Hello to all new and returning Baconeers!  This area is intended as a hub to group together all of the “required reading” as well as optional articles that we would like for all members to read through before submitting articles for approval.  We know that at times this process can seem lengthy and trite, but with a little bit of practice it becomes second nature.  Please note that this procedure has been refined and revised over time to best reflect what we’ve learned.  We hope you’ll realize that all of these instructions are either in the interest of uniformity, for the benefit of accessibility, or to ensure maximum integration of your article into both the site and the larger Internet.

Please take the time to read through all of this carefully if you have not yet submitted an article for our approval.  Links to following pages are provided at the bottom of each article.  These pages may be updated and revised as time goes on; current members will be notified of such events via email.

1. Getting Started at Nerd Bacon
2. Your First Review
3. Review Content
   1. Creating a New Post
   2. Duplicate Reviews
   3. Size Restrictions
   4. Spelling and Grammar
   5. Censorship
   6. Using Images
   7. External Links
   8. Internal Links (Crosslinking)
4. Formatting Your Review
   1. Title
   2. Header
   3. Required Crosslinking
   4. Body of Review
   5. Adding Images
   6. Sizing and Aligning Images
5. Rating Games at Nerd Bacon
6. Featured Images (for Articles)
7. Submitting Your Review
   1. Categories
   2. Tags
   3. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
   4. Excerpt
   5. Multiple Platforms
   6. After Submission
8. Editorial Review
9. Requirements
10. Author Status
11. Other Articles
12. Tech Support and WordPress Issues
13. Exceptions
14. Termination Policy and Procedure
15. Optional Reading (We suggest giving this a look anyway!)
    1. Social Network Involvment
    2. Review Structure – What’s in a Review?
    3. Common Mistakes
       1. Official Capitalization
       2. Punctuation – Inside or Outside?
          1. Quotation Marks
          2. Parentheses
       3. Single Quotes vs. Double Quotes
       4. Stylizing “Nerd Bacon”
       5. Sentence Fragments
       6. Its vs. It’s
       7. Sitewide Style Guidelines
       8. Serial Comma (or Oxford Comma)
       9. Other Common Errors
          1. Redundancy
          2. Past Tense vs. Present Tense
          3. “Addicting” vs. “Addictive”
          4. “In Lieu” vs. “In Light”
          5. Passive Voice vs. Active Voice
          6. Fluff and Filler
    4. Tips for Writing Better Reviews
    5. Watermarking Your Original Images
    6. Featured Posts / Homepage Slideshow
    7. Custom Sidebar Menus
    8. Bacon Badges
16. Review Submission Checklist – Once you’ve familiarized yourself with all the details, refer back to the Review Submission Checklist from time to time to make sure all the right pieces are in place.