Have you thought about applying for an About.com guide position? This article will give you a few pointers from someone who has been there. I applied for the Stress Management site and lost but my experience may help you become familiar with the process.

At the bottom of their homepage, you'll find a link to available websites. The guide prep is 17 days with four deadlines. You'll be in competition with up to five other guides that have applied. They start guide prep every week. I started late on a Friday afternoon with the deadline for the final eval occurring on a Monday.

It could be a few weeks until you hear whether you've been accepted. My acceptance letter was received approximately three weeks before starting the competition. They'll give you a start date and tell you to expect another email.

You can use this time to brush up on web building skills and write a few articles, a complete glossary and frequently asked questions. About has their own language - using brackets [a href] instead of arrows for their code. Their blog which is hosted by Six Apart uses regular html. Research the best way to word link descriptions - it's a big part of their site. SEO is also important. Every page has keywords and meta descriptions.

They prefer "Top 10" or question and answers for their articles. Read web references for writing on the web: short paragraphs, paragraph headings, simple sentences and language. They prefer content that is offering specific advice, motivates a reader to take action or answers a specific question.

Guide Prep is a self directed step by step program for developing one of their mini sites. It includes an orientation forum with questions from previous guides. You'll notice some of the questions go unanswered with little recent posting. Questions are answered hours to days later.

It's helpful to read the questions and answers but some of the information is outdated. Keep in mind that it's meant to be a self directed program.

Top 10 Tips to Win The Guide Prep Competition

1. Prepare - After you've written them regarding one of their open spots do some preparation. Write a couple of articles in the "written for the web" format. Research keywords appropriate for your subject. Research writing for the web. Compile a glossary and frequently asked questions. Keep note of links for your content. Each original article should link to 3-5 sources and your glossary.

2. Practice and become familiar with uploading images with a FTP client. I didn't include images in my practice site. That could have been one of the reasons I didn't win. It could also have had something to do with my writing skills. I found it difficult to write on a deadline.

3. When you receive the welcome email the competition begins. I received mine about three weeks after the acceptance email. You're encouraged to take a few days to become familiar with their guide prep site. Take the time to look over their lounge and pay attention to their tools. They have preferences for the kind of content that goes in each. Their site building interface has some bugs in it. When you publish make sure that it posted.

4. Plan your site before you enter categories and content. You are required to have 10-15 categories with a piece of original content or a link to websites in each.

5. Glossary tool - Each definition is typed in separately on a form. What you type in first is at the bottom and each additional entry is above the first. If you type in your glossary starting at "A" - the content will publish with "Z" being at the top of the list. Anything added later will be out of alphabetical order because it will publish on top. There is no way to insert items.

Compile a complete glossary before you begin and start typing from the bottom of your glossary. It will then be in alphabetical order.

6. Read the information in the lounge, the Q & A in the orientation forums and the guide prep before you start. Pay attention the the description of the content that goes in each tool. There is a lot of information in the lounge if you look for it.

7. Don't expect much help nor ask for it. You'll just be frustrated waiting for an answer. Use your judgement based on what you've read and the site description they emailed you.

8. Make sure what you publish is ready for prime time before the site is live. When you hit "publish" make sure it is ready for viewing by the public. You can't delete content later. Only support can do that.

9. Plan your schedule to reduce commitments during the competition. You'll spend quite a few hours planning the site, writing articles and finding the best links. Learning to use their tools is one of the most important functions of guide prep.

10. Make sure the content is in the correct tool. Thoroughly read through each tool before entering content because the instructions can be confusing.

Write a bio of your qualifications, education and a message to the public. Look at a few About.com guide sites to get ideas. While you're at it, read as many sites as you can to become familiar with the content.

When I received the welcome e-mail, I did a search for information about guide prep and found nothing on the internet. It would have been helpful if I knew what to expect. I hope this helps you and good luck!

Copyright 2005 - Cathy Gariety, RN - USA

You may use this article if you keep the link active.

Cathy Gariety is a Registered Nurse and researcher specializing in Stress Management. She is in the process of developing programs for hospitals nationwide. Visit her website at http://www.garietygroup.com