Contribute

The Consensus is run by Phil Eaton. Pardon the transition to first person.

I'm looking for external contributors because it's important to me that this site is not just my own voice. I also think there's an opportunity to help high-potential developers 1) get more experience with systems programming, 2) level up their writing, and 3) get exposure to potential employers. And lastly, I just love working with people.

Ideal contributors are experienced programmers trying to transition into lower-level roles; because they're looking for a new challenge, or while they don't have a job at all. Master's students also seem like a good fit.

Writing high-quality articles about software infrastructure is a great way to find interesting work and for employers to find you. If you only write one or a few articles with me before you find a new job I'll consider our time together an enormous success.

What should I write about?

This site is about software infrastructure. Anything that interests you in projects like PostgreSQL, SQLite, etcd, Kubernetes, Linux, Golang, LLVM, and so on is perfect for this audience.

For example, you could:

• Interview developers and early adopters of a recent major feature
• Write about the history of the development of some project
• Write about how some project compares to academic research on similar topics
• Survey projects in some space for functionality or support
• Review historic academic criticism of projects to see if the criticism still holds

Whatever the case, it should be you figuring something interesting out and writing about.

And most of all, you should think about it in terms of what you wish you could be working on full time. Want to be a compiler developer? Write articles that a compiler developer would write. And so on.

How will the process work?

I am getting in touch with people I think will do a good job. Once you've agreed to explore further, we'll start brainstorming article ideas. You will do the research and writing and we'll touch base throughout the process.

I will edit and verify everything you write to make sure it meets The Consensus's standards. Submissions should be correct, interesting, and enjoyable to read. This is all somewhat subjective, but we'll see what we can do together! And at the same time what makes external contributions compelling is your unique voice.

While there's potential for repeat contributions, and while I hope to see writers repeatedly write for The Consensus, don't stress out about the long-term. Let's just focus on one article at a time, especially in the beginning.

How will I be compensated?

This is a bootstrapped site and compensation will not be in line with industry standards for some time.

In the short-term, I will pay $100 per published article and the goal is to move toward a rate of $400 per article as soon as possible.

In the short-term, I will only accept submissions from folks based in the US where I can be sure we'll be in compliance. In the future I plan to adopt a contract management platform to support writers around the world.

Basic prose guidelines

You are writing for an international audience of programmers for whom English is largely not their first-language. Articles should be written plainly. Avoid cliches and other overused phrases.

This is not scientific or academic writing. Do not use passive voice to avoid personal pronouns. When reading your writing out loud, it should sound like a slightly more polished version of you speaking, not an entirely different person. When in doubt, refer to William Zinsser's On Writing Well.

Can I use LLMs?

LLMs can be great for early exploration of a problem space. But everything you state in an article you submit to The Consensus must be verified. Moreover, our readers want to hear your voice in your writing. So help me save time while reviewing your submission and do not use LLMs to consider facts and do not use LLMs to write your submission.

Submissions that appear to be written by LLMs will not be considered at all.