Posting Op-Ed Tips

We like our members to get the most out of the features on We Op-Ed. Below you will find some basic tips and guidelines for posting your own Op-Eds.

Text Editor

You may have noticed the row of buttons above the posting form. Selecting these buttons will automatically add HTML tags around the highlighted text which will not show up once published.

As it appears in the form:

As it will appear when published:

Adding Blockquotes to Long Quotations

Simply add the following HTML tags around the quoted text.

As it appears in the form:

Embedding Video Clips into Your Op-Ed

Want to spice up your Op-Eds with some relevant video clips? Simply copy and paste the embed code to your posting form. The embed code is usually provided by the site where you found the video. For example, here's where the code can be found for YouTube videos:

Tagging and Posting Op-Eds and Comments

We Op-Ed's Tagging Tips and Guidelines

• Use lower-case unless it requires proper capitalization (acronyms like NAFTA or names of people, etc.)
• Use plurals for categories. (“blogs” instead of “blog”)
• For public figures, use their full name with no title. (Joseph Biden, George W. Bush)
• Include any synonyms and groupings. (Legislative Branch, Congress, Senate, House of Representatives or New York and New York City)
• Check for spelling 6. Include both the specific tag and the general category (Presidential Election, Democratic Candidates, Barack Obama)
• No symbols please (#$%^)
• Don’t hold back. If it is relevant then put it in there.
• Look around the community and see how others tag.

As the maxim goes, politics does not make for polite conversation. We accept that the issues discussed on this site may provoke passionate debate, but here’s a few ways to keep it simple. Please inform Weoped us if you have any further suggestions:

• Try to keep the swearing to a minimum, for all you potty mouths out there. When in doubt, just ask yourself if you would kiss your mother with that mouth.
• What’s in a name policy -- no reason to label or nickname a fellow member with anything inflammatory, no matter how clever the play on words may be. Besides, name-calling went out of style like when we graduated elementary school.
• Comments should be as thoughtful as the articles they refer to. Think them through before posting and make sure they add to the discussion. No “Yup” or “so-and-so is way off here” or “someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed”.
• Just the facts policy – any and all references to facts and figures should be linked to reputable sources. We got an informed community here and they’ll call you on it if you make outrageous claims.
• Leave the sensationalism to Cable News. Make your headlines relevant to the article. This certainly does not mean, make them plain or check your personality and flair at the door.
• Stay on topic. Debates and comments too often stray from the pressing issue. If you want to move on to another topic, Start a new Debate.
• If you’re going to link to an article from your blog, we ask that you cut and paste your article as well and link to its version on Weoped. We want you to promote your writing, so post all the relevant articles you want.
• No commercial posts.
• Refrain from “trolling”. We love a good helping of indignation, but please don’t insult or vilify the subject of your post just to incite arguments from your readers. We’re trying to be better than the mainstream media here.