We’re not going to lie—there are certain areas of the NowPublic party that have a velvet rope and a bouncer guarding them. But hey, our guest list isn’t as hard to crack as some places. All you have to do is prove that you’re willing and excited to hang out with us.

What does this mean? Well, dispensing with the party metaphor for a second (don’t worry, it’ll be back!) there are some aspects of Crowd-Sourcing that require a bit more involvement in the NowPublic community. If you’re interested in being a friend of ours, reach out to one of our Staffers. It’s highly possible that you can become a Wrangler or a Guest Editor.

Right now, only our Wranglers and Guest Editors have access to the Flickr crowd-sourcing tool. Why is this? Well, Flickr users tend to have a more personal relationship with their photos than YouTube users have with their videos. It’s just one of those funny Internet cultural quirks. We want to make sure that we respect that relationship and that we’re not being jerks (for more, see below, under “The Responsibility”).

So, want to get access to the wealth of great photos out there? Of course you do. Get started on a story, and then start commenting and chatting with NP staffers. You’ll be on your way to the VIP room in no time flat.