Becoming a Public ChartList Author

Ready to become a Public ChartList author yourself? Read on to learn how to create your own Public ChartList and discover pro tips for making it as successful as possible.

A Public ChartList can be created from any ChartList in an Extra or Pro member's account. The first step is to create a new regular ChartList and add charts to it. Each chart should have a descriptive name, useful annotations and easy-to-read commentary in the “Notes” area. You will also want to add overview comments about your list in the “List Notes” area of the list's Edit view. For details on creating a ChartList, please see our ChartLists documentation.

As you design your ChartList, keep in mind that your charts will usually be viewed 10 charts at a time in 10-per-page mode and that, initially, only the first 100 charts in your ChartList will be visible to the public. Over time, as your ChartList becomes more popular, that limit will increase (see the “Perks” section below).

Once your ChartList is ready, you can use the “Make Public” button on the ChartList's “Edit” page to convert it into a Public ChartList. After pressing the button, you will see a form asking you for more information about your list.

You'll need to specify an abstract (description) for your list and assign it to at least one “category” so that interested people can find it easily. After providing that information, press “Submit” to make your list immediately appear on our Public ChartLists page. Congratulations! You are now a Public ChartList author!

StockCharts.com has included several features in the Public ChartList system that are designed to reward authors that create popular content. Periodically, all lists are ranked according to several different popularity factors, including unique visitors, votes from members, “followers” and other factors. The top 100 Public ChartLists appear on the main Public ChartList page, ranked in order of popularity based on these factors. Authors that create popular content consistently will appear higher on the Public ChartList page.

Authors need to keep their audience in mind when writing content for their Public ChartList. Lists that are overly commercial or make grand claims about stockpicking accuracy are usually unpopular with readers, who prefer lists that demonstrate chart analysis techniques clearly and consistently in a logical, organized fashion.

StockCharts members can impact a list's rank by following or voting for a Public ChartList:

• Members can “follow” Public ChartLists that they enjoy reading. The number of people that follow each list is displayed on the main Public ChartLists page. The number of followers has an impact on a list's rank.
• Members can also vote for up to three lists that they like each day. Votes are displayed on the main Public ChartLists page. Each individual vote's impact on a list's rank diminishes gradually over time. Votes that are more than 30 days old are automatically removed from the system.

Because of abuses in the past, we keep the exact formula that we use to determine a list's rank confidential. Authors that over-focus on their lists' rank and try to “game the system” will be banned. Here are some general tips for improving your list's rank:

1. Focus on creating great content that helps other people become better investors. Authors whose primary goal is to help others learn will automatically do better than authors whose primary goal is self-promotion.
2. Don't be annoying. Any activity that annoys your readers will diminish your list's rank. That includes any visual tricks that attempt to call attention to your list, such as excessive capitalization, excessive punctuation, excessive commercialization, high-pressure tactics, track-record claims, etc. Readers hate that kind of stuff and it usually backfires.
3. Make sure to keep your list up-to-date. Lists that haven't been updated in a while will drop in the rankings.
4. Make sure your first 10 charts are well-presented and well-explained. These form your initial impression with readers.
5. Don't beg for votes inside your list. All readers know about and understand the voting system.
6. Use all the perks you've earned. Check your list's Settings page regularly to see if there are any new perks you can take advantage of.
7. Don't put a website link in your list's name or abstract. That is a clear signal to everyone that your list is primarily for self-promotion. If you must include a link, do it at the end of your list's description area instead. Your readers will find it just as easily there.
8. Don't sweat the daily fluctuations in rank. Everyone's list moves up and down over time.

Initially, a new Public ChartList consists of the ChartList's name, an abstract (a description of the list up to 100 characters long) and up to 100 charts. If the ChartList has more than 100 charts in it, only the first 100 charts are used.

Over time, as an author maintains the list and it becomes more popular, additional features become available. Here is a list of some of the perks that authors can earn:

Easy to earn:

• 200-Character Abstract Line
• 200 Charts Displayed
• Predefined Avatar Icon
• Name Text Decorations
• Predefined Color Theme
• Active Custom Web Link #1

Harder to earn:

• Custom Avatar Icon
• 500 Charts Displayed
• Active Custom Web Link #2
• Custom Web Counter

Difficult to earn:

• Minimal StockCharts Branding
• Customized URL Suffix
• Google Analytics Reporting
• Additional HTML Code Snippets

Additional perks may be added to the system in the future.

The exact criteria for earning each perk is confidential; however, perks in the Easy category can generally be earned in 1 to 2 months, while perks in the Harder category may take 6 to 12 months and perks in the Difficult category may take over a year. Lists that are not maintained for long periods of time may lose their perks if their popularity statistics fall significantly.

Perks are awarded automatically as they are earned. Click the “Edit Public ChartList” button on your ChartList's “Edit” page periodically to see if you have earned any new perks.

In addition to “perks” - which affect the capabilities of your list - the system will also award “Badges” to authors when their list hits a significant milestone. Badges appear as little icons located to the right of your list's name. Examples of badges that can be earned include:

• New Author Badge - Awarded to new authors. Automatically revoked after 2 weeks.
• StockCharts Membership Duration Badge - Member for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, etc.
• Leader Badge - 50 followers, 100 followers, 200 followers, etc.
• Top-Ranked Duration Award - 1 month, 3 months, 6 months etc. in the “Top Ranked” area.
• Original Hall-of-Fame Member Award - Given to people that earned Hall of Fame status in Public ChartLists v.1.0. New users will not be able to achieve this award.

Additional badges and awards may be added to the system in the future. Most badges are awarded on a permanent basis.

Please keep in mind the following restrictions when creating content for Public ChartLists:

• Excessive commercialism doesn't help anyone. Readers hate it and your list will quickly fall down in the rankings.
• Public ChartLists are not to be used as free advertising areas. We will ban people that abuse this ability.
• Profane, obnoxious, and insulting language will result in low rankings for your list and will probably also result in a ban if we get complaints from readers. Please focus your content on chart analysis.
• Custom Avatar icons need to be approved by StockCharts.com before they can be used. Only professional, G-rated images will be approved.
• While version 2.0 makes it much, much harder to do, anyone found trying to artificially inflate their list's ranking will be banned.

Q: As an author, what can I do to improve my list's visibility on the main Public ChartList page?
A: Focus on providing great market commentary with great-looking, well-organized charts and minimal commercialism. Also, make sure that your list is properly categorized on the “Edit List” page. Beyond that, there's not much you need to do. The ranking system will automatically move popular lists to the top of the rankings.

Q: When are the lists re-ranked?
A: The lists are re-ranked several times during each hour of the day.

Q: How come I only get 100 charts per Public ChartList when a regular ChartList can have 500?
A: We are trying to create a system that is beneficial to both authors and readers. Readers have told us that lists which have tons of (typically un-analyzed) charts in them are not interesting. By limiting the number of charts (initially) to 100, we hope that authors will take more time to select important charts and provide great commentary for the charts they select. Authors should keep in mind that it is fairly easy to earn the “200 charts per list” perk and, later, the “500 charts per list” perk.

Q: Can I link to my website/blog/Facebook page from my Public ChartList?
A: Yes, once you earn the “Active Custom Web Link” perk (see above). You are also able to earn a second link later.

Q: Can I communicate directly with my Public ChartList's followers?
A: Not currently, though that may be added in the future.

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