Last Updated: 5/01/23
Grammarly Premium
All Articles must be run through Grammarly Premium before Submitting them to Editors.
No ifs, ands, or buts. We do not have a “corporate copy” you can use – you must own the program on your personal computer. You’re freelance writers. You own a business. Grammarly Premium is a business expense you can deduct from your taxes.
AI Policy
Wealth of Geeks does not use, publish or accept any articles generated by any Artificial Intelligence software. We do not pay for AI-generated content. If we discover you have utilized a program like ChatGPT, Jasper, Anyword, Wordtune, Copy.ai, Sassbook, Writesonic, Smoden, Sudowrite, Rytr, Bard, Powerbrain, or any similar AI-generating tool to write an article, you will be immediately terminated.
Yes, we have already caught some writers attempting this. Yes, BuzzFeed and a few other media outlets have used these tools.
We recognize some of the benefits of AI, such as CHAT-GPT's ability to generate some generally good headlines. It is not, however, a shortcut or tool to be used to create ‘original' content for which you intend to be paid.
Wealth of Geeks Has a Zero Tolerance Policy for AI-Generated Content.
Writer Etiquette
Our editors work very hard on tight deadlines to get content out. If a member of our Editing Team sends your article back, asking for edits or explaining why they need something fixed, for whatever reason, thank them and make the changes. Part of the fee you are paid per article (or your hourly rate) is to cover necessary edits – we're paying for publishable material. We expect you to write and behave at a professional level.
If you are asked to make edits, you are expected to acknowledge the message ASAP. You then have 2 business days to complete the requested edits. If there is a legitimate reason you cannot do so (personal illness, family emergency, etc.) please take a moment and communicate that to the Editor.
However, arguing with or being rude to Editors, purposely dragging your heels, or intentionally making their jobs harder is grounds for a warning and possible termination.
Ownership/Work Product:
Whether you are working as an employee or freelancer for Wealth of Geeks, any content that we approve, you turn in and we pay for, becomes the exclusive property of Wealth of Geeks.
Wealth of Geeks is the legal owner of the content and has the exclusive rights, in perpetuity, to publish the work we have hired on Wealth of Geeks as well as syndicate it to partner websites, license it, resell it, or disseminate it any way that we see fit.
Writers may not encroach on these rights. You may not resell or republish any article that Wealth of Geeks owns on any other platform – including Patreon, Substack, Medium, Tumblr, OnlyFans, Fansly, personal blogs, or any other such platform, without express written permission from Wealth of Geeks.
If you would like to re-print an article you have written for us as a writing sample on your personal site, attached to a resume, or in a portfolio package, you must first confirm permission. Any article so used must bear the following statement: “Previously Published on Wealth of Geeks,” include a canonical link back to Wealth of Geeks, displayed prominently with your byline, or inserted into the footer of each page.
Wealth of Geeks retains these rights, even if the article is deleted, not currently published, or has been substantially rewritten.
Bylines:
Once content is purchased and published on Wealth of Geeks, it bears the original author's byline, regardless of whether or not that writer is still contributing to Wealth of Geeks. We do not change author bylines, except in two rare instances.
- If the original writer is no longer with Wealth of Geeks and another writer is hired to do a substantial rewrite, the byline may be shared with or replaced by the newer writer. This is a rare instance and assigning the byline will be done on a case-by-case basis.
- If the original writer's byline, for whatever reason may cause damage to the Wealth of Geeks brand or other writers on our site, we will carefully consider assigning the generic “Wealth of Geeks” byline to their work. This is not something we take lightly and such action will be utilized only in extreme circumstances.
Content Triggers:
Wealth of Geeks covers entertainment, politics, pop culture, culture, crime, gender, race, and finance news. As a writer for Wealth of Geeks, you might be exposed to story headlines or pitches that might be sensitive or triggering to certain individuals.
We also cover movies, TV, and video games that may contain acts of violence and might be rated R or for adults only.
That, unfortunately, is the nature of the type of material we cover. Our writers agree to hold us harmless for any words, phrases or photos they may be exposed to during the course of the day, on our site or our partner sites, as well as Slack, Google docs, and any other forms of communications that may be utilized, now or in the future, to pitch stories and write articles for the site.
Professional Credentials:
Unless you have a work contract, you are designated a Freelance Writer.
As such, you provide content for Wealth of Geeks, but are limited in how you represent the company and how you represent yourself to the outside world. You do not work directly for the company and may not present yourself as a spokesperson, influencer, decision maker, or in any way an official representative of Wealth of Geeks.
Any freelancer found to be presenting themselves in an official capacity with Wealth of Geeks beyond as a freelancer, is subject to immediate termination from the roster.
If you haven’t already, go to MuckRack.com and claim your freelancer profile. Fill everything out – it will help build your credibility and professional image.
If you need help or connections to get media access, let me know and I’ll help you if I can.
We have nearly 2 million page views every month, and syndicate to MSN, as well as over 5000 news outlets across the globe with hundreds of reads and clicks – you’re working with a major media corporation that’s run as a small business.
Wealth of Geeks makes no promises of any sort of coverage, backlinks or preferential treatment in exchange for a quote, and we do not accept any type of product, service or remuneration tied directly to an expectation of coverage.
Anyone found to be taking advantage of Wealth of Geeks reputation and clout to in any way to gain favor, solicit gifts or compensation, access or information for any purposes outside of their assigned articles will be subject to immediate termination.
HARO/QWOTED/Media Access/Interviews
When you approach someone outside of the Wealth of Geeks (Money Mix & Insiders) infrastructure, even as a freelancer writer, you need to do so with excellence, remembering that you are, in a small capacity, representing the online publication for which you are writing.
We use proper American English grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure just as much in our correspondence as in our articles.
Any and all HARO (HelpAReporter.com), QWOTED or similar requests send out on behalf of Wealth of Geeks must be approved by your team editor prior to submitting them. In case it isn't obvious – your team editor will only approve requests related to articles that you have been assigned or pitched and been approved for. You should not be starting any action, whether it be writing, research, or background, until you have been told to do so.
Before sending your request to HARO, QWOTED, Wealthtender or any similar service, or reaching out to a source via email, social media or other written means, you must submit to your team editor exactly what you plan on sending out, and have them sign off on it.
If we see any unauthorized HARO requests on behalf of Wealth of Geeks, or we find out you altered the posting or correspondence from what was approved, it is grounds for immediate termination.
Please download The Professional Standards Agreement attached, sign and initial in the specified places and email it directly to Entertainment@WealthofGeeks.com within 72 hours of starting with Wealth of Geeks, and prior to pitching or accepting any assignment.