GenevaLunch is the English-speaking place for minds to meet in the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland. We update the news continually during the day, five days a week. We harness the news from other media and add original reporting by professional journalists and citizen reporters. There’s something on the menu for everyone.
We provide our community of approximately one million expatriates and other English speakers, with a steady flow of news and information - in English, of course! It is continually updated, five days a week.
We comb the web and other media to let you know what they say is happening, where, who is doing it or saying something about it – and we give you the links to visit them and find out more.
We add to that our original well-flavored blend of interviews and features from the region and beyond, that we think will be of interest to our lively community.
We give you plenty of space to share your own news and views, from photos of school events to notices of births and other big events. You can contribute news from your own part of the community. Learn how to contribute to GenevaLunch.
GenevaLunch is open 24 hours a day. We welcome people of all ages and backgrounds. We cater to all interests.
We love to have you doodle on our napkins.
GenevaLunch is a news organization and all posts, including community reports, are news related. The editor moderates all journalism posts.
GenevaLunch and its journalists do not accept favors, discounts or gifts. Advertisers have no influence on editorial content. Journalists may not say they are reporting for GenevaLunch without express, written permission from the editor. If requested, they will give a letter from the editor to anyone they are interviewing for GL. Journalism posts are edited for accuracy and for style to make the site easy to read.
The editor approves requests to become a community reporter. She gives the reporters editorial guidelines to encourage accuracy and fairness in reporting. Community posts (blogs) are edited only if the writer requests it, but they are moderated shortly after they are published, for appropriate language and to ensure that GL does not publish personal attacks.
Comments are moderated soon after publication to avoid GL publishing offensive material.
There are two major sections on GenevaLunch: News, which contains stories reported by professional journalists or drawn from external sources, and Community. The Community pages carry a mix of news and comment on events that matter to you, written by contributors called "community reporters."
If you are interested in writing for GenevaLunch (GL), contact the editor at editor@genevalunch.com, giving an idea of the topic or community you would like to cover. Please read the editorial guidelines. Upon approval, we will send you GL's charter and ask you to agree (a simple yes by e-mail is fine). You will then have your very own, free blog on the GL site, where you can provide information about and comments on your community's news.
We look in particular for people who feel passionate about and would like to write regularly on events in their "communities." These can be geographic, for example, a town in the region, or an age group such as university students or retired people. You might want to write for and about middle managers or amateur sports fans or family life. We're interested in including the voices of every group in the Lake Geneva region.
Here are the types of community reporters we're looking for:
Regular community reporters: If you would like to write regularly about a particular topic or your community, contact the editor at editor@genevalunch.com. We ask that you contribute at least once a month, or 12 posts a year. You are free to publish as long as you respect the editorial guidelines. Your "community" could be anything from your industry to your school or your sports club, or an informal group that likes to go clubbing on Friday nights.
Occasional community reporters: You'd like to write a report connected to something in the "news", but you don't think you're a regular blogger? GenevaLunch publishes community reports on a one-off basis, too. Let us know what event or news you'd like to write about. Contact the editor at editor@genevalunch.com with a brief description of the subject and a little information about yourself and why you feel qualified to write about this.
If you aren't sure about the news peg on which to hang your story contact us anyway and we'll try to help you find that peg.
There are some exceptions to news-related reporting, such as travel. This is a region rich in travellers, so please consider sharing your tales with the rest of us, who might want to follow in your footsteps.
Bloggers by invitation: Other occasional community reporters are people who have their own blogs and we've asked them to share a slice of these here. If you've seen a blog that you think fits, let us know and we'll contact the blogger.
Not sure how blogging works? It's much easier than you think! Start with our Blogging Basics page.
For the News section: contact the editor at editor@genevalunch.com.
GenevaLunch does not pay contributors at this time. Our first goal is to make as much news and information as possible accessible to the entire community. GenevaLunch operates with very low overhead, using blogging technology. It is entirely supported by advertising. We intend to keep advertising costs low in order to help small businesses, who are important members of the community, reach others in the English-speaking community.
Why contribute if there is no pay (we all like money)? You like the subject, you have something your editor can't use, it's a way to gather material for future reporting while at least getting some exposure. Mostly, it's a chance to strengthen this community and make it a more active part of the Lake Geneva region. If the traffic flows to the site, we will be able to move to the next phase, sponsorship, and the first income will be used to pay journalists, starting with those who have contributed the most.
(Please note: while we are willing to work with journalists whose experience is limited, this is not a site for inexperienced writers hoping to add credits to their curriculum vitae.)
Part one: the questions
We define this pretty loosely. Your community might be geographic or an age group. You might think it's out there somewhere but you haven't really met the people, let's say all the watch collectors or chess players or people who paint War Hammer. If you're pretty sure there are at least 10 of you who make up a community, that's fine. You have a community. Write about what goes on there.
Blogs are simply a form of writing that use a particular technology. Blogs are different from other web sites because they usually have the most recent entry at the top of a page and it is very easy for anyone who has posting rights to put the material up on the site. You don't have to be a technical wizard.
There are blogs with only photos, political blogs, news bulletin blogs with no editorial content and, of course, the famous diaries. GL is in fact two blogs hacked together: the official news one, with reports from journalists, and the one where you can post, the community reporting blog, which has room for several voices.
No. Write the way you think people in your community want you to - use your own voice and language.
Nearly. Think of yourself as a guest in my living room. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. We all have grandmothers: try the grandmother test. Would Granny be too shocked if she read this? The editor (that's me) might step in and change it. Would Granny be confused by it? The editor (me again) will probably leave it alone, figuring Granny has better things to do with her time than work out football or heavy metal music language.
That's fine. Invite your friends to read it and we'll let the rest of the under-25 world know.
We have room for you, too. A secret: the editor edits, if you need it. Journalists' articles are automatically queued so I can edit them for house style and make sure we say nothing libelous. Community reporters have greater leeway to say what they want, although I will always check the texts. If you don't feel confident about being published without someone looking at it first, we can set your pages to "moderate" and I will edit/approve them before they are published.
Relax! We want people who feel passionately enough about their communities to write frequently, but few of us can manage daily writing. Try writing 2-3 posts, and if you then feel you can write at least 12 posts a year we'll give you a permanent pass.
Yes. There are ethical rules: the editorial policy applies at all times. You cannot use your blog to advertise or for other commercial use. If you have any doubts, contact the editor. While you can be critical, you may not defame people in your blog, and it should not be used to vent, as people sometimes do in personal blogs. Always aim for fairness and balance in your reporting.
There are writing rules, too: blogs work best when they link to other sites. Always try to think of useful links and include them. The editor will probably suggest links until you get in the habit of doing this. There is no maximum writing length, but keep in mind that few people will read anything over 800 words on a screen. Ask yourself how many people would be prepared to print out what you've written. The number is probably fewer than you think.
Web-writing tips: avoid using dashes and parentheses to set off phrases within a sentence. The eye has trouble skimming a web page when these are part of the text. Put one space and not two at the end of each sentence. Write short sentences.
GL has a house style which journalism posts follow. Community reporters do not need to use it but the editor will moderate posts for spelling to make it easier for visitors. House style is based on The Fine Line, communicating clearly in an international setting, by Ellen Wallace (editor of GL), published by The International Baccalaureate Organization, second edition 2003.
Part two: The steps to posting (blogging basics)
The house style used by GenevaLunch (GL) was created for one reason, to make life easier for the reader. People in the Lake Geneva region who speak English come from virtually every country in the world. For many, English is a first language but for a very large number it is a second or third or fourth language.
The variations on spoken and written English used by people in the Lake Geneva area add to the richness of the community's basket of languages. GL wants to ensure that all of you feel equally at home on this site, the voice of a wonderfully international community.
The house style is used for all journalism articles. Community reporters are not obliged to follow it but you might want to familiarize yourself with it and see if it answers some of your writing questions. Reports are edited lightly to align them with house style and the editor has the final word.
Please check with the editor if you have questions about the best way to deal with any of those niggling little things that get in every writer's way. At the end of this text is a list that covers specific problems. As common problems surface, their solutions will be added to the list.
House style covers these areas:
writing for the web; use of language and terminology; spelling; punctuation.
The style guide is based on a book researched and written by GL editor Ellen Wallace in 1998 for the International Baccalaureate Organization. The IBO uses it for its own house style and sells it to schools around the world. The first print run of The Fine Line, communicating clearly in English in an international setting was 4,000 copies and the second edition, in 2003, was 3,000 copies. Ellen Wallace receives no royalties but has an agreement with the IBO that 15% of the sales price will be used to fund education in Africa. For explanations about the rationale behind GL's usage, please see the book.
Try to make your texts useful for the reader by including links to other sites, including some of your resources. Maps are often helpful. Keep your sentences short. Keep your paragraphs short. Avoid using dashes and parentheses to set off phrases. Ask yourself frequently if a sentence can be cut in two. If the answer is yes, do so.
There is a tendency to think the world of English speakers is divided into two camps, British and American. This overlooks the complexity of our world. The Lake Geneva region has large groups from Ireland and Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and other countries where English is one of the national languages. Each of these uses English in its own way. The policy of GenevaLunch is to respect these differences by encouraging writers to use English the way they would at home.
That said, remember the reader! Try to be aware of phrases or words that are ambiguous. Look for words that are clear. An American garden is the place where flowers and vegetables grow. An Irish garden is the grassy area around the house, which an American thinks of as the lawn. South Africans have boerewors at their braais. A Peruvian would be forgiven for not knowing this means they cook sausages at their barbecues. Don't use sports terms unless you are writing about sports: she went to the mat could confuse people who don't follow wrestling.
Political correctness: a cardinal rule is, do not offend.
Race and ethnic groups: remember that your readers are international and your job is to be clear. Use labels that are widely accepted.
Sexism: Find a balance between using sexist terms and creating absurdities. Maintain your sense of humour and it will be easier to keep your sense of perspective.
Accents are used for words that do not have common English equivalents. Words imported from other languages should be put in italics, but please keep these to a minimum. Never assume that your readers will be familiar with non-English words. The following are guidelines; there are always exceptions. The Fine Line has more details and provides the final say. The Times Atlas of the World is the official source for spellings of place names.
-our rather than -or, so honour and colour;
-ize rather than -ise, so authorize, sensitize, stabilize;
-ce for nouns and -se for verbs, so: It is our practice to practise the flute daily. She received her government licence to license accountants.
-dg rather than -dge, so judgment, acknowledgment;
-ue and -e rather than truncated words, so catalogue, dialogue, axe;
-re rather than -er, so centre, metre.
Use double quotation marks rather than single.
Do not use three dots unless you are quoting someone and not including part of the quote.
Final punctuation generally goes inside the quotation mark: Dylan Thomas wrote, "Do not go gentle into that good night." The exception is quoted material that is not a complete sentence and therefore has no closing punctuation: The students argued about what he meant by "good night".
There are two ways to submit photos to GenevaLunch: via your flickr™ account, or by uploading directly to the site. Only users with blogging privileges (journalists and community reporters) may upload directly.
We want to build a large image bank of your photos to show life in the English-speaking community from every angle.
If you have a flickr™ account, and would like to share a photo of yours on this site, please tag it as genevalunch. You retain all rights to your photos, but give us the right to display to display a thumbnail or small image view of your photo for a short period of time on this site. Please consult the flickr help page to set up an account and for flickr usage details.
Photos in the GenevaLunch (GL) image bank are the property of the photographers. GL's use of them and reproduction by GL as well as others is covered by this site's Creative Commons license. Photographers are credited with bylines in the image bank. The credit does not generally appear with the thumbnails used on news pages.
Please note that GenevaLunch does not pay for photos in the gallery of community images.
To reproduce "Our photos", taken by GL staff, contact the editor at editor@genevalunch.com.
GenevaLunch is published by Zidao Communication, a communications company based in St. Prex, a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The editor is Ellen Wallace, director of Zidao and a journalist with more than 25 years experience with major US, UK and other European media.
Regular contributors:
The GenevaLunch web site was designed and developed by PRODOK Engineering, a web and electronic-document development company near Zürich, Switzerland.
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