Travel Blog Camp 2008
Posted by Anthony on November 12th, 2008
Back when we started the Smith Travel Blog, we would never have expected that six months later we’d be stood in a room with the cream of the travel-blogging community, having a thoroughgoing chin-wag about the state of social media in the travel sector, but life is full of surprises.
Yesterday, Tamara and I attended the Travel Blog Camp, organised by Travel Rants’ creator, Darren Cronian, at a riverside bar in Blackfriars. We had no idea what to expect, but any fears that it might turn into a dull evening were quickly dispelled. Bloggers are quite a feisty bunch when they get together, it emerges.
Four speakers led the discussion:
Alex Bainbridge, the travel software developer and entertaining e-commerce blogger discussed what motivates him to blog in the first place (a case of a marketing strategy morphing into addiction).
Karen Bryant, founder Europe a la Carte, gave her analysis of the live blog chat on the future of travel blogging that Tamara took part in last month, outlining what she saw as the three categories of travel blogger: the individual, the magazine and the corporate marketing arm, and stressing that the success of all three is best assured by sustaining consistent quality content. The best way to do that, Karen thought, was by aggregating content from several authors (which we do) and other sites (which we don’t).
Molly Flatt, who co-ordinates STA’s foray into social media, STATravelbuzz, described how their site operates, and attracted some widespread interest in the fact that STA doesn’t engage with its travel community or introduce any brand ‘voice’ to the site – which is, surely, one of the key features of blogging.
Finally, Kevin May, the Travolution editor, introduced what rapidly became a stimulating Jerry Springer-style bunfight about the distinction between blogging and journalism, the relationship between blogging and PR, and the efforts of large companies to engage in social media interactions with their customers. (Thompson, apparently, has drawn up some ‘rules of engagement’ for staff dealing with online commentators, which is, let’s face it, a bit silly).
All very refreshing for us Smith types – we hadn’t witnessed a debate so heated since Lucy’s ‘Best Coffee in London’ post… It was all well-mannered of course, but I think everyone who attended came away with some thoughts to chew over. And blog about, probably.
(Meanwhile, Smith’s hotel hunters Mary and Katy were racing around the World Travel Market , chatting to hoteliers and catching up with the people behind some Smith boutique-hotel favourites – Eden Rock and Little Good Harbour in the Caribbean, The Datai and Carcosa Seri Negara in Malaysia – as well as sniffing out what look like some stylish Smith additions in Dubai and Brazil.)
Thanks for the report. Sounds like a great event.
By Sharon
On November 12th, 2008
Interesting discussions…definitely food for thought!
Thanks for the round up.
By Lisa Corcoran
On November 13th, 2008
Sorry I didn’t get to meet you Anthony. My perspective on the Travel Blog Camp is here
http://heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/11/at-travel-blog-camp-in-london.html
By heatheronhertravels
On November 13th, 2008
Didn’t get to meet you at the blog camp, but the debate was certainly very interesting.
Just one point I wanted to raise, having worked in the corporate world before jumping ship to start a business up, I guess I have two very different perspectives of the industry. Large corporations such as Thompson have ‘rules of engagement’ for several reasons - partly because they have so many employees and they want to ensure that they all toe the corporate line (understandable considering the Virgin incident.) Also, to many large corporations, social media is still a relatively unknown entity and how to approach the influential bloggers is still quite a mystery to many high level execs. To those of you in the industry, the rules and politics of blogging are second nature, but there are many people out there still learning and dipping their toes into the world of social media. I guess we all have to find a way to work together to mutual gain and benefit.
By Anna Colclough
On November 13th, 2008
Hi Anna – thanks for your comment.
I do understand the reasoning behind company guidelines for staff members engaging with bloggers – in large companies such as Virgin, especially, I appreciate that a brand identity has to percolate from the top down, but I think the distinction to be drawn here is between company employees engaging with social media on behalf of the company, and employees engaging with social media as individuals, and publically referencing their employer. In the former case, it seems a mite panicky, defensive and out of touch to pull out a manual every time an employee goes near a computer, but, as you say, this will change as networks develop and corporate types become more au fait with social media (and judging by the success of the Blog camp, we will have to). In the latter case, the kind of behaviour that got the Virgin workers sacked is presumably covered by the company’s code of conduct – I don’t see why online networks need any special internal regulation that doesn’t already come under the umbrella of ‘bringing the company into disrepute’ or whatever the terminology might be.
‘A bit silly’ may have been itself a bit of a silly way of putting it…
By Anthony
On November 13th, 2008
Hi Anthony
Great to meet you at what certainly was an interesting evening. Just like Darren, I really had only expected twenty people tops to be in attendance. I’m proud to be a blogger; part of that emerging, influential crowd.
My experiences of writing on brand for a multinational corporation, and now independently give me a rather ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ approach to blogging. Blogs are definitely a personal take on destinations and happenings in travel, but I’m of the inclination that objectivity and respect for all sectors of the industry has to be key.
I also like to be transparent with everything I do online. And I’m very honest about the fact that blogging gives me the freedom to write about travel for an audience, without first having become a trained journalist and risen through the media ranks.
Great that the Smiths have a blog too!
Best, Kelly
By Kelly Anne Pipes
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[...] Anthony from Mr and Mrs Smith [...]
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Written up my notes here… plus a blurred picture of various people
http://matthewparsons.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/in-quotes-travel-blog-camp/
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Hi Anthony
Pleased to meet a fellow smoker
Guido
By Happy Hotelier
On November 14th, 2008
Hi Anthony
Obviously Guido has found a soul mate, shame I couldn’t have been there to keep you company on the outside terraces as well as in side the Blog camp. It would have been nice to have introduced myself as well as meeting the authors of so many good blogs. I do hope that I can make the next event. And Whilst on the subject of Personal favourites, The Hotel Villa Mahal in Kalkan is worthy of a visit, mention.Perhaps you know of it?
Their T-Shirts state 180 steps to Heaven ( When we visited it was approx 42 degrees and being a smoker it was more like 180 steps to Hell!)The Climb was definatly worth the Visit(even though we were on holiday)it is truly stunning, and one of our clients recently returned commented it was exactly as we described,and surpassed their expectations.
http://selectworld.squarespace.com/destination-essentials/2008/8/20/hotel-villa-mahalkalkanturkey-181-steps-to-heaven-and-one-of.html
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