TripAdvisor’s TripWow is a little over the top, but the idea of helping travelers create embeddable multimedia is a great one for the travelers.
The promise: Create a Slide Show that will make your friends go “Wow”.

The benefits for TripAdvisor – click throughs to TripAdvisor destination pages via keyword-laden hyperlinks to kickstart the travel planning process for TripWow slideshow viewers. Interestingly, the terms of use for the TripWow widget prohibit users from disassembling the widget and removing the keyword hyperlinks. The secondary benefit for TripAdvisor is some serious keyword SEO for TripAdvisor destination pages.

If growing traffic is your aim, make it easy for visitors to create and share media
If I was in the travel information archiving business (travel review sites, destination marketing organizations and travel associations), I’d forgo the development of my own platform and work with a company like Animoto to help folks create travel videos that more effectively focus on the photos of the traveler, with embedded music tracks.

A custom branded version of Animoto would create greater interest in your travel information site while adding a small revenue stream for Animoto, perhaps leading to the DMO, travel association or travel information site to pay for the higher resolution services of Animoto’s great travel promotion tool – making it free for travelers to create and share media promoting your website.

I’d also make sure that it was easy to geotag the photo sets and create a similar mapping graphic as shown in TripAdvisor’s TripWow tool part of the show. TripAdvisor’s map owes it’s inspiration to the likes of Indiana Jones, and the maps work well but frankly speaking, most of the other graphic elements of the video take attention away from the trip photos.

I am a fan of the social media tools that pop out from the right side of the videos. They make it easy to share the media by Twitter, Facebook and making the media easy to embed. The Video branding and destination keyword links are sure to drive serious page views for TripAdvisor.

TripWow’s bow is perhaps the inspiration you need to get into providing media production tools like this with a partner who has demonstrated expertise in creating Wow video that focuses on user generated photos and video. Page views are sure to follow.

I recently return from a trip to Phoenix, Arizona and during my travels on United Airlines which I normally travel because I collect Aeroplan points and since I am a Star Alliance Gold member it just makes sense for me to travel on the airlines that allow me to collect points and keep my status. I actually enjoy the lounges at the airports and I noticed this time around that United is really trying to become friendly.  I made this observation a few times during my travel.

During this trip United started advertising their “connect to us on Twitter” as part of their in-flight entertainment system and really encouraging people to connect with them on Twitter.  Kudos to you United. United may now be understanding the importance of offering other ways to connect with their customers especially in our socially connected world in which we live in today.

It can also be a brand reputation activity as well.

Good start with Twitter, United

No #Fail from me, still have work to do though

However, does the big bloated company culture spill over to the social media space? It is no secret and something that is not unique to United, all big firms suffer from a certain degree of being bloated.  I would guess the older corporate culture still plays an important role and it really doesn’t matter what the tool is. If your firm has problems returning a phone call, replying to an email or offer poor customer service when dealing face-to-face with people, what makes you think you can reply better with Twitter?

Corporate culture still plays an important role. When I arrived in Phoenix I tweeted about my great trip to Sky Harbor via Denver but then realized my suitcase was still in Denver after my first tweet on the pleasurable trip I was on.  United Airlines never did retweet my good comment about my experience nor did they get back to me on my tweet about my bag not making it to Phoenix.

Let me make this clear, the staff at Sky Harbor were awesome in dealing with my lost luggage.  No complaints what so ever, I am just focusing on the culture around social technologies and if you are going to use them you need to embrace the culture.

United is on the right track, just need some tweaks.

Twitter Introduces Twitter Lists

The newest marketing opportunity presented by Twitter is Twitter lists. The new tool makes it easy to create lists of people you are following and to share those lists (if desired) with others.

This is a really important development that will expand the Web of connections that makes Twitter so valuable.

Why Twitter Lists Matter (even if you don’t use them yourself)

People who deliver great content on Twitter will be followed.  If people appreciate your presence they will add you to their lists.  As more people discover these lists, expect to gain more followers based on the recommendations of others.  All you have to do to benefit is to continue to be a great member of the Twitter community.

There are two ways to benefit from using Twitter Lists  (in both cases, it pays to be selective)

Follow Lists of Other People

It’s the strength of your information network on Twitter that keeps you informed. The people in your network you trust will create excellent, credible lists of people to follow. Be choosy. Having too many people feeding you irrelevant information will make you reconsider the value of the list.

Make Lists of People

Be very selective about how your create your lists. If you go about it the right way, you could gain notoriety for providing links to people who matter and provide great info. You’ll be rewarded with others following your list.

Have a gander at the list I’ve created of Travel Twitter people who feed me to get started. If you trust me as a source, you might choose to follow this list. http://twitter.com/toddlucier/travel-list-started

If you do, let me know if you like it and make suggestions about who I’m missing. I know there is undiscovered treasure out there in Twitter!

Final Thought on Twitter Lists: As you get started making lists be sure to use keywords in naming your list that will be widely recognized by people in your tribe.

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Early Augmented Reality

Travel Gadgets are like having God in your Pocket

An early GPS-linked project in the UK demonstrated how a tourism region could put information in the fingertips of visitors. The project used a tiny electronic machine to add interactivity to visiting ancient ruins by linking hotspots to audio/video content to tell the story of the place in a rich engaging way.

Today, devices capable of displaying such multimedia are in many travelers pockets! iPhone, Blackberry and other internet connected devices with built-in gps and cameras are all capable of overlaying digital information on top of reality – Augmented Reality.

What is Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality describes the merging of reality with digital information. The digital information (in the form of words, audio, video or pictures) can be triggered to display on an internet connected device based on gps location and/or recognizable visual objects including symbols or icons like QR codes which are photographed by the device.

Experience AR with Virtual Baseball Cards

Rawlings has a project that displays virtual baseball cards by using a computer Web cam and a printed logo. It only takes a few minutes to experience the thrill of seeing digital information come to life.

Visit http://rawlings.fleishmanhillard.com and print the Rawlings ad to get started. Then click on the link and hold the ad up to your computers video camera to see the virtual baseball cards. You can even control their movement and appearance on your screen.

In the image below, the three dimensional trophy and baseball card float around as you move the Rawlings logo about.

augmented reality webcam image

With AR, Travel Guides come to life in real time – on location with projects like these:

Find your Way

Discover Anywhere is working on an AR Transit application that will overlay digital information on an iPhone, making it easy for the traveler to find their way around an unfamiliar city.

Wikitude AR Travel Guide

The Here and Now Web

Thinking about the impact of Augmented Reality on the tourism experience can be a lot of fun, and like most technology it’s more important to think about the content than it is to worry about how to do the technical dirty work.

What can your organization do for your members, that they can’t do themselves? Is it Augmented Reality?

We’ll all be brought into the world of augmented reality in the near future and DMO’s and regional travel organizations may be inspired to dream up interesting engaging experiences that make use of this technology – GO FOR IT.

For those not inspired to start on an augmented reality project just yet, there is no time like now to start thinking like your ideal guest. Answer the most important question for the digitally connected traveler:

“Standing here, now, what kind of content could make my experience better?”

Start collecting the media you’ll need to make your travel region, one not to miss for the digitally connected traveler.

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Eavesdrop – It’s allowed (even encouraged)

One of the most useful things about Twitter is that conversations are public. The problem is that with so many conversations going on it is impossible to follow everyone who might be your ideal guest.

However, it is possible to eavesdrop on conversations that include your keywords. It’s an accepted part of the Twitter Universe to see a Twitter Post that includes a keyword phrase you are following and to respond with a solution – even if you don’t follow the person who tweeted.

Identify your Keywords

Think of keywords as the questions your potential traveler might be asking that you have the answer for. If you have difficulty, just go through the list of keywords that come up when you ask yourself these questions about the guests of business or region:

Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they traveling to? How do they travel? When? Why?

• Learn more about keywords in this instructional keywords video

Follow your Keywords

I use Seesmic Desktop Twitter Application to monitor conversations from those I follow on Twitter and Facebook. I also get search phrases related to our tourism business directly in my stream – even from folks I don’t follow.

• There is a nifty little setting in the app that makes it possible to include search results in your stream(see below) . This is just like following your keyword phrase(s).

• Use the search box in the top right hand corner of Seesmic Desktop to subscribe to any search phrase related to your business.
• You can add as many keyword search columns as you like. Either keep these open and monitor your keyword phrases or watch for tweets that show up automatically in your timeline.

Be Helpful

The beauty is that it takes very little time to provide a helpful solution to a traveler in need. When you see tweets that include your search phrase, they all won’t be relevant, but some will provide great leads.

For instance, in a conversation about “Algonquin Park”, one of our keyword phrases I saw this tweet:

To which our staff replied

Earlier today, we saw this tweet about another keyword phrase “yoga retreats” related to our experiences:

It was an open invitation to share more information about our upcoming yoga retreats.

Use your keyword phrases in your Tweets

Travelers use search.twitter.com or apps like Seesmic to research information and plan travel or seek advice. If you use your keywords in your tweets from time to time, you’ll show up in the search results of travelers who are using Twitter for travel research.

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• Forrester (July 2009) predicts that by 2013 there will be 2.2 billion Internet users in the world.
• Cell phone users generally upgrade their phones every 18 months, and virtually all new Cell phones are Web enabled .
• Research also shows mobile internet access is growing rapidly. 13% of Western European consumers (source: Forrester, July 2009) and 23% of American consumers (source: Pew Research, April 2009) enjoy access the internet on their mobile device.

Web access not used by all Travelers

Accessing the internet on a mobile device when abroad is still expensive. However, mobile phone operators are slowly lowering roaming fees.  The cost of accessing the Web on a phone is expected to continue to decline, just as the cost of making cell phone calls has fallen.

Adapting to Mobile

• Use fewer images for a Handheld version of your site than the desktop/laptop version. This makes them much faster to use, and cheaper when used while roaming abroad.
• Provide “Here and Now” focused content that the traveler may be accessing from within your community.
• Make sure your phone number is front and center on every page of your site which makes it easier for a handheld user to contact you.
• Link to Google Maps which works seamlessly with GPS / Google Maps-enabled phones such as Apple iPhone, or Google Android devices.
• respond quickly to inquiries!  The average response time to inquires in the travel industry is a dismal 30+ hours.  In the era of the always connected digital traveler make efforts to respond to inquiries in a timely manner or risk giving business to your digitally savvy competitors.

What are your thoughts on adapting to Mobile?

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Whether a Lethbridge-based company is sending workers to Fort McMurray or the company president volleys between Edmonton and Calgary on a weekly basis, carbon-saving corporate travel solutions can work for any Alberta business. – Stephanie Sparks

Getting There

Greenhouse gas emissions from air travel leave a larger carbon footprint than many companies care to leave. As part of Uniglobe Custom Travel’s Green Flight Program, business travellers can calculate online their carbon emissions to go from point A to point B and then purchase credits to offset their emissions. The credits are invested into projects in Western Canada. “It’s the only [program] of its kind to be EcoLogo certified by Environment Canada,” says Tania Stilson, vice-president and partner for Uniglobe in Calgary, Lethbridge and Canmore. “In order to get that certification, you have to go through all sorts of policies and procedures to make sure you’re doing it right.”

Local Motion

When they reach their destination, business travellers can take advantage of more than the usual rental cars. Try cycling, buses or light rail transit systems. Some airport pickup and drop-off services, like the Banff Airporter, run on biodiesel and other green fuels. But if a personal vehicle is necessary, try renting a hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicle and consider carpooling with co-workers. “There’s more than 600 million tonnes of carbon emissions [released] into the atmosphere each year, and that’s just air travel. It doesn’t take into account car rental companies, hoteliers or cruise line tour operators,” says Stilson.

Green Accommodation

When planning overnight stays, choose accommodation nearest the destination, whether that’s the airport, branch office, job site or meeting venue. “For staff visiting different locations across Calgary, reserve accommodations closest to the one likely to be visited the most or near convenient public transportation routes.” To cut down on additional commuting, plan any conferences in a hotel or venue near the airport. Stilson says clients and planners can work together to determine what the company’s ultimate needs are. If booking without planners, don’t hesitate to inquire about the hotel’s environmental initiatives.

Skip the Trip

Maintain the company’s environmentally friendly image – stay in the office and conduct meetings through video- or teleconferencing. The technology will not only prevent larger carbon footprints, but it can save the company’s travel budget. Invest in or rent equipment for the office or book meetings in public facilities that lend out the technology.