Who can submit a Taranaki Story?
Anyone with a story to tell!
How are stories evaluated?
We evaluate story submissions on the following criteria:
- Is the subject of the story unique to Taranaki?
- Is the story about a Taranaki person, place, event or the natural world?
- Is it the right length?
- Does it have good illustrations?
- Is it free of grammatical and spelling errors?
- Is it of sufficient quality to become a Taranaki Story?
We will help you as much as we can to get your story online. However, we reserve the right not to publish a particular story if we feel it does not meet the above criteria.
How do I publish my Taranaki Story?
Review the How To section of the website.
What will it cost?
Nothing - it's free!
What skills do I need?
If you can research, write and have basic computer skills you have everything you need. Knowledge of web programming is not necessary.
How long should the story be?
Up to a maximum of 1000 words.
Can I include pictures?
Yes. You can submit up to five images: Photos, drawings, graphs or charts.
There is a limit on the total file size you can upload using the "Story Submission Form". The total size must not exceed 500Kb. To calculate this:
- select all the files you wish to upload
- right-click on one of the files
- select "Properties" from the menu
- read the size value. If it exceeds 500Kb then contact us.
What format/file type of pictures can I send?
JPEG/JPG (pictures with lots of colour e.g. photos) and GIF (e.g. diagrams that have a limited number of colours).
What dimensions should the images be?
Up to a maximum of 306 pixels square.
Where can I get help with preparing my pictures?
If you want help on scanning or preparing graphics there are some excellent tutorials in the "Design" section of the "Webmonkey" site: http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/design/graphics/
Can we use video and sound recordings?
Yes but please contact us first.
Are there any resources to help me write for the web?
There are many websites on this topic. Take a look at:
Can I submit more than one Taranaki Story?
Yes.
Can we adapt existing work?
Yes.
What about copyright and privacy?
Copyright and privacy must not be overlooked, as they are very important.
Copyright applies to any piece of work that is created by someone. The New Zealand Copyright Act 1994 Act protects original work – written, artistic, recorded, filmed, printed, or in the form of an electronic (computer) file. It applies to everyone's work – private individuals, organisations and school students.
By submitting your Taranaki Story to us you are confirming that:
- The contribution is original i.e. not a copy of someone else's work.
- If you have used other people's work, you have asked permission to use any quotes, images, etc, and have acknowledged the source.
- Add a copyright symbol and year of publication to your work, e.g. © Copyright 2003, Jess Thompson.
Note that although some material is copyright-free (if it is more than 50 years old), you will still need to acknowledge the owner or copyright holder.
The Privacy Act 1993 defines personal information as any information about an identifiable individual, and sets out rules for collecting, using, and disclosing personal information.
For schools we suggest that you:
- Read your school's Internet-use policy, or the Ministry of Education's guidelines for schools for online publication of student images and school work www.tki.org.nz/r/governance/curriculum/copyguide_e.php
- Ensure students and parents give permission to put the work, including photos and drawings, online.
You are responsible for obtaining identifiable individuals' written consent to appear or be identified, for example in photographs or video images. Obtain permission before taking quotes from or making reference to individuals, or taking photographs or oral recordings.
Here are two sample permission forms for you to download and use:
Information for these question-and-answer details has been gathered from Te Kete Ipurangi – The Online Learning Centre http://www.tki.org.nz/
I have a question that is not listed here…
Please contact us:
Taranaki Stories
Puke Ariki
PO Box 48
New Plymouth
Phone: 06 759 6060
Fax: 06 758 5485
Email: stories@pukeariki.com