Magnolia Miller's "MJ Story"

Today marks the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, and people around the world are celebrating the memory of the King of Pop, originator of the moonwalk and star of the Jackson Five.

TMZ, one of the Web's leading entertainment news sites, is covering the event from every angle, and one Associated Content Contributor, Magnolia Miller, got the top billing on a special TMZ sidebar called "MJ Stories."

Magnolia's piece recounts a summer day in 1971 when she met a young Michael Jackson in Shreveport, LA. As they spent the afternoon watching cartoons and having a pillow fight, Magnolia never dreamed that "little Michael" would grow up to become the world's most famous pop star.

Click here to read Magnolia's fascinating story, and her thoughts on MJ's legacy.

Yahoo! Music's Groove

Veteran music journalist and Yahoo! Music executive editor Dave Dimartino is looking forward to working with Associated Content Arts & Entertainment Contributors.
Yahoo! Music's focus has always been providing its audience with news, reviews and rich media custom-tailored to their personal music interests - and now they're ready to get even more local. In Dave's words, "Yahoo! may have a massive international reach, but in fact it's the very precise story, the local story, that often resonates best with our worldwide readership."

That's where you come in. Working with Associated Content's diverse community of Contributors--living in small towns and big cities across the country, and representing a full spectrum of musical taste--will allow Yahoo! Music to branch out like never before, and enable our best music writers to connect with a much larger audience.

Be sure to read Dave Dimartino's open letter to the AC community, to learn more about how Yahoo! Music has evolved over the years and as his vision for the future.

If you're a Featured Arts & Entertainment Contributor, claiming some Associated Content summer music assignments is a great way to get into the Yahoo! Music's groove, and show their editors what you're passionate about and capable of. If you're not currently a Featured Contributor in A&E, now's a great time to apply!

Spring Sweepstakes Winners

Congratulations to Carly Morgan and Patrick Hurst, who each won a brand new, 32GB, Wifi-enabled Apple iPad!

As part of our April Showers Bring May Flowers sweepstakes, Carly and Patrick were randomly selected out of the thousands of Contributors who referred new publishers to Associated Content or created their first piece of content. With the Apple iPad proudly in tow, Carly and Patrick can now write, read and share AC articles on the road this summer!

iPad, therefore I am: Carly and Patrick's sleek new tech toy.

Meet our winners…

Referral Promotion: Carly Morgan
Utahnian Featured Contributor Carly Morgan successfully recruited 11 new writers to Associated Content in April and May! This talented freelance writer's AC library cover lots of topics, offering everything blogging advice to information on hosting a Disney wedding.

New Contributor Promotion: Patrick Hurst
South Dakotan sports enthusiast Patrick has published 9 pieces of content since joining the AC community in April. Enjoying the 2010 World Cup? For a blast from the past, check out Patrick's article about the "brilliant run" made by team USA back in 2002.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the promo, and congrats to our winners!

Remember: If you referred new writers to Associated Content during our spring promotion, it’s not over yet! Help guide your recruits and offer useful advice for publishing success and you’ll automatically receive a $10 referral bonus for every contributor who reaches Clout 5 by August 31!

AC Contributors Shine On

Yahoo! Shine is one of the Web's most popular women's lifestyle destinations -- and the Shine team is excited about publishing lots of inspiring home, fashion, parenting, healthy living, relationships and food articles by the wonderful women of Associated Content.

Yahoo! editor Dory Devlin is eager to welcome AC's Contributors into the Shine community, and find out what kinds of content you'd like to create for the site. Check out her open letter to the AC community, and leave a comment with your ideas!

World Cup Fever

Is your face painted with the colors of the country of your origin? Are you blowing a vuvuzela horn into the ears of your co-workers? You just might have World Cup fever!

If you need help staying updated on games, finding the best World Cup decorations, learning just how much of a powerhouse Argentina is, or anything else World Cup, make sure you check out our World Cup Guide. Our contributors have produced (and are producing) some of the best World Cup content on the Web, and we're happy to showcase it!

We'll be updating it regularly throughout the tournament, so be sure to check back in each day.

If you've written an article or see an article you think should be featured in our guide, comment here, email the link to sports [at] associatedcontent [dot] com or tweet it @AC_Sports!

The Best of AC: April & May

Every month, our Best of AC Awards honor some of the most accomplished Contributors in a variety of different categories. Today, we're giving a shout out to the talented winners of our April and May 2010 awards!

Best of AC: April

Beauty – Mimi Bullock

Mimi is a Featured Contributor in three categories, with a library of more than 600 pieces of content (including close to 100 expert Beauty guides).

Green Living – Don A. Shepard

Don, a self-titled Humanist Environmentalist, is a Featured Green Contributor and the author of a thought-provoking series of environmental op-eds and how-tos.

Humor – Frank Mucci
The hot button provocations of this sharp-tongued humorist might make you laugh - or they might make your blood boil - but they're sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Best of AC: May

Book Reviews – Mike Powers
Mike is new to the AC community, but he's already attracted a slew of followers and found a home the Featured A&E program with his detailed and insightful book and movie reviews.

Parenting – Lisa Mason
Long time Contributor and work at home mother Lisa Mason has published more than 100 pieces of unique, practical parenting content on AC, including twenty new articles in May.

Weddings – Bronwyn Timmons
Writer, student and bride-to-be Bronwyn Timmons has turned her engagement into an incredibly productive period as a freelancer, publishing close to 100 helpful (often "alternative") wedding guides on Associated Content.

Be sure to stop by each of their profiles, check out some of their content and say Congrats!

The categories for the June Best of AC Awards are Music, Summer Travel and Web Technology. If you know of any Contributors who deserve to be considered for any of these awards - yourself included - head over to the Forum to log your nomination!

April and May Rising Stars Shine Brightly

We're serving up a double helping of Rising Stars on the blog today! Our Rising Stars for April and May are experts in everything from Chemical Engineering to parenting. They do have a couple of things in common, however: All joined Associated Content recently and they're already seeing lots of success.April's Rising Stars include Casey Adams, Becca Grenier, Lisa McNamara, Tony Payne, and Gina Grace. They're sharing their expertise, making friends throughout the community and racking up pageviews. Stop by their pages and check out their great content. They'd appreciate congratulatory messages, too!

In May, our monthly Rising Stars include Nicole Pellegrini, Jillian McCoy, Melanie Patrick, Tom Bradwell and Hope L. Brock. From their libraries of content, you can learn about the film industry, raising toddlers, teaching at-risk students, classic video games and so much more. Don't forget to leave a "Congrats," too!

We're not quite halfway through June and there are already many new Contributors reaching for the stars... the next Rising Stars awards, that is! If you know of a newbie with great potential, stop by the forums to nominate them as a Rising Star for June.

Associated Content Contributor Showcased on Yahoo! Sports

Patrick Michael, a Featured Sports Contributor with a passion for baseball, got a pleasant surprise yesterday when he became the first Associated Content contributor featured on Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Sports, the number one sports destination on the Internet, is where millions of fans turn for the latest scores, commentary and analysis, and fantasy games.

Patrick's article, Top Four Clean Players of Dirty Steroid Generation, was selected by Yahoo! Sports for its informative reporting and Patrick's compelling, fun writing style.

Congratulations to Patrick! Stay tuned for future opportunities in connection with Yahoo! and its many popular web properties. Submit your best content and you just might find it featured on one of the hottest sites on the Internet!

Getting Local with Yahoo! News

Before Yahoo! and Associated Content officially joined forces, our companies collaborated on a local news project that enabled Associated Content Contributors from select cities across the U.S. to create original articles for Yahoo! News.

Veteran newspaper reporter and People's Media Award-winning Contributor Michael Thompson was among those who participated in this special project. For Michael, it was a thrilling opportunity to get back on the local beat, see his byline on the Web's most popular news portal and hone his writing skills through direct contact with Associated Content's editors.

Click here to read Michael Thompson's reflection on the experience of creating content for Yahoo! News.

In the near future, scores of additional Associated Content Contributors will have the same opportunity. Get ready!