Wikitravel:Tone

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Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme. -Ray Bradbury

The tone of Wikitravel articles should be conversational and informal. It should lie in a happy medium between all-out slang informality ("Yosemite National Park is DA BOMB!!!!") and constipated academic stuffiness ("Proceeding thence peripatetically on a compass bearing of north by northeast, thou shalt arrive within 20 imperial minutes at the mixological establishment yclept 'Hooters'.")

Lively writing is welcome. The requirement of being fair should not be taken to mean that all writing must be bland and encyclopedically neutral. For example, North Korea's human rights situation can and should be summed up as an "Orwellian nightmare", as opposed to noting that "some organizations have expressed concern about less than full compliance to international human rights standards, a charge vigorously denied by the Foreign Ministry."

Address the reader. It's OK to say "you", and much better than awkward constructions involving "one". But avoid using "I", "we", "my" and so on, since you will not be the article's sole author.

Be concise. Detailed descriptions of sights are welcome, but when offering advice, you do not need to give detailed background information, explain detailed rationales or consider every exception. As far as the traveller is concerned, the gist of the following paragraph:

One should also be aware of Muslim cultural taboos when interacting with Malays. While most Singaporean Muslims are more liberal than those in the Middle East and northern Africa or even those in the United States, one should note that most do not consume alcohol, although many Malay youths also consume alcohol despite it being haram or not permissible to Muslims. However, to avoid unnecessary offense in case you meet with someone more conservative, one should still avoid offering alcohol to a Malay.

Can be reduced to:

Most Singaporean Muslims abstain from alcohol.

Careful generalizations are OK, but don't cross the line into exaggeration. It's fair comment to say that "Switzerland will bust the average backpacker budget", but a little too much to say "Forget about visiting Switzerland unless you're willing to sell your kidneys".

Humor is welcome as a basic component of lively writing, but avoid sarcasm. First, sarcasm does not register so well in written form. This problem is compounded when, as we do on Wikitravel, you write for an international audience, with differing cultural approaches to irony. Second, Wikitravel strives to be fair. Sarcasm is an art of stating the opposite of truth for humorous impact, which is by definition unfair. If a destination is unpleasant, be fair and explain why this is so! Third, sarcasm is a double edged sword, intended both to amuse and to wound—the wound tends to lead to edit wars.

[edit] See also

Don't tout

Be fair

Avoid negative reviews

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