Become a regular contributor

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Opensource.com

We’re recruiting—and we want you to join. We’re looking for a team of people who are willing to each contribute at least two posts per month to opensource.com. That’s it. And for that commitment, you’ll get a few cool perks:

  • A group badge on your profile (not to mention the fast track to a Rock Star badge, since you get 30 points per article)
  • An opensource.com swag pack when you join us
  • You’ll be the first to get stuff when we create new opensource.com swag (t-shirts, glasses, water bottles, etc.)
  • Invitations to group dinners and meetups at conferences

Got an excuse not to join? We’ve got an answer.

I’d really like to, but I don’t have time.

Becoming a twice-a-month contributor might not even mean extra work for you. Got a personal blog? If you’re already writing things that would be a good fit here, too, all you need is to give them a Creative Commons license, and your work is done.

I don’t know what to write about.

You’d be surprised how many places the open source way pops up when you start looking. If you’re at a conference, write a recap of the event or of a session you attend. Interview someone. Comment on current events. Set up a Google alert for your favorite open source topic. And if you’re really stumped, the Life channel and Education channel have discussion lists and topic lists for you to start from.

I’m not a very good writer.

That’s why they invented editors, which we have at your disposal. You have the idea; we have the sentence structure and punctuation.

English isn’t my first language.

See above—that’s what editors are for. And we like you even more. Maybe you’d like to translate some posts, or write your own in English and your native language?

Now that you’re all out of excuses, it’s time to volunteer. Fill out our quick form, which the email elves will deliver into those aforementioned editors’ inboxes post haste. We’ll be in touch soon.

User profile image.
Ruth Suehle is the community leadership manager for Red Hat's Open Source and Standards team. She's co-author of Raspberry Pi Hacks (O'Reilly, December 2013) and a senior editor at GeekMom, a site for those who find their joy in both geekery and parenting.

10 Comments

I don't think it'd be too much of a stretch to find the time or material to submit two articles a month. The thing is, I hesitate to actually commit because I really am not sure that the 'articles' I produce are what opensource.com is looking for. To me, the invitation to contribute is a bit too, um, open...

So, here's my stuff: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/blog/rich_c-403594/ and a few entries at http://www.mepiscommunity.org/blog/17. To me, although it's all about Open Source it's not general enough for this site. I'm sure there are other bloggers reading this who feel similarly.

Rich

Rich--
So here's the guideline: Don't be technical. We're not here to talk about the latest features in Linux or how to customize grub. But, for example, you're obviously interested in Linux-y devices, which is Life channel perfect. So if you're interested in writing for us, go ahead and fill out the form to send me a message. We'll help you come up with the topics.

well am not new to internet and opensource but new to the blogging posting writing thing. I would like to start writing articles here ... also I would like to know if I can post articles on what I think or do I have to post articles based on universal truths or solutions only?

Opinions are welcome too. Send me an email through the form linked above, and we'll talk.

I'm no good at creating my own content, but I love editing. Need any help in that area?

Hey Jonny--
Could you shoot us a message or create an account so we have contact information?

I have similar reservations communicated by Rich's post, but I do like to talk about technology and open source. My blog is andy.sinclair-hall.com

Also, do you require a formal agreement to be made on the posting frequency or other details?

Thanks!

Andy--There's no formal agreement, but we do avoid technology posts in general. Send me an email through the form linked above, and we'll talk.

Thanks. I think I would like to consider joining.

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