POLICY

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Editorial and Commentary
Guidelines / Policies

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DIVINE MOTIVATION ~

One Volunteer's View: 

“The beautiful paradox: When the material world throws evil bricks of dysfunction at us, doing a little devotional service helps put things in proper perspective. And that helps us function more effectively in this crazy material world.” 

— Bhakta Christopher

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PSS BLOG GUIDELINES ~

RULES FOR GUEST ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS

We encourage all potential contributors and current contributing authors to view the PSS Blog as an open venue for selfless service, learning, continued spiritual development, and devotion. These guidelines are provided solely to make the journey easier for all.

1. PRABHUPADA'S MISSION: The PSS Blog makes all efforts to follow the original mission and principles of Krishna Consciousness as established by Srila Prabhupada in 1966. Contributing authors are urged to utilize the resources sanctioned on this blog. {See: Listings on the side bar.] Or contact the Editor-in-Chief for a list of recommended sources.

2. ELIGIBILITY: Only contributed articles which are in alignment with the original mission of our Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, will be eligible for posting. Provocative, self-indulgent, gossip oriented, backbiting, or otherwise off-point material will automatically be deemed ineligible.

3. REVIEW: All potential post contributions must be first reviewed and accepted by the Editor-in-Chief, Kapindra Swami. For tech issues, please contact our tech support.

4. EMAILING ARTICLES: All contributed articles must be sent (via email) in final/non-draft form as plain text; with all spelling, grammar, etc., proofed. The PSS Blog does not want to edit or change (acceptable) contributed articles. Please proof read your article before submission.

5. INCLUDING MEDIA: Appropriate media (photos and/or links to videos, etc...) may also be submitted with your article. Please size and jpeg any photos to reasonable dimensions for proper posting. We cannot be responsible for major photo editing. Also, please test any sent links before submission. And please respect all copyrights of selected/used materials.

6. LICENSE: All contributors must understand and agree to submitting their article(s) under the basic Creative Commons - Attribution No Derivatives [cc by-nd] license. In sum, this license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you - the author. All other materials present on the PSS Blog are copyrighted by The Prabhupada Sankirtan Society. [See the Legal Info page for all details.]

7. ACCESS: Contributors may be granted increasing access, as authors, editors, etc. - based on the following criteria; compliance with submission rules, number of articles contributed, amount of time put in, writing ability, Internet technical skill level, related professional skills, as well as overall spiritual development. Access privileges are granted solely by the Editor-in-Chief, Kapindra Swami.

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FORMATTING BASICS ~

Contributing Authors should please make all efforts to stick to these simple formatting guidelines, when posting their articles, quotes, etc... [Authors who do not properly edit their material may find their posts retracted and held in cue.]

Whether using Blogger (or other systems), there are always quirks with each template style. That means what looks good in one blogging template will not necessarily look the same in another template. Thus, the formatting or presentation can suffer. Whether expert blogger or novice, by sticking to a few basic guidelines, Contributing Authors can easily avoid the formatting pitfalls — and help make the PSS Blog attractive to ALL visitors.

DOs: 

1. Do use materials from our list of resources (check with the Editor-in-Chief for other possible resources).
2. Do spellcheck (and grammar check) before posting.
3. Do use quotes [ “ ” ], instead of [ " " ].
4. Do use nested quotes [ ‘ ’ ] where appropriate.
5. Do use normal single-line spacing for separating paragraphs.
6. Do feel free to experiment with the formatting (when it is an original piece). 
7. Do use Elements of Style and the dictionary whenever necessary.
8. Do feel free to email Tech Support if you need help on using the Blogger interface.
9. Do share your posts with others (tell your friends and/or family).
10. Do enjoy the calm and focus that service can bring.

DON'Ts: 

1. Don't use material from non-authorized sources (contact the Editor-in-Chief if you have questions).
2. Avoid using too many colors.
3. Avoid using too many fonts.
4. Don't use [ " " ], instead of quotes [ “ ” ].  
5. Don't use multi-line spacing for separating paragraphs. 
6. Please do not expect Tech Support to edit and/or correct your post (it just won't happen). 

PLAY TAG:

Do TAG your posts. It will help to create an index of topics, of all main categories of subjects, covered by the PSS Blog. The current index can be seen on the PSS Blog side bar, via the tag cloud, under “TOPICS POSTED.”

If you are new to tagging, and want to learn what it is all about — check this article on Wikipedia: 

Tag (metadata)

Here are some tips for tagging:

• Tags should be kept to one or two words, if possible. 
• Sometimes, for needed multiple word tags, dashes can be used in between words.
• Multiple short words seem to work without dashes, but try to keep it short.
• Capitalize names of Persons or Organizations, not anything else.

Tagging, or metadata indexing, is unique to blogs and websites, so they have their own set of logic.

For questions on how to tag posts, please contact Tech Support.

FORMATTING TIPS - [In a Nutshell]:

• Keep it simple.
• Keep it tasteful.
• Be creative, when it is original writing.
• Tag your posts.
• Be loyal to exact reproduction, when it is from authoritative, quoted works.
• If spacing and paragraph formatting frustrates (in the current Blogger template), try using visual devices like “ ~~~ ” to create proper paragraph spacing and find a remedy.
• Sometimes spacing on a post can get ‘bumped’, meaning the paragraph spacing gets expanded during editing, and may need correcting.
• Please be aware that sometimes HTML (and CSS) can be little persnickety on these blog services; so always check your post after posting.
• Posts submitted by Contributing Authors, once approved/authorized by the Editor-in-Chief, will not be edited by Tech Support, unless there is a obvious problem.

No blogging service is perfect (but, for the moment, it's free). If you have a tip you would like to see posted here, on this page; just contact Tech Support.

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SUGGESTIONS FOR
SUBMITTING MATERIALS TO BE POSTED ~
[As articles, homages, etc... ]

 
In general, for those Guest Authors (or Members) who want to post articles, via email; things will get posted more quickly and easily if these basic guidelines are followed:

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When sending materials for articles, via email —
 

• Please send it in PLAIN TEXT.
• Please send it already edited and spell checked.
• Please make sure any included photos are properly sized and JPEG-ed.
• If special formatting or layouts are required, please specify.
• If another member and/or Tech Support will be posting it; please have the Editor-in-Chief send that member/support person a quick email, notifying them that it is an approved article.
• Please try to be specific and precise in your email, so confusion and errors can be kept at a minimum.

[PLEASE NOTE: If you send material to post, to Tech Support, and they don't know who you are (or know if the article is approved), it may take a while to get it posted.]

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MOST OF ALL: 

              If YOU want to regularly post articles to the PSS BLOG, get involved, and learn more, please...

JOIN US!

Join as a Guest Author so you can post directly, and often. It is easy to do, fun, and a great way to serve.

Use the Contact Page to send an email, and learn more.

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[PLEASE NOTE: Anything flagged as “inappropriate” for the PSS Blog, will be held in cue, until the Editor-in-Chief can see it.] 

  

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COMMENT ETIQUETTE ~

Despite the fact that this section should - in theory - not be required, it is difficult to forget that we currently live during the Kali Yuga age. Thus, we kindly submit the following...


We ask that those posting comments please respect these four simple rules:

1. No profanity, gossip, backbiting, or hateful content. Inappropriate comments will be automatically deleted.
2. Please don't use comments to ask questions, ask for help, etc... Please visit the Contact Page and use the contact info provided instead.
3. Comment spam will get blocked.
4. Please stay on “point” or on topic. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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SPIRITUAL LIFE and HOME WORSHIP ~

Life today is getting more and more complicated. In this current age, chaos and a general breakdown of society has become the norm. To deal with this world and make real progress, we must stay strong in our resolve, clear in our minds, and pure in our hearts.

Spiritual education and development has never been more crucial. But to wait is folly, for tomorrow may be too late.

For consultation and information on how you can develop and enhance your spiritual life, contact Kapindra Swami. — [Please utilize the Contact Page.]

Thank you for your interest and cooperation.

HARE KRISHNA!

— Kapindra Swami
PSS President and Editor-in-Chief

— Bhakta Christopher
Tech Support Volunteer

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