Geography Style Guide

• Note: If you should find inconsistencies between this vertical-specific style guide's formatting and
  that of the main Mahalo Style Guide, please let Dean at Mahalo dot com and your guide lead know
  and use the main guide by default.

[edit] General Guidance

• Please Refer to the Geography Most Wanted list to choose a country that hasn't yet been completed.

• This page suggests how to put together a SeRP on a country and lists several sites that are worth including in any country page you construct. There are sections in the template but remember to tailor the subheadings within the page to maximize the context for users.

• Read the News Style Guide and the Search Tips pages for general information on searching the web and organizing your SeRPs.

• For this kind of SeRP, we're looking for general information about a country. There can be some details for travelers but anything in depth should be left for a travel/tourism SeRP.

[edit] Reminder

• This guide will refer to the existing Mahalo page on Cuba to illustrate some of the points made.

• Many useful sites are suggested below - they are a great place to start. However, when you're building SeRPs you should always be on the lookout for excellent sites specific to your topic. Always privilege excellent resources in the Top 7 wherever they come from. Remember that you should still keep each section to around five links total.

[edit] Categories

• The template includes the correct categories that need to be added to country pages:
  [[Category:Geography]][[Category:Travel]][[Category:Countries]]

• IMPORTANT!: In the template there's a couple of 'Also Try' links. Add two links to closely related Mahalo pages here whenever possible.

[edit] The Mahalo Top 7

• Consider using the below sites in the Mahalo Top 7 for your chosen country. There's usually good information here. Of course, anything you find that's particularly interesting can replace these sites. Always check the following sites for links and be on the lookout for useful external links that may lead to other great pages.

• It's feasible that one or two news features could be included in the Top 7 if something huge happened in the country - a coup, election victory etc.

[edit] Suggested Sites

• Add the Official Site for the country/area
• British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Library of Congress - Country Studies
• Portals to the World
• Country Studies
• CIA World Factbook
• Wikipedia
• U.S. Dept of State
• BBC Country Profiles
• Source Watch
• National Geographic
• The Economist Country Briefings

[edit] Country Recent News

• Add an rss feed from a respectable, relevant source. The BBC, for example, takes coverage of global affairs seriously. It may be useful to add two rss feeds - one in position 7 in the Mahalo Top 7 and one in the first position in the news section.

• If there is a local news source in English, add it to the news section - perhaps as an rss. For example, on the Cuba page there's a link to the communist government's newspaper. You may want to do a search for Google search for the country/area in question then click the news option and then take an rss.

• Add a few of the most recent news articles about the country/area to give a flavor of recent events. Add some other sources of news, deep linking to the search for the country. For example, the special reports section on Guardian Unlimited or the New York Times "Topics" section.

• Remember to add dates to news reports in the news section.

[edit] Country Travel

• If you find that your country does not yet have travel information available on Mahalo please note that in an email to mailto:travis@mahalo.com

• Include links to all Mahalo pages related to travel information. Follow the text given in the template and just add the country you are building a SeRP for.

• Add a few other links under the 'Travel Information' sub heading with general information about travel. Just add a few links here.

[edit] Country Politics

• In this section locate and link to official government sites and other sites that outline the political system and climate. Include brief details on the political leader - including an internal link to a Mahalo page if possible. For example, on the Mahalo Cuba page there's a link to our page on Fidel Castro.

• Some links with information on the country's type of government are necessary. For example, a country like England would include some quality links on Parliamentary Democracy, the House of Commons and House of Lords.

• For a country like Cuba, a few links on communism are required.

• Wikipedia is a great place to start any initial research. If it's an advanced nation, like England for example, get an idea of the major government departments and include them in a sub-section as well as general information on the political system.

• For example, if you were covering England - part of the UK - you may want to link to the following sites:

• Mahalo's page on Gordon Brown
• Wikipedia: Gordon Brown

• Good resources for politics:
  • election guide

[edit] International Relations

• Include a link to the foreign affairs division of the government as well as any links to multinational groups the country belongs to. The UN might not be necessary unless the country is a major player. Also try to add some notable international conflicts. Mahalo may also have pages on these issues such as the current UK-Russian Diplomatic Tensions

[edit] Country "Political Issues"

• This section presents opportunities for tailoring the page towards what we can assume users will be searching for. These custom Issues and topics should be sub-headed. For example, the Cuba page contains a sub-section on U.S. Cuba relations. Some of these issues may warrant a more complete SeRP later on.

[edit] Country Government Sites

[edit] Key Government Department Examples

• Include these under the government sites subheading
  • Home Office
  • Ministry of Defence
  • HM Treasury
  • Department of Health
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office

• If the country you're researching does not have a web presence or the web sites aren't in English try to find general links about how the country is run.

[edit] Country Economy

• Try to include an official site such as the country's central bank (if an english language page is available) or the governmental website on the economy.

• Wikipedia will almost always have a page on the country's economy.

• The CIA factbook has an updated page on the economy of each country.

• The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund both have extensive information on countries that are under their assistance.

• Other great sites include:
  • Heritage Foundation 2007 Index of Economic Freedom
  • The Economist Country Briefings

[edit] Country Military

• Wikipedia and the CIA factbook will have good information on the country's military.

• Try to find official government sites for the country's military.

• the Federation of American Scientists and Global Security are both recognized sources on foreign militaries

• Any Multinational groups the country belongs to (ie, NATO) belongs here.

[edit] Country Facts and History

• This section can also be tailored towards key areas that reveal themselves during your initial research. Again, the Cuba page has sections on healthcare, education and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. There's also a few links on the Cuban Revolution.

• This section provides opportunity for subheadings as well. Certain major historical issues should have their own subheadings and two or three quality links on the topic. (For example France should have a subheading for the "French Revolution")

[edit] Country Maps and Geography

• Using Creative Commons, find a map of the country and place the URL in the following code in place of "URL.jpg".

• The FTG who QCs your SeRP will then upload the image you recommend into our server. Make sure to cite the source in the appropriate places.

• Include links to maps of the country and perhaps a map of the capital. Add information and images about any natural structures of note - mountain ranges, great lakes etc.

[edit] Country Photos and Videos

• Scan the following sites for documentaries and images.
• Google Video
• Daily Motion
• Video Jug

[edit] Country Culture

• The Wikipedia or BBC country profile pages will provide basic guidance on the essentials to include in this section. Use the things you learn there and elsewhere to search further.

[edit] Country Humor and Satire

• Anything amusing can be placed in this section. Of course, avoid anything racist or too offensive. This section can be omitted if no links are up to scratch.

• Go to the main Mahalo Style Guide