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Call for submissions: Top tips for healers
Early this year, we ran a guest post on top tips for DPSers. Just last week, we asked for your articles on top tips for tanks. (We're evaluating those submissions as we speak; the article should be published this weekend.) This week, we're going to complete the triad with a call for articles on top tips for healers. We've all heard the basics a million times ... Tell us the secrets of the very best healers! Maybe you have a list of little-known tricks used by the most experienced healers, or you'd like to share some tips to calm the nervous first-time instance or raid healer. What about the savviest moves for healers in ICC hard modes? Whatever your angle is, it should stand out and provide a top 10 list worthy of bookmarking; we'll only be accepting the very best article. Submissions should be between 500 and 1,000 words. Artwork is not mandatory, but should you choose to include a screenshot, please make sure that it is your own work or from creative commons; images should be 580 pixels wide and between 175 and 350 pixels high. Update: We will not accept articles submitted under player names or pen names; please use your real name and email. Ready to submit? Read up about our guest post program, then sign up for Seed and submit your article here. (You can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account.) Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept submissions for this assignment until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thurs., June 3. Good luck and good writing!
Call for submissions: Top tips for tanks
That's right, hopeful writers -- we're back again for what's becoming a weekly call for article submissions. We're enjoying your articles so much that we're opening up a slot each week for an outstanding submission via Seed, Aol's guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. This week, we're looking for your top 10 tips for tanks. What's your spin on this topic -- can you tell us the most important things to that tanks should know, or perhaps the handiest little-known tricks used by experienced tanks? Maybe you have tricks and tips to calm the nervous first-time tank, or perhaps you've collected some obscure strategies applicable only to the hardest of the hardcore. Whatever your angle is, it should provide a top 10 list worthy of bookmarking; we'll only be accepting the very best article. Submissions should be between 500 and 1,000 words. Art work is not mandatory, but should you choose to include a screenshot, please make sure that it is your own work or from creative commons; images should be 580 pixels wide and between 175 and 350 pixels high. Ready to submit? Read up about the Seed program, sign up and then submit your article here (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept submissions for this assignment until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 27.
Submit your own Breakfast Topic to WoW.com
That's right, hopeful writers -- the Breakfast Topic coffee cup is back, ready to be filled up with your submissions. We've had such a great time over morning coffee with our guest Breakfast Topic posters that we're opening up submissions once again. What's on your mind (and what do you think is on other players' minds) when it comes to WoW? Write it up as Breakfast Topic and submit your article for consideration through Seed, Aol's guest writer program. We're looking for Breakfast Topics in our usual conversational style, asking the community for their thoughts on your WoW-related topic. Submissions should be between 200 and 500 words (with a wee bit of wiggle room in either direction). Only the best submissions will be accepted. Here's what to do: read up about the Seed program, sign up and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept Breakfast Topic submissions for this call-out until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 27. We hope to be sharing a steaming cup of joe (or hot green tea -- with English muffins and Nutella, of course) over your words soon!
Call for submissions: Do you want to be in the Cataclysm beta?
Are you pining for a Cataclysm beta invitation? Do you love testing new encounters? Is your guild eager to "practice" as many raid encounters as possible? Are you in a hurry to see everything the expansion can offer? ... Or do you want to wait until everything is completely ready, pure as driven snow? Are you shunning the very topic of beta testing, waiting patiently until Cataclysm goes live? WoW.com is looking for a guest article featuring your best arguments for or against participating in the beta of the game you already know and love. Why do you want to -- or not want to -- be a Cataclysm beta tester? Explain your position thoroughly, pro or con, in 500 words or less. As with all guest post call-outs, only the best submissions will be accepted. Here's what to do: read up about the Seed guest writer program, sign up (we won't accept submissions under pen names or character names), and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept submissions for this call-out until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 20. If you have questions, you can email seed (at) wow (dot) com.
Call for submissions: Keeping the guild together
The fallow times are upon us. Your guild has cleared Icecrown Citadel, or at least the end is in sight. Guild members are growing restless, uncertain if they're up to logging in to farm epics in the face of no further content to use it in. Guilds who've been slower making the climb are having a harder and harder time finding raiders willing to commit to the final stretch. Everyone's worried how the expansion's changes to raid drops and incentives are going to affect the guild's motivation and team spirit. The community is holding its collective breath, waiting for Cataclysm ... How is your guild holding itself together during this time of transition? WoW.com is looking for an article on how guilds can keep from disintegrating during this pre-expansion period of transition. We're looking for thoughtful strategies and suggestions, between 500 and 1,000 words, on ways that guilds can successfully survive the period linking the end of Wrath with the launch of Cataclysm. What is your guild doing? What alternatives are working for other guilds and raiding groups? Preferably, you're the GM or an officer of a guild or the leader of a regular raiding group (although we won't discount submissions from other types of players). As with all guest post call-outs, only the best submission will be accepted. Here's what to do: read up about the Seed guest writer program, sign up and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept submissions for this call-out until 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 13.
Submit your own Breakfast Topic
We've had such a great time over morning coffee with our guest Breakfast Topic posters that we're opening up submissions once again. What's on your mind -- and what do you think is on other players' minds -- when it comes to WoW? Write it up as Breakfast Topic and submit it for consideration through Aol's Seed, our guest writer program. We're looking for Breakfast Topics in our usual conversational style, asking the community for their thoughts on your WoW-related topic. Submissions should be between 200 and 500 words (with a wee bit of wiggle room in either direction). Only the best submissions will be accepted. Here's what to do: read up about the Seed program, sign up and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States; we hope to be able to accept international submissions in the future. We'll accept Breakfast Topic submissions for this call-out until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 2. (We may put out other calls for additional Breakfast Topics in the future.) We hope to be enjoying our morning coffee over your words soon!
Five ways Keynote for the iPad badly misses the mark
My new iPad hasn't left my side since launch day. I love it -- the wonderful iBook reader, the incredible speed and fluidity of the web browser and the rich colors and sharpness of the display. I've also been wowed by the quality of many of the third party apps in the App store. For example, both the to-do list Things and the Bloomberg News applications demonstrate the potential of the iPad to introduce exciting new ways of interacting with a computer. With that said, there's definitely still some lemons in the iPad App Store. But, with iPad apps being a brand-new enterprise, it's reasonable to expect that third party developers who only recently got their hands on their own iPad just some need time to learn how best to utilize the iPad's form factor. One app that I (along with a growing contingent online) am incredibly disappointed with is produced by the one company who shouldn't need more time to learn the device -- Apple, Inc. I'm referring to Keynote, Apple's presentation application. Keynote for the iPad was billed as a full-featured presentation package, offering the same features and full compatibility with the wonderful desktop version. As a Keynote addict, I was incredibly excited to see how this program would be redefined by a giant touch screen. After using the app since launch day, I'm sad to report that Apple has made some big mistakes with the iPad version of Keynote. I've noticed what many concerned and angry commenters on Apple's support forums have also noticed: the iPad corrupts and changes many Keynote presentations imported from a Mac, lacks support for custom fonts, and overall is a stripped down version of its desktop relative. I was frustrated to experience these problems because I had been so excited for the iPad's Keynote potential. My company is fanatical about the Mac version of Keynote and we converted from Windows to Mac just because Keynote blows Powerpoint out of the water. We had planned to buy iPads for our staff because Keynote looked so darned enticing. We'd use our iPads to present, edit, and even as impromptu presenting devices by playing presentations right on the screen. Unfortunately, until Apple addresses the problems listed below, we're holding off on additional iPad purchases. Keynote for iPad 1.0 is virtually unusable for all but the most basic of user.
Call for Posts: Guide to Frozen Orbs in patch 3.3.3
One of the great things about patch 3.3.3 is the new uses for frozen orbs, and WoW.com is looking for a guide that helps World of Warcraft players determine what the best ways to use them are. We're soliciting for this guide through Aol's Seed program, the same system that's brought you all the guest posts you've been seeing around the site lately. The successful guide will include the following: A clear list/table of items that Frozen Orbs can be used to help create via purchased Runed Orbs or Crusader Orbs A clear list/table of what Frozo the Renowned sells Analysis on why certain items from the above two lists are better than others Links to previous WoW.com articles on Frozen Orbs and patch 3.3.3 information Linking items to Wowhead when appropriate A successful guide will be between 750 and 1,500 words in length and contain appropriate media elements. In order to submit your guide, you'll need to sign up for Aol's Seed program, and then visit the project page for this guide. If your guide is selected to be published, we'll pay you $50. This is a different kind of guest post request than we've normally done -- but we think it'd be fun to see what kind of guides you all can come up with! If you have additional questions, ask them in the comments or email seed@wow.com and an editor will get back to you. Good luck!
Call for posts: Upcoming Cataclysm Class Changes
Unless you've been living under a rock you know that Blizzard is getting set for a major Cataclysm info dump over the next week. This kind of information sparks a lot of comments and intelligent discussion, and WoW.com wants to feature it prominently. To that end, we're looking for short guest posts on what you think about the changes to your class. We're going to operate this guest posting opportunity much like we did our BlizzCon 2010 opinions. Write a paragraph or two, sign up for Seed, and then go and submit it on the Seed project page. If it's something we like we'll post it and you'll get paid $10! Easy and awesome. You can find out more about the guest writer program in our announcement post and at our Contributing to WoW.com page. A couple things to note: If you write a really great comment here, feel free to submit it through our Seed page too! No penalty for leaving a comment and submitting it through Seed. We're expecting to get a ton of submissions for this, so we're not going to be able to publish all the great thoughts and opinions we get, even though we want to. If you'd like you can include a short bio about yourself, things like your character name, guild, server, blog, etc... Totally optional, though. The sooner you get these in the better! We'll be publishing our first batch of guest posts in the next day or so, and will continue to do so every couple days for the next week or so. This project closes on April 19th at 11:59 p.m. EST. We hope that you all keep this in the back of your mind in the next few days as all this info gets released. So many of you know this game so well, we're excited to be able to feature your knowledge and opinions to the masses! If you have any questions, just leave a comment here or email seed@wow.com and we'll get back to you. Edit: Please note, this submission should be based off the upcoming Cataclysm class changes, released April 7th through April 16th.
iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members
Us freeloaders still have a bit of a wait left, it seems, but paying members of Apple's iPhone Developer Program (which now services iPad devs, too) now have access to the Gold Master seed of the iPhone SDK for OS 3.2. This is a pretty big deal since it's the very first version of the operating system to support the iPad, of course -- and seeing how the first volley of iPads hits retail this weekend, it couldn't come at a better time. Let us know if you find anything wild in this new build, and we'll do the same, alright? [Thanks, Kory H.]
Call for Posts: Write a Breakfast Topic!
Over the last few years, the number one thing people have submitted over our tip line is suggestions for Breakfast Topics. Everyone has questions they want to ask the community. There are people of all types and flavors playing WoW, each with their own views and opinions. It's always fun and interesting to see people debate your topic, and this is your chance. We are now taking Breakfast Topic submissions via Aol's Seed. You can find out more about the program in our announcement post about the Guest Writer program, and at our Contributing to WoW.com page. As mentioned, we're looking for all of you to write Breakfast Topics in our usual conversational style, asking the community for their thoughts and opinions on whatever WoW-related topic you'd like. Entries should ideally be between 200 and 500 words, though there is some wiggle room in either direction. Only the best submissions will be accepted. In order to get started read up about the program, sign up, and then submit your article (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). Unfortunately, we are currently only able to take submissions from individuals living in the United States, but hopefully we'll be able to accept international submissions in the future. We are accepting submissions until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 24th. If this round goes well, we will take more contributions later. Good luck, and have fun!
Call for Posts: What I want to see at BlizzCon 2010
Last week we did a test run of our Guest Writer program asking our Twitter followers to write an article giving five tips to DPSers running random heroics. Our test run was a success (the winning article will be published later this week), and we're now ready to begin allowing everyone to have the chance to become a Guest Writer on WoW.com! WoW.com runs the program through Aol's Seed. You can find out more about the program in our announcement post about the Guest Writer program, and at our newly re-vamped Contributing to WoW.com page. This week we're looking for contributions from writers telling us what they want to see at BlizzCon 2010. We're looking for between 75 and 150 words, and we'll select 3 to 7 entries for publication on WoW.com. If your entry is selected, you'll be paid $10 through Seed. Last week we found out that BlizzCon could be returning to the Anaheim Convention Center and that Jay Mohr is hosting again. In order to get started read up about the program, sign up, and then submit your paragraph over on the article page (you can't see the article page unless you have a Seed account). We are accepting submissions until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday February 14th. Please follow all instructions exactly. US residents only right now, although we're told our international friends will be able to submit work through Seed soon. Good luck!
The new WoW.com Guest Writer program
You may be seeing some new names on the site soon, but don't be alarmed! In addition to the new columnists who have recently joined us, we also are starting a new Guest Writer program through Aol's Seed.com. Seed is new site designed to allow writers submit work for publication on many of the blogs Aol owns, in this case, WoW.com. (If you are interested in potentially writing for this or any other Aol site, I encourage you to set up your Seed.com account now. Seed only works for USA based writers and your real name will appear on our site.) We're going to be using Seed in a couple of different ways: We'll be tapping WoW writers around the internet to write specific posts for us. In fact, you will see two this week: one from Chris Dinwiddie (aka Graylo of Gray Matter) and another from Richard Powell (founder of the LoreCrafted blog). We'll occasionally call out for anyone to contribute on specific topics and pick the best for publication. You may have noticed us doing one of these already! Our recent call out for tips on running random heroics received dozens of submissions and we're going through them now. For any future opportunities, keep an eye on the site or our Twitter feed -- we're aiming to call out for your content once or twice a week. And in the meantime? Don't panic if you see unfamiliar names on the site -- after all, the next name could be yours! To be crystal clear: we now have two ways of hiring writers. We still have the old way where we can contract writers regardless of the where they live for regular, long term writing on the site and we have this new way which we use when we only want to use a writer once or irregularly. This new way, unfortunately, is limited to writers in the U.S. The geographical restrictions for Seed submissions are unfortunate, but out of our control. If it changes, we will let you know.
The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like to see be brought back to life?
Today is a day where we should honor our fallen. Motor City Online. Tabula Rasa. Auto Assault. Asheron's Call 2. Earth and Beyond. Underlight. Shadowbane. Castle Infinity. The Matrix Online. The Sims Online. Seed. All of these games, and more, are MMOs that have launched, played, and then died.Each of these games has a reason for why it was cancelled, but the outcome remains the same -- they aren't online today and their clients are nothing more than wasted code sitting on a disk. Some of these games were our introduction to the genre. Others were our favorite games -- the ones that could trump even the largest names in the MMO business.So Massively readers, which dead MMO would you like to see be resurrected? Tell us some stories as to why you pick your game of choice, and drop them all in the comment box below. Mourn with others, we encourage it!
The Digital Continuum: Can a space colonization MMO work? (part two)
Working puzzle games into MMOs isn't a new concept either, but there's still plenty of ground to be covered with the idea. Puzzle Pirates has a few examples of taking things like equipment and introducing them into the puzzle aspects of the game. While having too little is obviously a bad move, I'd rather see an MMO that takes five or six puzzle games and goes deep instead.
The Digital Continuum: Can a space colonization MMO work?
The colonization of space isn't a brand new idea for the realm of MMOs. 2006's Seed was all about the subject, but it unfortunately failed due to a lack of publisher interest. There's no denying that such a game wouldn't be anywhere near a hugely popular title. Still, I'd like to think that with the right design philosophy, platform and business model a game focused on the challenges of discovering another planet and making it a new home would be incredibly worthwhile.
Apple seeds new 10.5.5 build to developers
It was only a week ago when Apple started shipping the early builds of Mac OS X 10.5.5. However, in the ever-changing world of OS updates, MacNN reports that Apple has prepared another developer seed of 10.5.5 for beta testing. The latest build number is 9F9 (the last one being 9F5). According to the article, Apple has reportedly squashed over 100 bugs in Leopard. Unlike the last build, MacNN says that this build is safe for Macs with integrated graphics cards.Christina Warren notes that this is only the 9th build of 10.5.5 and that Apple normally ships around 20 OS update builds before considering "gold master." [via MacNN]Thanks, Christina!
10.5.5 developer seed released, includes install warning
Yesterday, we noted that Apple was close to releasing a 10.5.5 seed for developers. Little did we know that it would be dropping a couple hours later. AppleInsider is reporting that the 10.5.5 developer seed was released today, along with an interesting note. Developers were told not to install the update on any Mac that uses integrated graphics. These computers include: MacBook Air, MacBook, Mac Mini, and some models of iMac. The build number of 10.5.5 is showing up as "build 9F5," however, these pre-release build numbers have a history of changing before the update is released to the general public. Developers were asked to evaluate many parts of the OS, specifically: AirPort, FileSync, and the Finder. AppleInsider notes that this update fixes over 82 bugs that were reported in 10.5.4.
Japanese hardware sales, Mar. 5 - Mar. 11: March Madness edition [update 1]
[Update 1: Fixed official host of March Madness to DS Fanboy. Hellz yeah!]Can you feel it? The millions of dollars of productivity just slipping away in a bracket-induced frenzy? This month, eight of the biggest contenders will go toe to toe in a winner-take-all bloodbath of pain and glory.The DS, by virtue of winning the last nineteen straight tournaments, has been officially eliminated from the competition. Vegas is giving 3:2 odds on the Wii, but inconsistent supply performance puts them on shaky ground. The PSP, which charged back late in the season to earn the number 1 seed, is playing its best right now, but the in-state rival PS3 is still a force to be reckoned with. The Xbox 360 has also shown marked improvement, with wonderful individual performances by Blue Dragon and Trusty Bell.We're totally picking the Gamecube, though. It's the cinderella story of the season! (Seeds were determined using this week's numbers. Next week's sales charts shall determine the winner!)(And go Gators!) - DS Lite: 108,512 3,302 (2.95%) - PSP: 56,175 9,981 (15.09%) - Wii: 44,495 13,477 (23.25%) - PS3: 32,115 11,885 (27.01%) - PS2: 14,585 779 (5.07%) - Xbox 360: 3,333 46 (1.36%) - Game Boy Micro: 812 7 (0.87%) - GBA SP: 679 59 (7.99%) - Gamecube: 240 63 (20.79%) - DS Phat: 119 7 (6.25%) - GBA: 13 12 (48%)[Source: Media Create]
Japanese hardware sales, Mar. 5 - Mar. 11: March Madness edition
Can you feel it? The millions of dollars of productivity just slipping away in a bracket-induced frenzy? This month, eight of the biggest contenders will go toe to toe in a winner-take-all bloodbath of pain and glory.The DS, by virtue of winning the last nineteen straight tournaments, has been officially eliminated from the competition. Vegas is giving 3:2 odds on the Wii, but inconsistent supply performance puts them on shaky ground. The PSP, which charged back late in the season to earn the number 1 seed, is playing its best right now, but the in-state rival PS3 is still a force to be reckoned with. The Xbox 360 has also shown marked improvement, with wonderful individual performances by Blue Dragon and Trusty Bell.We're totally picking the Gamecube, though. It's the cinderella story of the season! (Seeds were determined using this week's numbers. Next week's sales charts shall determine the winner!)(And go Gators!) - DS Lite: 108,512 3,302 (2.95%) - PSP: 56,175 9,981 (15.09%) - Wii: 44,495 13,477 (23.25%) - PS3: 32,115 11,885 (27.01%) - PS2: 14,585 779 (5.07%) - Xbox 360: 3,333 46 (1.36%) - Game Boy Micro: 812 7 (0.87%) - GBA SP: 679 59 (7.99%) - Gamecube: 240 63 (20.79%) - DS Phat: 119 7 (6.25%) - GBA: 13 12 (48%)[Source: Media Create]
