How to contribute to the Griz Renter Blog
On the Griz Renter Blog, University of Montana students can find information to help them find housing, resolve landlord-tenant issues, and access programs to meet their basic needs.
We know that a lot of that knowledge lives outside our office, and we want your help!
Here’s a step-by-step guide to contributing your expertise.
Read what’s already posted
The first step to creating a quality post is researching what the blog already says about your topic. You can get started with our essential posts, our fair housing page, or just check out our home page.
A little research will help you hone a unique take, update what has already been posted, and build on that material with links.
Pitch us your idea
Contact the ASUM Renter Center and tell us your idea for a post. It doesn’t need to be formal. If you have a draft post or something similar you have already created, send that!
Create a Medium account
We prefer personal accounts rather than organizational ones. Add a profile picture and a description, and feel free connect your social media accounts. Lisa’s profile is a good example:
Let us know your username, and we’ll set you up as a writer on the Griz Renter Blog.
Add to publication
When you’re drafting your story, you should see a ‘…’ menu. Click it, and select “Add to publication.” If you’ve been added as a writer, you should see Griz Renter Blog as an option.
If you have added your story to the Griz Renter Blog publication, hitting the green “Ready to publish?” button will give you a few other options, then send us a draft that we can edit before publishing.
We will make minor changes, like correcting typos, but we will contact you if the story needs any major modifications.
Tips
Choose a narrow, practical topic
The best blog posts are about one specific topic like renting with pets or how college students can get SNAP. Have a lot of ideas? Maybe we need to run a series.
Use a conversational tone
Some of the material this blog covers can be dry, and some of it can be emotionally intense. To the extent it’s possible, we like to present information in a friendly, conversational tone.
Use images and other media
Every post should have at least one image, whether it is a photo or a chart. The best images are original to the post. Photos from UM’s campus or Missoula are always a plus.
Many authors also like to include memes. That is OK, but please include the URL of the meme so we can attribute it properly!
Have your own blog? Cross-post!
If you or your organization have your own blog, you can host the original article, and we can cross-post it to the Griz Renter Blog.
Consider a Creative Commons license
You own the content you create for our blog, but we encourage you to share it via a Creative Commons license. Not sure what that means? Check out the video below:
By default, your post will show your copyright, but you can choose a variety of Creative Commons licenses under “Manage content licensing” in that same “…” menu.
Thank you
University of Montana students need the wisdom of community members like you. Thank you for contributing to our blog!
