quickview:
Flag Stories "Good Stuff": Whenever Wranglers flag a story Good Stuff, these stories move much
more quickly toward the front page than when regular members do it .
Power! See below for a more detailed explanation.
Keep Site Tidy: Wranglers also keep track of stories coming in, and leave useful comments to help contributors. See a story that looks a bit "fishy'? You can leave a comment with your questions, and email us on the NP news team about your concerns.
Report Concerns: We'd like your help in spotting anything that appears to violate our Code of Conduct or your own sense of right and wrong. Please do not get involved in arguments with other members! You can report your concerns to quality@nowpublic.com or directly to Actual News Guy
Participate in the NowPublic NewsRoom As a Wrangler, you have privileged access to the NowPublic NewsRoom . You may post comments, suggestions, meet up with other wranglers, and generally make a ruckus. Just be sure to post in the correct forum,depending on your topic!
Wrangling: the gory details
News can be very ornery and wild, which is precisely what makes it
interesting. But news also needs discipline so people can trust what
they're reading.
One of the most important tasks a wrangler does is to flag good stories as Good Stuff:
-
Good
StuffYou've
undoubtedly discovered the Flag Story button at the bottom of each news
report. Click on it and you get the checkmark. Clicking on it gives a
boost to the story so it's much more likely to end up on the home page.
As a wrangler your Good Stuff is more powerful than regular members. - But you are also encouraged to write a comment about why you have flagged it as good stuff. What made this story worthwhile? Newsworthy? Interesting? the more specific you are the more the entire community benefits.
If however, you come across a story which you think could benefit from more effort, please leave a regular comment - clearly and helpfully adding suggestions you think will make the story better. If the story looks like spam, appears to be untrue or abusive, report it to our Quality Control Coordinator.
News Wranglers Responsibilities
As Uncle Ben put it, "With great power comes great responsibility."
As a proud wearer of the blue hat, you undertake to promote the highest values of citizen-generated news. Your own stories are thorough, fair, transparent. You acknowledge your sources, and give credit where credit is due.
In short, you live up to our Code of Conduct in all ways.
You also undertake to make sure when you find material on the
site
that you think maybe is plagiarized, or spam, or is plain old "fishy",
you leave a comment saying why.
Other Cool Stuff
You can of course post stuff in the NewsRoom and get direct attention from NowPublic staffers.
For our
trusted wranglers who have demonstrated a respect for the community,
have a record of posting good stuff and are active on the
site,
there are other hats to wear. We've developed a powerful
crowdsourcing tool that allows users to find newsworthy video and
photographs worldwide.
Wanna be a Wrangler?
if you are interested in jumping to this new
power, just connect with anybody wearing a blue Stetson or hokey crown. Click on their name and send 'em an email...or you can always contact NowPublic directly.
Actual News Guy’s Journalism Tips
Looking for some help on how to make your story zip along and
get
noticed? Wonder how to ask a tough question or write a stunning
headline? Check out ANG’s J-Tips and post your own questions
and
comments.
