Guidelines
To submit an article or contact us please use the following email address: editor@dandavats.com
By submitting an article you automatically agree to abide by the following guidelines.
Note
The content of each article, announcement, video, or audio submission must be in English and originate from an ISKCON, ISKCON-friendly, or neutral source.
Dandavats retains the right to publish or not publish any given article at our discretion and according to our editorial policy.
We do not post more than one announcement or advertisement for the same item, event, product, request for service, job offer, or similar submission.
Articles submitted for publication on our site, or linked from it, should generally be between 800 and 2,000 words. Videos submitted should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
We do not host media files on our server. Videos, audio files, image albums, and PDF files must already be published online so that we can embed or link to them.
We cannot enter into discussions regarding the publication of a submitted post or where on our site it will be or was published.
It is also Dandavats policy not to publish Vyasa Puja related reports. Although they are bona fide ISKCON events, unless there is something extraordinary about them, these numerous and regular occurrences do not constitute news items of general interest to the global community of Vaishnavas.
Dandavats seeks to avoid becoming a diksa guru–centric website, mirroring other websites where disciples glorify and appreciate their diksa guru. Such websites may be ideal for the respective disciples and we support that kind of sanga. Dandavats, however, seeks to reach a broader audience. Therefore, while glorification of devotees in general is welcome, we prefer that such glorification is not exclusively focused on the guru–disciple relationship.
When sending articles that include more than two pictures and/or audio or video files, please do not send the media files directly to Dandavats. Instead, send us a link to where those files are hosted and we will provide that link with your article. There are many free services where you can upload and publish them (for example Flickr, YouTube, etc.). We have limited bandwidth and cannot host an unlimited amount of media.
If you want us to publish a pre-formatted article with a specific layout (including pictures, spacing, lists, special fonts, etc.), the article must already be published somewhere on the web so that we can use its formatting code. Otherwise, the article will be published in a simple layout, possibly with one or two pictures or with a teaser and a link pointing to the original source or an embedded PDF.
Please also note that when an author asks us to correct their posting or comment we normally accommodate such a request once. However, if subsequent submissions require editing after publication, we may decline unless there is a compelling reason. This policy helps reduce workload and encourages contributors to carefully review their submissions before sending them.
Dandavats Posting Guidelines
Dandavats will only publish articles and comments that are signed with the author’s real name. Pet names or aliases will not be accepted. Anonymous contributions may be accepted only if the author is known to the webmaster and editor, and if the reason for anonymity is considered justified.
Please note that direct comment submission on this website has been disabled, and the previous user login system (which existed only for the purpose of posting comments) is no longer active.
However, serious and thoughtful comments may still be sent to the editor by email. If such comments are considered appropriate and relevant, they may be approved and posted on the site at the editor’s discretion.
By submitting a comment you automatically accept the above terms.
Where your article is likely to be found on Dandavats once it has been approved for posting
Philosophical articles are generally published on the front page.
Newsletters and regular publications are generally posted in the message board section and are also visible on the home page as a link on the right sidebar and on the rolling bar at the top of the homepage.
Announcements with commercial or monetary content will be posted on the message board section and appear as a link on the right sidebar.
Announcements about Vaishnavas leaving their bodies are posted in the obituary section.
Articles of a personal nature are generally posted in the blog-thoughts section.
Announcements about local temple festivities and events will usually appear both on the message board and on the rolling bar at the top of the homepage.
Reports from local temple festivities and events are generally posted on the message board and the rolling bar at the top of the homepage.
These are our general guidelines, but we retain the right to ultimately decide where to post each submission according to our editorial judgement. From time to time this decision may not fully align with the guidelines stated above.
If you disagree with where your article has been posted, you may write to us. However, please understand that we cannot enter into long correspondence exchanges about such matters. We will read your message and may take it into consideration, but our original decision may remain unchanged.
The reason we do not publish everything on the front page is that we do not want it filled with announcements, advertisements, and postings that are not of universal interest.
We understand that every contributor wishes to receive maximum visibility for their services or announcements, but if everything were placed on the front page the site would quickly resemble an unstructured classifieds board, making posts harder to find and reducing the overall quality and usability of the site.
Yours in the service of His Divine Grace,
The Dandavats Staff