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First and foremost, please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions regarding
these submission guidelines. We would rather work with you to ensure quality than
to turn you away by being either too vague or too specific.
Here's how it works: You write an article and send it to editor@os2voice.org.
Please be sure your article is a plain ASCII text file, HTML, or any format viewable
by Lotus WordPro or StarOffice, which accounts for just about everything other than
IBM Works and Clearlook formats.
There is no requirement as to length, since this newsletter is only in HTML and
INF format. It can be as long or as brief as necessary, so be thorough in your descriptions
and commentaries.
Your article will then be reviewed and run through a spell checker. If there
are any non-spelling changes we think should be made, we will let you know and we
can discuss them. We do not make any major changes without input and approval from
the author. We will work on it with you to get it in shape. We are not professional
editors, but we believe we have done some decent work on the newsletter.
If your article is a review, it generally should cover the following information,
but don't feel locked into this:
1) Your Byline: Include your name, email and a web site if you'd like. You can
also give a brief plug for yourself/your business if you want but that would be
tacked on to the bottom of the page.
2) Initial Impressions: Why did you choose this particular package? How did you
go about deciding on it? What alternatives did you consider? What were your initial
impressions about it when you took it out of the box?
3) Setup/Installation: Was it complete out of the box (or zip file), or did you
have to purchase or find additional items like cables and drivers (this mostly applies
to hardware)? Did you have to read the manual? Was there a manual, if so how good/helpful
was it? Did you still have to boot to plain DOS or heaven forbid Windows9x to run
any kind of setup or calibration software? What hardware are you using it with (major
PC specs if applicable, ie CPU, RAM, HD) and what version of OS/2? Any minimum hardware/software
requirements for this application? What kind of Support is provided? Did you have
reason to ask for help, if so how was the response?
4) How Does it Work: Give some details on how you use the application. No need
to get into every detail, just the basics is fine. Graphic's are nice and help a
lot in showing how a product works, but try to keep them to 256 colors or less (this
is a requirement of the INF version), and the smaller the file size the better,
as some people download the Newsletter to read off-line. Images can be in just about
any format, but we prefer GIF, BMP, or JPG. Remember to put in your document where
you want the images to go.
5) Conclusion/Final Thoughts: Are you satisfied with this product? Can you give
a comparison to any similar product as far as quality and general usability? Would
you make the same decision again? What do you see as it's strong and weak points?
Did you have to contact the manufacturer or vendor for support? If so was it any
good?
6) Finally, list any URL's for getting information about the device and any software
used specifically with it, if any. Also give the manufacturer's suggested retail
price and/or a general price range for it and possibly the vendor or vendors where
it can be purchased.
As to professionalism of writing, please refrain from vulgar and abusive language,
illegal subject matter, and slander/libel. Our aim is to encourage readership and
author participation by presenting a tasteful, yet useful medium for OS/2 related
information.
Thank you,
The VOICE Editors