image used under license (shutterstock)

Once you understand the requirements (detailed below), click the following button to start the submission process:

This content was originally published as part of the post announcing the official launch of the Proof of Blind project.

We are reposting it here (and declining rewards) so that we can link to it from each new “Request for Submissions” post rather than repeating it again and again.

Also, this post will be periodically updated as new questions are received, and to adjust for any changes we might implement as the project progresses.

What original-content creators need to know about the Proof of Blind project ...

How does the Proof of Blind project work?

Here is a quick overview:

• Content creators submit their original content (following the procedure detailed at the end of this post).

• Submitted content is checked for plagiarism.

• Plagiarism-free content is posted via the @proofofblind account^* (typically within 24 hours after submission), with

  • the original author as 85% beneficiary,
  • the person who coordinated the plagiarism review and finalized the @proofofblind post as 10% beneficiary,
  • @proofofblind retaining 5%.

^* NOTE: posts consisting solely or primarily of photographs and artwork will be posted via @proofofblind.pix and @proofofblind.art respectively.

How often can I post via @proofofblind?

The purpose of the Proof of Blind project is to help high-quality content creators get rewarded and recognized, based solely on the quality of their work. As such, we will be limiting the number of times an individual account can post content via the project.

Initially, we will limit submissions to once per week (per account), and only from accounts that have been in existence for at least 90 days.

After we get a couple weeks of submissions under our belt, we will establish guidelines to allow content creators who are at the top of the most recent Proof of Blind leaderboard to post more frequently. The frequency of allowed posting will be based on position on the leaderboard, and will be displayed directly on the leaderboard. The leaderboard will be revised and posted weekly via @blind.stats.

So, with all that said, only submit your best work to Proof of Blind.

Also, as mentioned in our original announcement post, if we receive more submissions than we can handle, submissions may be subjected to a randomized lottery to prioritize the plagiarism reviews.

Why would I want to give up 15% of my author rewards?

We do not expect authors to ‘give up’ anything. Rather, we believe the 15% ‘fee’ will be more than offset by the additional upvotes high-quality content posted via @proofofblind will receive. However, the “proof is in the pudding” as they say (hmmm, maybe we should have launched this as the Proof of Pudding project, instead?). In any event, if you are concerned about the 15%, do a side-by-side experiment. Write two different high-quality posts and submit one via @proofofblind and the other via your own account. If you don’t earn more rewards via @proofofblind then by all means don’t use the system.

Our sincere hope is that every high-quality content creator will eventually catch the eye of numerous manual curators, get followed by them, then find it more beneficial to post under their own account.

If my identity is kept ‘blind’ from curators, how will I get noticed?

Although the system is designed to allow manual curators to upvote content solely on the basis of the quality of the content (because the identities of the authors are intentionally hidden), there are at least two ways for curators to ‘readily identify’ high-quality authors who post original content via @proofofblind.

First, whenever a manual curator reads a high-quality post, it is a relatively simple step for him/her to peek at who the author is. This is especially easy to do when using ecency.com or proofofbrain.blog. With both those front-ends, simply hover the cursor over the “Pending Payout” dollar amount (in the lower left corner of the post) and a pop-up will immediately show the list of beneficiaries -- the 85% beneficiary is the post’s author.

Second, we will periodically (e.g. weekly) publish, via @blind.stats, a leaderboard where the top-earning authors will be listed. This will be a tool that curators will be able to use to identify high-quality authors to follow. Once your account starts getting its own followers, then you can leave the Proof of Blind project behind and start posting via your own account (and if you do, please mention at the bottom of each post that @proofofblind played a role in helping you get ‘noticed’).

What content can I submit to the Proof of Blind project?

Any written or digital content that is your own original work and has not been published or posted elsewhere can be submitted. However, we reserve the right to reject content that we consider ‘spammy’ or otherwise not suitable for publishing via @proofofblind. If we decide not to publish your content, you are, of course, free to publish it on your own and/or elsewhere.

Also, depending upon the number of submissions we receive that are solely or primarily composed of photography or other forms of artwork, we may publish those posts separately, under @proofofblind.pix and @proofofblind.art.

What content is not acceptable?

The following is a non-exhaustive list of unacceptable content:

• Spam.
• Anything that looks or smells like spam.
• NSFW (not suitable for work) or ‘obscene’ content.
• Anything falling under the category of “Plagiarism, Spam, and Abuse” as defined by the Hive community, such as:
  • Asking for money, views, upvotes, follows, or reblogs.
  • Posts that require upvotes to enter or play in a contest or game.
  • Posts that include little or nothing more than an offer to trade follows or upvotes.
  • Threatening users with any type of physical violence.
  • Not properly citing sources when using someone else’s material.
  • Selling or offering to buy votes/reblogs/follows, or schemes that facilitate this.
  • Scams or Fraudulent offers.

How will I get rewarded for my content if it is posted via the @proofofblind account instead of my own personal account?

Your account (the account from which you submitted your original content to us) will be set up as 85% beneficiary of the @proofofblind post that contains your original content. As such, whenever the payout occurs for the post, your account will receive 85% of the author rewards for that post, automatically. This will include not only HIVE rewards, but also Layer 2 tokens (i.e. Hive-Engine tokens), such as POB (proof of brain) and, when relevant, LEO, STEM, etc.

What about including photographs and other images that are my own original work?

Your own original images (photographs, artwork, memes, etc.) must contain a statement affirming that they are your original work and that you own the rights to publish them, such as:

“I affirm that all images that do not have an ‘Image Source’ link after them are my own original work and that I own the rights to publish them.”

Submissions consisting solely or primarily of original photographs and/or artwork will be posted via @proofofblind.pix or @proofofblind.art instead of @proofofblind.

Submissions where your original photos and other images represent a small or moderate portion of the overall content will be posted via @proofofblind, unless you specifically request that they be published via @proofofblind.pix or @proofofblind.art.

What about including photographs and images that are not my own original work?

Each photograph or other image that is not your original work must contain a valid “Image Source” link (i.e. a URL linking to the original work itself).

Submissions that fail to properly provide valid “Image Source” links will either have those images excluded from the official post, or the submission will be rejected.

Photographs and other images that are not your original work cannot be the sole or primary content of a post, even if properly referenced.

Can I submit content that has already been posted elsewhere?

The short answer is “No.” Although it is generally allowable to post your own original content to Hive even if it has already been posted elsewhere (provided you properly reference the original source material), we do not allow that in Proof of Blind. One of the primary reasons for disallowing the reposting of content published elsewhere is because there is no way for us to confirm that you are, in fact, the original author of the content that was published elsewhere.

Can I repost my Proof of Blind original content somewhere else?

After the voting period ends on your post, you are free to repost the content, in whole or in part, elsewhere. However, be advised that reposting the same content again on Hive is considered abuse and should be avoided. Also, if you repost your content elsewhere during the 7-day active voting period (or if we discover that you had already previously posted the content elsewhere), we reserve the right to remove the content from the Proof of Blind project.

As stated above, content submitted to the Proof of Brain project must be original content that has never been published or posted elsewhere.

What about tags? Do I get to decide which tags to include with my post?

We encourage you to suggest up to 10 tags for your post (and require you to suggest at least one). However, we reserve the right to exclude tags that are not representative of the post’s content. We also may add tags that are relevant, at our sole discretion.

What if I change my mind after I submit my original content, and decide to withdraw my submission?

If you change your mind before we have begun our plagiarism review (i.e. before we have added an “Under review” reply to your submission), simply edit your submission comment to say “Withdrawn.”

However, if we have already begun our plagiarism review (which will be indicated by a comment to your comment, saying “Under review”) we ask that you refrain from withdrawing your submission. Withdrawing your submission after the plagiarism review has begun may result in your account being excluded from future participation in the Proof of Blind project.

As an original-content creator, what Proof of Blind accounts should I follow?

@blind.submit will post “Requests for Submissions” along with any changes we end up making to the submission procedures.

@blind.stats will post the leaderboard showing how your original content compared to everyone else’s, in terms of total votes, total rewards, etc. The leaderboard will also tell you whether you will be allowed to submit more than one post per week and, if so, how many you will be allowed to submit.

As a manual curator, what Proof of Blind accounts should I follow?

@proofoblind will post original content that has passed our plagiarism review. Whereas we will be limiting the number of posts each individual account can submit (initially, one per week), and whereas we will (at least initially) only be allowing accounts that were created at least 90 days ago to submit, you can expect to see only the best of each content creator’s work each week.

@proofoblind.pix and @proofofblind.art will post original content comprised exclusively or primarily of photographs, pictures, images (including memes), and artwork. We will only post submissions of photos and other images where the submitter has affirmed their authorship and ownership of the image(s). In addition, we will run a verification check to see if the image(s) have been published elsewhere (only original unpublished images will be posted via @proofofblind.pix and @proofofblind.art).

@blind.stats will post the leaderboard showing a ranking of the individual content creators, in terms of total votes, total rewards, etc. The leaderboard will be a useful feature for manual curators to discover new content creators to follow.

Thanks for your interest in the Proof of Blind project and remember to submit your best work here.