Welcome to C&C--A Beginner's Guide to Contributing
By Redew and GatoDelFuego. Updated by Oglemi.
Introduction
Hello! Contributions and Corrections, also known as C&C, is an enormous forum with a lot to offer! Within this forum, you will find the analyses of different Pokemon for all of Smogon's official metagames, as well as a few other things. All of these go on-site in our SmogDex, and it's a great place for you to get started on Smogon--contributing, having fun, anything! As you might expect from such a big forum, we have a lot of different activities going on. There's the writers themselves, who write the analyses; the Quality Control team, who ensure that every bit of data in our analyses is up-to-date with that generation’s competitive standards; and the Grammar-Prose team, who take care of formatting and punctuation issues to make sure that every analysis is as presentable as possible.
The C&C forum can be intimidating sometimes--it's not always easy to jump into a forum with many veteran contributors. Don't feel bad if you think you're not as good as them; you're just starting out and will get there with time--just like they did. If you're confused as to where to get help, don't fret! Any user with a Contributor
badge will point you in the right direction. A good presence on Discord will go a long way not just in C&C, but on Smogon as a whole; it's just a very good way to get integrated into the community. Besides, it's a much more convenient way to discuss EV spreads and item slashes than back-and-forth posting on the forums! Communication on Discord speeds up the back-and-forth discussion that naturally occurs while writing, and talking with a group of contributors can do nothing but help make C&C work the best it can be.
All in all, being a valued member of C&C is a great way to become recognized on Smogon. Between you and me, it's the easiest and most rewarding way to get involved on Smogon, and is worth every minute you put into it. This guide will show you the basics and layout of the C&C process, helping you to become a top-tier contributor in no time!
How does the 7th Gen process work?
RESERVATION/SKELETON
Before you jump in to writing an analysis for your favorite Pokemon, the first step is to check the reservation thread of the forum it's in. If an analysis/article is unreserved, you can usually just post that you'll be taking the analysis/idea on in the reservation thread and start your work. Be sure not to start writing ASAP, though! After you reserve an analysis/article, the next step is to post a skeleton in the specific subforum. Skeletons are bullet points or short bits of all information that's going to be included in your thread. This is so it's easy for Quality Control members to look through and make sure all necessary and viable information is present before the analysis/article is written up. You can find a detailed explanation of the individual parts of the skeleton for analyses in the second post of this thread.
QUALITY CONTROL
The Quality Control process is when QC members go over analyses and help you fill it with the most, but worthwhile, information possible. Their decisions are to be respected; it takes a great deal of work, devotion, and dedication to become a QC member, as well as extensive metagame knowledge. QC members have a vast knowledge of the metagame, show that they know what they're talking about whenever they post a suggestion to an analysis, and are picked by other QC members. Keep in mind that anyone can put forth QC suggestions in an analysis, which QC members will usually comment on and acknowledge to be added or changed. If you aim to critique a competitive choice in a skeleton, you should probably provide good evidence that what you're adding is viable; replays, damage calculations, and similar data is good for this purpose. Once your analysis has accumulated 2 or 3 QC checks, depending on the tier, you're free to write up your analysis. Note: your analysis will need one final QC check after being written and before going up on-site most times, so be sure you know the tier's process.
WRITEUP
The writeup stage is fairly easy: take the bullet point format of your analysis and turn it into actual paragraphs. Tip: Go point by point, making sure you include everything that QC has approved. You change everything into paragraphs except for the set. Once you have done this, QC will look it over one final time and tell you to add anything if needed. If all is good, you're ready to head to the next step: grammar. One note: if you feel that a GP member has made some changes you don't agree with or that don't seem to make sense, feel free to ask them about it, or another GP member to discuss the changes. A good place to contact someone about writeup or grammar is GP on Discord.
GRAMMAR-PROSE
The Grammar-Prose team are individuals who check and edit the grammar and prose in the articles and anything else that goes on-site. Once you have written your analysis, post in the GP Queue so a GP mod can add it to the list of analyses to edit. The member who checks your analysis will correct any improper grammar or PokeGrammar. You can look at our Spelling and Grammar Standards to get a better idea of what these corrections will likely be. Once the GP member is done with their check, it's your job to go and edit all of the corrections in your analysis. Be thorough and careful! Some members give a copy/paste version of their check, making it easier for you to implement. In these cases, though, it's still important to look over all the changes, because otherwise you won't have learned from the mistakes you made previously. However, some tags are left in there often, such as (AC) and (AP), so be sure to take them out!
Joining the Grammar-Prose team can be easy or hard, depending on your knowledge of the English language. For some, it takes time to learn and memorize important grammar rules, and would require multiple applications to get in, but some only require one time to apply. You can get stamps by making amateur checks (also known as amchecks) that are approved and stamped by official GP members. Applications depend on (at least) three stamped checks before applying, although if you feel like you did superbly well, you can apply with two checks, as well. Don't fret if you didn't get in on your first try! Keep amchecking until you get more stamps! For more help on this, you can check out Oglemi's Smogon Grammar and Prose 101 - Helpful Tips and the Basics. This will help in catching common errors and serves as a great guide to learn how to get started easily with the GP team.
DONE
Now, you're done! Once the final GP check has been implemented, you can post saying that you've finished the analysis. It will then be uploaded to the site on our Dex.
How does the Technical Project process work?
What are Technical Projects?
Technical Projects is the forum that covers everything technical-related to Smogon. However, any large-scale project (such as a forum switch!) will be done behind the scenes. A lot of the main projects go here, though, such as Pokemon Showdown! when it was being developed. There are also many other things to look for, such as the damage calculator or the Grammar-Prose Diff App! There are also many HTML tools to utilize there, so if you're looking to HTML for the site, this is a good forum to look at. You can also look at Oglemi's Smogon HTML 101 - The Utter Basics thread for some quick but in-depth help. Contributing HTML to the site by HTMLing analyses/articles can land you a Pre-Contributor badge, and contributing HTML or translations to The Flying Press/Translations Project can land you a Smogon Media Contributor badge.
TAGS
There are different tags throughout the Technical Project section, and all of them mean something specific for that thread. Programming is for the different programs written by code, such as Honko's 6th gen damage calculator and bReakMyTeam 6th gen damage calculator. HTML deals with the visual part of anything on the web. The HTML tagged posts are normally just threads that have great tools for you to utilize if you are looking to HTML. The Other tag is mainly for misc things that don’t deal with code or markup. The Smogon Sprite List is a good example of this.
C&C STAFF
You can contact the following people if you need help with anything:
- martha, The Dutch Plumberjack (C&C Leaders)
- martha, P Squared, The Dutch Plumberjack (GP Leaders)
- GMars, Leo (OU C&C)
- Nayrz, Minority (Ubers C&C)
- Amane Misa, Hilomilo, martha (UU C&C)
- phantom, MrAldo, zizalith (RU C&C)
- Blast, Eternally, Rabia (NU C&C)
- Megazard, TONE (PU C&C)
- Merritt, Nineage (LC C&C)
- MajorBowman, talkingtree (Doubles C&C)
- Eien, Moosical (Monotype C&C)
- Alakazam, Funbot28, E4 Flint (OM C&C)
- Theorymon, cant say, Psynergy (Battle Spot C&C)
- Jho, snake_rattler (CAP C&C)
- Earthworm, Excal (Past Gens C&C)
- shiny finder, DHR-107 (Articles and In-Game Guides)
C&C ON DISCORD
Join the following servers to work with fellow contributors in real-time:
*: separate channel in main tier server
- https://discord.gg/CatcTvS (GP)
- https://discord.gg/xS4Z2XQ (OU C&C)
- https://discord.gg/jMBVmVt (Ubers C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/zQckyDE (UU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/dR7Mphd (RU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/vuTb8HM (NU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/yTWkuB5 (LC C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/5Cp2rvV (1v1 C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/RPYZ58k (AG C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/dV3mzfc (Past Gens C&C)
- https://discord.gg/TXmgYKu (Battle Spot C&C)*
That's it! Happy contributing!
By Redew and GatoDelFuego. Updated by Oglemi.
Introduction
Hello! Contributions and Corrections, also known as C&C, is an enormous forum with a lot to offer! Within this forum, you will find the analyses of different Pokemon for all of Smogon's official metagames, as well as a few other things. All of these go on-site in our SmogDex, and it's a great place for you to get started on Smogon--contributing, having fun, anything! As you might expect from such a big forum, we have a lot of different activities going on. There's the writers themselves, who write the analyses; the Quality Control team, who ensure that every bit of data in our analyses is up-to-date with that generation’s competitive standards; and the Grammar-Prose team, who take care of formatting and punctuation issues to make sure that every analysis is as presentable as possible.
The C&C forum can be intimidating sometimes--it's not always easy to jump into a forum with many veteran contributors. Don't feel bad if you think you're not as good as them; you're just starting out and will get there with time--just like they did. If you're confused as to where to get help, don't fret! Any user with a Contributor
All in all, being a valued member of C&C is a great way to become recognized on Smogon. Between you and me, it's the easiest and most rewarding way to get involved on Smogon, and is worth every minute you put into it. This guide will show you the basics and layout of the C&C process, helping you to become a top-tier contributor in no time!
How does the 7th Gen process work?
RESERVATION/SKELETON
Before you jump in to writing an analysis for your favorite Pokemon, the first step is to check the reservation thread of the forum it's in. If an analysis/article is unreserved, you can usually just post that you'll be taking the analysis/idea on in the reservation thread and start your work. Be sure not to start writing ASAP, though! After you reserve an analysis/article, the next step is to post a skeleton in the specific subforum. Skeletons are bullet points or short bits of all information that's going to be included in your thread. This is so it's easy for Quality Control members to look through and make sure all necessary and viable information is present before the analysis/article is written up. You can find a detailed explanation of the individual parts of the skeleton for analyses in the second post of this thread.
QUALITY CONTROL
The Quality Control process is when QC members go over analyses and help you fill it with the most, but worthwhile, information possible. Their decisions are to be respected; it takes a great deal of work, devotion, and dedication to become a QC member, as well as extensive metagame knowledge. QC members have a vast knowledge of the metagame, show that they know what they're talking about whenever they post a suggestion to an analysis, and are picked by other QC members. Keep in mind that anyone can put forth QC suggestions in an analysis, which QC members will usually comment on and acknowledge to be added or changed. If you aim to critique a competitive choice in a skeleton, you should probably provide good evidence that what you're adding is viable; replays, damage calculations, and similar data is good for this purpose. Once your analysis has accumulated 2 or 3 QC checks, depending on the tier, you're free to write up your analysis. Note: your analysis will need one final QC check after being written and before going up on-site most times, so be sure you know the tier's process.
WRITEUP
The writeup stage is fairly easy: take the bullet point format of your analysis and turn it into actual paragraphs. Tip: Go point by point, making sure you include everything that QC has approved. You change everything into paragraphs except for the set. Once you have done this, QC will look it over one final time and tell you to add anything if needed. If all is good, you're ready to head to the next step: grammar. One note: if you feel that a GP member has made some changes you don't agree with or that don't seem to make sense, feel free to ask them about it, or another GP member to discuss the changes. A good place to contact someone about writeup or grammar is GP on Discord.
GRAMMAR-PROSE
The Grammar-Prose team are individuals who check and edit the grammar and prose in the articles and anything else that goes on-site. Once you have written your analysis, post in the GP Queue so a GP mod can add it to the list of analyses to edit. The member who checks your analysis will correct any improper grammar or PokeGrammar. You can look at our Spelling and Grammar Standards to get a better idea of what these corrections will likely be. Once the GP member is done with their check, it's your job to go and edit all of the corrections in your analysis. Be thorough and careful! Some members give a copy/paste version of their check, making it easier for you to implement. In these cases, though, it's still important to look over all the changes, because otherwise you won't have learned from the mistakes you made previously. However, some tags are left in there often, such as (AC) and (AP), so be sure to take them out!
Joining the Grammar-Prose team can be easy or hard, depending on your knowledge of the English language. For some, it takes time to learn and memorize important grammar rules, and would require multiple applications to get in, but some only require one time to apply. You can get stamps by making amateur checks (also known as amchecks) that are approved and stamped by official GP members. Applications depend on (at least) three stamped checks before applying, although if you feel like you did superbly well, you can apply with two checks, as well. Don't fret if you didn't get in on your first try! Keep amchecking until you get more stamps! For more help on this, you can check out Oglemi's Smogon Grammar and Prose 101 - Helpful Tips and the Basics. This will help in catching common errors and serves as a great guide to learn how to get started easily with the GP team.
DONE
Now, you're done! Once the final GP check has been implemented, you can post saying that you've finished the analysis. It will then be uploaded to the site on our Dex.
How does the Technical Project process work?
What are Technical Projects?
Technical Projects is the forum that covers everything technical-related to Smogon. However, any large-scale project (such as a forum switch!) will be done behind the scenes. A lot of the main projects go here, though, such as Pokemon Showdown! when it was being developed. There are also many other things to look for, such as the damage calculator or the Grammar-Prose Diff App! There are also many HTML tools to utilize there, so if you're looking to HTML for the site, this is a good forum to look at. You can also look at Oglemi's Smogon HTML 101 - The Utter Basics thread for some quick but in-depth help. Contributing HTML to the site by HTMLing analyses/articles can land you a Pre-Contributor badge, and contributing HTML or translations to The Flying Press/Translations Project can land you a Smogon Media Contributor badge.
TAGS
There are different tags throughout the Technical Project section, and all of them mean something specific for that thread. Programming is for the different programs written by code, such as Honko's 6th gen damage calculator and bReakMyTeam 6th gen damage calculator. HTML deals with the visual part of anything on the web. The HTML tagged posts are normally just threads that have great tools for you to utilize if you are looking to HTML. The Other tag is mainly for misc things that don’t deal with code or markup. The Smogon Sprite List is a good example of this.
C&C STAFF
You can contact the following people if you need help with anything:
- martha, The Dutch Plumberjack (C&C Leaders)
- martha, P Squared, The Dutch Plumberjack (GP Leaders)
- GMars, Leo (OU C&C)
- Nayrz, Minority (Ubers C&C)
- Amane Misa, Hilomilo, martha (UU C&C)
- phantom, MrAldo, zizalith (RU C&C)
- Blast, Eternally, Rabia (NU C&C)
- Megazard, TONE (PU C&C)
- Merritt, Nineage (LC C&C)
- MajorBowman, talkingtree (Doubles C&C)
- Eien, Moosical (Monotype C&C)
- Alakazam, Funbot28, E4 Flint (OM C&C)
- Theorymon, cant say, Psynergy (Battle Spot C&C)
- Jho, snake_rattler (CAP C&C)
- Earthworm, Excal (Past Gens C&C)
- shiny finder, DHR-107 (Articles and In-Game Guides)
C&C ON DISCORD
Join the following servers to work with fellow contributors in real-time:
*: separate channel in main tier server
- https://discord.gg/CatcTvS (GP)
- https://discord.gg/xS4Z2XQ (OU C&C)
- https://discord.gg/jMBVmVt (Ubers C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/zQckyDE (UU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/dR7Mphd (RU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/vuTb8HM (NU C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/yTWkuB5 (LC C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/5Cp2rvV (1v1 C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/RPYZ58k (AG C&C)*
- https://discord.gg/dV3mzfc (Past Gens C&C)
- https://discord.gg/TXmgYKu (Battle Spot C&C)*
That's it! Happy contributing!
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