Policies and Guidelines

This site has been around for awhile. Seeing as there are many questions that I get consistently, I’ve decided to outline the basic policies I use for comments, guest posts and for people who want to advertise on this website or license content.

• Commenting Policies
• Guest Posting Guidelines
• Licensing Content from ScottHYoung.com
• Advertising on ScottHYoung.com
• Hiring Scott as a Writer for Your Publication

Commenting

As a rule, I don’t allow any comment that doesn’t add to the conversation about the topic a post brought up. Here are some comments that I will typically delete:

• Ones that only serve to link to another product, service or website. These are spam unless the product specifically adds to the topic covered.
• Ones that engage in personal attacks on other readers. I’m more lenient on criticisms of myself, but criticize fellow readers on their ideas, not on their character.
• Unreadable comments. I’m not perfect with my spelling and grammar. But I do expect a minimum level of readability. If I can’t understand what you’re saying, I can’t approve the comment.
• Off-topic comments. Stick to the topic covered. If you have broader suggestions or criticisms use the contact form.
• Abusive or vulgar language. I’ve been known to occasionally pepper my language with more colorful words. I won’t punish you if you feel the need to do the same. But try to keep things tasteful or I’ll have the comment removed.

Here are some comments that are fine:

• Criticisms of my ideas. I love a healthy debate. If you think I’m wrong, I’ll gladly approve your comment.
• Criticisms of myself or the website. I’d prefer these be sent to the contact form, but if you want to make your opinion known to the other readers, I won’t deny you that ability. Just keep it clean and try to be constructive, if possible.
• Any comment that adds to the overall discussion on a post.

I want to state for the record that I rarely reply to comments on the blog. I read every comment, but the volume is too large for me to handle personally. If you do want a reply, send your comment through the contact form.

Guest Posting

Unfortunately, I am no longer accepting offers for guest posting.  Although I may have guest posts on the website, I’ve stopped accepting new proposals.  If you are looking to get involved with the website to help promote your own ideas, I suggest sending me links to your writing, for possible inclusion into Friday Links.

Using/Licensing Content

If you want to reprint an article on this website, I need to know:

• Publication size.
• Name of publication and typical audience.
• Alternative publishings (i.e. if you are distributing a magazine and it also has an online copy)
• Which article you would like to reprint

Except under special circumstances I do not license content for free or for publicity. The time cost of answering e-mails and negotiating terms makes this difficult to do.

Generally rates for licensing content will be anywhere from $20-$50 per article, depending on the article and publication type. Keep in mind that some images associated with the article are not included in this license since I am not the original creator.

Rarely will I be available to do a free guest post on another site. If you want to hire me as a writer, you can look at my freelance writing rates below (subject to periodic changes).