Travel Bloggers: How to Connect

Another valuable conversation at SxSW with Roger Wade (@whygo)of the Bootsnall Travel Network and Shannon Hurst Lane (@cajun_mama), one of The Traveling Mamas who write about travel on the Web.

• Providing tips and specific detailed travel advice to around-the-world travelers, Bootsnall could use your help in adding travel advice for visitors to many regions in North America.
• Traveling mamas offer more focused content targeting the needs of traveling families. First hand stories with a little humor and content that traditionally doesn’t find its way into a magazine.

How can tourism industry work with travel bloggers and their sites:

• Travel writers / bloggers know one another much more and are well networked online.
• Bloggers can help you get the message out to your audience if you know what you want to accomplish. Know your audience and a blogger can help you find the right blogger who connects with your audience.
• Canada is under-represented on Bootsnall and tourism businesses or regions could help fill out the Bootsnall guide with expert articles and advice. Submit ideas with Roger wade@bootsnall.com

Links mentioned in this podcast:

• @Karasw – Kara S Williams (Mountain Mama)
• @DesertMama – Beth Blair
• @MudslideMama – Jen Miner
• Bootsnall.com
• Travelingmamas.com

Todd chats with Pam Mandel (@nerdseyeview), Seattle-based travel blogger at NerdsEyeView and Sheila Scarborough (@sheilas) blogger from Round Rock, Texas who pens the Family Travelogue about how they became travel bloggers and how travel, tourism, and blogging can be an essential components of marketing travel experiences.

Topics of Conversation:

• How writing and the evolution of the Web created travel blogging opportunities
• What’s the difference between travel writing and travel blogging
• How unique niche experiences provide great story ideas
• How quickly blog posts can impact travel and how blogged stories have a lasting impact
• Finding the right travel blogger to tell your story
• How pitches find their way to travel bloggers through PR agencies
• The relationship between bloggers and tourism businesses
• Why paid posts can compromise a bloggers objectivity
• Tourism businesses and bloggers need to have conversations about expectations and credibility
• Journalistic integrity and ethics is very important to top bloggers: While comping accommodations or travel may be appropriate for freelance journalists and bloggers, revealing such compensation in the story is important.
• Tourism regions or businesses can discover blogging by guest posting on existing travel blogs

Links:

• http://blogsearch.google.com – Google’s Blog Search Engine
• http://www.technorati.com
• Travel.AllTop.com – edited list of top travel bloggers
• Blogher – the Women’s Blogging Network
• Williamsburg, Virginia -Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Molokai, Hawaii – Visitors Bureau (@DavidHTA, @michaelni, @nathankam)