Contributors Guide
Croydon Digital welcome contributions from a wide range of voices as long as
contributors keep to the aims of the site. You can submit blogs in a variety of formats including written, video, audio and images.
You’ll need to stick to the principles and practical steps below before we can
consider publishing your contributions.
Our principles
Keep it fresh. We won’t repost content that’s been published before. Please only
send original content for this site, but feel free to announce and add relevant
links.
Speak personally. The best content offers a personal perspective, written by an
individual not an organisation.
Avoid politics. The site is shared between the people of Croydon and the
council, so we’re bound by rules around impartiality. Contributions must be
politically neutral and avoid divisive issues.
Be constructive. Do call out challenges, learnings from the past and
opportunities to do things better. But this isn’t a place to moan, blame, complain
or criticise. Where possible, try to relate your blog post to improving outcomes for
people and businesses in Croydon.
Avoid sales talk. It’s cool to talk about what you do, or your organisation does
so people can see what kind of tech talent and opportunities we have here. But
this isn’t the place to pimp your products and services. Use your mini bio text to
add contact information, so if people want to follow-up they can.
Challenge and provoke. The very best posts say something new and spark
a debate. And that includes finding exceptions to these principles! Croydon is
the birthplace of punk after all.
The practicalities
1. So you want to post on the site
Awesome! First things first, send us a short brief on your chosen topic and
we’ll let you know if it’s what we’re looking for. You should receive a response
within 1 working days.
Unsure what to write, how about:
- a ‘how to’ guide
- a day in the life of…
- an interview (video, audio or written)
- tips and advice
- 5 steps to…
- studies and research
- community engagement
2. You’ve got the green light
Once your brief is approved, we’ll send you a link with instructions on how to
submit your full post content. Follow the content guide below and it should be as
easy as one-two-three.
Content guide
- Don’t forget the audience – Croydon Digital is a community site for Croydon
businesses, our residents, the council and wider public sector. Try to engage
as many groups as you can. - For written articles – aim for 300 to 750 words. For help with style and tone,
read this blog post on GOV.UK. - For video – Keep it to 5 minutes and remember to include a closed caption
transcript. - For audio – keep it to 5 minutes.
- Post feature image – you must provide a copyright-cleared high res photo
that’s relevant to your post. Check our media guidelines for image specs. We
reserve the right to amend or replace images that don’t meet the requirements. - Additional images – feel free to add images throughout the post. Please
ensure they’re of good quality. - Biography – end your blog piece with a biography (40 to 80 words including
web and social media links). If you’re unsure how to write one, see existing
posts for style. - Links – remember to include links where relevant to other websites.
- Author’s profile – We need two things…an image of yourself (250×250
pixels) and a one-line description to tell others about you. We’ll use these
to create your profile and show you as the author on your post.
3. When will my post be published?
We’ll check the schedule and agree a publish date, so you know when to
promote the heck out of it on social media! We’ll also let you know when your
post is published. We try to publish content within 3 working days of receipt
where possible.