Lonely Planet Labs

BlogSherpa – Editorial

Vivek WagleLonely Planet author

Vivek here – editor of lonelyplanet.com.

A lot of people have come to us with questions about what makes a great blog post for Lonely Planet. It’s tough to come up with hard and fast rules, but there are a few principles that can make life easier.

First, be yourself. As you know, blogs are essentially personality-driven. We like blogs because they provide a range of voices and viewpoints. Therefore, we’re never going to try to impose a ‘Lonely Planet voice’ onto our blogging community. So write naturally and easily.

Second, remember that we’re not a political organisation. While it’s ok to express opinion, keep in mind that we’re in the business of providing great information about places and people, not about providing grindstones for people’s axes. In general, try to be balanced and objective when talking about politics.

Third, be aware that a diverse array of folks will be reading your material. Different people will find different things offensive. At a minimum, stay away from explicit or obscene material. Pornography and gore are definitely out. Beyond that, try to be sensitive. Advocating drug use and rampant utilisation of the sex trade will probably put off more people than it’ll captivate. Know your audience(s) and keep their issues in mind.

Finally, never forget the most important rule: UIS. This is the ‘unless it’s stupid’ rule, and it trumps anything above. For example, writing about Las Vegas without mentioning gambling or Amsterdam without mentioning lax drug laws is probably stupid. Censoring colourful, evocative quotations because a few four-letter words pop up in them is probably stupid too. Let your common sense guide you.

Hope this is helpful. Happy blogging.

vivek