How We Choose Topics

There is no shortage of technology and business news. The hard part is choosing what is actually worth a reader's attention. Our list of future articles comes from a handful of sources, and each idea is weighed against the same few questions before anyone starts writing.

Where ideas come from

Reader messages

Emails sent through our contact page are the most valuable source. A question asked once is often asked by many people who never write in.

Everyday friction

We notice what trips us up: a phone that runs out of space, a laptop that crawls, a login that will not stick. Guides such as clearing the cache on an iPhone began exactly this way.

Common searches

We look at the questions people type into search engines about devices, software, small business and money. This helps us spot practical problems that deserve a careful answer rather than a quick, shallow one.

Gaps in our own archive

Our older articles cover a lot of ground, from television over the internet to property markets. Where a topic is touched on but never explained properly, we add a foundational guide. Our explainer on cloud storage fills one such gap.

The questions every idea must pass

1. Is it useful? Will a reader be able to do or decide something after reading?
2. Can we explain it honestly? If a subject needs professional expertise we do not have, we either keep the article general and point to qualified help, or we leave it alone.
3. Will it last? We prefer topics that stay relevant for a while, and when we do cover something time-bound we make the date clear.
4. Is it fair? We avoid subjects that would push readers towards a specific provider or encourage risky behaviour.

The balance we aim for

The magazine mixes several kinds of article:

• step-by-step guides for devices and apps;
• explainers that make a concept understandable;
• comparisons that set out the trade-offs between options;
• background pieces on markets, regions and trends.

We try to keep all four in the rotation so that the archive serves both the reader with an urgent problem and the reader who wants to understand a subject more deeply.

What we usually decline

We pass on topics built mainly around hype, promises of quick money, ways to get around security or privacy settings, and subjects where we could only repeat a press release. The reasons are set out in our house rules for writing.

Suggest something

If there is a question you would like us to answer, send it in. Not every suggestion becomes an article, but every one is read and considered.