A few months ago I caught a resource on Lifehacker that particularly caught my attention: a simple .PDF first-aid guide. I read it from start to finish — not because I do anything particularly dangerous in my day-to-day life but really just in case.

It’s that just in case factor which has the potential, I think, to make a well-executed survival blog very popular. Hear me out on this one. Most people will never need to employ the tips in an article on surviving a plane crash, but I can guarantee you that many people will read it. Because it’s novel. Because it’s interesting. Because of the just in case factor.

The probability of readers having to put tips like “How to protect yourself from nuclear fallout” into practice are (hopefully) very low, but an article like that would probably have entertainment value regardless. Each guide would need to be well-researched, scientifically interesting, and light-hearted — presented as a novelty (though an accurate one) rather than a serious and sombre guide. Taking the latter route will make your blog seem hysterical. Acknowledge, as your readers will, that most of what you’re talking about will never pass beyond the realm of the hypothetical.

The Worst-Case Scenario Handbook is a good example, and its online counterpart is perhaps 5% of what a well-run blog could be.

Sound information, light-hearted delivery, daily survival-guides and how-tos for improbable situations. That’s the idea.

Steal it

If this idea catches your interest then go ahead and use it. I won’t ask for anything — whether you make a penny or a million dollars. I would appreciate it if you acknowledge somewhere on the site that the idea sprung from Skelliewag, though.

I’m also happy to flesh out the idea further via e-mail, as always.