How To Get Involved With MMA (Collab Applications)

Special Collaborators

To become a Special Collaborator on MMA you will usually need to have been an active member of the forum community first. While there is no minimum amount of time you need to have been a member before you can apply, we only accept people as collaborators who we have found to be knowledgeable about metal and our additional genres (don't worry, you don't have to know every sub-genre inside out), as well as being considered trustworthy - which in practice means you can't just sign up and immediately ask to be given the keys to the kingdom, which is what being a Special Collaborator is in regard to our database. We're sure you agree that would be asking for trouble on our part: As an MMA collaborator, you will hold a lot of power over the site's content in addition to behind the scenes decision making, gaining the ability add, edit and even delete artists, which is why we have to be careful about who we accept. 

A good rule of thumb is that if we don't know who you are when you apply, you won't be accepted. 

The lone exception to this is when an established Special Collaborator vouches for you.

You are most likely to be successful in your Special Collaborator application if you are a contributing member of the community. This includes suggesting missing artists to be added to our database (good suggestions correctly pinpoint the correct sub-genre(s) to add them to), pointing out errors and omissions on existing profiles and writing reviews (which can also lead a Metal Reviewer position), along with being an active member of the forums.

Metal Reviewers

Writers of consistently good reviews can be invited to accept a Metal Reviewer position with MMA, which grants their work increased rating weight and the expectation that you will continue to submit your writing to MMA. However, it does also mean that your reviews will be held up to a higher standard by the site admins as opposed to a 'member' review. This is because a Metal Reviewer's work represents the site directly. You don't usually need to apply to be a Metal Reviewer, we offer it when we identify those who have earned it, but if you feel the admins have overlooked you we are approachable to listen to your case.

Please note that we do not accept people as Metal Reviewers if you are primarily writing for another website. Metal Reviewers must write for MMA. We do allow cross-posting (with a credit to the original place you published), but cross-posters will remain limited to posting member reviews until such time that they start publishing original work to MMA. It's okay to be a Metal Reviewer with older, cross-posted reviews so long as your new work is written for us. Collaborators are permitted to cross-post reviews written at any time without losing their status. These reviews will show up on the site as Specialist reviews, but that's a system limitation and not an indicator that cross-posters will be accepted as Metal Reviewers. 

While MMA Metal Reviewers will never be told by the site admins what to review, there is an expectation of picking up any review requests that are posted to the forums. Promos may also be occasionally provided to the site to be shared among reviewers. 

Making an Application

You should make your application to be a Special Collaborator or Metal Reviewer directly to one of the members of the MMA admin team (this currently includes adg211288, Bosh66, 666Sharon666, Vim Fuego and Nightfly but not the site owners/webmasters). 

For Special Collaborator requests, the most important thing we need to know from you is where you see yourself fitting in in terms of sub-genre team(s). You're not limited to just one, although we do advise that new collaborators start with just one while they get a feel for the site's systems. Collaborators have the power to work on all MMA sub-genres: your team role affects your decision making power. A member of the Death Metal team has a say and vote on that sub-genre – they can't also make decisions for the Black Metal team (unless a member of both). Teams can always be added to or changed at a later date if you decide you would fit better elsewhere. 

Metal Reviewer requests should provide us with links to five example reviews that you feel represent your best writing. At least one of these examples should have been recently published on MMA (within the last week) to show us that you're an active reviewer. Ideally the review samples will cover a range of sub-genres, but we also welcome specialists in particular sub-genres. 

The admin you contact will want to make sure that you have a good grasp of what is expected of you (good code of conduct, an understanding of our site policies et cetera), before you are accepted as a Special Collaborator or Metal Reviewer. MMA's Collaborator's Handbook* lists all the policies that collaborators will need to know about.

Please only contact a second admin with your request if you haven't heard an acknowledgement from the first within three days.

* Please note that The Collaborator's Handbook is in need of an update, which will be released as soon as possible. Any questions in the meantime can be directed to the admins, or other collaborators.