Intro to Web2

Presentation Available at:

http://web24travel.blogspot.com

The Social Internet is called many things:

• Web 2.0
• Travel 2.0
• UGC (User Generated Content)
• Social Internet
• Online Word-of-Mouth
• CMG (Community Generated Media)

Web 2.0 Overview:

In its essence, it is the consumers of your products (Travelers) shaping your brand with their own authentic content (like reviews, photos and videos). They are sharing their experience which builds on, supplants, and even transcends your own attempts at branding.

• User Generated web-content (reviews, travelogues, photos, videos, etc)
  
• Portability through widgets, mashups and RSS feeds.
• Authenticity and Community Driven.
  

Dangers and Pitfalls of Web 2.0

• Bigger than you.
• Difficult and even dangerous to manipulate
• Takes time and commitment
• Content is King

Opportunities

• SEO - Search Engine Optimization and Saturation
  
• Web 2.0 drives qualified traffic
• Web 2.0 guides decision making and shapes public opinion
  
• Potential to go Viral
• Lots of travel and tourism activity
• Free
  

Hosted Blogs

Hosted and Dedicated Blogs Offer Two Opportunities:

Content Management

• Blogs are easy to update by multiple people. They are a great way to manage certain content on your website.
• Blogs are suitable for news, specials, media/press, events and attractions and let you use features like: reviews, ratings, calendars, video, full-text search, RSS and sitemaps.

SEO

• Blogs are very search engine friendly and can be used in conjunction with your website to increase results from search engines.
• Blogs are the "platform" that give you access to many Web 2.0 opportunities.
  

The Risk

• The take a commitment of time and expertise to be successful.
• CVBs are typically adverse to allowing negative reviews or even authentic information.
  

Examples of Blogs we will look at:

• Philadelphia Blog
• Scottsdale Blog
  
• Gulf Shores
  
• Glenwood Blog
  

Recommended Blog Software: Wordpress

RSS Feeds

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

The best way to understand RSS is to look at it as a consumer... it lets the consumer "subscribe" to the news and content they want.

RSS is still young and the benefit is not obvious to many. It is on an excellent growth curve and is displacing email marketing.

Benefits:

• Stay abreast of information and content. Use it to stay in-tune with what people are saying about you, your area and any other items of interest.
  
  
• Improve the website content on YOUR website... "Syndication" of anyone that offers an RSS feed. News, Travel Reviews, Weather and Local content can all be imported into your website. RSS can be used to move content among and between your websites/webpages as well. (Post it on the Blog as a timely post and then pull it into your homepages a recent news... See Blizzard Internet as an example)
  
  
• Push YOUR content out to the bigger world. SEO benefits are reaped when your content can be picked up by RSS search engines, and, when other websites pick up your content and "syndicate" it.
  

Blogosphere

The Blogosphere offers many opportunities for Destination Marketers to promote their area.

1. Find related and relevant blogs at Google Blogsearch or Technorati.
   
2. Major sites worth investigating include EpicTrip, VirtualTourist, TripAdvisor RealTravel or TravBuddy ILoveTravelStories, ThisPlaceIKnow, Yahoo Travel and Wayn.
3. Take the opportunity to either "comment" on those blogs, or , write your own original content.
4. Don't be self-serving; link back to ourself.
5. Find new blogs and monitor the blogosphere using Google Alerts and RSS Feeds.

Example Technique

Online Mapping

• Use Google Maps to create fun, easy and interactive maps for your website.
  
  
• Consider using Community Walk, an application to build better Google maps. Search Engine Results Benefit!
  
  
• Example Embedded into a website
  
  
• Google Earth is the dynamic 3D version of Google Maps. Community Walk creates Google Earth maps. Here is an Uploaded Version (You have to have Google Earth installed)

Click Here for more instructions

Online Mapping Whitepaper with more info.

Wikis

Wiki started as "democratic content management systems" that let consumers create and collaborate on content.

Opportunity: there are many Wikis out there that will permit you to create content about your hotel, community, or area.

• Wikitravel
• Wikipedia
• World66
• Tripadvisor "Insider Pages"

Video Sharing

Video Sharing Sites are a fast growing segment of the Social Internet.

YouTube shows over 100 Million videos a day and was purchased by Google for over $1.5 Billion

YouTube and Google Video are the Leaders

Other Video Sites

Tips:

• Make Compelling authentic videos.
• Post to multiple sites and optimize listings
• Put other people's videos on your website.