the Urban Dater
Style Guide

  • We seek purely original content only. No re-posts of previously published articles or other folks’ work.
  • Any topic related to dating, sex, or relationships.  Use the search function on the site to dig around and ensure that you aren’t delivering the same advice we’ve heard 100 times. Make it interesting!
  • Each story needs to have an arc. Mere musings on the state of your dating life won't cut it.
  • Your story should have a strong sense of place. They should feel strongly rooted in where ever the story takes place.
  • Must be at least 500 words (ideally in the 800-1000 word range!).
  • Your story must be factually correct and about your own life. No exaggeration, no fictional or composite characters, no hyperbole for dramatic effect.
  • Some formatting notes:
    • ONLY ONE SPACE AFTER PERIODS. Anything with double spaces after a period will get the article kicked back to you.
    • Spell out all numbers up to 100.
    • Consult Grammarbook for any grammar/punctuation questions you have
    • Include sources If you want to talk about your experience or an opinion–go for it! But if you want to state facts, make sure to back them up! Link to other articles! Make it personal, or act like a true expert–we love both!
    • Include a photo that relates to your post that we can add. The photo should be a minimum of 800 pixels wide to fit with our format. Always give credit and source for the image you’re using. Be sure that you have a license to use the image for the post you submit. Creative Commons licenses allow usage as long as you attribute the source and give credit to the rights holder. Royalty-Free doesn’t mean you can use the image for free; you still need to get permission to use the license.
  • Set up a Gravatar account and link it to the email you send us your story from.
  • Send us a link to your prior work.
  • Proofread your post. Only Alex slides by without proofreading, and Betty doesn’t have time to check your work as well as his.
  • That said, expect some edits–it’s not that your work isn’t wonderful, but having a second set of eyes do a quick skim and fix up any lingering spelling/grammar errors, as well as tailoring to fit our audience and adjusting for SEO is pretty standard.
  • Have fun! This is an elective process and shouldn’t feel like homework, so enjoy it.