For the Story of Flex
- what’s missing? Let me know if there is a key milestone that you think should be included in the timeline.
- images – always welcome, to illustrate the timeline.
- “Read more” – the timeline provides a very short summary of key points in the development of flex. “Read more” provides further information (max xx words); plus links and references of use to researchers, journalists and others curious to know more at source.
Reflection and Comment is for longer pieces and can to some extent cover anything that will add to this living archive of flex in the UK. I’d be pleased to consider thematic reflections, personal experience, deeper dives etc.
For Search and References, please contact me if you have images, audio or video, employer or campaigner materials, articles, publications or links that you think would be a useful addition for other readers or future researchers.
Please also suggest other Pioneers to interview, especially if you have a direct connection with the individual concerned.
Contact me at [email protected].
Deadlines
There are no deadlines. This is a constantly (and quite gently) evolving site.
Sending copy
Please don’t send anything to me until we have discussed whether it will be added to the site. Once we have agreed, the following guidelines apply:
Word Count
Story of Flex – the first 30 words appear on the timeline, before an automatic roll-over into ‘read more’. No more than 300 words for the full entry (not including references and links). Anything longer, let’s discuss as a possible contribution to Reflection and Comment.
Reflection and Comment – between 500 and 1500 words. If the topic we agree that you will add requires more extensive exploration, we’ll talk about how to break it into shorter articles.
Hyperlinks
One of the best ways to increase the site’s reach is by the use of hyperlinks. If you do contribute copy, please include hyperlinks in your Word copy to key phrases and words, particularly if you are writing about a specific person, organisation or event etc. Doing this helps with Google rankings, and also allows me simply and quickly to add the references to the Reference Resource search page and/or the list of external resources.
Photos/Images
If you have an image to contribute to the site, it is important that it is good quality and either copyright free or usable with attribution. I will not be able to add it to the site otherwise.
Please follow this checklist covering legal compliance, technical specifications, and content quality:
- Ownership and Copyright:
– Confirm you are the original creator and owner of the image, or that you have explicit permission to use and share it. - No Infringing Content:
– Ensure images do not contain logos, trademarks, brand names, or copyrighted creative works (like fictional characters) not belonging to you, unless you have explicit authorisation. - No Sensitive Information:
– Check that the image does not contain sensitive or confidential data. - Licensing Information:
– Clearly define the licensing terms under which you are contributing the image (eg Creative Commons, All Rights Reserved). - Technical Specifications
– Submit images in JPEG format for photographs and general web images.
– Ensure the file size is at least 2mb and no larger than 10mb.
– Do not artificially enlarge or upscale smaller images, as this causes pixelation and distortion.
– Remove any personal watermarks, added text, or frames.
Your bio
Even if I already know you, please include a brief biography with your contribution to the site. A couple of sentences are enough, though feel free to include any relevant links to personal or professional website, LinkedIn, publications etc. I’d normally expect to include this in your piece; although not necessarily to the shorter contributions to “read more” on the timeline, unless something needs to be attributed to you.
Checking what has been published
I’ll send you a link once I have put your contribution on the site. Please check it, for accuracy as well as typos – thank you. If you spot anything, please email me and I’ll aim to correct it soonest.
Copyright
This site is run on an entirely voluntary basis – I do not pay for contributions. Copyright of whatever you contribute remains with you, and you are free to re-use anything you write for this site elsewhere. If you do so, I’d appreciate a link to this site when possible – again, to extend its reach.
Social media
I use LinkedIn, and post whenever I add a new Pioneer or article to the site. Please do likewise, via any social media that you use, to help extend the reach of the site.
House Style
Establishing a house style makes sure that flex.SarahJackson looks professional and helps us stand out as a quality website. Please cast your eye over these basic guidelines – sticking to these rules will make it much easier and quicker to post your content.
Acronyms
Please spell out acronyms in full at first mention and then put the abbreviation in brackets. For example, Shared Parental Leave (SPL) at first mention and SPL for the rest of the article.
British English
Please use British English spelling, eg theatre not theater, labour not labor, realise not realize. Watch out for Word and other programmes automatically changing words to American spellings.
Dates
Please write specific dates in the following format: 10 April 2018. Centuries should be numerical: 15th century, 12th century
CE and BCE should be capped up.
Fonts
Please use a single, simple font. WordPress will strip out any fancy presentation, so don’t waste your time!
Numbers
Numbers one to nine are written out.
Numbers 10 and above are written in numerals. Million/billion are written out in full, e.g. £10 million. Percentages are also written out in full, eg 35 per cent.
Quotation Marks and Italics
Please use full quotation marks (ie double quotation marks) when quoting a full or partial sentence. Single quote marks are used more sparingly, mostly when paraphrasing something or someone.
Please don’t italicise speech – italics are only for titles and for occasional emphasis.
Abbreviations
Please keep them clean! – eg, ie, US. Not e.g., i.e., U.S.
Titles
All titles should be italicised. Words in titles take initial caps except for a, and, at, for, from, in, of, on, the, to (except in initial position or after a colon): e.g. A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare in Love.
Hyphenated Compounds
Work-life balance, worklife balance or work life balance? For this site, please stick to a hyphenated work-life balance.