Many readers struggle to embed images into comments for illustrative purposes, so courtesy of Daniel O’ Callaghan, here is a guide to doing so, using the Imgur application.
Imgur offers you different links to your uploaded photo, but only one option works to embed the photo directly in your post. How you find the correct link depends on the device you’re using.
Using an Android tablet:
1. Upload the photo to Imgur.
2. Touch and hold on the image for a couple of seconds.
3. A window will pop up giving you a number of different Share to options.
4. Touch the Copy URL icon.
5. Paste that URL into your post.
There may be a more technical term for Touch and hold on a touch-screen device, but what is meant by this is to place your finger on the image and keep it there until the window pops up.
Using a Windows Laptop:
1. Upload the photo to Imgur.
2. Right-click on the image.
3. A window will pop up giving you a number of different options.
4. Click on Copy image address.
5. Paste that URL into your post.
Using an Apple iOS device:
1. Upload the photo to Imgur.
2. Click on the Share icon below the image.
3. Click on Copy Link.
4. Paste that URL into your post.
A one sentence introduction in bold to set the scene and tempt readers. This can run to two lines but ideally, not much more.
Lead photo – should be arresting and attractive to lure the reader. (c) Encyclopedia of Cars
The purpose of this piece is to illustrate to new contributors how a DTW article is laid out on the page and to offer tips on format and house style.
Body text here: An opportunity to outline the main point of the article. This can run on to one paragraph or two before the page break. This break is placed (insert read more tag on dashboard or Shift+Alt+T), no later than the second paragraph – the aim of which is to hide the bulk of the article on the home page until the continue reading link is clicked upon.
The main or lead photo should be the only image to appear before the break. All subsequent images must be placed after the page break.
Paragraph heading
The remainder of the text should flow as normal but you can use bold for paragraph headings if you deem it necessary. (as above)
Double quotation marks should be retained for use in direct quotations only. For matters of emphasis, we recommend using either single quotes, or italics (possibly both).
Similarly, the use of exclamation marks should be kept to an absolute minimum.
The DTW style is to employ single word spacing. Double spaces should therefore be avoided.
Paragraphs should ideally be kept relatively short in length, since large blocks of text can appear forbidding to some readers, especially if they are reading on their phones – as many nowadays do.
We tend to recommend pieces to be of roughly 500 – 1000 words in length, although there is some wriggle room around those numbers. This, we have found to be the optimum length before some readers lose interest.
You may of course offer longer-form articles, but beyond a certain length, we prefer to serialise them – firstly in deference to people’s attention spans, and secondly, it also stands as additional content.
If you are quoting from other sources, we ask that you fully attribute the quote. Similarly, research sources, if applicable.
We tend to source images from the wider internet, unless we have a suitable photo ourselves. All images must also be attributed to source. Please check with us before adding images to the library, and try to keep the number of new images to a minimum.
Image sizing is important. Large images (1000 pixels or more) are to be avoided, as they take up too much storage space and are not necessary for DTW purposes. Please do not use the Featured Image function, when adding images.
Once uploaded, we recommend that the article is saved as a draft. Please do NOT click on Publish! The editor will then go over it, to ensure that it is suitable and to carry out formatting and picture edits, so that it conforms to our house style recommendations.
If the article has been scheduled, the Save Draft button is replaced on the dashboard interface by Update. If this is the case, the article cannot be published by anyone but the editor, but can be modified by the author. Please notify the editor if changes are made to the piece prior to the publish date.
We will also correct any glaring typos, should they occur. If there is an issue with the text, or the mode of expression, we will raise this prior to publication, so that a resolution can be reached.
Don’t forget to add Tags and place the article into a Category. You can use more than one category, if it is appropriate to do so. Model names can be useful tags. The more precise the better. Same goes for picture captions. Should this prove too difficult, we are happy to carry out this work prior to publication.
This draft has been categorised as “Simon Says” and the tag is 1972 Lancia Beta.
Every article carries its own unique Permalink, which is its URL on the internet. You will find this at the top of the page beneath the caption bar. This can be edited by the author, to include keywords which can assist people finding your piece on a web search. We recommend you do this, adding as many keywords as is deemed useful, as we believe this is the most effective way for web searches to find your piece.
Please DO NOT place text into the Excerpt text bar.
We recommend you have a good look at how existing articles appear on the site. This will give you a flavour of how we go about things. We are not rigid on matters of tone – sometimes we are playful, sometimes satirical, other times, deadly serious. However, the editor’s decision on content is binding.
We are however, always respectful, towards our subject matter, towards our readers and commentators and most of all, to one another.
We also avoid sensationalism, hyperbole and inflammatory language, preferring to offer a more nuanced tone of voice.
Writing your piece in a word-based processor prior to pasting the finished text into the post is preferable, but is at your own discretion. If pasting pre-prepared copy onto the WordPress Editor, ensure you click on Paste As Text (clipboard icon) first.
Some contributors have difficulties with the wordpress back-end and their pieces require a good deal of work at this end, others appear to have no problems at all. Either way, we will be on hand, should there be any issues.
To this end, we also recommend that all contributors use the ‘Classic Editor‘ over the ‘improved’ version, since we find most people have less issues with the earlier version.
Please also read the Site Guidelines before posting articles or comments.
“May You Live In Interesting Times” is an apocryphal Chinese curse popularised by Bobby Kennedy and it would have to be said that, for the motor industry at least, these are indeed Interesting Times. For much of the World, the single, most relevant, life-changing invention of the late 19th Century was personal propelled transport. The freedom granted by the ability to move reasonable distances, affordably and independently, might be summed up crudely by the British politician, Norman Tebbit’s infamous, so-called ‘Get On Your Bike’ speech but, for Western Society, the vehicle for change was generally the motor car. Continue reading “Welcome To Driven To Write”
Driven To Write 