Founded in 1998, DigitalJournal.com is one of the fastest-growing news communities on the Internet, where professional journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers, amateur writers and average Joes and Janes work hand-in-hand to report, debate and discuss news and events around the world. We are made up of people exactly like you, and we're here to discuss what is happening now, talk about issues the mainstream press avoids or misses, and cut deep into the heart of today's news world. Every member of DigitalJournal.com (Citizens and Citizen Journalists) can post blogs, upload images, embed video, join Groups, comment and vote on articles and photos, and subscribe to news and alerts. In addition to these features, we also offer Citizen Journalists the chance to write news articles and get paid for their work (More info here).

The first major difference is that news is written by our staff of journalists, as well as Citizen Journalists from around the world. Thousands of members write stories daily, comment on others' work, and rate news they consider important. The biggest benefit of having such a large body of contributors is that DigitalJournal.com is always up-to-the-minute, often posting stories before major media does. If you want news as it happens, you won’t find a site as timely as DigitalJournal.com

You bet. In fact, everything on the front page is customizable. Each "widget" on the front page can be moved so it fits your style and interests. If you prefer to have something higher up on the page, move it and we'll save it like that for you for the next time you return. You can also close features you aren't interested in, so your front page of DigitalJournal.com always reflects what matters to you. Also, rather than having editors select news that's important, our goal is to always serve up top news based on what the community wants to read about. Every article and image has a "Vote It Up!" button which is your tool for pushing something closer to the front page. The more votes an item receives, the higher up in the news heap it climbs. It's just one more way DigitalJournal.com strives to keep the site focused on content that matters to you. (More on voting)

The great thing about contributing on DigitalJournal.com is that there are tons of things you can do. You can post blogs; share images with millions of people around the world; interact in Groups to discuss and debate issues of the day; vote on news, video and images you find important; and discuss and debate the world around you in comment threads, a live chat room, inside Groups or by messaging other members. We have tons of great features for any interest. For more details on how you can contribute, check out our full list of benefits.

We also offer everyone the chance to get paid to report news as a Citizen Journalist. In a totally unique revenue-sharing initiative, DigitalJournal.com is the first online community where Citizen Journalists actually get paid for contributing. Unlike most websites where bloggers post for free (and the company takes in all the ad revenue), DigitalJournal.com shares a portion of its advertising revenue with all Citizen Journalists through what we call our “moneypot.” With an always-growing cash pool, every single Citizen Journalist gets a chance to compete for a share of the moneypot. The more you contribute, the more you earn. Scores are determined based on how many articles you contribute and how high they rank. At the beginning of the month, all accounts that exceed $10 will receive an email notification to collect payment via PayPal (if you do not have a PayPal account, you will be sent a prompt to create one). All earnings are in U.S. dollars.

In order to become a paid Citizen Journalist, you must submit a sample of writing. As a news site, Digital Journal is looking for writers who have a good understanding of spelling and grammar, and can show an ability to find and research relevant news. Everyone is welcome to apply. (More on getting paid).

We never share your personal information with anyone. Other users can contact you through our website, but your email address is never exposed. You can also disable the “contact me” feature.

To prevent others from attaching their images to your articles, you have to first add an image yourself. Click on the "add image" link and browse through our database or upload one of your own. Select on you like and and click the "Select Image" button. Now that you've added an image to your article, you will see check box that says "Allow others to contribute images" that you can turn on or off.

DigitalJournal.com shares portions of all its advertising revenue with Citizen Journalists, and so far we've given away tens of thousands of dollars. Blogs, Groups, images and other features are meant to be used as fun features by everyone, but right now we’re only paying citizen journalists for their news articles. We're always adding more money into the moneypot, giving you more chances to earn. With an always-growing moneypot (check out how much we’ve paid out here), you get paid based on how many articles you contribute in a month, and how high they rank. For more info on what you can do as a DigitalJournal.com member, check out our list of benefits.

At the beginning of the month, all Citizen Journalist accounts that exceed $10 will receive email notification on how to collect payment via PayPal (if you do not have a PayPal account, you will be sent a prompt to create one) and all earnings are in U.S. dollars. Please note: At the present time we’re only issuing payments by PayPal so be sure PayPal operates in your country before you contribute. PayPal operates in most big countries around the world so you can check their site to see if your country is on the list.

You maintain ownership of any of your original content published on DigitalJournal.com. By publishing your content on DigitalJournal.com, you grant us a license to use your material. Please see the Terms of Use for more information.

Your earnings will go up and down based on how active you are on the site. If other users are more active than you, they claim more of the moneypot. Make sure you spend time to make your articles well-written and comprehensive, covering as much information as possible. You should also vote and provide insightful comments on others' articles, because they will likely return the favour and check out your news. Of course, as site revenue climbs, we will make cash payouts even bigger. If your rank/earnings fluctuate a bit, don't worry — as users continue to vote, your previously written articles can boost your rank.

Be original, and don't copy and paste. Instead, quote certain paragraphs or sentences from your source and give them credit. We strongly encourage users to be proud of their own voice, and users always vote more positively on articles with original content. DigitalJournal.com is a community of Citizen Journalists — we're not just a news aggregator. Be opinionated, thorough and explain the news so a reader isn't forced to click the link to find out what the story is about. Links are designed for additional information only.

You can post video from any site that provides an "embed code." For more info on embedding video, check out our tutorial here.

You should also use images to illustrate your posts – upload your own or select one from our image library ( More on uploading images). Keywords are also important because that is how someone finds your work through our search box. Be specific when you use keywords or "tags" in your article or blog. Don't use generic sentences. Use specific keywords like "Microsoft", "Presidential Race" or "climate change."

We don't censor anyone's work. We allow all members to comment and write freely, as long as they don't break the law or personally attack another member of DigitalJournal.com in doing so. Citizen Journalists must publish news, however, and should avoid generic articles that are encyclopedic in nature (check out our Editorial Guidelines for more info or tips). In the event a user is found to be posting copyrighted works or copy+pasting large parts of articles from other sources, his or her articles will be deleted, and earnings will be revoked. That Citizen Journalist will be demoted, meaning all article-posting privileges will be revoked. We take the issue of copyrights very seriously. If a user is found to be badgering or abusing another member of the site, we reserve the right to delete the offender’s comments and his or her account could be removed or suspended without warning.

Unfortunately not. Digital Journal only allows Citizen Journalists to publish their own work. CJs are also not permitted to post work of other CJs unless they collaborated on the piece together. If you have a friend, family member or co-worker who wants to publish something, tell them to create an account and publish on their blog, or sign-up as a Citizen Journalist. Everyone is welcome!

DigitalJournal.com is a user-generated news community, so on the front page we only feature news that is important to users. The most popular stories appear on the front page, meaning it always reflects what users want to read, not what editors think is important (More info here).

Yes, you can. You can click on the "Subscribe" button at the bottom of each article and every time someone comments on that article, you will be sent an email update. You can also subscribe to a blog, a particular user or even a Group. We keep you in touch with content that matters to you. If you want to unsubscribe to the email updates, simply uncheck the "Subscribe" box and you will no longer receive emails. You can also subscribe to news alerts to be notified about posted articles on your favourite topic or personality (e.g. Create a news alert for “Apple,” “David Beckham” or “marijuana.”)

No need to freak out. Visit this link, input your email address and a new temporary password will be sent to you.

Got a question? Need advice? Feeling lonely? Still have unanswered questions or want to figure out how to do something? Check out the DigitalJournal.com Help Group.