About this document
This document provides information and recommendations to help you successfully contribute articles to the SSPA. We’ve intentionally kept the document brief so please take the time to read it. It will help us work together more efficiently.

Who we are
The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) is an association of technical support executives and professionals. It was founded in 1989 by Bill Rose who now serves as Vice President of Technology Services. Our goal is to provide the information and best practices technical support organizations need to operate effectively and adapt to changes in customer demand and expectations.

To do that, we publish SSPA research reports and white papers, a weekly newsletter (SSPA News), and more. We also produce two conferences each year. Writing and being published helps you build credibility and recognition in the industry and can lead you to speaking opportunities at our conferences. We also host and sponsor working committees to identify industry trends and establish standards and best practices.

SSPA members range from tech support specialists to executives and vice presidents responsible for support organizations. All seek expert guidance on real-world solutions using cutting edge strategies, best practices, tools, and technologies.

What we're looking for
All SSPA content is developed to serve the needs of our members with the majority of the information developed by their peers. We’re looking for tech support professionals who have experiences and ideas to share in enough detail to allow readers to act. SSPA articles should focus on providing perspective and guidance that can immediately be applied. We want management- and technical-level articles that provide independent, expert advice.

What makes a good article?
The key to knowing if you have a good article idea is to ask yourself what you know that would be beneficial and valuable to your peers and colleagues. You don't need a "revolutionary" idea – just a solid focus and useful advice. Innovative, revolutionary concepts are great but well-defined process improvements and recommendations, and case studies based on your experiences are also very valuable. Be sure to use examples whenever possible to illustrate your points. This helps readers connect with the concepts.

If you’re unsure if you have a good idea for an article, contact our editor to discuss it. Those discussions often lead to a great article idea -- sometimes several.

How to submit article proposals
Start by contacting our editor by email or phone. Email is preferred since the documented discussion can provide clarity and often evolves into the outline or description of the article. The initial email should be brief and include a short biography, a short description of the article, the main points of the article, and what readers will be able to do once they read the article. Remember, your proposal need only be a couple of paragraphs or a short outline but try to include enough detail to support your pitch.

Once we agree on the topic, we encourage you to submit and work from an outline. An outline usually helps develop your thinking, gives the article a structure to follow, and gives us both a good idea of what the fully-developed article will look like. Developing the outline will also help you and our editor fill in any gaps or add points that will make the article more complete and valuable.

Remember: Our editor is your partner in producing the best possible article for our members.

What happens to your proposal
Since we publish content regularly, we will be prompt in evaluating and responding to your proposal. You will likely hear back from us within a day or two. Some proposals may be sent to our Advisory Board for input. If that happens, we’ll let you know and the response time will be slightly longer.

Writing the article
The goal of your article is to help readers do something new or better, explain a trend or help them better understand an issue, or to help others benefit from your experiences. Readers expect valuable, specific information they can use immediately which means your story should be focused and to the point. Your outline will help you accomplish this.

On the other hand, if in the course of writing the article you think there’s information that needs to be added or removed, let us know and write the article that way. You are the subject expert and we depend on your knowledge and expertise. The final test of the article is to ask yourself what the result of reading your article should be -- then read it again to make sure it delivers.

Writing styles are personal. Your writing is another of your voices and we’ll do all we can to preserve it. That said, we do have some standards and suggestions:

• Avoid extremes and hyperbole. There are times when it’s appropriate but using fewer ensures the intended impact.
   
• Don't be overly formal; but don't be too casual either. Slang is OK for emphasis, but sloppy writing is difficult to follow. Write in a friendly, familiar, energetic style. Be conversational.
   
• Use short sentences and commonly understood words. If a sentence has more than a couple of commas, it might be better written as two or more sentences.
   
• Use active verbs and avoid passive statements and impersonal pronouns.

If you are not an experienced writer, don't worry. As long as your article is well-structured and contains worthwhile information, we can help make the article easier to read.

Article length
Most articles for our newsletter should be 500 to 1500 words. You may be surprised at how short 500 words can be. If your article is longer than 1500 or 2000 words, look for a logical place to split the article into multiple parts. The challenge is that each article should be able to stand up to the criteria we’ve already discussed. Another option would be to use a longer article as a white paper and create a shorter, more focused article for SSPA News. Research reports and white papers have longer limits that we can negotiate while developing the outline.

The editing process
We reserve the right to edit every article for content as well as style. You will have the opportunity to review any significant edits to your articles. If you want to be sure to review our combined effort before it’s published, please make sure we know that. Please understand that our goal is to make every article as easy to read and understand as possible so readers get the valuable information you worked so hard to put into the article. Also consider us your partners in making this happen.

Rights
The SSPA reserves the rights to accept or reject any article submitted without explanation. SSPA also reserves the right to reuse or repurpose the article in other formats.

That’s it. Of course, this document is intended only as a guide and can’t begin to cover the unique details of each individual writing/editing experience but it will help you to work successfully with us. Thank you.