Write a Rising Star Article

Sometimes your first article, or even first several articles, might not be Rising Stars.

Sometimes a new article may not be Rising Star material, but that's OK. Many of our writers have hundreds of articles, and just a few Rising Stars. Also, Rising Stars cycle in and out. We usually reserve Rising Star status for new articles, but that doesn't mean we won't sometimes select a great article that has been consistently improved to be a Rising Star. Here are a few things to consider when working to write a Rising Star articles:

1. 1
   Is the article contributing to the community, and helping people

   ?

   Our first goal is helping people. Make sure your article does that, and you're on the right track. The more helpful your article is, the more people it will help.

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2. 2
   Did you write something original

   ?

   Originality is key to VisiHow, and our system aggressively patrols plagiarism. We don't copy from others, and if we quote or cite information, our citations are always linked and referenced or attributed to the source. Make sure you write your own words, and you'll be fine.

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3. 3
   Is the article well written, and properly formatted

   ?

   Have you checked the spelling and grammar? Many times a great article gets held back because of spelling, grammar, or poor formatting. Run your article through a spell checker, and read it through out loud to make sure it's easy to understand. That's one of the best ways to be sure it makes sense and flows naturally.

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4. 4
   Does your article get updated, and are questions regularly answered

   ?

   Many times someone reading your article will have a question, and there's no one better than you to give them an answer. Providing that help is what makes VisiHow a great place for everyone.

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5. 5
   Are you notifying users through our messaging system when you've answered them

   ?

   When you answer a question, click on the history of your article, and then select the user who asked that question. Send them a quick message, and let them know that you've answered them. Sometimes you can make someone's day with this, helping them learn to do something new, or figure out a problem they couldn't solve.

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6. 6
   Have you improved the article to account for new questions or tips, or created a new support article and linked it

   ?

   The best source of inspiration for new articles is often an existing article. Someone might write about a problem with a computer, which then leads to a question on solving an issue with a virus. That question on fixing a virus problem is a great place to start a new article, which can then build new articles as different questions are asked, such as what to do about malware.

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7. 7
   Do you have too many outbound links

   ?

   VisiHow is a great place to link to other resources, but we try to keep outbound links relevant to the topics being discussed. If you're writing an article on how to change the world, and part of what you're doing involves a cause, then by all means, link to it. We just want to make sure that the links in our articles are focused on the topic, relevant, and most of all, helpful.

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8. 8
   Have you reached out to our editors for help or suggestions

   ?

   The VisiHow team is here to help the community, and by writing, you're a part of that great community. No question is too silly or too small. Any time you have a problem, just ask us. Some of our best articles have been written by people who needed help, and then shared their experiences with the world through VisiHow.

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9. 9
   Finally, are you sharing your articles

   ?

   If you wrote a great article, then VisiHow is the best place for it to be, but have you shared it to Facebook, Google, MySpace, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter? There's a world of possibility out there, and you never know when your article might go viral. Make a difference, and make it personal. Share that with the world, and you'll be amazed at what can happen.

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All of these are great ways to work towards improving your article to being a Rising Star. Remember, the VisiHow team is here to help you make a difference. All you have to do is reach out to us.

Have you seen a great article that you think deserves to be a Rising Star?

Our editors do their best to find Rising Stars and award them, but we're always looking for suggestions from the community too. If you've seen something you feel is deserving of a Rising Star, let us know. We'll look at the article, and if it's got what it takes, we'll make sure it get's a star. If it needs some work, then we'll let you know, and you can help us edit it. Once you've made more than 300 contributions to VisiHow, if you'd like to discuss becoming a Rising Star Editor yourself, let us know. We're always looking for ways to improve the community, and will be happy to help you climb the ranks and help us identify new Rising Star articles.

To learn more about this topic, visit our main article on Understanding Rising Star Articles on VisiHow, where you can learn more.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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