I came across a good idea the other day and I’ve been wondering how successful it could be. Someone told me that a good way to add new excitement and interest to a blog is to have ‘guest bloggers’ – i.e. other people who write a one-off or occasional entry for the blog.
The idea sounds good in principle – I’m sure any break from my dronings will be like a breath of fresh air to the poor souls who stumble across this blog each day – but will it work in practice?
Any potential contributors would need to know France a bit, either as visitors or residents, or else know something about expat life and so on. But I would guess a lot of people reading this blog are eminently suitable candidates.
What’s in it for me? Well, I will have a blog that is more useful, more informative, and so attracts more visitors.
What’s in it if for you? Fame, glory, and a chance to be in the spotlight. Not enough? OK how about a link to your own blog or website at the end of the post that you write . So you also get more site visitors and a better ranking in google.
Above all, this blog aims to inform and entertain in equal measure. So the post can be informative, entertaining, hot news or old news. Probably 300-500 words. No particular style or humour, all types of writing welcome.
And not JUST an advert for your own site – let’s try to be a bit subtle…
What do you think? If you would like to give it a shot let me know, my editorial pencil is waiting. Just leave a comment at the end of this post or email info@francethisway.com.
Cheers.
Greetings from a damp Camden ,North London.The younger denizens of this achingly hip part of town are mud-bathing in Glastonbury.
We ancients are contemplating the result of our own youthful impetuosity. That is to say making an (accepted)offer on a semi -wrecked terrace maison in central France .Not actually having the money to pay for it.Unless we sell our overpriced chicken coup in the afore mentioned North London.Which we are doing.Come September 2007 nous sommes ensconced in Bourges.
There will not be the mud.The music will probably less frenzied but a couple of ‘silver surfers’ will be off on another adventure.She will going back to her hometown complete with that must- have fashion accessory -an Anglo/Irish bloke of the type that used to hang around places like Gladstonbury.
John, I’ve got bad news or maybe good news. France gets mud, especially this spring. You’ll feel right at home.
Just learn to play the accordion at full volume and you’ll get on a treat with your new neighbours as well.
Good luck!
Hi Mr B,
I have been surfing looking for decent travel blogs and I found yours. You can imagine my surprise when I found that you had already used one of my articles on How Not to See Everything on Your French Holiday and how totally chuffed I was at reading the lovely introduction and compliment about my writing style. Believe me I have days when all I can write is utter utter dribble.
My husband and I are expats too. We are Australians and spent 8 years in London before we decided it was time to escape the rat race. We have spent over a year renovating our chateau and are welcoming guests. This is all a new experience to us. We love France and we love acccepting guests and doing table d’hotes.
Blogging is new to me. I have to figure out how to upload an attractive theme for my blog as it is needs some attention. It looks like you have spent lots of time setting up your blog.
I have enjoyed researching the articles that I have written and I feel like a walking dictionary on Loire Valley Wine, Loire Valley Chateaux, Cycling in the Loire Valley, Golf in the Loire Valley, Mick Jagger’s Loire Valley hideaway, etc. It helps me when I have to don my concierge hat.
As you said the tongue in check articles/blogs are more enjoyable to write and are more likely to get read.
I would be delighted to be a guest blogger. You are welcome to pull any of the articles off my blog and tweak them for original content. I would be delighted to post some short and sweet blogs about our interesting expat experiences so far. French banking drives me nuts.
Corina
Hi Corina, thanks for stopping by.
I’m forever researching France for the main francethisway site – there are a lot of places in France, I’ve come to appreciate – so I can usually muster up unknown facts about small villages in the Alps or islands off the coast of Brittany that no-one else has ever heard of. I’m still useless when people in the gites ask which local restaurant is open, though…
I change the ‘theme’ of the blog about once a month just to confuse and disorientate people – I think this one has about two weeks left to go. Sometimes I even go mad and have photos.
I’ll take a look at your blog articles thanks for the suggestion, and meanwhile please do send along an article or two about any experiences and I’ll stick them up. You’ve reminded me, I also have a banking tale to tell when I get a moment…
Hi,
As we both use WordPress we can add feeds to publish content both ways – I am doing a couple of Blogs about France which may have stuff you can use
http://www.twiku.com
and
http://www.fruk.eu
I use the WP-o-Matic plug in for automating feeds
Well done on your blog
Tony
Cheers Tony, Thanks for the suggestion. I’m not really looking for automated feeds – if that’s what you’re describing, sorry I’m not very technical – in part because of duplicate content problems, but if you would like to write a related article it would be very welcome.
Cheers
dear tony, thanks for this suggestion. i have been living in toulouse and keep trying to place a great article i wrote on the opening of a new boutique, manoush, related to the larger line in paris. i’m having trouble as the expat newspaper here won’t accept the article, with pictures, unless the boutique purchases advertising. could i post the article here? or can you advise another good venue for this 700 word piece? please advise. i look forward to hearing from you as well as reading your work.
sincerely, jennifer of toulouse
Nice blog Mr B. Do you still need guest bloggers?
I blog in Bourges, I’ve been here for 18 years.
Cheers
Hello there! I can’t tell you how pleased I am – to find this site -Excellent! And to know that when I move into my little house in Chateauneuf sur cher, I won’t be little lost voice, is very reassuring. Yes you can start a sentenc with and. For my next challenge I deliberately chose to buy in Cher, as I want to improve my French without the temptation of relying on ex-pats to assist in my panic. To help me out of it not increase it that is. I already have a mental stack of woe and heart-lifting to share and I’m not there yet.
When you say ‘guest bloggers’ do you mean someone famous? Along the lines of eg. Quentin Tarentino writing the preface to a book by Spike Lee? No I don’t know if he has – but he could! I’m not famous. Well only for some things among people who know me. Like my delicious and never-the-same-twice soup, my baby-whisperer status, or my flair for interior design a la skip.
Tara for now Em
Hi, well sure I’d be OK with VERY FAMOUS PEOPLE stopping by to share their thoughts, but wasn’t really what I was meaning. I was thinking more about normal folk, or slightly normal folk, writing about their own French experiences etc.
But in reality a few people have written potential posts and they have all ended up, well, not being posted. Not because they weren’t well written, but because mostly when I read them I think they wouldn’t quite fit in right. No-one else’s fault of course, just me being a bit neurotic.
But if you feel a wish to share your ‘mental stack of woe and heart-lifting’ I expect I could make an exception…
Hi Chris,
Phew! Nearly scared me off there. I’m sleeping with my etymological from now on. I’d like to give it a go though, but only if you spare me public humiliation and don’t print your scoldings. I’m very new to this. Is it possible to see examples of what you rate highly and lowly? Or a clue as to what you definitely don’t want? I don’t imagine many people would be interested in 700 painful words on building the HMS Victory out of matchsticks, but you never know. No I haven’t! Obviously – apologies in advance to shipbuilders everywhere.
S’funny. I replied to your last response but can’t see it here. I guess you thought it was pap! … off to slit her wrists …
Hi Em,
Sorry, been away for a few days, now the original comment has been approved making the second look out of place… We like difficulties and humour, France related, preferably with a little bit of something useful thrown in so that people thinking about doing the same just might learn something. And sentences that start with and, but, etc.
Why not tell us what is causing your woe, we all like hearing other people’s troubles, makes us feel better about ourselves I think.
If you still feel inclined to have a go send it to francethisway@gmail.com
PS my name isn’t Chris