Its my bad to jump on here and promote my own content first thing and you were correct to call me out on that aspect of it. However, if everyone is following rule #2 I dont think any real need for a self promotion button and imo it starts to create a cluttered feel on the website. If I was moderating I would probably just delete posts from new users which looked self promotional.
I dont think its so easy to find a good writer at $2 an article. I have been working in India and Philippines for almost the last 10 years and while its possible to get cheap content its much more difficult to get quality. Even if a few writers exist who will sell themselves so cheap its not something that one could easily scale.
Would you also encourage trekkers not to come to Nepal now? Locals still need tourist dollars. This is a double whammy to have the earthquake and then also have the tourists leave. I am up in Namche Bazaar and everyone here is hoping the tourist come back as soon as possible. I agree its probably better to donate to a relief effort as compared to spend on airfare, but if people want to come or they are already in Nepal they can certainly be useful and help. I am running a relief operation now and anyone is welcome to contact me. I can effectively put you to work helping people on the ground. If you would like to know more you can find it on Crowdrise.
Just to prove my point lots of trekkers up here in Namche are carrying rice up to Thame which was destroyed. You dont need to be a trained expert to do this. It just takes a strong back.
@vickysmith are you here in Kathmandu? If so give me a call at 977-9818962190 and we can coordinate things so you can get involved and help.
@vickysmith I actually changed my mind about this and think you are correct. We were quite successful in our relief efforts but my main function was to document and fundraise. It would not have been possible without having such a strong local network. Check out the story here - http://www.himalayanwonders.com/blog/himalayanwonders-relief-efforts-update.html
Thanks for the insightful points. I wanted to respond and give you a bit of background about the article "The Greatest 7 Treks of Uttarakhand." as well as myself. I am an American who has lived in India since 2006 so have had the opportunity to do a lot of trekking both in Nepal and India. I don't think a lot of people know about destinations in the Himalayas outside of the Everest region so I would like to think of this as an inspirational post for travelers. Developing these types of posts is what keeps me inspired also.
I would suggest that advertorials in general have a link to a product or at least an ad and this has neither. We are not even selling treks in the Uttarakhand region. In the larger scheme of things I am working on a guide book to trekking in the greater Himalaya so for me this blog post is a good way to research the region before I go personally. As for the photos you will find that I use a lot of personal photos as well. I am planning a trip to Uttarakhand next spring and will be posting my own photos as well as more detailed information about my experiences. In the meantime I use creative common photos and give credit to those who took them.
The website might be a way to make a living for me but the Himalayas are also my passion and something I want to share with people. I hope that comes out in my writing.
I think in the larger picture its erroneous to assume I dont have anything of value to share because I own a travel business. I own a travel business because travel is something I love, want to share and believe that I can add some value for others.