Get to Know Travel Lens
Contents
A Message from Our Founder
Hello, I'm Blake Walsh, the founder of Travel Lens. What started as a small travel blog in 2019 has now evolved into a global digital publication, featuring high-quality travel articles about destinations worldwide.
As an avid traveler, I've always been passionate about exploring new places and experiencing different cultures. I founded Travel Lens with the goal of sharing this passion with others. I wanted to create a platform that not only informs and inspires travelers but also connects them with the best attractions around the world.
Over the years, we've built a unique approach to our content creation. We work with local contributors from each city we feature, who bring firsthand knowledge and experience. This allows us to provide our readers with authentic local insights that you won't find in generic travel guides.
Our commitment to accuracy, factual information, and up-to-date content has been unwavering since Travel Lens's inception. As we continue to grow and evolve, this commitment remains at the heart of everything we do.
Feel free to contact me directly via email, Linkedin or Facebook.
Editorial Team
Michael John Otanes
Michael John Otanes, the current Editor-in-Chief of Travel Lens, is a poet, fictionist, opinion writer, and editor. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Mindanao State University-General Santos City.
His works have also appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler, Sunstar Davao, Philippines Graphic, Lagunlón: Anthology of 21st Century Filipino Crime and Mystery Fiction, and Rambutan Literary, among others.
Mike Gomez
Mike Gomez has taught literature, arts, and technical writing at the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He has also worked as a copywriter and editor for various institutions and projects both in the Philippines and abroad. Other project involvements include working as a layout artist and editor for a book project for a Japanese university.
Previously, he worked as a content specialist in the communications and promotions office of the Ateneo de Davao University.
His stories have also appeared in the Philippines Graphic, Philippine Speculative Fiction, TRASH: A Southeast Asian Urban Anthology, Fiction International, and Ilahas Literary Journal. He has received the Palanca Award for the full-length play.
Writing Team
We're proud to collaborate with a diverse team of over 500 local contributors from around the globe. Each writer brings their unique experiences, local knowledge, and passion for travel to our platform. Want to join us and share your local expertise? Get in touch.
Editorial Criteria and Processes
With our strict adherence to high-quality writing, Travel Lens strives to produce compelling, factual, and accurate articles.
Below is an outline of the editorial process in Travel Lens and how editors and writers communicate with each other in providing high-quality content.
Editing Process
All articles submitted to Travel Lens undergo rigorous editorial screening. Upon submission, the Editor-in-Chief will do a quick review of an article to see if it is of sufficient quality and meets the company’s house style and editorial standards.
The editors will then perform two types of editing: substantive and mechanical. During a substantive edit, the editors ensure that the organization and logical flow of writing is evident throughout the article. Once done, the editors proceed with mechanical editing, wherein spelling, grammar and usage, formatting, and readability are edited to parallel the company’s editorial standards. Also, the editors provide feedback to the writers during editing to help them hone their writing skills.
Finally, after substantive and mechanical editing, as well as fact-checking, the Editor-in-Chief will reexamine the article to ensure that it is of the highest quality and free of errors.
Editorial Decision and Revision
Based on the company’s editorial standards, the Editor-in-Chief determines which of the articles must be published. If deemed unpublishable, some articles may be rejected, and the EIC will notify the writers with explanations of the reason for rejection.
Furthermore, in cases where revisions are recommended (chiefly due to low-quality content or plagiarism, be it minor or major), the editors will ask for necessary revisions from the writers. Once done with the revisions, the editors will reassess the articles to ensure that the suggested corrections are applied.
Updates
From time to time, we update the articles in our content library with new information and images. This is to ensure that our content is recent and relevant to the readers.
Fact-Checking
Articles written by writers in Travel Lens are fact-checked by editors. Writers are expected to be accurate, and should there be any vague information found in articles, our editors will reach out to the writers for verification before publishing any content.
Sources
All information used in our articles is not based on other travel websites. We value originality, and we solely rely on reputable primary sources. We are also transparent about the sources we use, as evident in the hyperlinked attractions in each subsection.
Corrections Policy and Procedure
Similar to other publications, Travel Lens also commits mistakes, be it about grammar, spelling, word usage, or any factual information. What we do in such cases is correct our errors immediately. Our writers will investigate these mistakes and correct them, which will then be reviewed by our editors and Editor-in-Chief.
Contact Us
If you have suggestions or comments regarding our content, feel free to contact us!
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