Dibs Request Policy
We’ve had a pretty loose dibs system for a long time, and it’s never been perfect, but we haven’t had any great ideas about how to improve it (heck, the database was a huge step when it was introduced). Now that we’ve merged forces, the imperfections are starting to show even more, especially since there are a lot of folks from each blog with crossover PR relationships. And while we wanted to allow for as much freedom as possible, we can see that’s not working as well as we’d hoped.
So, we’re going to do a couple of crazy things: we’re going to take a step backwards, and make it so that writers from each blog can call their own dibs, even (especially) on the same things. We are also going to institute a 24-hour hold on all dibs requests.
One of the primary visions for the merger is that we’re together as a family, but still distinct as blogs and voices. Since the dibs system is one of the ways we all call out what we want to write about, it makes sense that we consider keeping dibs lists separately for each blog. Luckily, the magic of databases means that we don’t *actually* have to keep two lists: we’ll just add a field to the existing form that allows people to call out which blog they are claiming a specific dibs for. This field will include four choices: “GeekDad, GeekMom, Both, Other.”
tl;dr 1. When you submit for a dibs, it’s a “dibs request” and not an automatic dibs
tl;dr 2. Now a 24-hour hold until the dibs is final, to give folks a chance to speak up about pre-existing contacts, other issues
tl;dr 3. Can be GeekMom and GeekDad dibs on same thing
tl;dr 4. Review from each blog okay, but don’t duplicate formats (only one “10 Thing Parents”, etc.)
tl;dr 5. Submit a dibs request for anything you’re thinking of writing about, just to make sure; it’s a way of communicating with the team
tl;dr 6. Manage the PR contacts you make; tell them not to blanket pitch all of us
tl;dr 7. Patrcia and Will to serve as Dibs Moderators to help smooth things out
For example, if a PR pitch comes through the core or general group emails, both a GeekDad writer and a GeekMom writer can take a dibs on it. We’ve always tried to reinforce that it’s entirely okay for more than one writer, especially for each blog, to cover the same product or topic, so we think this will help clarify that. But we do want to avoid overt duplication of effort or format: for example, for movie reviews there should be just one “10 Things Parents Should Know” review post, so if someone calls dibs on this, they’d select “Both” as the blog choice for the dibs. But other reviews are absolutely welcome. We’re fine with a GeekDad review of something and a GeekMom review of something; we’d just like the contributors working on these to coordinate with each other so they don’t duplicate each other too much. Also, this does mostly apply to review items, since those are the things that most often need to be reserved; personal posts of a non-review nature are less likely to get duplicated. However, you’re absolutely welcome to dibs non-review post topics as well, especially if they are a timely response to something in the news, where many people may be considering writing about it. In that case, putting in a dibs request may also get you connected to other writers who would like to provide their input on the issue as well. And it’s a way to find out if a topic has been covered before, in case you need to approach it from a different direction.
It is also very clear to us that PR folks need to be managed. If you review a product, and expect there might be more coming from a given rep or company, you should do your best to educate the PR rep as to how GeekMom and GeekDad handle review requests, and that if they want to pitch to us in the future they should go to only their GeekMom and GeekDad contacts (if there’s one from each blog), rather than using email blasts every time. Here’s some suggested boilerplate you can use/modify as you wish:
“Hi! I’m writing you from the (GeekMom blog/GeekDad blog). We received your PR pitch and are interested in reviewing your product. Please note: GeekMom and GeekDad are separate blogs, with combined editorial teams. You may receive another response from our partner blog, and that’s okay. However, now that you have a direct relationship with our blogs, please take the rest of our writers off any further PR email blasts, and contact us directly. This will significantly improve our ability to cover your products in the future, thanks!”
We also know that things will continue to slip through. PR folks who have worked with individuals previously will still blast all of us with pitches. Or one of us will be working with a PR contact, and another PR person will blast all of us with the same pitch. To help mitigate the overlap and confusion that sometimes happens when people jump on such opportunities, we’re going to establish a 24-hour rest period on all dibs. That’s why we’re changing the name of the entry form to a “Dibs Request.” When you submit to the form, you’re notifying the team that you’re requesting a dibs. There will be a 24-hour grace period in which anyone who may already have been working on the same pitch directly, or have a long-term relationship with the brand, can speak up before anything moves forward. You should not contact the PR rep for the pitch until after the 24-hours are over, and it’s reasonably clear there are no extenuating circumstances that need to be worked out. We strongly hope this new methodology help ease up on situations where people jump on things, and other folks who already have a vested relationship with them can’t speak up right away.
So when you are ready to make a dibs request, you go to the Dibs Request form on the Dashboard and fill out the information. The point of a dibs request is no longer to automatically lay claim on an item, but rather to communicate officially that you have been pitched or are interested a given item or topic, and would like to take it and write about it for GeekMom or GeekDad, and that you’re making sure there are no complications. Once your Dibs Request has been recorded, there is a 24-hour hold period within which anyone else may communicate whether they have a pre-existing relationship with the company in question, or if there are other circumstances that might be just cause to change who gets the dibs. We will also have Dibs Moderators (Patricia & Will) who will help oversee this process, and help out when there is any confusion (and deal with any cases where the 24-hour hold needs to be shortened). If a judgement call has to be made about a dibs, that decision will go up to the editorial team for final say, but of course we’ll do our best to make it as fair as possible. The Dibs Moderator will also pay attention to how many open dibs each contributor currently has, and make recommendations when it might be appropriate for contributors to slow down on their dibsing, for the sake of fairness.
After 24 hours without any input from other writers, you can consider the dibs yours (of course, we know there may still be issues that arise, but we’ll handle those on a case by case basis), and you’re free to contact the PR rep, and start writing. When you, as the dibsholder, have the post related published for a dibsed item or topic, you should – as a courtesy – let the Dibs Moderator know via Slack so they can update the dibs status. You can also let them know whether you think this dibs may become a long-term relationship, which we we will also try to track (note: if someone with a previous connection passes a specific item onto you, they still keep the long-term relationship, and if the PR people pitches you in the future, you should pass them back to the original contributor).
The bottom line is this: because GeekMom and GeekDad can’t pay a lot, review items are a great perk. We want to make sure that all our writers have the opportunity to take advantage of those perks, but because PR people are lazy and we often have short memories, it’s going to take a little more work to make sure everyone has a fair shot at them. This is hopefully another positive step towards that ephemeral level of perfect fairness. Just be patient with us, and always remember that everyone is working hard to make this work as well as possible. Thanks!
