Help To Keep Fortitude Alive!

On 7 June 2010 the first issue of a new web project was released. “Fortitude, a daily magazine for being human” is a web experience published by Locust Swarm. Now, a couple of weeks later, the magazine is in desperate need of contributors. You could be one of them. You love to write, spread good advice, vent your opinion on personal, social, political or global matters, or simply want to have your poems published, read and appreciated? Then join the team of writers, scouts and affiliates, and help this extraordinary project kick.

“Fortitude publishes a rich variety of articles, essays, and literary works targeted at human beings. Not search engines: human beings,” that's what Locust Swarm had in mind, when they started the project. It sounds like every writer's dream, be they professionals or amateurs. That's what the web is about, after all: a collection of information made by users for users.

Unlike many other “citizen journalism” projects, “Fortitude” requires neither a show of skills nor any special qualification to participate. No one cares whether you make a living developing space shuttles or collecting bin liners. You may write about either, or whatever you please, as long as you are serious about it. To prove it, you will be asked to pay a small amount (USD 1,99 per month) for a full account. In return, you will have your work reviewed democratically. That's to say, the more reviewers appreciate your work, the higher it will score. The higher it scores, the more you will get paid. If your work happens to make the magazine's front page you will receive between USD 10 and USD 100 for the piece you submitted.

This so far unique form of paid publication holds a great potential for every kind of writer, yet it depends on a greater number of contributors to really take off. With nearly 150 active writers (at the time of writing), it will remain a niche product, unlikely to survive the next couple of weeks. To keep democratic publishing going, you have various options:

If you like to write: sign up for a full account, and submit your work
If you know people who like to write: spread the word
If you have a website: link to “Fortitude”

Still undecided what to think about it all? Then you may want to follow the links below and do a bit of reading.