So how do these guest posts come to be? Every week, we get dozens of emails asking us that very question. Some of the emails include story pitches, others simply want to know more about the process for contributing articles. So, below, we’ve provided answers to the most commonly asked questions. Take a minute to read through this — hopefully it will clear up any confusion. We look forward to seeing your submissions.

The purpose of guest posts

Similar to op-eds, guest posts are unpaid, bylined articles by our readers. They’re a place for you and other industry experts to discuss what keeps you up at night — and gets you going in the morning. What are you most optimistic, or concerned, about right now? What do you find yourself excitedly talking about over beers with your colleagues? Which new technologies do you think will change the world? And how will they have this impact? This is what we want to hear about.

CEOs, VCs and startup founders look to our guest posts to have their own ideas challenged, to discover new technologies or better solutions to their business problems, and to learn something that they couldn’t learn elsewhere. They’re not interested in hearing the conventional wisdom on well-covered issues (no matter how masterfully crafted the piece is). So stop haranguing your spouse and co-workers with your brilliant idea, and share your contrarian viewpoints with us.

What to include — and not include — in a guest post

Aim for about 800 words. That’s not a lot of room, so stay focused on one main idea. Clearly make your case in a sentence or so in the first or second paragraph. And then back it up throughout the rest of the post, with examples, data points, anecdotes or other evidence. To put it bluntly, our readers have a really high bullshit detector. So your article needs to provide fresh, well-articulated insight into a topic that is important to them.

Guest posts should not be overly formal. Avoid jargon, acronyms and highfalutin words.  Cut out the middleman (sorry, publicists) and write in your natural-speaking voice. It’s your name in the byline — it should sound like it was written by you.

No self-promotional posts

We want to hear your insider take on things, but we won’t run anything that is either explicitly or implicitly self-promotional. Guest posts aren’t a platform to tell us how great your company or industry is — the purpose of the posts is to enlighten readers and provoke them to think about important and topical issues/questions in new ways.

We’re very strict about all potential conflicts of interest. If you (or the company that you work for) have had any relationship — paid or unpaid — with any company mentioned in the story, you need to clearly disclose the nature of that relationship within the post and in the two- or three-sentence bio at the end of the piece. This includes (but is not limited to) partners, customers and advisors.

We prefer to receive guest posts as .txt or Word docs, with any links to outside sources pasted below the relevant paragraph.

Is there an editing process?

Yes, guest posts go through our regular editing process. We’ll add comments and questions to your first draft. We might move a few paragraphs around, so that the ideas flow better, or change the wording here and there to add clarity. We will send you the final text before we publish the piece to make sure that we didn’t alter your meaning in the edits. We never publish an article without getting the author’s approval first. Please note, however, that we do not fact-check guest posts, so you are solely responsible for the factual accuracy of the post.

After we get your okay, we will slate it for publication. GigaOM retains all publishing rights to contributor posts, and we ask that the content not be published elsewhere — either before or after we publish it.

But your role doesn’t end when we hit publish. Like all posts on GigaOM and paidContent, our guest posts are meant to be part of an ongoing conversation. After the post is published, we expect you to jump in and engage with readers.

How to pitch a post

Send your pitches to guestpost@gigaom.com. If your guest post is connected to a news story, or is time sensitive for any other reason, please say so in the subject heading. Because of the volume of pitches we get, we can’t respond to all of them. If you don’t hear back from us within two weeks, you can assume that we won’t be taking the piece, and we’ll understand when you run it with a different publication.

If you’ve already written the post, of course, include it in the pitch. If you haven’t, please include the following information in your pitch email:

1. A sentence or two — or short paragraph — explaining the point of the piece.
2. A sentence or two outlining how you you will tell your story or prove your thesis.
3. A sentence or two telling us why now. What is the larger context for the article? What is happening in the industry that makes this post particularly important to our readers today?
4. A sentence or two with your bio, including where you currently work and your relevant background. Why should people listen to what you have to say about the proposed topic?

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• New improved protocols engine with full Unicode support
• New high quality icon theme
• Windows 7 taskbar icon support
• Added full Unicode file transfers
• Added ability to transfer files longer than 4 GB
• Added the first official 64-bit core version
• And many improvements to protocol support

You can see the full list of updates here. Miranda IM is available for Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP, Vista and 7. You can download the latest stable version (0.9.1 as of this writing) for free here.

As a side note, I find it strange that Miranda IM is only up to version 0.9, as it’s been around for years; when will it make it to 1.0?

Which Windows IM client do you use?

(Via Download Squad)

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Of course, FAQ pages aren’t just handy in a social sense. Web workers can also gain time and reduce frustration by creating FAQ pages for their colleagues, team members or clients.

For those of us who work remotely, suffer connection outages or are offline periodically (perhaps you’re in a part-time role) or communicate with those in different timezones, publishing a work-related FAQ page on the company wiki or your own web site is worth considering.

I’ve found work-related FAQ pages really helpful. Not only can they reduce the time you spend explaining a process, responsibility or task over and over to team members, they may also help someone who’s filling your shoes (if you’re sick, or on vacation) to complete aspects of your job as simply and quickly as possible.

Who Needs an FAQ Page?

A work-related FAQ page could prove handy for a web worker who:

• finds themselves answering the same questions repeatedly
• works in a different timezone to others who need to know how their work is progressing
• manages an otherwise undocumented process or product independently
• works part-time, job-shares, or is offline or out of reach for given periods of time

Whether you work on- or off-site, for one employer or many clients, you can probably think of a least a few questions you could include on an FAQ page.

What’s an FAQ Page For?

First of all, don’t go thinking that an FAQ page is a means by which you can fob off your colleagues or reduce tedious interactions with clients.

A good FAQ page helps the people you work with as much as it helps you: it’ll provide them with the details they need, whether you’re around or not. It also allows them to digest potentially complex information at their own pace. Finally, it can enable colleagues to ask the right questions of you, reducing the time they need to spend solving a problem or obtaining information.

Though it may sound counter-intuitive, your FAQ page needn’t be restricted to Frequently Asked Questions. The whole point of FAQs is that they allow the questioner to obtain information without your having to be present: they ask the question, you send the link to the FAQ, and they get the answers.

So your FAQ page may also:

• anticipate questions from colleagues
• explain important information that people need to know about how you do your job (including essential process documentation, the details of external contacts you may deal with, and other information as appropriate)
• provide status updates for projects you’re working on
• identify the deadlines you’re working to
• pre-empt your absences from work (including vacations, conferences, etc.)

Obviously, in preparing an FAQ page, you’ll need to consider the audiences who’ll use it, and shape the content accordingly. You don’t want external parties to be able to access information about your processes, or to allow clients to see the details of your work schedules on other projects. So be careful about choosing the information you’ll include, and tailor it to specific groups.

The FAQ page I developed for one of my roles was internally directed at on- and off-site colleagues employed by the company I worked for, which made it fairly easy to work out what content I could and should include. Once you define your FAQ page audience, you should be able to identify which  content is appropriate for the page.

How Do You Use It?

Depending on your role, your colleagues (are they internal or external, or clients?), your company culture, and what you’ve included in your FAQ page itself, your FAQ may be useful in a range of situations.

• If it’s a purely role-related FAQ page, you might send the link to people who ask you a question that it answers.
• If the page contains information about your work processes and external contacts, you might send it to relevant colleagues before you go on leave.
• If it’s a detailed account of your working processes, status, FAQs and more, you might include it alongside your listing in your company’s internal staff directory.
• If your page relates to your work as an independent contractor, you might include it in your email signature, your web site’s navigation, or within a restricted client area on your web site.

An FAQ page can help you reduce the frequency with which you provide the same information to different people. It can also help you to remain productive and focused on tasks that actually require your expertise.

Have you ever used a professional FAQ page at work?

Image by stock.xchng user EdwinP.

But as the Los Angeles Times’ Up to Speed blog put it, “Clunkermania officially begins today,” since the feds have released the final rules — 136 pages of them. So many dealers rushed to register after the document went up on CARS.gov this morning that it crashed government computers. Here’s everything you need to know about how to cash in on the program, starting on July 27.

Do I have a clunker? To qualify for vouchers under this program, clunkers must have been made in the last 25 years, so model year 1984 or later (the manufacturer date has to be shown on the driver’s side door or door jamb), and have a fuel economy rating of no more than 18 MPG (combined city and highway ratings, which you can find on fueleconomy.gov).

Can I have it towed to the dealer? No, vehicles have to be in drivable condition.

Can I trade in one of my company’s cars? Yes. According to the final rules, “individuals as well as legal entities, such as corporations and partnerships, may participate in the program.”

How much money will I get? The way this program has been set up, you won’t actually walk away with cash in hand — it’s works like an instant rebate. The government will electronically transfer money to registered dealers, who will knock that much off the price tag of your new purchase. Credits are good for either $3,500 or $4,500, depending on how much of an MPG upgrade you’ll be making with the trade in.

How about cars specifically? For passenger vehicles, if the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy that’s 4-9 MPG higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $3,500. If the new vehicle has a combined fuel economy value that’s 10 MPG or more higher than the traded-in vehicle, the credit is $4,500.

What about larger vehicles, like work trucks and SUVs? For work trucks (category 3), it’s simple: they’re not rated for fuel economy by the EPA, so they can qualify for a $3,500 credit (toward a category 2 truck or another work truck that’s about the same size or smaller than the clunker) as long as they were made between 1984 and 2001. Funds for work trucks might run out before the program ends, however, since only 7.5 percent of the allotted funds can go into this category. For pickup trucks, vans and SUVs the credit amount varies by category of both the clunker and the new vehicle, so this gets a little more complicated — see this page on CARS.gov for the details, or refer to this helpful chart on fueleconomy.gov.

What do I need to bring? Qualifying clunkers must have been continuously insured for at least one year leading up to the trade in (by the vehicle owner or someone else), and you need to bring proof of this insurance to the dealer. CARS.gov recommends contacting your insurance company if your insurance card doesn’t cover the whole year. You also need a “clear” title, meaning all loans are paid off and the car is in your name only (see here for details on how to clear any “encumbrances”). According to CARS.gov, “The name on the registration must be the same as the name on the title and the same as the purchaser of the new vehicle.”

Can I buy a luxury or used car? Vehicles only qualify if they are new and have a sticker price (MSRP) of $45,000 or less.

Does the car have to be made by a U.S. automaker? No.

Can I lease a new car, or do I have to buy outright? New cars can be purchased or leased (with a minimum lease period of five years) under the program.

Where’s the catch? Your clunker might have a higher trade-in value than the government is going to ante up. If you can get more than the $3,500 or $4,500 credit available under the cash for clunkers program, you’re better off skipping the voucher.

What will happen to my old car after I trade it in? Most of it, including the engine block, must be crushed or shredded, although many parts can be removed and sold. Dealers are required to give you an estimate of the scrap value of your clunker, and they can “retain up to $50 of the scrap value of the vehicle for their administrative costs of participation in the program.” But the rulemakers warn that “Purchasers should not expect to receive the same trade-in value as they might if the vehicle were to remain on the road.”

What’s the deadline? The program is set to run until November 1, 2009, or until the allotted $1 billion runs out — whichever comes first.

Where can I learn more? CARS.gov.

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Twitter is still a scary, untamed frontier for many businesses. They know that they should be engaging with the Twitter community, but aren’t sure how to do it.

I’ve collected up some of the most common questions asked by Twitter-for-business newbies and answered them below.

Is it bad to have a lopsided following/followers ratio?

Balance is better. Following 150 people with only 75 following is OK. If you have more lopsided figures of, say, 300 following to 75 followers, that might give tweeters pause before they consider following you. Focus on quality over quantity.

How do I stop people from following me?

Block them. Go to the person’s Twitter page and click “Block” in the sidebar under “Actions.” Once you block someone, they won’t show up in your followers list.

I’m concerned that a follower of my company is a porn site. What if my clients see such a follower prior to my blocking them?

First off, most folks don’t have time to analyze your list of followers. Secondly, most people know that spammers go after everyone and we don’t always catch them all. So it’s not a concern, unless you have lots of them.

If you block someone, is there a way to see those you blocked, in case you want to reverse your decision?

You can reverse your decision by going to the person’s Twitter page and clicking “Unblock” under “Actions.” You can view a list of people you’ve blocked, but it’s an XML file and not very readable: http://twitter.com/blocks/blocking.xml.

Should I protect my Twitter page, so I can avoid spammers and such?

This is a bad idea, particularly if you’re using Twitter for business. Some Twitter users don’t follow people who protect their updates.

I’m trying to implement Twitter at my company, but can’t get executive buy-in. What can I do?

Many businesses are using Twitter to connect and exchange ideas with customers. It might help to do a search to find case studies and examples of businesses using Twitter and show how they’ve benefited.

Do you recommend having separate Twitter accounts for business personal use?

That depends. Many people have a single account that they use for all because it adds personality. But if you like to share strong opinions and talk about sensitive topics like religion or politics, then a separate personal account would be wise. It also depends on what you represent. Are you working for a large company and tweeting in its name or are you a one-person business?

What are the liabilities associated with a business using Twitter?

It’s up to the business. The company might want to consider drafting a policy on the company’s rules for how employees use Twitter and other social networking sites. Suggestions for things to address include usage, company disclosure and consequences for violating policy.

Who should manage a company’s Twitter account? Marketing? Product Management? Sales?

It’s important to note that Twitter users easily detect fakery. Who does the tweeting depends on the purpose of the Twitter account(s). Be honest about who is doing the tweeting. Avoid having personnel far removed from the executives to do the CEO’s tweeting, for example.

What are those words starting with # like “#b2b”?

They’re hashtags. They make it easier to tag references to a topic, event or other common factor. For example, if someone tweets about a job opportunity, he could tag it with “#jobs” so those looking for jobs can easily find it.

Should you use a account name that is recognized to be associated with your company, or not?

For business-related Twitter accounts, you should either use your real name or your company’s name. If you use the company’s name, you should put your real name in your profile. If multiple people tweet from the same company account, then say so in the profile. List their names, if you can.

If the people you are following are listed on your Twitter page, how do you prevent people from clicking on your competition? Can you follow someone without it being listed?

It’s better to not hide the people you follow, even your competition. Having open dialogue with your industry — including your competitors — will help you earn trust and credibility. If you really want to follow someone without them knowing, then subscribe to their Twitter RSS feed.

How often should a business tweet?

Avoid posting many tweets in a short space of time and overwhelming followers’ streams. Think quality over quantity. A good rule of thumb is to post few tweets spread out over the course of the day.

How do you respond to people who say something good or bad about your business?

Being able to rapidly respond to any news about your business is valuable. If it’s good, either tweet the person directly or in a direct message (DM). You don’t want to bug people with a short “Thank you for that.” If it’s something bad, try to solve the problem or ask questions to find out the problem. If you find out the problem and you’re researching the answer, don’t wait until you find the answer to respond. You can respond quickly with a “We’re researching this and will get back to you.”

Should I block followers who have nothing to do with my business?

No — unless they’re spammers or have inappropriate content.

How can we quickly build up our list of people to follow?

Use search.twitter.com or an application like twellow.com, which can search profiles for keywords. However, don’t be in a hurry to build a big list. Remember lopsided followers/following is not good.

Is there a way to integrate CRM with Twitter?

Some CRM applications include Twitter and other social media sites as part of the app. Some have add-ons. If yours doesn’t, create a custom field.

How do I get leads on Twitter?

Focus on providing value with your tweets. Spread out links to your own content, because doing it too often turns off many users. Help others, ask questions and share thoughts about your industry or business in general. These are just a few of many ways you can build relationships on Twitter.

What ways have you found Twitter useful in your business?

Image created at twitlogo

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It works with any GPS chip and has open APIs, which means location providers such as Skyhook and local information services such as Yelp can work with the platform. Update: However, today’s launch of Google’s Latitude mobile social mapping service could end up competing with Xiam and its carrier customers by offering ads based on location as well. Still, this is Qualcomm’s effort to join companies like Apple (s aapl), which pioneered touch, and Nuance ( s nuan), which has pushed speech recognition, in improving the way we navigate mobile phones.

The service seems like a handy way to squeeze the infinite content of the web onto the tiny real estate of the mobile screen fast enough for impatient mobile users. It would be an obvious benefit for people who travel, but it also poses some privacy problems. It’s more akin to firms that look at recommendations to offer ads such as Phorm or NebuAd, than a location service like Where. Colm Healy, VP and general manager of Xiam, says he thinks the service could help deliver better-targeted ads, which is important on mobile phones since consumers resent an influx of advertising onto their devices. However, increased relevance of advertising comes from the carrier noting your location and user-provided personal preferences, as well as preferences logged by the software as someone surfs the web on the device.

Healy says users opt into the service, but I’m still creeped out by my carrier tracking my sites and using that to offer services and ads.

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