Note: At the bottom of this page is the simple acknowledgement and information capture form that starts the process of joining the MBNS Team. Please review the guidelines carefully and once you have read each one of them please fill out the form at the bottom and we will start sending you codes to the private members area and the "contributor" access so you can start blogging and posting images. If you have any questions please find our contact information at the contact page.

1. The team will be called Metro Blenz News Squad, abbreviated as MBNS.
2. Contributors will be defined as participant bloggers who have been invited to participate and agreed to the guidelines.
3. Contributors will use their real names.
4. Contributors may contribute editorial blog content, photos, or video to communicate observations, opinions, and experiences gathered during the activities/festivities associated with the upcoming events.
5. Contributors will be required to agree to the Metro Blog Guidelines and Blog Code of Engagement Social Media Policy and Guidelines as published by SociableBook.com:
   1. Treat every action as if it will be recorded for eternity.
   2. Talk about what you know.
   3. Get engaged.
   4. Respect digital rights
      1. Give credit where credit is due. Don’t steal images, no matter how tempting. Images on Flickr or those obtained through Google Images are almost always somebody else’s property. If you think you’ll want to post photos from the places you’ll be blogging from, bring your own camera.
      2. Always attribute content to their original source. If you’re repeating someone else’s words you must include who said it, where and when. If you came up with something really witty on your own, give yourself credit – it’s only fair.
      3. Credit outside sources. If you use a fact, be sure to mention where it came from. Ideally, include a link to the official source or website. If that fact is wrong we want to be protected. We also don’t want to pretend we have inside information we don’t have.
   5. No spam.
   6. Know when to Zip it.
      1. Bloggers are opinionated, but their feelings and opinions must be backed up by facts. It’s not just for legal reasons, it also makes for a better argument when writers use concrete examples to illustrate their opinions. The old newspaper adage, “Show, don’t tell” applies well here.
      2. ii. Libel hurts. Anything written about a person or corporation that can’t be verified and proven to be true can get Metro, Blenz and the blogger in expensive legal trouble. It’s not enough to say someone else claimed Jebediah stole from Jehosephat – you have to prove it.
      3. iii. Do not use profanity. If the Jeremiah calls Josephine a really bad name, I can justify publishing that, but any gratuitous profanity just alienates people and makes us look crass.
      4. This is not a video game.
   7. Be sociable.
      1. Be open to all feedback.
      2. Be Nice.
   8. Spellcheck. It only takes a couple of minutes and it makes you look so much better. Also, watch out for American spelling, e.g., favour vs. favor, travelling vs. traveling and licence vs. license (unless used as a verb, but that’s a different issue).
6. Contributors post content to their personal blogs immediately, for later posting by MBNS.
7. Contributors who have agreed to the guidelines grant MBNS 24 hour exclusivity on all digital content. MBNS reserves the right to post on blogs, websites, digital media, newsletters and newspapers.
8. MBNS reserves the right to accept or reject content. Content which isobjectionable or contrary to our guidelines will be rejected.
9. MBNS reserves the right to verify content prior to posting.
10. Links to blogs will be acceptable. Links to commercial sites will not be acceptable. Content is to be editorial in nature, not advertorial or commercial.
11. Consider the spirit of the project, business etiquette. Be nice.

It is not necessary to blog from a Blenz. If the contributor does plan to blog from a Blenz, especially on a regular or rhythmic basis, the contributor should calendarize commitments – both locations and schedules.

Photos

1. 1. Photo of the Day may be published in the Local section of Metro News.
2. To have photos considered for publication, upload photo files to Blenz Gallery as 600 x 400 pix with cutline information and contact information.
3. FTP second copy in high res with cutline information to a site to be designated.
4. Filename convention:
   Month_Day_Description_Photographer’sName.jpg
   Timeline / Critical Path – Metro News
   • Title/Blogger/Where found information received by 7:00 p.m. will be reviewed for inclusion in next day’s publication which is distributed weekdays at 5:00 a.m.
   • A “tweet” by Metro News triggers the posting in the Blenz community – digital posters, CDUs, blenzblog.com, blenzco

Video Guidelines

If you agree to these terms and conditions, please fill out the form below:

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