Intros and chatter

[Trip]

My name is Trip and I am part of the Step Up Travel team.
http://www.stepuptravel.org

Planeta, thanks for hosting this forum; the internet (Web 2.0) is an interactive, powerful, increasingly accessible marketing tool for local tourism micro & SME development.

Web 2.0 applications can help local individuals and SMEs increase their internet visibility and connection with travelers, build their credibility through reviews, further develop ICT skills, and reduce dependency on intermediaries.

Using web 2.0 applications to connect travelers and local people for socio-economic exchange is increasingly important, interesting, innovative and possible. Flickr photos sharing/storing, Geocities turn-key webpages, and YouTube video storing/sharing are great ways for local people to build their "profiles" and create materials that express themselves and their values; which travelers are very interested in.
Even with Flickr, Geocities, and YouTube, however, it may be difficult to acheive visibility among travelers. Until this year, there was no Web 2.0 global marketing platform where local people anywhere could post their information, materials and links (text, photos, geocities and youtube links) and be reviewed by travelers. StepUpTravel.org was created to meet his need and I will be talking more about that elsewhere in this forum.

It will also be interesting to discuss the role of travelers in helping local people and small business create their Web 2.0 presence/media archives such that they can then be visible to interest other travelers. Since almost all travelers have digital cameras, many have video cameras, and all have regular access to the internet, they can play a contributory role in helping local people with Web 2.0 materials and processes.

I am also interested in the a usability assessment/discussion, from the local individual/SME perspective, of these different web 2.0 applications.
Looking forward to being part of this forum.

Trip

[mexicanwave]

Good roundup...

Travel Hacking: Essential Sites for Summer Travelers
via Mashable! by James Mowery on Jun 23, 2007
http://mashable.com/2007/06/22/travel-hacking/

Steve

[planeta]

Three new topics on the Web 2.0 branch:

Rating systems
viewtopic.php?t=1027

Blogs
viewtopic.php?t=1026

Costs
viewtopic.php?t=1024

[planeta]

Next month I will be speaking in Greymouth, New Zealand on the topic of global trends and ecotourism and using a few examples of how the new Web 2.0 technologies are making an impact.

Details about my presentation are online
http://www.planeta.com/planeta/07/0701newzealand.html

Global Perspective of Ecotourism: Listening to Visitors and Locals

Ecotourism means something different to everyone and in this review Ron Mader discusses the ways to connect visitors and locals. He presents an overview key issues are being discussed around the world including the heated debate on carbon emission offsetting and tourism, the role awards play in developing awareness and how the web is being used for distance learning. Results from the recent Planeta.com survey on the five year review of the International Year of Ecotourism will be included as well as proposals for using grassroots events and Web 2.0 technology as tools to engage visitors and locals.

[planeta]

The presentations on Web 2.0 and ecotourism can be downloaded online
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/globa ... ecotourism
http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/web-20-and-ecotourism

[planeta]

New topic

Web 1, 2, 3 Recommended Reading
viewtopic.php?t=1060

[planeta]

New topic

Recommended Reading - Web 1,2,3
viewtopic.php?t=1060

[planeta]

New topic: Web 3.0
viewtopic.php?t=1098

[planeta]

New topic: Events
viewtopic.php?t=1103

[planeta]

Web 1, 2, 3 Update
viewforum.php?f=93

active topics

Audio (including radio and podcasts)
Video
Phones (mobile phones, VOIP)
Social Networking (including Linkedin, Facebook and others)
Education
Blogs
Recommended Reading - Web 1, 2, 3

Related
http://www.planeta.com/web/web2.html

[planeta]

FYI - Active topics in Web 1, 2, 3
viewforum.php?f=93

Social Networking (including Linkedin, Facebook and others)
Photos
Maps
Events
Video
Surfing Tools
Recommended Reading

[omiralbell]

Hello,
Some colleagues and I have created a social network to discuss and
share information on best practices in Greening Tourism.

This initiative started two years ago in the Virtual Campus of the
Open University of Catalonia (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya - UOC) which is the leading e-learning university in the Spanish speaking world, with over 40.000 students in the undergrad and graduate programs, and over 250.000 students in tailor made in-company training courses.

The Tourism department at the UOC has 1.800 students and we have a special orientation towards ecotourism, destination management (a degree
program with World Tourism Organization) and Cultural Tourism as well.
Our department Director Dr. Joan Miquel Gomis is vicepresident of the NGO Turismo Justo /Fair Tourism ( http://www.turismojusto.org/ ).

Greening Tourism has been a forum for debate, though only for UOC
students in the past two years. Last November, we decided to open it
to anyone concerned and interested on developing and fostering
Greening best practices in tourism business.

I would like to invite you to participate in Greening Tourism and to
share this invitation with your friends and colleagues.

Best regards,

Oriol Miralbell Izard
Lecturer
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
----------------------------------------------------
Rbla. Poble Nou, 156
080018 Barcelona - Spain
T: +34 933 273 475
jmiralbell@uoc.edu
http://www.uoc.edu

Click here to join:
http://greeningtourism.ning.com/

Thanks,
Oriol Miralbell

[omiralbell]

Dear Ron,
I also enjoy Planeta.com and the rich information you have in the site.
Thanks for the link.
Kind regards,
Oriol

[planeta]

The Web 2.0 Essay has migrated to
http://planeta.wikispaces.com/web2

Active topics

Maps
Social Networking (including Linkedin and Facebook)
Wiki
viewforum.php?f=93

[planeta]

New

the future of email
http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeta/2620136033