We show the top ten trending topics on Twitter and allow users to submit and revise explanations for these topics. We decided to include them in Brizzly so that you can be kept aware of breaking news and current discussions on the web. Here are our guidelines for submitting or editing trend explanations in Brizzly.
Explanations should contain just enough info to help explain a trending topic. Long explanations of incidents aren't necessary. If a lot of background is needed, link to a news or Wikipedia article.
Imagine you're explaining the trend to someone who has a vague grasp on pop culture, but may not know specifics about music, film, TV, technology or another niche topic. Add a little context to help people understand at a glance.
Character judgments and opinions shouldn't be included in trend explanations, unless community or an individual's judgments are the reason the topic is trending. Ex.:
If there's a news story, blog post or other relevant web page that will back up the description you've written or edited, please include a link to it. Do not, however, include a link to your own blog in an effort to gain traffic. Preferred sources include major news outlets (newspapers, TV networks, etc.) and reputable blogs.
When you're adding photos to a trend explanation, try to find images that are reflective of the topic as a whole - not just the circumstances under which it's trending. Topical photos will make less sense if the term trends again for different reasons.
Ex: If SNL (Saturday Night Live) is a trending topic, try not to add photos of the particular night's host. When it trends again the following week, the guest celebrity will no longer be relevant.
While the occasional adult-oriented trend may pop up, you should still keep trend explanations appropriate for a family audience.
While these topics are obviously popular on Twitter, they may also be popular elsewhere. Keep the descriptions less Twitter-centric and more generally about a community of people talking about them. Ex.:
While we may show localized trends in the future, Brizzly users all over the world currently see the same explanations. Keep in mind that trends are derived from international conversations. When providing your trend explanation avoid using words like "nationally" without stating which nation you are referring to. There's a good chance people reading your explanation do not reside in the same country you do.
[Team 1] play/are playing/played [Team 2] [date] at/in [location].
Current/final score: [TM1]: [X] [TM2]: [Y]
Ex.:
The Minnesota Vikings are playing the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 4, 2009 in Minneanapolis, Minn.
Current score: MIN 7, GB 7
Notable facts about the game may also be included:
This is Brett Favre's first game facing the Packers since the star quarterback left Green Bay.
[Award show] is airing/aired [date] on [network].
Ex:
The 61st Primetime Emmys aired Sept. 20, 2009 on CBS.
[Nationality] show ["Title"] airs/aired [day] on [network].
Ex: British show "Watchdog" airs Thursdays on BBC One.
["Title"] opens/opened in theaters [date].
Ex.: "Twilight" sequel "New Moon" opens in theaters Nov. 20, 2009.
Examples: "We Are the World," "Lolita," "Watership Down," "The Catcher in the Rye," "Say It Ain't So," the NBC-TV "Today" program, the "CBS Evening News," "The Carol Burnett Show."
Reference works: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second Edition.
Capitalize the initial letters of the name but do not place it in quotes. Lowercase "magazine" unless it is part of the publication's formal title: Harper's Magazine, Daring Fireball, Esquire magazine, The New York Times. Capitalize "the" in a newspaper’s name only if that's the way the publication prefers to be known. Lowercase the before newspaper names if a story mentions several papers, some of which use the as part of the name and some of which do not.
Where location is needed but is not part of the official name of a newspaper, use parentheses: The (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) Tribune, Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
Though time is generally not necessary, use the local time zone an event occurred (or is scheduled to occur) rather than your own time zone if the two are not the same. Use this format: 9:32 a.m. PDT, 7 p.m. EST.