6 steps to staying forward of AI when writing articles – Hypergrid Enterprise

(Graphic by Maria Korolov through Canva and Midjourney.)

I get dozens of emails every single day from individuals who wish to contribute articles to Hypergrid Enterprise. Generally, they even wish to pay me to run the articles. The catch? There’s a hyperlink someplace within the article to one thing the creator desires to advertise.

I’m not, in precept, against working sponsored content material. We’d simply put a “sponsored” tag on it and use the cash to pay for issues that folks don’t wish to write without spending a dime. For instance, I’d love to have the ability to afford to rent a freelancer to go to OpenSim concert events and different occasions and write about them. Wouldn’t that be a enjoyable job for somebody?

However generally the article matters are adequate that I’d run them without spending a dime. For instance, a VR firm might need certainly one of their specialists write an article concerning the state of VR in some trade. That might be helpful, even when it does promote that VR firm.

Sadly, 99 % of the articles that folks counsel are nugatory.

Right here’s how I feel they’re created:

A content material farmer will get an project, similar to “Advantages of VR in drugs”
They Google the subject
They cut-and-paste the knowledge they get from the Google search
They rewrite the outcomes simply sufficient to move a plagiarism verify and throw in some search engine-friendly key phrases
They ship me the article

Why would anybody wish to learn this? Everybody has Google. They’ll simply Google the subject themselves. There’s no new info on this article. It simply fills up house and lowers the worth of the web site to readers. As a rule of thumb, at any time when I get an e mail pitch that doesn’t clarify who the creator is, that ensures that the article is “Copyspace-proof,” or that ever makes use of the phrase “search engine marketing,” I mark it as spam and hit the delete button. These items is rubbish and simply wastes my time.

Now, AI goes to make the issue even worse as a result of the work circulation will probably be dramatically accelerated:

A content material farmer will get an project, similar to “Advantages of VR in drugs”
They ask ChatGPT to put in writing an article on the subject
They ship me the article

Once more, ChatGPT is free. Anybody can simply ask ChatGPT themselves the identical query. There’s no new info on this article that’s produced. Even when engines like google don’t resolve that each one AI-generated content material is spam, they’ll nonetheless down-rank it as a result of it has no new info.

Google released guidance this Wednesday, the truth is, about how they resolve whether or not AI-generated content material — or any content material, for the matter — will now be ranked by their engines like google.

I’ve added a pair extra standards to their checklist, primarily based on what Hypergrid Enterprise is in search of and created my very own acronym — PEANUT — which stands for Private, Emotional, Authoritative, Novel, Distinctive, and Reliable.

The extra of these items you’ve got in your article, the upper the possibilities that I’ll run it. And that applies to each sponsored and non-sponsored posts.

Oh, and in the event you’re a fiction creator, I’ve written an article explaining how to PEANUT principles apply to fiction writing over at our sister publication, the sci-fi and fantasy journal MetaStellar.

Listed here are every of these six PEANUT elements, in additional depth.

(Picture by Maria Korolov through Midjourney.)

Table of Contents

P is for Private expertise

The particular person writing the article ought to speak about their very own historical past with the subject.

For instance, in the event you’re writing an article about AI in drugs, you might need been handled by a health care provider who used AI to assist learn their scans. Or a relative might need been cured of most cancers primarily based partly on a therapy created with the assistance of AI.

If you happen to’re writing about digital worlds, you may speak about your personal historical past with the platform.

An AI doesn’t have private expertise with something, as a result of it’s not an individual.

If you happen to don’t have private expertise with a subject, you will get some. You may ask your family members if any of them have been handled for illnesses with the assistance of AI. Otherwise you may search your reminiscence — did you get a COVID vaccine that was created with the assistance of AI?

Or, for the digital world article, you possibly can go and log right into a digital world and check out it out.

E is for Emotional connection

Why does this subject imply a lot to you? Was the relative cured of most cancers notably vital to you? Write about that connection.

Did your expertise in digital worlds encourage you in a roundabout way? Did it make you’re feeling stuff you hadn’t felt earlier than? Have been you capable of do one thing emotionally significant in a digital world? Write about that.

AIs don’t have emotional connections as a result of they don’t have feelings.

By explaining what the subject means to you, the emotional weight it carries, you assist the reader make an emotional connection as effectively. And that makes for a greater article.

A is for Authority

Why are you the one writing on this subject? What makes you an professional?

Actually. I wish to know. What makes you an professional? Put your resume highlights up prime within the story. If you happen to’re the founding father of a VR firm, say so proper up entrance. Your opinion issues as a result of what you’re speaking about.

Particularly, are you able to provide some recommendation or perception that’s higher than what an AI can present, as a result of you’ve got deep experience?

An AI may suggest a listing of issues to do, for instance, however solely you may know what really works and what doesn’t, primarily based in your expertise with prospects.

An AI will simply repeat all the identical recommendation that’s already on the market. It received’t know that a few of the recommendation is nugatory or outdated.

N is for Novel

Do you’ve got any new info within the article that simply got here out and isn’t but accessible to most people?

For instance, possibly you simply went to a convention, talked to a bunch of specialists, and discovered some cool stuff that most individuals don’t know but.

Or possibly you have been experimenting with some digital world instruments, and found out a brand new hack.

Or possibly you bought a press launch from an organization that’s nonetheless underneath embargo, so no one has seen it but. If we publish your article proper when the embargo lifts, we could be among the many first publications that publishes this information.

Or possibly you performed some analysis or ran a survey and have new outcomes to share.

If you happen to don’t have something new to say, discover it. You may speak to specialists, for instance, and see if any of them have a special approach on the subject. Ask them what’s taking place that most individuals don’t learn about but, or about their predictions for what is going to occur subsequent.

U is for Distinctive

I don’t wish to run an article that’s the identical as a thousand different articles on the market. What makes your article totally different?

Do you’ve got a special background or viewpoint? Do you’ve got a selected set of {qualifications} that makes you uniquely certified to put in writing concerning the subject?

Once you tried out the expertise, did you get totally different outcomes than everybody else? Once you ran the survey, have been the outcomes sudden? Once you talked to the professional, did they make a prediction that was shocking, however, when you consider it, is sensible in any case?

Or possibly you’ve got an unique. That signifies that one thing occurred and also you’re the one one who has this info. Perhaps you have been the one one on the occasion when it occurred, or a supply agreed to solely speak to you.

Exclusives are great things. Publications love exclusives. Certain, they don’t final lengthy, as everybody else jumps on them quickly afterwards, however, for a couple of days — or a couple of hours — we’d be the one ones with the information. Rating!

T is for Belief

Why ought to we belief your opinion?

If you happen to’re the founding father of an organization, or the proprietor of an OpenSim grid, after all you’re going to inform us that your stuff is one of the best.

If you happen to provide a selected services or products, then after all you’re going to inform us that everybody wants that factor, and it solves all of your issues.

Perhaps the article you’re writing has nothing to do with promoting one thing. For instance, in the event you’re an OpenSim grid proprietor and also you’ve surveyed your customers about, say, how tall their avatars are, then that’s doubtlessly helpful info to individuals who create avatars — and isn’t overly promotional.

If, nevertheless, the survey is about why individuals love your grid, then yeah, we most likely received’t run it. I imply, are you able to think about that survey? “Do you like our grid extra due to the group or due to the nice help you get?” Actually? These are the one choices? Yeah, no one’s going to purchase that.

You don’t need to have all six PEANUTs for each single article, however the extra you’ve got, the upper the chances that I’ll run it.

Let’s have a look at how this text you’re studying now scores on the PEANUT scale:

Private: Yup, I’ve bought private expertise accepting articles for publication.
Emotional: Effectively, I get slightly aggravated about having to undergo all these spammy emails.
Authority: Sure, I’m an authority on this topic. I’ve been modifying Hypergrid Enterprise since 2009, and, earlier than that, I used to be a enterprise information bureau chief in China for 5 years. To not point out all my different years of expertise as journalist and editor.
Novel: So far as I can inform, my PEANUT acronym is totally new on this context — it additionally means “phase-inverted echo-amplitude detected nutation” within the context of peanut allergic reactions, however I don’t assume that counts. Plus, Google’s publish was solely revealed on Wednesday, so not many individuals have weighed in with their recommendation but. Google’s own acronym is EEAT and, personally, I feel mine is catchier and extra complete.
Distinctive: I’m the one particular person capable of touch upon get tales revealed in Hypergrid Enterprise as a result of I’m actually the editor of this web site, and my phrase is ultimate.
Belief: Why would I lie about this? I would like individuals to submit good articles in order that I’ve great things to run on the location.