Making Trip Reports visible and useful
Mar 29, 2017 7:35:57 GMT -8
Campfires&Concierges, Coolkat, and 1 more like this
Post by rebeccad on Mar 29, 2017 7:35:57 GMT -8
There has been some discussion in another thread about how sad that Trip Reports don't get the visibility we'd all like. When posted in the the Trailhead Register, they may be pushed down the page too fast for some people to get to them. The Storytelling forum was created as a place where reports could be posted and not get so quickly buried, but, alas, it seems too often that they just get ignored there.
The suggestion was floated that people could post their reports to the Trailhead Register and have them moved later to Storytelling. That would make work for your Mods, who are not in favor of actual work. It would also inevitably result in some getting missed. I suggested that the writer could track their report and ask to have it moved to Storytelling. I am certainly willing to do that for anyone who feels they have dropped their report into a black hole, but as a regular approach it's probably not sustainable.
Bbp2go has pointed out another excellent approach, and one I will encourage as it helps to make the TRs available to those who are searching for ideas in a given region: go ahead and post your report in the TR or Storytelling, and then post a link to it in the appropriate regional forum. This will give you the exposure of our most active forum, and keep the report visible to those interested in the area for much longer.
You are of course free to post your reports however and wherever you want--I'm just sharing the ideas that have been brainstormed to make reports more available and increase the audience. Every writer wants an audience, and especially for those who put a lot of work into crafting their reports, it would be nice to be sure they get it.
I'll share a few tips for those writing reports, too, to help you get readers.
* Use plenty of photos. Yes, they can be a bit slow to load. But we all enjoy looking at the scenery, and it helps break up the prose. Take the effort to shoot, edit, and select your best pictures.
* Use plenty of paragraphs. Long unbroken blocks of text are hard to read, and harder to read on line. Use short paragraphs, and feel free to toss in headers, like "Day 2."
* It should go without saying, but occasionally needs to be said: use capitals and punctuation. These are not merely decorative; they make it easier to read (I usually give up quickly on post that don't capitalize the beginnings of sentences. It's just too hard for my ageing eyes to sort it all out).
* Be creative. A good report offers useful info (like "the trail completely disappeared between Bug Bog and Blister Pass, and someone had left a deceptive pile of cairns which led us to Suicide Summit"), but it also entertains.
* Finally (and here's the English teacher/writer coming out in me): proofread it. Hey, in a small way you're publishing. Make yourself look good.
Now, get out there and hike, and come back and share!
The suggestion was floated that people could post their reports to the Trailhead Register and have them moved later to Storytelling. That would make work for your Mods, who are not in favor of actual work. It would also inevitably result in some getting missed. I suggested that the writer could track their report and ask to have it moved to Storytelling. I am certainly willing to do that for anyone who feels they have dropped their report into a black hole, but as a regular approach it's probably not sustainable.
Bbp2go has pointed out another excellent approach, and one I will encourage as it helps to make the TRs available to those who are searching for ideas in a given region: go ahead and post your report in the TR or Storytelling, and then post a link to it in the appropriate regional forum. This will give you the exposure of our most active forum, and keep the report visible to those interested in the area for much longer.
You are of course free to post your reports however and wherever you want--I'm just sharing the ideas that have been brainstormed to make reports more available and increase the audience. Every writer wants an audience, and especially for those who put a lot of work into crafting their reports, it would be nice to be sure they get it.
I'll share a few tips for those writing reports, too, to help you get readers.
* Use plenty of photos. Yes, they can be a bit slow to load. But we all enjoy looking at the scenery, and it helps break up the prose. Take the effort to shoot, edit, and select your best pictures.
* Use plenty of paragraphs. Long unbroken blocks of text are hard to read, and harder to read on line. Use short paragraphs, and feel free to toss in headers, like "Day 2."
* It should go without saying, but occasionally needs to be said: use capitals and punctuation. These are not merely decorative; they make it easier to read (I usually give up quickly on post that don't capitalize the beginnings of sentences. It's just too hard for my ageing eyes to sort it all out).
* Be creative. A good report offers useful info (like "the trail completely disappeared between Bug Bog and Blister Pass, and someone had left a deceptive pile of cairns which led us to Suicide Summit"), but it also entertains.
* Finally (and here's the English teacher/writer coming out in me): proofread it. Hey, in a small way you're publishing. Make yourself look good.
Now, get out there and hike, and come back and share!
