A Little Publicity
I am going to give a bit of publicity to the people that run www.francethisway.com today. Bear with me, because there might just be something in it for you at the end. France This Way is, you might have noticed, the site that holds this blog for me. I am sure they work very hard, and a cry for help is in order. Plus I need to protect my career as unpaid blogger, because a threat has emerged.
This blog, trifling and trivial as it is, gets more visitors each day that the main France This Way site. Not a lot more, but all the same it’s irritating for them, and they will end up finding a blogger who lacks my apparent skills to attract an audience. Jealousy is a terrible thing, and I can see it setting in. My very unprofessional career is in danger.
The Sales Talk: France This Way is developing, slowly perhaps, but they are doing their best, and it already has fascinating and useful information about all sorts of things. A couple of articles about historical events in France (did I hear a yawn?) a useful guide to getting planning permission in France (this time I’m SURE I heard a yawn), and some holiday ideas for when you visit France (that woke you up a bit, I think?).
So what can France This Way do for you? Well, two things. First, it can broaden your mind and open new horizons. But if that doesn’t work it can do a deal with you.
The problem with having a site that covers the whole of France is that France is, well, pretty big. And for a couple of techies sat in a cupboard, it is not easy to cover the whole thing properly. So here is the proposition. If you live in France, know about France, or just have a nice holiday in france, they would like your contribution.
Yes I know what you’re asking: “What’s in it for me?” Well, a couple of things.
Assuming that the enormous satisfaction of seeing your own name on the site isn’t enough for you, you can use any contribution you make to the site to promote your own business. So if for example you run a gite business, you could write a couple of pages about your area and what a magnificent holiday destination it would make, and then at the bottom say how nice your own gites are. Send it in to info@francethisway.com and before you know it you will be inundated with bookings. Take a look at the St Jean de Luz ‘holiday ideas’ section to see what I mean.
OK so you don’t have gites, just had a nice holiday, why would you bother? Well I think you could squeeze in a little mention of yourself and any website you might have, and still get away with it. Or perhaps you have a different business in France? Or a recipe for something exotically French? A tale of how you were chased through a small french village by a wild boar? Tant mieux (”so much the better”), they are always looking for new and interesting sections to add.
And if all that sounds like too much work for too little reward, you can just go and add your French business in their new and shiny directory. No charge, no hassle, and no need to write an article.
So don’t be shy, get in touch with them with your special feature about the pleasures of Brittany or why the French revolution went wrong, and save my job while you’re at it. You know it makes sense.
