Throughout our nearly 15 years of hotel Internet marketing experience, we have been consistently concerned about the increasing level of disparity between savvy Internet/Mobile marketers in hospitality and travel, and the Internet/Mobile Marketing-inept players in the industry.With the advent of social media in recent years, Web 2.0 technologies and the mobile Web, this disparity has accelerated dramatically.

On one side there are the extremely Web-savvy:

• Online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity, etc.
• Most major hotel brands’ e-commerce departments
• Airlines
• Some e-commerce departments at smaller and mid-size hotel and resort chains
• Some very bright individuals at the marketing departments of full service hotels, resorts and casinos

On the other side there is everybody else, which unfortunately means the majority of hospitality executives and sales and marketing professionals.
HeBS defines “Web Marketing Ineptitude” as the lack of hands-on experience in Internet marketing and all of its formats: website re-designs, SEO optimizations, search marketing, email marketing, strategic linking, banner advertising and online sponsorships, social media and Web 2.0 and more recently, mobile marketing. In addition, this ineptitude also indicates a lack of understanding of best practices and latest trends in the direct online channel.

In the 1990s, it was “normal” that only a few hospitality and travel marketers were proficient in the online channel.  Less than 3% of travel reservations in the U.S. were booked online back in 1999. In the 2000s (in 2001, online travel bookings reached 5.4% of all travel reservations in the U.S.), hospitality marketers and the major hotel brands began to pay closer attention to the Internet channel. In the years that followed, Internet travel adoption increased dramatically and in 2009 alone over 55% of all travel reservations in the U.S. will be online (45% of all hotel reservations) to the tune of a staggering $116.1 billion (eMarketer).

Yet, to our dismay, over the past 15 years the level of Internet marketing expertise in the hospitality industry has not kept up with this remarkable growth. On the contrary, we are witnessing whole new generations of hospitality executives and marketing professionals who are unfamiliar with Internet marketing in general as well as best practices and trends in the direct online channel.

This problem has been exacerbated by a) the social media and Web 2.0 phenomena, and b) mobile marketing. Both of these new marketing and distribution channels introduced an entirely new level of complexity and skill set requirements, as well as new best practices and trends.

• Social Media have changed how customers plan and purchase travel, how customers access information, and how customers perceive the credibility of information. How can hoteliers create/monitor/take advantage of the social media “chatter” around the hotel, target receptive audiences, and ultimately stimulate hotel website visits, interactions and bookings? What type of Web 2.0 and interactive features and functionality do you need on the hotel website?

• Mobile Web is expected to surpass the traditional Web within the next five years. The promise of “immediate, anywhere and anytime” Internet access, instant information and transaction capabilities, location-based services and personalization are some of the key factors for the “explosion” of the mobile Web. Hotel guests–past, current and potential–are increasingly becoming mobile-ready and hoteliers have to respond adequately to this growing demand for mobile services. This is the reason why hoteliers and travel marketers need to have robust mobile Web initiatives in place, including mobile brand websites, mobile apps, m-CRM and mobile marketing.

Why Is There a Growing Web Marketing Ineptitude in the Industry?

There are many reasons for this “Web Marketing Ineptitude” among the ranks, but here are some of the most important:

Franchised Properties:

• Many major brands control all Internet marketing initiatives at the corporate level, including property-level initiatives, thus depriving staff at the property from any meaningful experience in Internet marketing.

• We have seen a trend among small/mid-size chains to establish small but vital e‑commerce departments. In many cases, these companies outsource whatever online marketing they do to outside vendors. Here again, when outsourcing, they make a crucial mistake by not demanding professional development to be part of the Internet marketing vendor’s responsibilities. This results in Internet marketing expertise not being disseminated to the properties in the process.

Independent Hotels and Resorts:

• The biggest concentration of Internet marketing knowledge is at this level.

• Many big full-service hotels and resorts have some form of in-house Internet expertise. However, due to staff turnover and constantly decreasing budgets, these properties tend to have a very spotty Internet expertise retention rate.

• Smaller hotels and resorts are most vulnerable due to limited budgets and difficulties with hiring and retaining employees with expert knowledge.

Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs):

• These organizations boast some of the brightest Internet marketing stars and some of the most inept marketers.

• In many cases among DMOs and CVBs, ignoring Internet marketing best practices is not even a matter of budget size, but a result of inertia and commitment to traditional advertising formats.

• The government or quasi -government nature of CVBs and tourism offices does not help with the hiring and retention of Internet expertise.

So What Is the Verdict?

HeBS believes there are different levels of Web Marketing Ineptitude in the industry regarding three important marketing media: Traditional Web, Social Media/Web 2.0 and Mobile Web. Here are our estimates of the ineptitude rates in each of these media:

Internet Marketing/Traditional Web

• Nearly 15 years of existence of the traditional Web

• Internet Marketing Ineptitude rate in hospitality:  65%

Web 2.0/Social Media Marketing

• Nearly 5 years of existence of social media

• Web 2.0/Social Media Marketing Ineptitude rate in hospitality:  90%

Mobile Marketing/Mobile Web

• Nearly 10 years of existence of Mobile Web but in reality, the Mobile Web in the U.S. exploded with the introduction of the first iPhone in June 2007.

• Mobile Marketing Ineptitude rate in hospitality:  97%

Conclusion

Hoteliers should strive to gain a crystal-clear understanding of what the best practices and latest trends are in hospitality Internet marketing: what works, what doesn’t, and why. Hoteliers should recognize that they do not have all the answers in-house and that there are thought leaders and other proven industry experts who can help them and their property stay competitive in these economic times, preserve and increase market share, and generate the highest website revenues and ROIs.

Hoteliers should take a hard look at how Best Industry Practices are being utilized by their corporate offices or major brands, as well as by the hotel’s Internet marketing vendors. Almost 15 years after the first online hotel booking, best practices have been established in practically every aspect of hotel Internet marketing. Hoteliers should not allow their Internet marketing vendors to “learn the business on the hotel’s dime.”

The prospect of professional development should become the main criterion when choosing an Internet marketing vendor.  Hoteliers should hire experts who are able and willing to teach the hotel and staff best practices and keep the hotel appraised of the latest direct online channel trends.

Hoteliers should work only with Internet marketing experts who can help them acquire new core competencies and adopt best industry practices in the direct online channel. 

They should provide crucial professional development as well as guide the hotel’s direct Internet marketing strategies, online brand building strategies, e-CRM, website re-design and SEO optimization, search and email marketing, social media and mobile marketing initiatives.

CouchSurfing is an online travel community of globally minded and socially conscious community of travellers. It “seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding”. It is all about seeking authentic visitor experiences while staying at other couchsurfers’ homes at any destination. Although many couchsurfers may join the community to save money on accommodation, there are many benefits that accrue to both hosts and guests.

Couchsurfing in Practice

CouchSurfing is enabled by an interactive Web 2.0 Website that offers free membership to anyone, thereby facilitating social interactions amongst people. The profile page is a basic prerequisite for membership and it indicates the person’s intended level of interaction with the general couchsurfing community. This can include to “offer a couch” for sleeping or just “meet up for coffee or tea”. The profile page also shows a member’s involvement in the community over time and contains a friends list that states how a person knows others on the list. By clicking on someone’s profile page, it is possible to see whom he or she has hosted and when, where he or she has traveled and with whom they stayed at each location. Couchsurfing communities at any given destination organize a range of social activities such as parties and get-togethers where live interaction takes place between members who have not had prior personal contact via email or the community’s Website. When couchsurfers travel, they contact other members at their destination and request accommodation on their ‘couch’. The latter is a term used symbolically to represent any private space provided for an overnight stay in the home of a couchsurfer. The average length of stay is 2 to 3 nights per host and a visit of a week or more at the same destination is usually spent at different hosts. This may be alternated with hostels if no host is available.

CouchSurfing became publicly accessible in January 2004 and by January 2008 it counted over 400 000 members, making it the largest community of its kind in the world. Website statistics show that couchsurfers are predominantly from industrialized countries with Europe representing approximately half and North America around 30% (Figures 1 and 2). On a country basis, the United States of America accounts for about a quarter of all members worldwide. Couchsurfing is clearly a male-dominated activity, as females represent just under 40% of all members (Figure 3). Couchsurfers are also young: 70% fall in the 18-29 age group and the average member age is 26 (Figure 4).

CouchSurfing strives to build connections worldwide that create and strengthen (inter)cultural understanding because members seek deep intense experiences linked to discovery. Based on a survey of 3000 members, over half (56,21%) of all respondents are motivated to learn about themselves and the world around them (Figure 5) via meeting like-minded strangers at their destination.

Figure 1

Source: CouchSurfing, 2008.

Figure 2

Source : CouchSurfing, 2008.

Figure 3

Source : CouchSurfing, 2008.

Figure 4

Source : CouchSurfing, 2008.

Organization and Management

As an organization CouchSurfing provides its members with a series of practical tips to facilitate safe lodging and it also provides advice to members to build awareness about staying with members in the event of problems. Except for some technical staffers who maintain the Website, CouchSurfing is entirely run by volunteers where some members have particular responsibilities within the organizational structure of the community. There are around 700 ambassadors worldwide who organize gatherings and activities that attract both local and travelling couchsurfers. In Montreal, couchsurfers are known to organize larger meetings that coincide with international festivals and these gatherings vary in duration, location, size and member composition. After Paris, Montreal has the second largest local couchsurfing community in the world, although this position is presently rivaled by London.

As couchsurfers stay with other couchsurfers, they are excluded from official accommodation statistical counts, but nonetheless they are still important contributors to local economic activities. They visit tourist attractions, participate in a range of cultural activities and frequent bars and restaurants just like regular tourists. The biggest difference is that, with the help of their local hosts, they are likely to visit places off the official tourist map in their search for the authentic visitor experience. Thus, their economic contribution is likely to include the consumption of products and services outside the realm of the average visitor.

Figure 5

Source : Bialski, 2007.

The future

CouchSurfing is a product of modern tourism in the age of mobility and it regroups the Internet-minded and the globally networked. It is a form of tourism that moves travellers away from the simple consumption of traditional tourism spaces and it also changes people’s expectation of a memorable visitor experience. Although they may have similar travel patterns compared to regular tourists, couchsurfers are likely to be more responsible towards the host community and their local environment. Given that the majority of couchsurfers seek the authenticity of their destination by by building deep emotional connections to places through personal contacts, the role of the traditional tourism landscape becomes less important. This means that iconic tourist attractions and spaces become secondary and social interactions as primary, if not the core of the visitor experience. However, the very essence of seeking out ordinary private spaces and new local people at a destination means that any place on the planet can become a potential couchsurfing haven. Given the direction of global telecommunication patterns and the general expansion of the travel sector, communities like CouchSurfing will continue to exist and grow. Consequently, there may be an increase in spin-offs, resulting in smaller communities that are more specialized and suited to the needs of those users in search of yet a different experience.

This article was written with the collaboration of Joris Sprakel, a lawyer and CouchSurfing ambassador for the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Sources:

- Bialski, P. (2007). Intimate Tourism. Friendship in a state of mobility – the case of the online hospitality network. Master’s Thesis. Institute of Sociology. Department of Social Psychology. University of Warsaw, Poland. 85 pages.
- CouchSurfing (2008). Website: http://www.couchsurfing.com/ Last accessed January 23, 2008.
- Hospitality Club Website: http://www.hospitalityclub.org/ Last accessed January 23, 2008.
- Global Freeloaders Website: http://globalfreeloaders.com/ Last accessed January 23, 2008.
- Péloquin, C. (2007a). “Facebook, the new darling of Web 2.0,” Tourism Intelligence Network, UQAM, September 6, 2007.
- Péloquin, C. (2007b). “What is Facebook’s impact on the tourism industry?” Tourism Intelligence Network, UQAM, September 21, 2007.
- Servas International Website: http://joomla.servas.org/ Last accessed January 23, 2008.
- United Nations World Tourism Organization (2008). http://www.unwto.org/frameset/frame_sustainable.html Last accessed January 23, 2008.

Uwishunu.com (You wish you knew…)

Written by forty or so “in-the-know” contributors, this blog presents the contemporary, non-traditional side of Philadelphia. Real Philadelphians reveal their secrets about dining, nightlife, music, culture, fashion, outdoor activities, design, etc. The goal is to enable visitors to experience Philly like a local. Though created and maintained by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, the site is presented as a separate entity. Readers are invited to post feedback and comments about the articles.

The site makes full use of Web 2.0 and social media with blogging, podcasts, online networking, photo and video sharing and RSS feeds. The site’s administrators even use Twitter (a social network and microblogging tool) to promote certain events.

Uwishunu is also home to Illadates, a popular weekly series of video podcasts where two amateur filmmakers take viewers to the best places around town.

This very inspiring site can serve as a model for most destinations and help them create an inexpensive promotional tool that is more effective than many other Web strategies.

Holland.com

The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions recently launched a typical Web 2.0 site targeting the North American market. In addition to providing access to tourist information, the site also invites users to join its virtual community where they can share past trips and publish articles, videos and photos and thereby enable the site to constantly evolve. Using RSS feeds, the site also posts information from other sites like Google News, Yahoo Travel and YouTube.

Like many sites, Holland.com enables users to rate articles and add their comments, thereby highlighting the most relevant ones.

Site content is therefore generated by users, the Board of Tourism and by a few third parties. By using various news items, videos and comments to bring together past and potential visitors, the site has created a credible information source that offers visitors the best experience possible.

And that’s not all: the Board of Tourism has also opened the first national tourism board in Second Life, yet another example of using the virtual world to encourage real-world discussion about its destination. Most importantly, this move has created another opportunity to attract media attention!

VisitMyBaltimore

To enhance the city’s allure, VisitMyBaltimore.com invites Baltimore fans and residents to upload amateur videos highlighting their favourite places, must-see events, and well-kept secrets. To launch the project and encourage locals to publish their videos, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitor’s Association (BACVA) organized a contest offering the creator of the best video a prize of US$2007. For small businesses, the contest was an excellent opportunity for self-promotion and a chance to win the prize! The site is planning future contests to maintain user interest.

VisitMyBaltimore also had another good idea that has proved very popular: invite celebrities to upload their own videos of the town!

Ifoundmymontreal.com

Montreal has also been busy, launching a blog where visitors, businesses and event organizers can publish their thoughts and comments and promote their site or event. IfoundmyMontreal.com is managed by Tourisme Montréal and aimed primarily at international travellers.

The blog appears as an extension of the Tourism Bureau’s FindyourMontreal.com site, which introduces visitors to Montreal’s festivals, cuisine, eclectic architecture, shopping, nightlife and cultural scene. Information is presented in the form of videos, images and podcasts.

Tourisme Montréal is currently doing a complete overhaul of the city’s official Internet portal, creating a major section for user-generated content (comments, photos, creating and sharing itineraries).

To recap

Web 2.0 destination sites with “insider” content clearly benefit from being seen as new and credible information sources. Whether content comes solely from locals or from a mixture of travel professionals and select contributors, the unofficial character of such sites, combined with their opportunities for user interaction, questions and comments, gives the impression of authenticity and a sense of being able to experience the destination just like a local.

The top tips from our examples:

• Provide a showcase for small businesses who can present themselves in an innovative way
• Involve some celebrities
• Organize a contest to encourage participation
• Attract the attention of the media
• Add content using RSS feeds, simply and freely

In addition to their relevant content, these sites have become popular thanks to significant media coverage. Their innovative, youthful, hip and off-the-beaten path character attracts users and creates a buzz. For locals, they offer an opportunity to introduce one’s favourites and experience 15 minutes of fame.>

Current Website development platforms make it relatively easy to include the functions needed for these new Web 2.0 sites (account creation, file sharing, comments, etc.) and, furthermore, are low-cost. However, be advised: despite the technological simplicity of such sites, their popularity is not guaranteed! Projects must still be well planned, well communicated and well managed. They must also be easily referenced by search engines.

Among other issues, it is difficult to accurately assess the impact of these new interfaces, but they do seem to enjoy good visibility. Also, these sites must strike a delicate balance between true user-generated content and that created by businesses, contributors and the tourism bureau. After all, a site’s very credibility is at stake. And although content is usually monitored, blogs are open to criticism and negative comments.

Is this a trend to monitor, or to try yourself? It is your decision, but once word-of-mouth gets going, you have no idea how far it can take you!

For more information on how customers can influence others, see:
- Today’s customers influence tomorrow’s choices

Sources:
- Sauer, Abram. “Uwishunu,” [www.BrandChannel.com], June 25, 2007.
- [www.uwishunu.com]
- [www.findyourmontreal.com]
- [www.ifoundmymontreal.com]
- [http://us.holland.com/]
- [www.visitmybaltimore.com]

Some concrete examples from the industry

In its September edition of Cultur@, Tourisme Montréal discussed Facebook’s compatibility with the urban and culture sectors. Both sectors already attract the 18-35 year-old customer segment, which is also the most active demographic on Facebook. Many organizations are now using it to communicate with specific clienteles. For example, the Mutek group includes more than 300 fans of electronic music. These group members, in turn, have a multiplier effect. Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois has also made good use of Facebook, promoting the activities of this cultural event to its target public: a community of nearly 600 members, all devotees of Quebec film (see illustration).

In the hotel sector, some establishments use it to promote one-time events like a networking happy hour, reunions or art exhibits. For example, Montreal’s the Place d’Armes and the Nelligan, both boutique hotels, use viral marketing to promote their activities and send invitations to potential clients. The owner of these establishments, Dimitri Antonopoulos, uses his own Facebook social network for this e-marketing and has obtained good results. Art galleries are adopting the same strategy to announce upcoming openings. Ski resorts are using Facebook to stimulate discussion among their keenest customers, promote their new season passes, etc. In all cases, it is essentially free advertising.More and more businesses are also using Facebook to recruit employees. Its structure makes it a valuable, easy-to-use tool for recruiting candidates based on their qualifications, current employer, professional title and geographic location. Professional networks can also be used to efficiently circulate information about an opening, while employees can use them to indicate their availability.

Many tourism-based businesses are developing applications

Many businesses are attracted to Facebook’s open platform, developing third-party applications (widgets) that users can add to their profile pages. There are already more than 4,000 such free applications of various types (including 131 associated with travel). The following are a few travel-related examples:

• Mobissimo Travel: to get rates directly from travel partners of this meta-search engine
• Hostels: to search for inns and B&Bs around the world, consult commentary and reviews from Facebook members (anyone or just friends) and, ultimately, complete a transaction on the site itself [www.hostelbook.com]
• Fly by Farecast: to display the best rates and forecasts about one’s preferred destinations (see illustration)
• CityGuru: to find out where to get advice on what is in and out in a specific city
• Trip Planner: to plan and share trips among friends (automatically recognized by Facebook)
• My Travel Blogs: to create a personal travel blog
• Restaurant Reviews: to share advice and commentary about restaurants with friends
• Fly to Friends: to constantly monitor the Kayak meta-search engine for the prices of flights to visit one’s friends
• Cheap Deal Finder: to stay up-to-date on the best travel deals offered by the STA Travel network of travel agencies
• Video Travel: to share one’s most recent travel videos with one’s friends

Although there are countless ways to find travel-related information on Facebook, another relevant aspect is its role as an “influencer.” Unlike travel review sites like TripAdvisor, Facebook acts as a tool for sharing travel experiences and tips from trusted acquaintances and friends. According to Patricia Brusha of the firm A Couple of Chicks, the viral effect of a network of friends can have a tremendous influence on travel decisions.

For better and for worse

Many observers are noting that the effectiveness of traditional online marketing channels, like advertising banners, is likely to decrease rapidly. The Facebook phenomenon is leading the way to a new reality: with so many Internet users actively commenting on brands via their social networks, a company’s reputation on the Web is becoming a major issue, particularly in tourism. According to a study published by UK firm Tamar (specialists in emarketing), travel brands comprise the sector most at risk from negative comments spread through social networks. Furthermore, the great majority (80%) of users of these networks noted that they had used the network as a podium to discuss or comment on a brand or product.

Take the example of Delta Airlines. Facebook has several dozen groups related to this company. Some are made up of Delta employees and communicate a rather positive image. Others, like “Delta Airlines Sucks” and “Warning: Do Not Fly With Delta Airlines,” are used primarily to express frustration with a bad experience and thereby damage the company’s image (see illustration). Other carriers like Air Canada and Air Transat are not immune to this trend either.

On the other hand, aficionados of a product, members of groups like “I Love Tremblant” and “Montreal – The best city in the world” (13,000 members), can become brand ambassadors par excellence. Ultimately, the influence of such groups depends on the relevance and truthfulness of the cause defended by their administrator and, above all, on the credibility and influence of its members.

Of course, the phenomenon is still very young and sceptics are probably right to say that Facebook has yet to prove itself and that some other site could eventually surpass it. In addition, concerns about data privacy could arise and dampen user enthusiasm. However, whether one is talking about Facebook or another leader in the field of social media, the fact remains that businesses who neglect these networks in the next few years or whose managers fail to understand the importance of these new mass communication tools will face a steady decline in their brand reach and influence.

Sources:
- Bly, Laura. “Travelers Arrive at Facebook,” USA Today, August 30, 2007.
- Brusha, Patricia. “How Facebook Will Impact the Summer Tourism Season,” Hospitality Net [www.hospitalitynet.org], April 11, 2007.
- Burgin, Ken. “How to Use Facebook to Market your Restaurant, Cafe, Hotel or Bar,” Hotel News Resource [www.hotelnewsresource.com], August 27, 2007.
- Locke, Laura. “The Future of Facebook,” Time [www.time.com], July 17, 2007.
- Puchot, Pierre. “Facebook est-il l’avenir du Web?” Rue89 [www.rue89.com], September 6, 2007.
- Renaud, Jean-François. “Social networking and marketing: concrete opportunities,” Adviso Conseil [www.adviso.ca], July 12, 2007.
- Rocha, Roberto. “Facebook used to recruit employees,” CanWest News Service [You haven’t heard the last of Web 2.0!
- Your client’s friends are your friends

What is Facebook?

Facebook is hard to understand without experiencing it for yourself. To begin with, Facebook is more than just a Website; it is an entire online social network. However, unlike other virtual community sites focussed on creating new virtual connections, Facebook works exclusively with its members’ pre-existing contacts. One of its founders, Mark Zuckerberg, describes the site as a form of “social mapping” that enables people to communicate with friends, family and co-workers, share information, and create and post a variety of content, all within an extremely efficient, user-friendly environment. Experts are calling Facebook a revolutionary portal and some have even compared it to Google in terms of its eventual impact on society.

The popularity of this collaborative platform is impressive. Founded in February 2004 by some Harvard students, the site had already signed up more than one million active members within its first ten months. Initially reserved solely for students, Facebook did not really take off until it opened registration to everyone in September 2006.

Although the phenomenon is still very young, the site now boasts 40 million members around the world, with more than 6 million in Canada. “Facebookers” are very active; more than half of active users visit the site daily. Since January 2007, it has registered 200,000 new users a day. Interestingly enough, the site is not simply popular among adolescents; in fact, the demographic segment showing the most growth is that of 25 years and over.

For the time being, Facebook seems to be most popular in big cities. The Montreal network already has over 229,000 members, compared to that of Québec City, which has approximately 18,000. However, this data is for illustrative purposes only, given that individuals are not obliged to associate with their given geographic network.

How does it work?

Users start by creating a personal profile, and then connect with other people they know (either directly or through friends) who are already registered on Facebook. There is also a function for inviting other friends who are not already on Facebook to join their network.

Once a user has created a virtual community of their friends or professional contacts, this network is used as a platform for communication: to announce events, support causes, and post blogs, vacation photos and videos, parties, various activities, etc. What distinguishes Facebook in particular is that people use their real identities (see illustration). Users interact with their real-world contacts, whether friends or co-workers. Facebook is a dynamic form of networking and features a number of tools that facilitate communications among existing communities.

Beyond these basic functions, the possibilities are endless. With Facebook, users can share different types of content in a single location and enjoy access to an open technology. This technology has led to the creation of numerous new third-party applications (widgets) – some of which are useful, some of which are just fun – that can be used to personalize one’s profile. For example, the following image illustrates the connections that exist within a Friend Wheel.

According to the research firm comScore, last April this type of online application received over 178 million unique visitors in all.

The impact for businesses

In addition to impressive traffic numbers that have made Facebook the second most popular social network site after MySpace (and number one photo-sharing site), the concept of trust is what justifies the interest in this type of development. From a business standpoint, everyone knows how important “word-of-mouth” is to sales. Facebook is the ideal vehicle for such a viral effect, because it is a human chain based on the built-in trust members have in the individuals that make up their world. For businesses, it offers access to a highly targeted, qualified population.

Businesses and interest groups can also create their own profile to promote an idea, a concept, an event, etc. Facebook’s tremendous flexibility offers users a variety of ways to control the content they send and receive. For example, they can screen irrelevant information, even from within their own network of contacts.

And this is only the beginning!

Facebook is thus a prime example of a major Web 2.0 player. Its rollout is just beginning and its founder recently turned down two purchase offers, including one from Yahoo worth US$1 billion! Valued at over US$10 billion, Facebook is already expected to make a big splash on the public market.

We are probably seeing only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the company is working on developing an advertising model based on the wealth of information it has about each user. Like Google’s sponsored links, businesses will be able to purchase highly targeted advertising banners on Facebook that match users’ interests and their social network, thus highlighting the true value of this impressive community.

See also:
- What is Facebook’s impact on the tourism industry?
- You haven’t heard the last of Web 2.0!
- Your client’s friends are your friends

Sources:
- Bly, Laura. “Travelers arrive at Facebook,” USA Today, August 30, 2007.
- Brusha, Patricia. “How Facebook Will Impact the Summer Tourism Season,” Hospitality Net [www.hospitalitynet.org], April 11, 2007.
- Burgin, Ken. “How to Use Facebook to Market your Restaurant, Cafe, Hotel or Bar,” Hotel News Resource [www.hotelnewsresource.com], August 27, 2007.
- Locke, Laura. “The Future of Facebook,” Time [www.time.com], July 17, 2007.
- Puchot, Pierre. “Facebook est-il l’avenir du Web?” Rue89 [www.rue89.com], September 6, 2007.
- Renaud, Jean-François. “Social networking and marketing: concrete opportunities,” Adviso Conseil [www.adviso.ca], July 12, 2007.
- Rocha, Roberto. “Facebook used to recruit employees,” CanWest News Service [www.canada.com], September 4, 2007.
- Vara, Vauhini. “Facebook Gets Personal With Ad Targeting Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2007.

The 2.0 Philosophy

With Web 1.0, internet users could do little more than browse for information on professionally‑constructed sites, using tools developed by a limited number of companies. The advent of the 2.0 era means users are now active participants, able to produce their own tools and data. They interact with the medium by creating, modifying, organizing, commenting on and uploading content.

Users can take advantage of the internet’s expanded functionalities to build virtual communities where they share information, favourite sites, photos, videos and much more. A wide range of tools have been developed that strengthen the Web’s influence: blogs, news aggregators, forums, meta‑search engines, podcasts, and so on. Some of the better‑known icons of Web 2.0 are:

• Wikipedia: web‑based free‑content encyclopaedia project
• Flickr: photo sharing website
• Del.icio.us: bookmark sharing website
• Myspace: social website with filesharing
• Youtube: video sharing website
• Netvibes: personal news aggregator

The 2.0 trend is spreading!

Today’s internet community includes millions of members, and a great many of them are excited about 2.0. The number of online communities, websites and webtools is growing rapidly. When sectors see 2.0 added after the name, they know it identifies them as a domain where the critical mass of content and users matches the 2.0 mindset.

Already, there is increasing online use of the term “Medicine 2.0,” to refer to the proliferation of sites where people share information and advice, enabling them to confirm a doctor’s diagnosis or diagnose their own illness by comparing their own symptoms with those listed online.

Tourism 2.0

Already a mainstay of the online world, the tourism sector lost no time in adopting the 2.0 philosophy; after all, travel has always involved an element of exchange between individuals. Also, since nobody can try a trip before they buy it, tourism is the perfect commodity to bring individuals together online where they can provide the inside scoop on vacation deals. The kind of networking made possible by the web is the perfect stepping stone to sites that promote the sharing of photos, videos, opinions, advice and referrals related to tourism destinations.

With popular influence rapidly growing, the role of critic and consultant is no longer the exclusive domain of professionals and the same is also true of control over the image of a company or destination. One of the results of web users being able to produce and broadcast information and visual content is that the general public is faced with increasing amounts of material of uneven quality. The power of internet users is so great that it influences the way information is organized and accessed.

It is precisely the emergence of a significant number of web‑tools and sites, specifically geared toward tourism and inspired by the Web 2.0 mindset, that gave rise to the term Tourism 2.0.

Culture 2.0… it’s only a question of time!

Culture in general already has a significant web presence. Many cultural organizations and artists were quick to take advantage of the web’s ability to reach new audiences by creating virtual museums, online art galleries, live concert broadcasts and increased access to archival material – although these offerings are mostly based on Web 1.0.

However, we are starting to see an increasing number of cultural projects that have been more influenced by the 2.0 philosophy, where the general public participates and is involved in creating, personalizing, classifying and broadcasting content. This trend is particularly pronounced among those in the vanguard of Web 2.0, all of whom devote part of their space to culture:

• Wikipedia lets internet users collaborate on writing encyclopaedia articles on a wide range of cultural topics;
• Youtube lets millions of amateur and professional artists upload video clips and short films;
• Various blogs and forums provide a space for authors to share and discuss their work with other community members.

A certain number of cultural entities are also trying to exploit the potential of Web 2.0; among them:

• www.cinemamontreal.com: A space devoted to commercial film, this site now lets people upload and read reviews and comments.
• www.librarything.com: This site lets people catalogue their personal book collection, share it with other community members and make recommendations; it claims it has 100,000 users and 7 million books.
• www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogs/: This section of the Brooklyn Museum’s website features blogs and photo‑, video‑ and document‑sharing as a means of promoting interaction with its community. The museum has also designed an impressive space on Myspace, the biggest social networking website (www.myspace.com/brooklynmuseum).
• www.australiadancing.org: Clicking on the Take Part tab on this dance site takes the user to a page that uses “wikis,” a collaborative online tool, to let people share their knowledge, ideas and news about dance.
• www.nzlive.com: Developed by New Zealand’s Ministry for Culture & Heritage, “New Zealand culture online” provides an online space that cultural partners and the general public can use to display information on a wide variety of cultural activities.

When the number of site and users reaches critical mass, the Culture 2.0 movement will take flight!

Culture 2.0…a world of opportunity!

Your clients want to express themselves and get involved, so give them the tools to do it! Adding a blog, forum, comments, opinion or review page to your site will enable them to interact not only with you, but also with each other.

Managers can make good use of this new public‑generated content (blogs, forums, virtual communities, social networks, comment sites, etc.) to learn what their clientele is actually thinking. Monitoring client comments is often much more effective than using customer comment cards, and definitely less expensive than setting up a focus group.

Sources:

- Krajewski, Pascal, “La Culture au risque du Web 2.0 – Stage d’étude,” École nationale supérieure des sciences de l’information et des bibliothèques, December 2006.
- Péloquin, Claude, “Web 2.0, vous n’avez pas fini d’en entendre parler!,” Réseau de veille en tourisme, Chaire de tourisme Transat ESG Uqam, June 27, 2006.

Welcome to the world of personal reviews

Not so long ago, recognized travel guides like CAA‑AAA, Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Michelin, Mobil and others were the primary reference tools for consumers trying to judge the quality of a specific hotel or restaurant. Written by professionals, these works nonetheless conveyed a single point of view, updated annually and articulated by a critic following a standardized evaluation grid.

Recognizing the limits of these traditional guides and the potential of the Web, consumers have quickly taken advantage of technological platforms enabling them to share their reviews and evaluations of their lodging, transportation and dining experiences. Since the Web also makes it easy to share visuals, these consumer‑generated reviews have quickly adopted the use of photos and videos to better illustrate an individual’s impressions of a business or destination.

Leaders in the field

With over 20 million unique monthly visitors, Tripadvisor.com is currently the uncontested leader of consumer review sites. The site contains more than 5 million reviews of over 164,000 hotels in 24,000 destinations. Travellers seeking the opinions of fellow travellers have a number of options to choose from: My Travel Guide, IGoUGo, Travelpost, etc.

Specialized sites, like Skytrax, have even been developed to enable travellers to consult and write reviews specifically about the airline industry (airlines, airports, types of aircraft, on‑board meals, etc.). Furthermore, some popular sites featuring general consumer reviews, like www.epinions.com, have now added “travel” to the long list of products and services that can be reviewed by members of the public.

In light of the format’s popularity, major travel portals like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity have developed tools to enable users to post online reviews. For their part, major players like Cheaptickets and YahooTravel have opted instead for alliances, allowing them access to the peer review databases of partner sites.

The rapid growth of this mass‑audience Web‑based alternative has hurt publishers. To deal with the situation, some, like AAA, Fodor’s and Alastair Sawday, have chosen to add peer review sections to their websites.

Detailed evaluations and comprehensive reviews

To encourage consumers to write more specific reviews, the best systems ask users to evaluate various aspects of their experience. When it comes to lodging, reviewers are asked to rate the following: price, quality‑price ratio, cleanliness, location, service, reception, restaurant or bar, the pool or workout room, etc. This breakdown in the evaluation helps users develop a better idea of the product as it relates to their personal preferences and concerns.

Most sites also suggest that the reviewer provide a short personal description as well, which allows users to give greater credence to comments expressed by consumers with similar profiles. Some common descriptors are age, gender, purpose of stay, budget and previous travel experience.

Relevance and validity of peer reviews

Many people remain sceptical about this business model, which seems to allow people to write whatever they feel like with no validation process whatsoever. However, those running the sites feel that the sheer number of users and reviews helps ensure that these evaluations are both regulated and representative. In fact, when there are many evaluations, the overall average cannot be significantly affected by the addition of a single biased review. In any event, consumers appear to be more interested in establishments that attract a lot of reviews, regardless of whether these comments are positive or negative.

These sites are also starting to feature functionalities that let users rate the usefulness of a review or report a review as having inappropriate content. When a review is posted is another factor in its relevancy. In this respect, site policies vary when it comes to managing past reviews. Expedia only displays the 25 most recent reviews, Travelocity leaves all reviews online for one year and Trip Advisor never removes them.

Business responses to reviews

To enhance the integrity of its evaluations, TripAdvisor invites representatives of hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions to post responses to reviews of their establishments. This option is often very useful for informing travellers that a particular problem has been resolved (e.g., renovations are complete).

And should managers be tempted to invent fictitious customers to write glowing reviews of their establishments, they should know that the Sunday Times in England did a study of online reviews, leading to the discovery that some hotel and restaurant owners had done just that, a practice that severely tarnished their reputations.

Making good use of review sites

According to a survey conducted by the US firm HeBS (Hospitality eBusiness Strategies), over 81% of hotel owners feel growing consumer participation in generating Web content is a situation that can work to their advantage. Managers can use this new content (blogs, forums, virtual communities, social networks, review sites, etc.) to find out what their customers are really thinking. Quite often, monitoring customer‑generated reviews is more enlightening than using guest comment cards and less expensive than organizing a focus group.

The future of traditional rating systems

Given the popularity of consumer review sites, one wonders whether this new form of rating will replace the old system. For the consumer, traditional classifications are a simple way to quickly assess the array of services offered by an establishment and more easily determine its quality‑price ratio. However, if no ratings exist for a given service or experience, consumers are increasingly turning to peer reviews for help making their choices.

Sources:

Grossman, David. “Let your Fellow Travelers Be your Guide,” USA TODAY/Smith Travel Research [www.usatoday.com], June 25, 2006.
Lamb, Gregory M. “Next Wave of Travel Websites Feels Like MySpace,” eTurboNews, June 21, 2006.
Price, Jason and Max Starkov. “Consumer‑Generated Media, a Threat or an Opportunity?” ehotelier.com, December 13, 2006.
Swinford, Steven and Gareth Walsh. “Glowing Online Reviews by Hotels and Restaurants Dupe Customers,” The Sunday Times [www.timesonline.co.uk], November 12, 2006.