Before we begin to show you how to submit an article we would like to welcome you to The 4th Official. We know you will enjoy writing for the site and we can assure you that we will assist you in any way possible with regard to publicising your work along with any advice you may require.
If your reading this page we can assume you have already registered an interest in writing for The 4th Official or you just want to know how easy it is to submit an article. For the purpose of argument this page has been created with the idea you have already registered an interest in writing for the site and have received your username and password to enable you to submit articles for approval.
If you haven’t registered an interest in writing for the site can do so here. Once we have received your email we can send you your username and password combination.
1. Writing and Submitting an Article
To begin submitting articles to The 4th Official we strongly recommend you read our Writer Guideline’s page to discover exactly what we are looking for and to insure your article meets our requirements. Reading this page will also improve your writing along with improving your chances of having your article approved on the first submission.
Now that you understand our requirements you’ll be keen to get started on creating your first article. We recommend you use Microsoft Word to create your article. Using this application will insure there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes in your article.
Once you have written your article the next step is to submit it to The 4th Official for approval.
1.1 Log into the site using the Writer’s Login link at the foot of the front page along with your username and password combination that was sent to you in a separate email. The same link can be found on the sidebar on existing articles published on the site under the heading Writer’s Corner.
1.2 Once you have accessed the site you will need to choose + New > Post .
1.3 You will now be presented with the main Add New Post screen. Choose your Title (wisely) . Please read Writer Guideline’s for advice on choosing a title. Next click on the HTML tab on the main text field , choosing HTML will insure that your article is shown with correct spacing and formatting that would otherwise be un-formatted using the Visual tab.
Now copy and paste your article into the main body of the Add New Post field .
1.4 Choose the relevant Categories,Tags and read through your article at least twice to make sure it reads correctly. When you are happy with your article click on the Submit for Review button on the right hand side of the screen . We aim to have your article reviewed and published within 2-3 hours of receiving it.(excluding weekends)
2. Adding Images
We are currently in the process of building our own image library. As you can imagine this is an ongoing process. However in the meantime to ensure we do not breach any copyright infringements we will add a relevant image to your article. As the site grows we will look to come to an agreement with one of the major image suppliers to broaden our image library.
3. Promote You Work
On approval and publication we will automatically send out a Tweet and update our Facebook Page with a link to your article. You can also promote your article by informing your friends,family and followers using any of the social network sites you have accounts with. This will insure your work gains them maximum exposure. We also re-tweet archived articles on a regular basis to keep new followers of the site informed about some of the past work that has been approved by the site. When using Twitter you can short the URL link to your article by using sites such as www.bitly.com . Also include hash-tags (#) to your tweets to ensure people can find what they are looking for with regard to the articles you write.
4. About the Author
At the end of your articles there is an “About the Author” segment where you can send a short bio of yourself. Take some time to write a short bio including any Twitter , Facebook or blog-site details and send it in a separate email to The 4th Official. You can also add an image by creating one via www.gravatar.com. Please ensure you use the same email address that you used when you registered with The 4th Official when you create your Gravatar. Alternatively you can add your information into the Biographical Info field under the Profiles option when you have logged in using your user credentials. We do ask that you only edit the Biographical Info field on your Profiles page and leave the rest of the information entered as it appears.
5. Read and Comment
The site is full of great articles written by writers from all over the world. From the UK to Australia we believe we have the most diverse and innovative writers anywhere currently publishing their work on football writers websites. The home-page has a slider that shows the last 18 articles submitted and published on the site, but these articles are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as there are over 800 articles in The 4th Official’s archive. These can be viewed by choosing the relevant category from the menu’s on the front page or by using the search function on the site.
Do take time to read the articles and add your comments at the end of each article. Your comments and feedback are extremely important to not only us as Editors but also to the writers so please find time to add your views on the subject matter and also the writing style of the author.
If you have any questions on the procedure listed above about “How to Submit an Article” please do not hesitate to contact me via Twitter , Facebook or through the Contact page on this site.