by Ann Marie Dwyer

Created on: March 24, 2007   Last Updated: October 17, 2008

As Heliumites rate and read articles, they determine which articles will rise and fall. In order to be sure the articles are meeting the writing standards, here are some basic guidelines to flagging articles as inappropriate. Notes in quotes can be placed in the comment section.

1. Profanity. Articles that contain profane language violate the user agreement and must be flagged. Choose the "Profane" flag with the comment "Profanity".

2. Pornography or graphic adult content. No Helium article should contain pornography or graphic adult material. Comment for the "Adult" flag should be "pornography" or "adult material".

3. Illegal. Articles should not contain material that incites, promotes or advocates illegal activity. Choose the "Illegal" flag with a comment stating the behavior in the article.

4. Incorrect information. Submissions should be factual. Many pieces will contain references. If you know the information in an article is incorrect, choose the "Incorrect Information" flag and (whenever possible) place a URL in the comments to conflicting, reputatable information from the Web.

5. Plagiarism. Each writer should be submitting only his own work. When you see a piece which is plagiarized from another source, choose the "Plagiarism" flag. Put the URL of the original content in the comment section. If you choose the plagiarism flag from User Tools

6. Off topic. If the article appears to be about something other than the title, flag according to how it is off topic. Choose the "Off Topic" flag with the comments "wrong channel", "wrong title", or "does not address topic".

7. Self-promotion and author's name. Articles should never have the author's name, email address, website, biography or any other indentifying information in them. Choose the "Self-promotion" flag with comments like: "Author named", "web site named", "email included" or "self-promo"

8. Stand alone articles. When an article stands alone, without peeking, you should be able to guess what the title is. No articles should be written in response to or referring to another writer or article. Flag articles that fail to address titles or respond to other articles. Use the "Other" flag with a comment like: "Not stand alone article", "response to another writer"

9. Other. For all of those articles that do not quite fit into another flag, choose "Other". Please make your comments as specific as possible.

10. Offensive material. Opinions are welcomed provided they do not incite others. Articles containing inflammatory, defamatory, discriminatory or degrading remarks should be flagged. Choose the "Other Flag" with expanded comments and "Offensive".

In the event that an article you read falls into more than one category, use the labels for all that apply. In the case of #1, #2 or #10, find the article in the title, copy the URL and forward to content@helium.com. Instances of these type violate the user agreement and jeopardize the safety of the teens on Helium.

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