Article ideas

[dacjohns]

If this site is going to be expanded to include articles like BYChickens we will need to write the articles.

So how about some suggestions and we might want to set some basic requirements.

Ideas for articles:

Water storage and purification.
Home made solar water heaters.
Home made solar electric.
Home made greenhouses to include heating and fan systems for keeping the greenhouse from overheating.
We don't need chicken stuff, those can be referenced at BYC.
We may not need gardening stuff, it might be TEG or when TEG gets going they can be moved to TEG.
Heating with wood.
Beekeeping.
Cows can be moved to BYCows if articles aren't there already.
First aid kits.
Emergency preparedness.
Home food storage.

And I'm sure there are a lot more.


Suggestions:

Use proper grammar and spelling. How we present ourselves affects how readers perceive us and how they will receive our message.

Proofread, use spelling and grammar check, get someone else to read the article.

Check for clarity and understanding. Just because you understand what you are trying to say doesn't mean the reader understands.

Write about tried and proven things. If something may not be mainstream it might be a good idea to state up front that is your opinion, alternative, experimental, etc. Remember we have a wide audience and don't want to alienate them.




Let's hear from others now.

 

[me&thegals]

Excellent list and suggestions, Dacjohns! I'm a grammar and spelling freak, so I completely agree with the suggestions of proper grammar, spelling and readability. It's really hard to take information seriously when there are errors everywhere.

You have a very comprehensive list. I would add:

Maple syruping
Basket weaving
Sewing
Root cellaring (sub-section of home food storage)
Seed saving (although this is a gardening subject, it is especially pertinent to SS)
Anything specifically SS about gardening--like building own trellises, tomato support cages, compost, fertilizer tea, season extenders, etc.
Animal butchering/processing
Candle making
Soap making
Homemade medicinal remedies
Homeschooling
Early parenting (breastfeeding, homemade diapers, wipes, food)
Food preparation (yogurt, bread, cheese, butter, ice cream, etc.)--things that are difficult to find information for elsewhere.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm pretty confident I could write something well, however I'm not sure how confident I am about knowing my subject well enough to be an "expert." You are supposed to write what you know. In that case, I would have to write about gardening. I think seed saving would be something I could write about. I'd have to consider what else I would feel qualified to write about.

I wonder if I am alone in this sentiment or if others feel the same. I think at least some of us feel like we are just getting our feet wet . . . .

 

[me&thegals]

I feel that way, too, Drakemaiden. I'd be happy to write, but I would only be qualified to write about how I do things. Guess I could research how other people do said skill...

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I thought that too, me&thegals . . . researching it would also help us learn more about whatever subject we choose.

 

[sylvie]

Gees Louise! My sentence structure is atrocious, so although I may have many experiences and contributions, I will not be participating in the articles. The feel of this is that it is being over analyzed. What happened to just writing the articles?

 

[dacjohns]

Gees Louise! My sentence structure is atrocious, so although I may have many experiences and contributions, I will not be participating in the articles. The feel of this is that it is being over analyzed. What happened to just writing the articles?

You could have someone edit it for you.

Your experiences and contributions are valuable. Please don't opt out because you aren't an English professor. We aren't looking for perfection, we are looking for easily read, easily understood, and putting our best foot forward.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I think that's Jeeze Louise. But, yeah, I agree, I'd be more interested in content than in ability to write . . . we could just have an editor to fix things up.

 

[sylvie]

I think that's Jeeze Louise. But, yeah, I agree, I'd be more interested in content than in ability to write . . . we could just have an editor to fix things up.

Yes, I know. I was making a point.

 

[freemotion]

Hey, Sylvie, maybe dacjohns will edit your articles....