How to get published on the front page

Recently, a few students have asked me how they can get their posts (content) published on the front page.  You probably know that posts that make it to the front page are seen by many people. What you may not know however, is that the posts which make it to the front page also get sent out to our 1500+ members via email. As you can imagine, we are very careful about which posts make it to the front page.

Whenever you make a new post (blog entry, photos, video, forum topic), I read it and decide whether or not it should go on the front page. Here is what I look for:

1. Is the post original? This is the most important criteria. Did YOU write the post or did someone else write it? If you are copying words off the internet, I will not even consider promoting your post to the front page. Most likely, your post will be deleted and I will send you a warning. So, PLEASE...use your OWN words.
2. Is the post readable? - If I can't understand what you wrote, chances are that no one else will be able to understand it either. Please pay attention to your spelling and grammar. I realize that no one is perfect and I am willing to help you edit it a little bit, but you need to submit content that others can follow.
3. Is the post interesting? The NEC is proud to have members from China and all over the world who visit this site daily. We try our best to offer our members interesting and relevant content. While it might be fun to write about the weather or what you ate for breakfast, these kinds of posts won't usually make it to the front page. Please share your opinions with us or tell us about an interesting experience that you have had. If you are struggling with something or you have some happy news to share, we are happy to have a discussion with you. 
4. Videos and Photos. In general, we don't promote videos to the front page unless we see something really good. However, your video will still be available in the 'latest videos' section. We DO promote photos to the front page but only if they are YOUR photos. We love to see photos of your schools,trips,and friends. 
5. Other factors. We try to present a variety of content on the front page. If three people submit photos at the same time, I will probably only promote one gallery to the front page. If two people write about a car accident they saw, I will probably only promote one to the front page. We try to have as many different topics on the front page as possible. 
6. ​Be patient. ​We only put a certain amount of content on the front page every day. Sometimes, I see something really good but I decide to wait to put it on the front page on the next day. This is to make sure that other content has a chance to be seen before it disappears from the front page.

None of us are perfect, of course, so sometimes we might miss a really good piece of content. If you think we've overlooked something, you are always welcome to leave a message on my wall. I'll be happy to take a look...!

Happy posting!