Quality Control FAQ: Copy Editing, Content Standards and Community
Here are some answers to the questions writers ask most often about B/R’s Copy Editing, Content Standards and Community departments.
Copy Editing
How can I find B/R’s copy and style standards?
How can I find helpful grammar advice?
This B/R blog post has a handful of helpful resources.
How can I contact a copy editor after he or she reviews my submission?
Go to the copy editor’s profile page. You can do so by clicking the link on the editor’s name within your article’s editor feedback.
Click the Contact button to the right of the editor’s profile picture to leave a private message, which automatically generates an alert email to that editor, enhancing the chance they respond to you sooner.
Please do not leave messages to editors in the editor feedback box. Copy editors will not see any messages left within your submission’s box because there is currently no editor notification system for feedback notes. We are planning to upgrade the article history and feedback systems so we can have notifications and conversations in these places, but until then, please use the steps outlined here.
A writer also has an option to submit an Editing Evaluation Form following each edit. It is a self-explanatory process—a writer has a chance to judge an editor’s fixes, and B/R’s Copy Editing Manager will review the form.
How can I ask a copy editor to promote my article?
Copy editors do not determine site placement, and staff members do not take individual requests to program articles. If you do a good job with clean copy, though, the copy editor may be more likely to pass your article along as an exceptional effort. And if your submission is sloppy or violates another of B/R’s Content Standards, the editor will be forced to flag the article to the Content Moderation Team, which would only delay or prevent any potential site placement.
How can I contact someone about an issue with a headline pointing to my article from a B/R page?
These headlines are called “hooks,” meant to draw in the reader from the front, league, team and player pages. Please email corrections@bleacherreport.com if you see a problem with your article’s hook, as copy editors do not create or edit them.
I found errors elsewhere on site. How can I contact someone to fix?
Email B/R’s Corrections Desk at corrections@bleacherreport.com.
Email contentstandards@bleacherreport.com.
How can I find B/R’s Content Standards?
Follow this link: http://bleacherreport.com/pages/contentstandards.
Also, we strongly recommend you review our in-depth outline of the 10 most common CS violations, alongside some helpful resources.
All users (and writers, too) must follow B/R’s Community Guidelines, which can be found here.
Who can I contact about issues with my B/R account?
If you are experiencing any issues with your B/R account, such as accessing your profile or writer dashboard, please email the B/R Community Team at community@bleacherreport.com. You can also contact Bleacher Report’s Community Manager Will Leivenberg (wleivenberg@bleacherreport.com) or Community Moderator Jeff Chase (jchase@bleacherreport.com), but it’s best to start with the team email.
My points are not adding up correctly, is something wrong?
Usually, when you reach a milestone for your content (such as reaching 2,000 reads or earning a top-writer badge), you will see the gauge on your writer dashboard update right away. But there are occasionally delays. Rest assured, though, that our internal records are keeping track of your correct total.
We appreciate your patience. Our team is working on improving the display side of the points system so that point totals always update in real time.
How can I best deal with users trolling my articles?
The unfortunate truth is that there are a number of trolls on the internet, and you are likely going to run into your fair share of them while writing. The best way to handle trolls is to just ignore them—their goal is to provoke others to engage in uncivil discussion.
If the situation is getting out of hand, please email community@bleacherreport.com. Please provide the member’s name, as well as some examples of the interactions that have taken place.
With that said, remember that someone disagreeing with your content is not necessarily trolling. By publishing your piece, you are putting yourself out there. Handling these situations is entirely up to you—we encourage you to discuss disagreements with your readers. If the discussion is going to move away from the topic of sports, we recommend ending the conversation on a positive note and moving on.
Paul Kasabian is a Quality Control Manager at Bleacher Report. Thanks to Copy Editing Manager Tim Coughlin and Community Moderator Jeff Chase for their contributions to this FAQ.