Writing On KnowTnT.com

We're always interested in new bloggers to add their own dimensions and flavours to KnowTnT.com. This doesn't mean we accept everyone to write here - it means we're interested in having others write here. The general idea is to have people share their observations, thoughts and ideas without the limited framework of traditional media. We are social media. Hear us... mew? Or was it roar? What do you get?

• You get advertising revenue from the Google advertising around your writing. In this way, you get what we would have gotten otherwise. You're unlikely to become rich, but what is yours is yours. The more you write, the more you get. The less you write... It snowballs.
• Exposure: If you have a blog, you're encouraged to link to it while contributing to KnowTnT.com. Think of us as your blog away from blog. And if you're untested on the Internet and we think you can handle it - you're more than welcome to try.
• Anonymity if you so desire. Established writers may want to write outside of their genre, or because of the nature of what they want to write people may wish to use pen names. That's fine - but also understand that if a court asks, we may well have to reveal you. We're fairly sure that we will like you, but we don't feel that Golden Grove prison is a great place to meet sexual partners.

Unfortunately, not everyone can write here. We want to maintain a certain standard of blogging:

• Writing ability.
• Ethics on par - or better than - professional level journalism. Commentary is fine and expected since this is Trinidad and Tobago, but keep it clean and don't cross legal lines. Dancing on them every now and then is fine - but remember, you are the one who may end up in court. Balance that with freedom of expression and you have the idea.
• Be interesting. We don't have to agree with you. Be interesting.
• You have to want to.
• A sense of humour is a bonus. To write on the Internet, you need a sense of humour or thick skin. Both are best.

There are certain types of writing that we are definitely looking for. These are, but aren't limited to:

• Thoughts on moving Trinidad and Tobago's people toward the future. Think 'progress'. Think criticism of how things are done combined with ways to improve things.
• Social issues.
• Reporting on events in Trinidad and Tobago. Timely reporting, that is. You don't eat stale doubles (we hope not!), we don't want stale news.
• Reviews of local businesses, especially those listed on KnowTnT.com.
• Observations on various situations in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Cartoons! We have some ideas on the mechanics for that - just tell us you're interested in doing it and we'll walk you through how to do it to maximize exposure for yourself.

Are there other things you think you can do that we may be interested in? Contact us. We're not afraid of new ideas. We like them, especially the sort that make us think, "Let's see where that takes us!" We are not interested in:

• What you did last summer. This is Trinidad and Tobago. We have wet season and dry season. And we don't want to read about that, either, unless it's really interesting.
• Rum-shop talk, unless it is very amusing or a part of a larger story.
• X-Rated stuff. This is a family site, not a place to describe the mechanics of making one.
• Purely public relations blurbs for companies. They already get pages here. If you want to write advertising, this is not the place for you.

Schedule Ideally, we'd love everyone who writes here to try to write once a day, but this isn't always possible or practical. There is no set schedule. Write when you want to. You don't write for us, you write for yourself. Remember, the revenue from the advertising next to your writing goes to you. There are no deadlines except those that you set for yourself - and we really don't want to hear about them. That's your business. Prerequisites for writing here are:

• You have to be able to write! When you contact us, we'll ask you for some stuff you've written. You don't have to be perfect, but you have to get your ideas across.
• You have to agree to publish your work under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0. This allows others to use your work for non-commercial purposes (and is therefore viral and works for you and KnowTnT.com), but people who wish to use your work for commercial purposes have to make a deal with you to use your work - independent of this site. You retain the copyright! By all means, cash in on your writing if you can!
• You have to be responsive. When people comment on your work, you should interact with them. If it takes you a week to respond to email, you may want to consider writing for a newspaper. With a blog, you need to respond faster.

That's really all there is to it. If it seems like it's too much for too little, you're probably right and you won't be interested in writing here. Sorry. If it seems like a lot for too little, you're also probably right. When you contact us, give us an idea of what you want to write as well. You don't need to have a focus, but you have to want to. Writers guidelines are being written and are evolving all the time - be a part of that process as well. There may eventually be other incentives as the site evolves - cheesy KnowTnT.com paraphernalia and maybe even practical things, like some gravel to fill the pothole in your neighbourhood that makes you laugh when you see one of those lowered cars trying to navigate it. Did we mention a sense of humour?