Guidelines
Yep! We’ve got guidelines…who doesn’t?
If you are going to take the time to submit a letter, a picture, a video and/or make comments on any of the posts on the site, please take the time to review the guidelines that we’ve provided below. We want to use everyone’s submissions, but we also want to establish a few rules of play.
We’ve got a Legal Notice too – check it out before you send us any information.
Guidelines for Comments on Posts
1. Don’t spam
It’s tempting. Don’t think that we aren’t aware of that, but we’d like your comments to be thoughtful responses to the letter or image posted.
2. Be courteous and respectful
Don’t harass or abuse other community members by posting disparaging remarks.
3. Don’t post obscene, hateful or objectionable content
That’s pretty straightforward. If you are having a bad day (and we all have them), release your frustration somewhere else.
4. Give Credit
If you post copyrighted material (quotes and such) make sure that you give credit to the original author. Think too about adding a link back to their site.
5. If you don’t like a post, don’t comment
This goes back to what our mommas taught us: “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.” You aren’t going to like and agree with everything. We don’t expect you to. And there’s no need to be a jerk. Comment nice things on what you like.
Guidelines for Love Letters
1. Have someone or something in mind.
Yes, it can be a thing and not a person. The author of the first book wrote a Love Letter to a bunch of roses…you can definitely express love and appreciation for things.
2. Figure out how you want to say, “I love you” to that person (or thing).
Feel free to use the five (5) main categories to help you find a tone for your letter: I thank you, I love you, I want you, I miss you, I’m sorry.
3. Don’t be shy!
The whole point is to express how you really feel. Don’t worry about an audience, you may get stage fright and that will affect how your words and feelings come out. Just say what you want to say!
4. Write in the First Person
We want to hear what you have to say and express in terms of love and appreciation for someone else. An “as told to” Love Letter really isn’t the same thing.
5. Express (up to 1200 words)
We’d like to hear you go on and on, honestly. But, we’ve got to a draw a line somewhere. 1200 words seems pretty generous.
6. All Submission Form fields are mandatory
You’ve got to man up. That’s the point. Say what you feel, how you feel and then put your name on it. We will only use your initials online. But, if we select your letter for an upcoming book, we are going to need your whole name, so that we can get in touch with you.
7. Keep Your Own Copies
You’ve got to hold onto what you’ve written. If you email us and ask us to send you back your submission, we aren’t going to be able to do it. You are forewarned.
8. Original, Unpublished work, Please!
Don’t send us content that you have already published or copyrighted.
Guidelines for Love Pictures
Take a look at the pictures that have been posted. They will give you an idea of the kinds of submissions we are looking for.
1. Own the Picture
If you didn’t take the picture, you don’t really own it. Any of us can crawl through images that have already been created or posted online. What we want are the pictures that you’ve taken in your daily life that mean something special to you, that mean LOVE to you. We want your snapshots. If there’s any question, we aren’t going to post it.
2. Add a Caption
We aren’t mind readers…just in case we needed to clear that up, now it’s out in the open.
Write a caption to send in with your picture. Let us know why the image means so much to you; why it’s love worthy. We can’t wait to hear!
3. Keep It Clean (PG-13)
Sexy images can easily translate to love: there’s no doubt about it. And we certainly won’t be shying away from sex or passion, but we’d like to keep the images as clean and general-audience-friendly as possible.
4. File Size
Use the contact form to send us your picture. There’s a 2MB file limit, so make sure that you’ve resized your snapshot appropriately before trying to send it in! We accept the following file types: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, and .gif
Guidelines for Love Letter Videos
1. Own the Video
If you didn’t record the video, you don’t really own it. If you are a big fan of a video that’s already been posted on YouTube, that’s great! Post it to our Facebook page or Tweet us! We love to hear about what you love! When you send us a video file, we’d like it to be yours. Something you recorded especially to share with us and the entire Love Letters community.
2. Send the Content
Send us the content of your letter in the email along with the video file attachment, so that we can still post it to the site’s collection of Love Letters. Make sure that it follows the general Love Letters guidelines.
3. Keep It Clean
Let’s be honest, what we are looking for is a video of you reading a letter. It shouldn’t be too hard to keep it clean. Obviously, if your letter is sexy and/or passionate, that isn’t going to turn us off; but if anything leans towards the obscene area of life, we won’t post your video to our channel. We’re not fuddy-duddies, but we are trying to keep the channel as general-audience-friendly as possible.
4. When You’re Ready, Send Us an Email
If you’ve got a video ready for us and have typed out the content of your love letter, send it to us via email at info@jabsloveletters.com. Make sure to include your initials so that we can post it along with your submission.
