Posting Guide

Writing for MetroRiderLA is easy and fun. This is a basic guide to writing a post that adheres to MRLA’s simple content and style rules. If still have questions after reading through the guide, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Writing a Headline
3. Posting Basics
4. Adding Links
5. Adding Images
6. Some Image Guidelines
7. Writing Long Posts
8. Tweaking the HTML
9. Setting the Category
10. Adding Events
11. MetroMovies
12. Tagging Posts
13. First Time Contributors
14. Other Content Guidelines

Getting Started

The first thing to do if you wish to write a MetroRiderLA article is register. Simply create a unique username and enter your email address - a temporary password will be emailed to you. Your username will appear on your articles, so make sure it’s something your comfortable being identified with. After you are registered click the Login button at the top of the site and type your new username and password to enter the WordPress Dashboard. The Dashboard is the backbone of MetroRiderLA, and as a contributor you will have access to parts of it. To write your first post click the Write tab on the top menu. A screen like this should show up:

Fig. 1

The interface is similar to your typical word processing software, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to figure out.

Writing a Headline

In the Title section come up with a headline for you post. Just something short and descriptive will do. Attention grabbing is key. Wit is encouraged. Have pun. Er.. fun.

Posting Basics

In the Post section you’ll notice two tabs: Visual and Code. The Visual tab allows you to write posts just as you would in a word processor, with buttons (see Fig. 2) to add some style to your text like bold, italic, bullet list, numbered list, block quote, and different justification options.

Fig. 2

These are pretty self explanatory for anyone who’s used a word processor before. The next set of buttons is a bit more specific to blogs:

Fig. 3

Adding Links

The first button that looks like a chain is the Hyperlink button. To create a hyperlink, select a range of text (or an image) and click the Hyperlink button. A window will pop-up asking for the URL of the link, a descriptive title for the link, and a target (current window or new window) for the link when clicked. Click Insert when you have added the proper information to complete the process. To break the link, simply click the next button that looks like a broken chain. Link liberally, but with restraint. If you are quoting a Wikipedia source, certainly link the article, but there’s no need to link to Wikipedia.org with every mention of Wikipedia. Use good judgement and share your sources and inspirations, but don’t go overboard.

Adding Images

The third button has a tree and is the Add Image button. Clicking on this button will bring up a window asking for the URL of an image, a description of that image, alignment, dimensions, border, and space around the image. Click the Add Image button if you’d like to add an image that is already on the web to your article. If you have an image on your computer that you’d like to post, use the upload tool underneath the visual editor. It looks like this:

Fig. 4

Browse for the file, enter a title, and optionally a description - then click Upload. Once it has uploaded to the server you will be brought to the Browse screen. From there you can choose how to present the image (thumbnail, full size, or title) and whether it is a link. Click Send to Editor to add it to your post.

Some Image Guidelines

MetroRiderLA takes pride in its image. We like to look good so there’s a few rules we ask you to follow when posting images:

• If it all possible, make sure the image width is 400 pixels. That is the width of our main column, and anything bigger gets cut off while anything much smaller looks a bit… bad. You can adjust the image size before you upload it using your favorite image editing program (such as Photoshop), or if you are adding an image from the web, re-size it so that the width is 400 px.
• Make sure the image is of decent quality. Since it has to be 400 pixels wide, please don’t try to blow up an image that is 100 pixels wide. It will just end up looking pixelated and poopy.
• Make sure the image is relevant to your post.
• When using an image that is not yours make sure it is under the Creative Commons license, and make sure to credit your source. Do not use Copyrighted© images unless you have permission from the Copyright holder.
• To properly credit your image source, follow this format (making sure to hyperlink to the photographer and the source): Photo courtesy of ________ via _______.
• If appropriate, write a caption underneath your image. Make sure to put the caption text in italics.

Writing Long Posts

The last button in this set (Fig. 3) is very important if you are writing a long article. It is the Split Post button. Clicking this button will add a page break wherever your cursor is, effectively splitting your post into two parts. When published, a link will be provided to the rest of the article. Always do this if you feel your post will look cumbersome when posted in its entirety on the main page.

Tweaking the HTML

If you are a code monkey, simply click the Code tab of the Post Editor (Fig. 1) to see the full HTML code of your post. Here you can add inline CSS styles and whatever else you like to spice up your post. If you don’t know HTML, don’t bother.

Setting the Category

Putting your post in the proper category (or categories) is very important for the organization of the site. There are 16 categories to choose from:

• Anecdotes: A retelling of some Metro experience you’ve had. It could be a ride report or a run-in with a nasty bus driver. Anything that relays a unique and personal story.
• Awareness: For the activists. Get the word out about the issues. Let people know what’s up.
• Blogroll: If you’re writing about someone in our links section, add it to this category.
• Culture: Cultural events or experiences belong in this category. If it’s educational, artistic, or enlightening… put it here.
• Events: This is a unique category reserved for event postings that will show up on the Metro Calendar.
• History: Any historical stories or facts about Los Angeles transit belong here.
• Links: If you’re just listing a bunch of external links, put your post in this category.
• MetroLit: This category is reserved for the more literary of posts. Fictional or quasi-fictional tales, poetry, art, photography - those type of things belong in MetroLit.
• MetroMovies: If you’ve got an video you’d like to share, post it here.
• MetroRiderLA: This category is reserved for site updates. You probably won’t be needing this one unless you’re an administrator.
• News: Any current events postings go here. Let us know what’s happening out there right now!
• Opinion: Speak your mind. Did Metro do something to really piss you off? Did they do something that delighted you? Get on your soapbox here.
• Organizations: If you’re writing about a particular club, group, or organization, make sure to put it in this category.
• Queries: Have a question? Our readers probably have an answer. But please challenge our readers, don’t ask obvious questions.
• T.O.D.: Transit Oriented Development. It’s happening all around, and it’s going to change the face of this city. Write about it here.
• Uncategorized: I doubt you’ll need this with the 15 other options I’ve given you. Use as a last resort.

Some posts may fit in more than one category, so feel free to check multiple categories. But don’t go overboard. More than four categories is probably too many for a single post. Narrow your scope.

Adding Events

If you’d like to add an event to the Metro Calendar simply scroll down to the Event Editor:

Fig. 5

Click the “+” button to add an event and then under Start add thet start date and time of the event (click “…” to see a calendar). Under End add the end date and time of the event. To mark and event as an all day event, simply click the checkbox under All Day. After you have done this your post will automatically be added to the Event category and when published it will not show up on the main page. Instead it will be in the Metro Calendar and accessible by clicking the appropriate date on the calendar. If you’d like an event to also show up on the main page, you have make another post (copy and paste the post information) but do not use the Event Editor tool this time. Simply add the event date and time info within the actual post.

MetroMovies

To post a MetroMovie you can use any movie found on the web from YouTube or Google Videos or any Quicktime, WMV, or Flash video. Simply click the corresponding icon from this toolbar in the Visual editor:

Fig. 6

Tagging Posts

To add Technorati tags to your posts simply add the following to the beginning of your post:

Fig. 7

Where tag1, tag2, tag3, and tag4 are replaced by keywords from your post. For example on a posting about taking the Gold Line to Chinatown you might tag:

Fig. 8

Remember, don’t go overboard on the tags - just a few keywords will suffice.

First Time Contributors

The first time you post your article will be held for review by the administrators before it is published. So if when you don’t see it on the main page right away, that’s why. However, if we like your article and decide to publish it (very likely) then we’ll instantly update your status from Contributor to Author which basically means we trust you enough that next time you write an article we won’t hold it for moderation. It will appear on thet main page the instant you click Publish… so make sure it’s good!

Other Content Guidelines

Obviously this is a Los Angeles public transit blog, so try your best to keep your post related to Los Angeles and public transit. If you a feel a national (or international) issue has an effect on Los Angeles public transist, by all means blog about it… just make the connection for us. If you want to write something about regional Southern California transit go right ahead, just use your awesome writing skills to make it relevant to Los Angeles public transit. And most importantly, remember that this site is about the Los Angeles Public Tranist Lifestyle. Above politics and complaints and dry cold facts we want personal stories about the lifestyle of public transit in Los Angeles. How riding public transit in L.A. is special and better than the Car Culture that prospers here. We want to hear stories about how you and your friends use a the bus system to go out on Friday night, or how you took your kids on an awesome Metro adventure, or how you use Metro on a daily basis to get to and from work. You get the idea. It’s all about people and their stories. We can’t wait to hear yours.