You Should Write For The Fatherly Forum

It may take a village to raise a child, but who lives in a village anymore? And while technology can’t babysit your kid, it can provide access to the collective body of parenting wisdom.

That’s why we’re proud to announce the launch of the Fatherly Forum, a platform that gives a voice to thought leaders, cultural influencers and anyone with insights and perspective on parenting that they want to share. Forum contributors range from captains of venture capital to fitness innovators to military veterans writing about kids, schools, social media, gender issues, and any other parenting conversation to which they can contribute.

This is a growing community with more to offer every day, but the one thing that’s missing is … you. If you’re a parent yourself, or if you just have parents, then you have perspective and insights of your own that other parents (or children of parents) can benefit from. So sign up and make your voice heard. The most compelling posts will receive promotion on Fatherly’s homepage and social media channels, and every post has the opportunity to make the life of someone with a specific parenting question easier.

Write About What You Know:You don’t have to be a renown expert on the topic, but it should be something that you know a lot about and that others might find interesting. For example, see Seth Matlins’ piece, “Why I Let My Boy Dress Like A Girl.”

Write About An Experience:

Maybe it’s a conversation you had with your 2 year old or something that happened while on a work trip that made you blink. For example, Rachel Garlinghouse wrote “What Do You Say When Someone Calls Your 2-Year-Old Son A Thug?”

Be Engaging:

Don’t be afraid to tackle big issues or speak up for what you believe. For example, Ken Harbaugh wrote “Why I Taught My Daughters To Punch.”

Step 1: Create Your Profile Create your profile here. You can add/edit your headshot and short bio by clicking “my page” within the side menu.

Step 2: Add Post

Once you are logged in, select “Add Post” from the site’s side menu or from your author page.

Step 3: Add Main Content

Then copy/paste your content to the bottom area, and use the toolbar to manipulate your article’s visual appearance (bold, underline, bullets, etc.). Enter a title in the headline section. Upload a main image — larger files are generally better, as they’ll display across the width of your browser.

Step 4: Add Inset Photos or Videos

To add photos, video, tweets, or other gifs within the article, click the blue “+” sign where you want them to appear. Then either upload them from your computer or link to the photo url.

Step 5: Save Draft

If you’d like to save a post you’re working on, click “Save Draft.” Find it later by going to the side menu and clicking on “Drafts.”

Step 6: Publish

Click “Publish” when you’re ready to publish your piece.

Step 7: Promote

Promote your work! Post it on Facebook and Twitter and email it to your friends asking them to share.

Questions?

Feeling stuck? Drop us a line at TheForum@Fatherly.com.

TitlesWrite a title that grabs people’s attention and gets them in the door. A good headline (A) says what the article is about (B) in a catchy way (C) without revealing too much. Use words like ‘how’ (How Tae Kwon Do Saved My Daughter) or ‘why’ (Why Free Range Parenting Is Misunderstood) in the title, because people want to learn something new.

Images:

Your images should be as high-resolution as possible. Here are 53 free image resources for you to use.

Content Formatting:

You can bold, italicize, and create headers, quotes, and hyperlinks. Formatting can also be removed by deselecting the option on the toolbar.

Soft Returns:

A soft return drops your cursor one line down, without the large space. Do this by clicking shift+return at the same time.

1. Fatherly Forum contributors can post as often as they would like to. There are no deadlines nor any requirement to pitch stories.

2. Fatherly reserves the right to remove posts that include ad hominem or other personal attacks, are intended to troll, or are otherwise inflammatory or offensive. People who post such articles may be banned from posting.

3. Since anyone can sign up to contribute to the Fatherly Forum, it is critical that contributors refrain from identifying themselves as Fatherly reporters, writers, or as being employed by Fatherly in any way. Identifying oneself as a “Fatherly Forum contributor” is acceptable. Community members who misidentify their relationship with Fatherly may be banned from posting to the site.

3. Link to all relevant sources on statistics and cited information. Never pass off other people’s work as your own.

4. Fatherly recommends avoiding posts that are expressly promotional, including press releases and marketing material. However, contributors should feel free to reference and link to any organizations or groups they’d like in their articles, and can include a 50-60 word italicized note at the end of their piece to draw attention an organization, event, campaign, petition, or something on social media.