New Year, New You: Enter 2024 As a New and Improved Writer

Hey Hackers! As we approach the new year, we wanted to give you more tips and tricks to improve your writing and experience here at HackerNoon - all the do’s and don’ts so you can reach your full potential as a seasoned writer.

Plagiarism and Citing Sources

HackerNoon has a strict no-plagiarism rule. If you swipe someone else's stuff, whether it's a whole paragraph or just a line, without giving credit, you're looking at a ban. Even if you try to change the words around, you've gotta cite it, or it still counts as plagiarism.

When you use someone else's words, no matter if you're paraphrasing or quoting, you've got to drop that citation. The same goes for stats – show where you got them so everyone knows it's legit. And be smart about where you get your info: citing a big-name site makes you look more credible than if you're pulling from some obscure corner of the internet. Not saying you can't use a small website, just be careful and keep it credible on HackerNoon.

Here is an example from the HackerNoon Editing Protocol - this is an excerpt from a CNBC article describing a new ChatGPT update.

This is what someone attempted to submit to HackerNoon:

They tweaked a few words, but it's essentially the same. Familiar with plagiarism and stuck with a blank draft? No worries! Here are some topics to help spark your writing.

Using Tech News and Templates as Inspiration for Your Next Big Story

Stay current with tech trends by checking HackerNoon's tech company news brief for topics like Spotify's mass layoffs, Netflix's gaming expansion, and Meta's legal battles. Subscribe to the Tech Company Brief Newsletter for ongoing inspiration.

But if that’s not enough, HackerNoon offers a boundless selection of templates that you can use to jumpstart your next story:

• Share your views on the popular chatbot ChatGPT with this template or review your favorite (or least favorite) video game of 2023 here.
• Use the "Everyone Should Know About It" template to spread the word about cool things you discovered and enjoyed this year. Get creative and connect with the HackerNoon community!

Mint Your Namespace in Web3!

Prove you're the real deal by linking your HackerNoon profile to your favorite wallet, thanks to our partnership with Namespace.gg, and the best part? It won't cost you a dime! Dive into the details in this quick article.

That’s all folks! Happy Writing!