We love it when our readers turn into contributors! Inspiring other moms to get out and about is our mission, and we can think of no higher compliment for our work than when fellow moms wants to join our community by sharing their own outing experiences!
That being said, we do try to stick to a pretty tight formula for our blog posts. We do this because our readers have come to expect a certain style and level of detail from our posts.
To help our current and future Out and About Moms, we’ve put together this set of writers’ guidelines (and a list of some popular FAQ’s) to help you get started. However, Out and About Mom has always been and will always be a collaborative project, so we continue to welcome feedback and new ideas!
Writers’ Guidelines:
As Mandy once said in a quote that launched a thousand blog posts– Wouldn’t it be great if we could visit someplace for the first time, but feel like it was the second time?
And that has become our mantra and our mission here at OAAM. In each of our blog posts we strive to give our readers a “virtual tour” of the destination we are visiting so that they can feel as though they are visiting along with us, getting all the inside information and tips you can only get by being there in person.
We do this with pictures (so many pictures!), narrative and an exhaustive list of details 🙂
Pictures:
When taking pictures at any location, please be aware of those you are capturing in your picture. Full pictures of a space that includes other children from a distance is fine, but close up pictures should only include your child unless you receive permission from the other child’s parents.
Good pictures to capture:
- Entrance/front of the building
- Parking area
- Check-in area
- Pricing information
- Documentation of rules
- Large picture of the whole venue or each play area
- Close up pictures of your child enjoying individual activities
- Restroom entrance
- Restroom interior if there are specialized areas like a changing or nursing area
- Baby changing area or other special baby areas if appropriate
- Food for sale offerings
- Food for sale pricing
Items we like to include in the Momsense section:
- Venue contact information:
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Website
- Social Media Channels– Mainly Facebook & Instagram
- Hours
- Pricing
- Whether the venue is stroller friendly
- Whether the venue is coffee mug friendly
- Restroom location(s)
- Baby changing station locations
- Parking information (where, pricing, payment types, etc.)
- Whether they offer food for sale
- Whether outside food is allowed
- Whether cash is required (You can also note what other forms of payment are accepted)
- Dress code (e.g. – Required items like socks, closed toed shoes, pants, etc. or suggested items like rubber boots for muddy conditions, or a bathing suit or change of clothes for a water activity)
- Evening/weekend hours (A way to highlight working-parent friendly venues)
- Age recommendations (These can be both the venue’s suggested age range and also your thoughts on age appropriateness)
- Birthday party venue (Do they offer Birthday Party packages/options)
- Discounts (any special savings opportunities you think the readers would find helpful)
***Please note that your complete post (text and photos) will become the copyrighted property of Out and About Mom and may not be published elsewhere without prior permission from Out and About Mom***
FAQ’s
Q: Do I have to be a mom?
A: No! We love hearing from dads too! Or aunts, uncles, grandparents, nannies or anyone who finds themselves “out and about” with kiddos on a regular basis.
Q: Will I get paid?
A: Currently, we are not able to offer a stipend to our writers. However, if you become a regular contributor to our site, we will be able to arrange for free admission for you and your family to venues/events that you will write a blog post about.
Q: Do I have to visit a big, flashy, expensive venue in order to write a post about it?
A: Definitely not! Some of our favorite posts are about little known playgrounds, state parks with free swimming holes, hiking trails, fruit-picking and other free (or almost free) activities.
Q: Do I have to include pictures of my kids?
A: Because we pride ourselves on authenticity, we do require that you actually visit the destination you are writing a blog post about with your kids/family and document your experience. This means there’s a good chance your other family members will be in front of the camera at some point. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of pictures of your kids on the internet (we get it!), you can always take photos from the back or side or in a way that makes it hard to see their faces clearly. We do not allow photos in which faces have been blurred.
Q: How do I submit my post to you?
A: You can send us your post in a Word Document. If you are able to include your photos in that document you may do so. If not, please also send us your photos and indicate by filename in your document where each photo should be inserted within the post. If you become a regular contributor to Out and About Mom we will set you up with a site login and you’ll be able to create your posts in our site dashboard by inputting your text and uploading your photos directly (don’t worry! it’s easy!).
Still have questions? We are always here to help! Please contact Shawna at outandaboutmomshawna@gmail.com.
