Participating with The Rapidian

The Rapidian invites community members to participate as much or little as they want. All media pieces on The Rapidian are public and free to access. For those who want to do more than consume information, a graduated process of involvement with the online site has been developed.
 

1. Anyone, anytime
   
   The Rapidian Web site is accessible to everyone without signing in. Additionally, the site will initially feature a “right now” Twitter widget. Anyone who tweets with the hashtag #Rapidian will appear in our scrolling tweet box on the front page.
    
2. Registered Users
   
   To interact with media pieces and other users, individuals must create a user account. Once the account is activated, registered users can comment on stories, rate content, add tags and contribute photos to the Rapidian photo bank. We will rotate these in our photo of the day section. During the early beta phase, we will be actively soliciting input from users regarding the functionality, usefulness and technical capabilities of The Rapidian.
    
3. New Reporters
   
   This step provides a supportive way for new Rapidian reporters to get started. The first three stories in any format will be submitted to an editorial mentor who will complete two quick steps:
   
   
   1. Look out for any “fatal flaws” A fatal flaw could be a technical issue that keeps the content from posting correctly or a piece that is in direct violation of our few but important editorial policies. If such a flaw is found, the story will be returned to the reporter for correction.
       
   2. Review and make suggestions This step is intended to provide useful feedback about a story. These comments are suggestions related to readability, story flow, recommended tags and such. New reporters can also ask for specific advice at this stage. The reporter is free to use any or all of the feedback.
      
      Once this process is complete and any flaws fixed, the story will be posted.
       
4. Reporters
   
   Once the mentor process for new reporters is completed, full reporter status is granted and reporters can begin self-posting. This allows for immediate uploads of videos, audio stories, photos and text from around the community. This function is central to The Rapidian being a vibrant community information source. This content (like all content) will be evaluated by registered users. However, if content from a reporter is consistently flagged, it will be reviewed on an individual basis to determine whether the reporter needs to return to the mentoring process.
    
5. Editors/Mentors
   
   Seasoned Rapidian reporters who want to take the next step can apply to be an editor. Selection is based on quality of reporting and a strong understanding of effective use of the Rapidian site. Different editor/mentors will have different areas of expertise (either media types or subject areas).
    
6. Editorial Board
   
   An editorial board comprises editors who have applied to be part of the board. This body monitors editors to make sure there is no abuse of power.

As The Rapidian continues to evolve, community input from reporters, readers, viewers and more will be used to refine these steps.