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Writing Guidelines - contributing to Earth.org

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Do you have some knowledge you would like to share with Earth.org but aren’t quite sure how to put it in words?

 

Earth.org is as diverse as the Earth. There can be several ways of providing a good travel information. We are open to all of them. There are no strict guidelines or rules to follow to edit articles in Earth.org. But only few recommendations. You are welcome to enrich the article with your own style.

 

Follow basic editing rules, avoid using "I" and proofread the text before saving it. Of course you will not copy the text from other sources and will show respectfulness towards others.

 

 

 

 

The following guidelines may help you get started.

 

1. We introduce a simple way of sharing travel information

 

When you add travel information to Earth.org, the open travel guide, your contribution becomes part of a new shared culture. This is because Earth.org uses a special copyright license called Creative Commons. It's the same license Wikipedia uses for its website.

 

There are 2 simple ways to share travel information.

 

1. You can take content from other websites (e.g. texts from Wikipedia or CC-BY-SA pictures from Flickr) and add it to your contribution on Earth.org.

2. Feel free to copy content and pictures from the Earth.org travel guide and paste it directly on other websites (e.g. your blog or website).

 

Learn more about Earth.org's Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany Licence . There we show you how easy it is to share your travel information!


2. Mix fact with feeling

 

It is interesting to know some factual information about a place but please don’t over-do it. Try and tell us something about the atmosphere of the place too, and what made it special. For example:

 

"Sukothai The capital of the 1st Kingdom of Siam in the 13th century, the city now lies in ruins. The Royal Palaces and temples are interspersed with ponds and water channels creating a tranquil and timeless landscape. The area covered is fairly large but you can easily get around by bicycle (indeed it is half the fun)."



3. Don’t write in the first person.

 

In other words, don’t use the expression ‘I’. For example: ‘I thought this was the most beautiful temple in Sri Lanka’ Writing in the first person makes it difficult for other users to edit or add to the information. You can still put in your opinion, only put it indirectly. For example:

 

"The Valley of the Nobles Far smaller than the Royal Tombs (usually consisting of just one small chamber) the tombs of the Nobles may nevertheless make a longer-lasting impression. Without the grand entrances and with fewer tourists around (only a few people can enter the tombs at a time) the sense of discovery you will get is greater."



4. It's a website, not a magazine!

 

So keep it reasonably brief and get straight to the point. For example:

 

"Delos This small island South-East of Mykonos was, according to mythology, the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The site contains some superb mosaics and well preserved temples but the main appeal is the isolation: a whole island of ruins with no inhabitants and no buildings except the museum. The atmosphere is truly timeless."



5. Polite, friendly and serious.

 

We want Earth.org to be enjoyable to everyone. Please respect other users and avoid making statements that could be offensive to them. Be friendly and offer ideas rather than forcing your opinion on others. For example:


"Visiting a Hammam in Morocco: Buckets and scoops are provided but you may want to bring a plastic mat to sit on, as the floors are not always too clean. Also, there is sometimes under-floor heating which can get very hot so it is a good idea to wear flip-flops."


Maybe you actually burnt your feet on a Hammam floor but rather than tell other users that and scare them into thinking that all Hammam floors are dangerously hot and the same thing is going to happen to them, use positive language and suggest something they can do to prevent it.

 Finally, please be serious: remember that other users may not have the same sense of humor as you, or understand the same colloquialisms.

 

 

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