In part one of this three-part series, I discussed how to properly format your articles for eHow.   Today, I’ll discuss what kind of content is not allowed on eHow.  eHow.com does not allow how-to articles that they consider objectionable.  Some people don’t understand what is meant by the word objectionable, so here are the descriptions along with examples, to help guide you.

Dangerous or Illegal Instructions

This is common sense to most people.   eHow will not allow writers to publish articles about topics that could cause harm or injury to a reader.  Articles about illegal activity are not allowed at all, even if the author uses a disclaimer telling the reader, “This is illegal and should not be attempted.”    Examples of articles that could cause harm or injury are things like how to clean a bathtub by mixing bleach and ammonia (which can be fatal), or how to skateboard off of a roof.      Illegal articles that have been pulled from eHow.com include topics about drug use and theft.  Basically, if there is a law against it, you should not write an article telling someone how to do it.

Inaccurate Facts

eHow considers articles with inaccurate facts to be objectionable.  For this reason, it’s important to thoroughly research and get your facts straight before sitting down to write your article.    An example of an inaccurate fact would be telling a person to use boric acid paste to wash their car.  While boric acid can be used to clean a number of household things, it would cause damage to a car’s paint.

Blog-Style, Personal Observations, Stories, Opinions, or Poetry

eHow is a site to teach readers how to do whatever it is they’re trying to do.  As such, all of the articles should follow the how-to format (as discussed in my last post here).    Writing your how-to articles in a style that strays from the acceptable how-to style is considered objectionale by eHow.   Articles that are personal stories (such as writing a “How to Make Apple Pancakes” article with steps such as  “Wheat flour is best.  I used to make mine with white flour, until I realized that whole wheat is healthier.  My kids used to not like the way they looked, because they come out darker, but since the syrup still tastes the same, they liked them after all.”) are not permitted.  does tell the reader what kind of flour to use, it’s not written with actionable words.  The rest of the step is purely blog-style writing, conveying a personal story.

Fiction and poetry are prohibited.

Obscene or Offensive Material

This rule applies not only to your text, but also to any photos or videos that accompany your article.   Photos and videos may be sensual, but not sexual in nature.  This means no nudity or implied sexual acts should be portrayed.    Articles about adult topics (such as sexual health and intimacy) are permitted on eHow, as long as the author uses correct terms, rather than slang and vulgar terminology.  This means that you may write an article about a particular act as long as 1) the act is not illegal and 2) you use terminonlgy that a doctor would use.  If you use terminology that would be found in an adult magazine, you’ve officially crossed the line and will probably have your article removed from eHow’s data base.

Next time: Part 3: SPAM, Plagiarism, and Trademarks