★ The Smog Information

[Toast++]

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The Smog, as the best online magazine for articles on competitive Pokemon, is always growing. But this is only possible due to the dozens of committed users who do their best to contribute content to it every issue, our Staff, and our large audience. If you are a registered user who follows The Smog and are interested in contributing by writing articles, grammar checking, or drawing, this thread is for you. Additionally, if you possess skills and experience in JavaScript programming, as well as in HTML and CSS for markup and presentation, there is also a section for you in this thread!

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What we Look for

The Smog has had a lot of writers over the time we've been up, but ultimately we are looking for new content. This means we want unique articles, new perspectives, and a forward looking approach. Essentially this means we want quality over quantity. Every article is vigorously checked — so don't worry if your prose isn't the greatest or your grammar needs some work, we're ultimately looking for new ideas. When you submit your article idea we should, of course, be able to tell what your focus and vision for it is, but don't get hung up on minor details or little spelling tics or slightly clunky phrasing, we'll sort all that out.
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Check Old Articles

The Smog has been around for three years now, so we've already had many article ideas come and go. Check these out and if you find an article idea that has been used before that you think you could do a good job continuing or revamping, bring it to our attention. If an article idea similar to yours was featured recently, it is less likely that we will approve it for a new issue.
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Spotlight Articles are Open

Previously known as Featured articles which were off limits for applications, applications to write Spotlight articles are now open. Prove to us that you have the relevant metagame knowledge and skills and we may approve you to write a Spotlight article.
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Be Creative!

New article ideas are the lifeblood of The Smog, so while we appreciate the work done in the past, we really want to focus on new content in the future. If you have familiarity with a certain niche or a playstyle for example, draft up an article going into the strategy and submit it to us. If you notice some humorous quirks about a set of Pokemon, maybe you can write a humor article about it. In general as long as your idea is new and well thought out, our staff will bounce it around and either approve it or make recommendations. Don't be afraid to submit an article, just be aware that whatever you send us should reflect your intentions to write an article you believe will be interesting, humorous, or valuable to the community.
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Artists Wanted!

If you are a good artist, read this announcement and follow the instructions provided and we can find a place for you at The Smog. We try to ensure each article has some artwork to go with it, and our philosophy is that there can never be too many quality artists.
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Getting Started

If you think that you have an interesting article idea that you want to pitch in and write, head down to the Article Approvals forum and read this announcement thoroughly. The Smog Staff will then address your article and decide if it will be approved. You will be notified in the thread on whether it is approved or not. Note that article applications posted within a week of the deadline will likely not be evaluated until shortly after the issue's release. If you would like to get involved with HTML however, read here.

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With these guidelines in mind, welcome to The Smog!

 

[Toast++]

The Smog Staff

Jellicent
Editor, Grammar Lead, Article Approvals, and ~(^.^)~

antemortem
Grammar Lead, Progress Management, and works on a ranch

FireMage
Article Approvals and failed spellcaster

Quarkz
HTML Lead, and constantly iterating

skylight
Progress Management, Article Approvals, and Overall Cheerleader

Spy
HTML Lead, Article Approvals, and curry consumer

Zebraiken
Art, Article Approvals, and Not Zebstrika

sandshrewz
Part-time staff, full-time mascot, potato

Feel free to contact any one of us with questions about anything here at The Smog.

 

[skylight]

Welcome to The Smog Approvals sub-forum! We at The Smog are always looking for talented new writers and artists, and we'd love to have any aspiring contributors who are willing to learn and would like to offer their services. Make sure to read this thoroughly, and be aware you can contact the Staff with specific concerns if you need further guidance! Trolling, irrelevant threads, or posts which otherwise violate these instructions will be deleted and/or infracted, so please take this sub-forum seriously.

If you're interested in writing articles, this post is for you! Those volunteering their art skills should read this post instead. If you're looking for the appropriate Staff members, please refer to the announcement listing the current Smog Staff and their lines of work.


Idea Guidelines

If you're not sure what makes a great article idea, here are some important principles, adapted from the old Submission Guidelines. Remember that you can check out the archival Article Index to get a feel for what kind of content we've approved in the past! More experienced contributors may skip this section.

• Audience — The Smog accepts all kinds of ideas that are relevant to the community. This means competitive Pokémon (strategies, informational articles, playstyles, and so on), Pokémon-related entertainment (appropriate humour articles, flavour discussions, and so on) community happenings (projects, events going on in various areas of the community, and so on), and anything else you can think of that might be relevant to Smogon as a community and/or a competitive Pokémon authority. Conversely, if your article doesn't fit in with the primary interests of the publication, take it elsewhere.

• Authority — 'Write what you know.' If you're an expert on a particular playstyle, strategy, or metagame, we'd love to learn more about it. If you have a keen sense of humour and quirkiness, lend your wit to an entertainment piece about the community or Pokémon itself. If you're a seasoned veteran, take us for a trip down Memory Lane. Whatever you feel you have insight in, let us know! We particularly value passionate, enthusiastic writers who are truly dedicated to the subjects of their articles. Conversely, if you don't know much about what you're writing about or don't care, don't try to write it.

• Creativity — What keeps The Smog fresh is people coming to us wanting to write with new ideas. New article concepts and discussions of emergent ideas / strategies are particularly well-received, so use your imagination and apply your unique perspectives! The magazine still captures people's interest by continually coming out with interesting, refreshingly new and different ideas. Of course, if you can find a concept that hasn't been examined too recently in the archives and would like to put your own spin on it, you can apply to continue or revamp it. Conversely, if your article concept is too similar to something that's been recently published, it will most likely be declined.

Contributor Guidelines

Aspiring contributors should read this to get an understanding of what qualities we're looking for in our workers. Welcoming and encouraging new contributors is very important to us and we'll do our best to help you with anything you don't understand, so don't worry!

• This may come as a surprise, but we're not too picky about the kind of writer you are! We take quality over quantity very seriously, but if English isn't your first language or your prose is substandard, we can take care of that. We have a very talented grammar/prose team who can work with you to fix your writing, and you can always enlist a coauthor for assistance. Just try your hardest to be concise, clear, and lively, and the rest will come. You can look at past articles for an idea of what kind of writing we like at The Smog. What matters: effort and a desire to improve.

• Cooperation and teamwork is how we keep The Smog running, so you need to be able to get along with us. Take constructive criticism graciously, consider our recommendations and suggestions, treat your fellow workers (GP team, HTML team, artists, Smog Staff) with respect and gratitude for their help, and be friendly. One of the best parts of being involved with The Smog is the spirit of friendship and pride infused in our community-created finished product.

• You must be responsible. Procrastination creates a burden on everyone else involved in the process, so you need to be able to commit to finishing your article a decent amount of time before the release. Emergencies do arise, so if for an unforeseen reason (such as health or technical issues) you can't complete your article, let the staff know immediately.

Article Approval Guidelines

If your idea is ready to go, please make a thread with the requisite information and await our comments.

• We want solid outlines along with a brief but well-explained summary of your idea, what it relates to, and the kind of content you plan to write. This allows us to assess how well-versed you are in the topic in question and avoids any unnecessary writing on your part in the event that your article is rejected. In areas such as Battling Strategy and Metagame, particularly, this type of quality control becomes very important, as those aspiring to publish articles in these categories must have a thorough understanding of the idea they want to write about. In addition, give the thread an informative title, such as a prospective article name or very short description. NEW: If you're writing a Battling Strategy or Metagame approval for the first time, you should provide credentials that support your knowledge of the topic in question in either categories. Examples of such would be team rates of that and posts in any relevant forum discussion of the tier(s) in question.

• Please only post with ideas for articles you intend to write yourself. Do not post volunteering to write if someone gives you an idea, or with an idea you'd like someone else to write. If you have one or two coauthors you plan to write with, list their names as well. Please note only you and the approval team will be able to see your thread; likewise, you will not be able to see anyone else's.

• Writing is a serious responsibility and release deadline is strict, so don't post if you can't commit to finishing your article in a timely fashion and seeing every aspect of the publishing process to completion (implementing GP checks, etc.).

• Applications posted within a week of the deadline will likely not be evaluated until shortly after the issue's release. Please try to post your applications as soon as possible after release in order to give yourself and the whole team as much time as possible to work on your article, should it be approved.

• Spotlight articles are available for application if you are deemed to have the appropriate metagame knowledge.

• Wait patiently for your idea to be examined. Our team will evaluate your idea with their expertise in the subjects concerned, but we may have to discuss potential issues among ourselves or request clarification from you (so check back regularly!). We invite all Senior Staff members (super moderators and administrators) to comment on applications concerning their areas of specialty, so take their comments seriously. Additionally, your idea may be promising but require some tweaks and suggestions in order to be approved, so be prepared to accept those. We will be as prompt as possible and let you know what we think!

• If we reject you, don't be discouraged. Almost all rejections will be on grounds of the idea being unsuitable, so if you're still interested, come up with a new idea. Don't try to find ideas for the sake of it, but wait until you have a well-thought-out idea and then feel free to reapply.

• If you are approved to write and only once you are approved to write, a super moderator or administator will grant you access to the workshop.

 

[skylight]

What kind of things go in a Spotlight article!

What's a spotlight article?

Spotlights are a special type of article. They have pretty much the same format each time and in each article it highlights a specific Pokemon in a specific tier. Say you want to write an article about Ninjask in OU. Ninjask is cool, it has high speed and can help out other Pokemon with baton passing boosts! However, while it is usable in OU it isn't suited for a spotlight article. This is because spotlight articles should highlight something that either defines the metagame, such as Keldeo, or has a huge influence on the metagame, such as Scizor. Generally these Pokemon are found in S-B rank in viability rankings of each tier, and if they're below that rank they're most likely not suited to being a spotlight Pokemon. With that out of the way, let's get into the dirt!

History

With this paragraph you want to show the readers how far this Pokemon has come. What's its past like? How well has it done in past tiers (or metagames)? Why was or wasn't it good? How well is it dong in the current tier it's in? What's its usage like? What's some other interesting tidbits about it? Was it ever banned? Suspected?

You might be wondering how to find this information. That's where past analysis come in, as well as past and current usage threads. Tier hubs also generally include this kind of information too, or just search older threads and see what this Pokemon was like. The more you can include the better!

Qualities

This section is personally my favourite part to write. You get to pretty much discuss everything about the Pokemon there is. What's its stats like? What stands out the most? What's the biggest let-down? Can it speed-tie anything relevant? What about its STAB/s? What can they (and its coverage moves) allow it to do to the metagame? What other interesting moves does this Pokemon have to use? Can it set up, support its team mates, or do something else entirely? What can its abilities do? How do they benefit it? What are its roles in the metagame? You can also talk a little about its sets, too. All this kind of stuff fits in qualities, because it allows readers to get a better picture of this Pokemon as you read about what it can do.

Playing With ______

This section talks about the sets in more detail than qualities. How easy is it for this Pokemon to switch in? Can it take hits? Does it have to take loads of risks or is it easy to use? Can it set up? What can it do? This section pretty much describes how hard or easy this Pokemon is to use. For this section I suggest using the ladder. If you play around 25 matches with this Pokemon (if you haven't had much experience with it) you should get a pretty good picture of how hard or easy it is to use.

Playing Against _______

In this section you can discuss what stops each of the particular sets you discussed in the previous paragraph. Is it easy to predict what this Pokemon is running? Why or why not? What's the action plan - how do you deal with it through checks and counters in the metagame? Is it essential to get SR or Spikes up to be able to easily take it down? How easy is it to switch into it? In this paragraph you can also discuss if a Pokemon has to run a specific move to beat the Spotlight Pokemon in order to be considered a counter or check.

Fitting ________ on a Team

This is the section which discusses how well this Pokemon fits on teams. What playstyle can it fit into? Do teams have to build around it, or can it build around a team? How much support does it need? Can it fit into any cores to benefit the team? What weaknesses can it help with? Pretty much discuss what Pokemon this Pokemon has the best synergy with.

Get Out There

The final paragraph just sums up why you should use it. It generally shouldn't be more than 5-6 lines long and should be convincing enough for readers to want to use this Pokemon. With that said, get out there and write a Spotlight article!

 

[skylight]

Have you ever wanted to suggest an idea for The Smog but aren't too confident in your writing abilities? Now's your chance! We're accepting article ideas, and as long as you PM your ideas to one of us Smog Staff.

The purpose of this is to help users who aren't too confident in their writing abilities, users who have little free time, or lack of experience writing about a particular subject. Additionally, current writers for The Smog can still submit an idea if they want to see something covered but don't think they're the best person for the job.

In Article Workshop we'll have a thread listing all the article ideas people have submitted, and someone from our pool of regular writers will pick and choose from there. Whether your article idea is in the next issue will be a surprise! So definitely keep an eye out for our next release.

With that in mind, here are the conditions you must follow if you're going to submit an idea to us:

1. When making your submission, make sure you describe it in a brief paragraph just so we know what it will cover. Even better, send us a good outline along with a short explanation of what key points you think the article should be based on, and anything else you'd like to add.

2. We'll add ideas at our own discretion.

3. You do not need to contact us about whether an article idea was picked or not.

4. Although submitting ideas will not count towards the Media Contributor badge in any way, if you decide to become a formal contributor later on, it will help you gain access to the Article Workshop quicker.

5. If your aim is to get involved in writing, proofreading, drawing or providing HTML / CSS code for The Smog, you should follow the regular procedure instead. Read this topic to obtain more information about this, particularly the Getting Started section.

Thank you for your interest in The Smog, we really appreciate every small contribution we get!

 

[antemortem]

The Smog's QC team has been bolstered with fresh faces! Don't be alarmed if you see these users posting in your article submissions. They're there to assure that you're qualified to write on that particular topic, so we'll be tagging them to double check that everything is up to standards before shoving you off to work on your article in the Workshop.

These are the members of the QC team:

Ubers: Sweep, Fireburn, Nayrz
OU: TGMD, Valentine, Valmanway
UU: CoolStoryBrobat, Hairy Toenail, dodmen, IronBullet93
RU: atomicllamas, Arikado, Spirit
NU: Zebraiken, Raseri, Quite Quiet, Montsegur
Doubles: Stratos, Audiosurfer, Level 51, finally
LC: macle, The Avalanches, Mambo, QuoteCS
Other Metas: Valmanway, The Immortal, Eevee General, Snaquaza
Entertainment: Layell, az
Old Gens: Jellicent, Bedschibaer

If you have any questions when submitting your article, you can tag any Smog staff, of course, or anyone listed above!

 

[Spy]

The HTML Eval

As you guys might have noticed, we now have an HTML Approvals forum!

We have also developed a new HTML Eval for aspiring HTMLers to ensure they are up to standards with what The Smog expects. If you would like a shot at joining the squad, just make a thread in the forum outlining your history with HTML and programming and myself, Quarkz, or Toast++ will set you up with the eval! Remember to have a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS before trying the eval, because if you try to do it with no prior knowledge, it will show.

 

[princessofmusic]

Contributing Artwork to The Smog

Only approved artists can illustrate for The Smog. To apply, create a new thread in the Artist Approvals subforum with your username as the thread title. The thread OP should contain the following:

• A minimum of 3 pieces of artwork to demonstrate your skill level and style. If you'd like to share more than that, though, feel free to.
• Make sure to include at least one image of a Pokemon.
• Try to share a bit of general information about yourself, including your experience with visual art and what led you to apply. We'd like to get to know you!

After that, we'll look over your portfolio and either approve or deny the application. Even if your application is denied, you're always welcome to reapply in a few months' time with other examples of your work if you feel you've improved and are ready for a second try. Some of the things we look for in artists include a good understanding of anatomy and proportions, clean linework (if applicable), and use of colour and shading.

Thanks for your consideration, and if you have any questions, feel free to send a PM to myself or Bummer.