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Looking for Developer & IT Heroes: Learn How to Share Your
Experience in MSDN & TechNet Magazines
LNC05
Stephen Toub & Joshua HoffmanTechnical EditorsMSDN Magazine & TechNet Magazine
Agenda
The opportunityThe audienceWhere to startA few pointersA push in the right direction
The Opportunity
Share your experience and expertiseContribute to a booming communityConnect with other expertsReach a very broad audienceMake some money
MSDN MagazineSince March 2000 (MSJ since 1986)Monthly journal of developers working with Microsoft products and technologiesAvailable in print (North America, and several international editions) and on the Web (in 11 languages!)Over 30 sessions at TechEd being given by MSDN Magazine authors
www.msdnmagazine.com
TechNet MagazineSince November 2004Monthly journal of IT Professionals working with Microsoft products and technologiesAvailable in print (North America and UK editions) and on the Web (in 11 languages!)Over 30 sessions at TechEd being given by TechNet Magazine authors
www.technetmagazine.com
Who am I talking to?
Over 100,000 copies of each magazine printed per month MSDN Magazine:
Over 2 million page views per month in 11 languagesReaders specializing in every area of software development and architecture
TechNet Magazine: Over 500,000 page views per month in 11 languagesReaders specializing in every area of IT infrastructure and managementDiverse industry and geographical backgrounds
39% in orgs > 1,000 users26% from small business
What do I talk about?
What do you know?
Where do I start? Writing a good proposal
Look through previously published content (all back issues available online)Present several ideasHave a specific topic(s) in mindBe clear and concise
Be able to describe the focus of your article in just a few sentences
Include your estimated length and completion dateProofread your proposal
Bad Proposal #1
Hi,I am joe a student from university here i have attached a file which describes Architecture standards for .net. The basic idea behind this article is to ensure .Net standard according Para functional requirement.So pls review this and send me a feed back.
regards,joe
Bad Proposal #2
To whom it may concern,
I’m an expert in Windows, with 10 years of experience, and I’d like to write something for your publication. What do you need?
Regards,Joe
Good ProposalTopic: Database management scripts
Abstract:Database Administrators often find themselves writing and managing numerous custom SQL scripts to monitor system activity. Visual Basic .NET provides a platform for rapid development that allows Database Administrators to quickly and easily create custom forms based monitoring applications.
Article Length: Approximately 3000 words along with screenshots and sample code.
Expected Completion Date: Six weeks from the date of acceptance
Audience: Database Administrators I have not granted rights to this article to another publisher. It has not been published previously in print or on the Web. The article is not adapted from another source (such as a book or blog post).
What kind of article are you writing?
Know what kind of article you’re writing before you begin
A primer? An API overview?A “How to” or code walkthrough?A top n tools/utilities piece?A technical guide/best practices piece?A post-mortem?
Getting started
The two sentence descriptionThe slightly longer abstractWhat should the reader know by the end of reading your article?Writing a good introduction
Making it sound good
Know your audienceBe consistentBe clear and concise (it’s a sign of intelligence )Be originalKeep a thesaurus handyBe clever, but don’t try too hardBeware of tangents (though they may make good sidebars)… and we can help
Making it look good
Use illustrations as a way to explain or expand upon a pointUse screenshots to aide in explanation, but not to drive your articleProcesses are best depicted by diagrams, not necessarily screenshotsMake sure your text correlates to your illustrationsDo not capture real names/companies/dataBelieve it or not, a hand-drawn sketch can be better than a computerized diagram (we redraw everything anyway)Take screenshots in 32-bit color with ClearType disabledUse BMP or TIFF image format… and we can help there, too
What makes a good author?
Know your subjectHave a specific focusRead your own article - several timesAsk for help! Have others read your article before submitting itUnderstand that everyone gets edited. Everyone.
Things to think about
Do you need permission to publish?Offer your company info only in the bio lineArticles need to be educational (no product pitches)Original material onlyIt’s easier to cut than it is to fillHow the edit cycle worksThe timelineContracts and payment process
Q&A
Proposals: [email protected]@microsoft.com
Questions / Comments: [email protected]@microsoft.com
Web sites: www.msdnmagazine.comwww.technetmagazine.com
Blogs: blogs.msdn.com/msdnmagazineblogs.technet.com/tnmag
Resources
Technical Communities, Webcasts, Blogs, Chats & User Groupshttp://www.microsoft.com/communities/default.mspx
Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) & TechNet http://microsoft.com/msdn
http://microsoft.com/technet
Trial Software and Virtual Labshttp://www.microsoft.com/technet/downloads/trials/default.mspx
Microsoft Learning and Certificationhttp://www.microsoft.com/learning/default.mspx
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© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market
conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
