By Honorary Reporter Snigdha Verma from India
Photos = Snigdha Verma, Korea.net

The number of Honorary Reporters surges every year, indicative of the influence of Hallyu worldwide. The 4,834 Honorary Reporters, along with 1,856 K-influencers, form the world's largest network of Korea lovers.

 
The experience can be overwhelming especially with a new Honorary Reporters Studio, plethora of activities and legions of fellow colleagues worldwide. The following are eight tips I have based on my two years as an Honorary Reporter.

Quality over quantity
As a new Honorary Reporter, it can be tempting to try producing the most content possible, but relevance and accuracy should be the focus. This could require a lot of time since many are not that knowledgeable about Korea. A well-written article will earn more recognition in the community and can get posted on Korea.net's main page, so maintain the proper balance between quantity and quality.

No plagiarism

The Honorary Reporters program has a strict policy on plagiarism, with violators facing expulsion. Thus always cite references and write content in your own words. Copying and pasting pictures from the internet and passing them as your own are also prohibited. 

Use images from Korea.net, its Flickr page, Korea Tourism Organization and open-source websites that provide images free to use. Or create your illustrations.

Minimum 250 words
Whenever writing an article, I always make it at least 250 words. 

Check Facebook group and email
All updates to Honorary Reporters are delivered either through their Facebook group or email. Please check for updates every five to seven days on information from the program's coordinators, new activities and monthly missions because of deadlines instead of reaching out individually.

Collaborate with peers
Members often ask for collaborations on the Facebook group. An Honorary Reporter can either contribute to another member's article by providing insight, participating in surveys or simply writing a joint story with others. Collaborating is a great way to take full advantage of the program.

Participate in group activities

Last year, the program introduced the monthly mission and workshops. Even more activities are planned this year, so look for them and participate as much as possible.

Just ask
The Facebook group is the program's official one, so the coordinators control the page to prevent spamming and abuse. In addition, almost every country has an unofficial Honorary Reporters group on platforms like WhatsApp and KakaoTalk to connect compatriots in the program and get answers to common questions. Inquiries are also answered on the Q&A and community sections of the Honorary Reporters Studio. No controversial topics
The program is intended to promote the positive about Korea so anything that negatively portrays Korea should be avoided.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.