Word count: Long listings are costly and use up resources (water and trees). Please be concise and creative. The Boston Chapter Word Count Policy limits activity listings to 100 words or less and workshop listings to 150 words with an overall goal of an average of 50 words for trip listings. 

a)  Do not use "For more information' or "For details" or "leave message on answering machine" before name and phone number. L Joe Smith (123-4567). AMC members know to call the L for additional information. 

b)  Keep descriptions/directions brief. Please do not include lengthy directions to activity site. List location only. Only those who call to sign up with L need directions, not the entire AMC. 

c)  Limit lengthy descriptions. Please do not include lengthy descriptions about scenery, history of trip, or detailed schedules. Write a colorful trip headline instead. A brief, concise description can "sell" a trip, better than one that is too long. 

Capitalization, double spaces, boldface, tabs, indents, etc., are not necessary and are time consuming to remove. Please do not capitalize titles, phrases, etc. Returns at the end of each line are not needed, simply use a return at the end of each individual trip announcement. Please, put only one space after periods. 

Dates. Always abbreviate days of week and months of year. Specify year only when necessary for clarity. In copy: write numerically: 12/2. For range of dates: 12/12 - 12/19. In trip titles: abbreviate day and month, separate with comma: Sun., Jan. 5. In a range of dates. Sat. -Sun., Jan. 4-5. 

Phone Numbers. Include area codes as it will be confusing during this time of transition with the new area codes going into effect. Always in parentheses, no preceding comma:  Call Joe Smith (123-4567). Use W: for work phone and H: for home phone; do not write out. Separate 2 numbers with a semicolon. Call Joe Smith (W: 123-4567; H: 891-0111). Include restrictions inside parentheses, separate with comma, all other punctuation outside parentheses. Call Joe Smith (123-4567, before 10 PM). 

Addresses. Use commas after name and street address only: Joe Smith, 37 High St., Apt. 6, Boston 02135 (include phone # here if necessary). 

Leaders. Abbreviate Leader to L. Abbreviate Co-Leader to CL (no periods or spaces necessary). 

Ampersand(&). Use whenever possible. 

Plurals. Do not use apostrophe to construct plural: 40s, Ls, etc. 

NUMBERS 
Style. Use figures. Rearrange sentence to avoid beginning with a number; spell out if not possible. Rearrange to avoid 2 numbers in a row; if not possible, spell the smaller number: Bring three 20-oz. Containers. Spell proper names. Nineteen Mile Brook. 

Time/Decimals. Use decimals, not fractions. 0.5 mi. Use decimals or minutes if less than 1 hour: 0.5 hrs. or 30 mins. Use decimal if over 1 hour: 6.5 hrs. Abbreviate hour to hr. and minute to min. 

Compound Modifiers. Hyphenate each number: a 3- to 5-mi. hike. Rearrange if sentence begins with number, if not possible, spell out: Three- to 5-mi. hike. 

Numerical Commas. Use comma in numbers 5 or more digits: 4000 ft., 54,000 ft. 

MISCELLANEOUS Always specify AM or PM. 

The following are written as one word: airfare, hotline, potluck. Mid-State Trail is hyphenated. I-95 is hyphenated. 

Titles. Day (s), Month Date (s). Brief title (first letter in each word capitalized) use period: Sat., June 13. Mt. Garfield (4500 ft.). Mountain height is part of the trip title, in parentheses, abbreviate feet.