Comments on: Bloggers on press trips… can it work? http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html Banter between travel writers, travel PRs and travel social media people Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:04:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html/comment-page-1#comment-425 Jeremy Head Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:32:08 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/bloggers-on-press-trips-can-it-work.html#comment-425 Hi Darren Thanks for stopping by. :-) I got a bit lost in that post you link to! I get the impression the issues there are more around whether traditional tourism per se (as opposed to community/eco tourism) is good for Hawaii - regardless of the communication channels being used (ie be it blogs or more traditional media like features in magazines or whatever). Clearly that's a very important debate, but not one for this post!? Just FYI anyone else reading this - check out this link below to see the context... really interesting discussion about a sponsored bloggers trip to Hawaii <a href="http://www.hawaiiweblog.com/2009/06/02/hawaii-blogger-tour" rel="nofollow">http://www.hawaiiweblog.com/2009/06/02/hawaii-blogger-tour</a> Best wishes Jeremy Hi Darren
Thanks for stopping by. :-)
I got a bit lost in that post you link to! I get the impression the issues there are more around whether traditional tourism per se (as opposed to community/eco tourism) is good for Hawaii - regardless of the communication channels being used (ie be it blogs or more traditional media like features in magazines or whatever). Clearly that's a very important debate, but not one for this post!?

Just FYI anyone else reading this - check out this link below to see the context... really interesting discussion about a sponsored bloggers trip to Hawaii
http://www.hawaiiweblog.com/2009/06/02/hawaii-blogger-tour

Best wishes
Jeremy

]]> By: Darren http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html/comment-page-1#comment-424 Darren Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:12:50 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/bloggers-on-press-trips-can-it-work.html#comment-424 Aloha, It's a pleasure to wander to this discussion by way of your posting it on the Hawaii site. I too would like to post my take on our latest version of sponsored travel-blogging viral-marketing or what not: <a href="http://islandnotes.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/so-much-more-than-mai-tais/" rel="nofollow">http://islandnotes.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/so-much-more-than-mai-tais/</a> Suffice to say, particularly in as environmentally fragile of a place as Hawaii, this face-off between community wellness-oriented blogging, and bluntly capitalistic PR becomes apparent. Add to this public (taxpayer-supported) agencies promoting in this fashion -- the same agency being charged with environmental-cultural preservation -- and you got a pretty convoluted picture. In any case, such mendacity has been an education in what diverse forms "social media" can take. Then again, it's nothing new to realize that advocacy for the public good just doesn't bring in the sort of revenue that leads bloggers to sip Mai Tais in Hawaii. Aloha,

It's a pleasure to wander to this discussion by way of your posting it on the Hawaii site. I too would like to post my take on our latest version of sponsored travel-blogging viral-marketing or what not:

http://islandnotes.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/so-much-more-than-mai-tais/

Suffice to say, particularly in as environmentally fragile of a place as Hawaii, this face-off between community wellness-oriented blogging, and bluntly capitalistic PR becomes apparent. Add to this public (taxpayer-supported) agencies promoting in this fashion -- the same agency being charged with environmental-cultural preservation -- and you got a pretty convoluted picture. In any case, such mendacity has been an education in what diverse forms "social media" can take.

Then again, it's nothing new to realize that advocacy for the public good just doesn't bring in the sort of revenue that leads bloggers to sip Mai Tais in Hawaii.

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html/comment-page-1#comment-423 Jeremy Head Fri, 29 May 2009 10:48:15 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/bloggers-on-press-trips-can-it-work.html#comment-423 Very interesting piece in the Times yesterday about the rise of Blogging Mums and the interaction with big brands that want to sponsor these spaces. Well worth a read. <a href="http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6373212.ece" rel="nofollow">http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6373212.ece</a> Very interesting piece in the Times yesterday about the rise of Blogging Mums and the interaction with big brands that want to sponsor these spaces. Well worth a read.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6373212.ece

]]> By: Jeremy Head http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html/comment-page-1#comment-422 Jeremy Head Tue, 19 May 2009 15:22:33 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/bloggers-on-press-trips-can-it-work.html#comment-422 @ Ferne "If I've got the name I might as well have the game.." Yep. On reflection I think you're right... maybe it is about having a separate sponsored section. I also wonder if there are different levels of acceptance for a blog like mine which is more industry facing than a blog that's fully consumer facing like yours? @ Linda. Very interesting reading that blog post you link to... seeing the way the posts go from negative to positive over a few days. Fair play to Disney. I LOVE how they have GOT social media... "While print media is great, a piece appears in a paper and is read once and that’s it. But a blog sends out ripples, it develops a life of its own and spreads through the web." says the Disney PR person they meet at Walt Disney World. That's kind of the summary of this whole post and the great comments in a sentence. @ Tim My blog makes me next to nothing. (We've kind of batted this one around before haven't we!) My revenue responsbility is of course mine and that's why I'm looking for more creative ways to earn it. I'm investigating travel ad networks to use rather than google ads which are pretty useless... but I wonder generally... don't know about you, but I hardly ever notice or click on a banner ad. So rather than just use the same old-media style ad model... I was simply trying a different angle with this post... (And why not. Isn't that what web's about?) I also don't agree with the 'successful blogs make money while their owner sleeps' line. It doesn't mean much really. Lots of businesses derive revenue whilst the business owner isn't on the job... but so what? You still have to get up each day and keep posting... otherwise your 'sleep earnings' will diminsh quite quickly won't they? Bit of a red herring in my opinion. @ Ferne "If I've got the name I might as well have the game.." Yep. On reflection I think you're right... maybe it is about having a separate sponsored section. I also wonder if there are different levels of acceptance for a blog like mine which is more industry facing than a blog that's fully consumer facing like yours?
@ Linda. Very interesting reading that blog post you link to... seeing the way the posts go from negative to positive over a few days.
Fair play to Disney. I LOVE how they have GOT social media...
"While print media is great, a piece appears in a paper and is read once and that’s it. But a blog sends out ripples, it develops a life of its own and spreads through the web." says the Disney PR person they meet at Walt Disney World. That's kind of the summary of this whole post and the great comments in a sentence.
@ Tim My blog makes me next to nothing. (We've kind of batted this one around before haven't we!) My revenue responsbility is of course mine and that's why I'm looking for more creative ways to earn it. I'm investigating travel ad networks to use rather than google ads which are pretty useless... but I wonder generally... don't know about you, but I hardly ever notice or click on a banner ad. So rather than just use the same old-media style ad model... I was simply trying a different angle with this post... (And why not. Isn't that what web's about?)
I also don't agree with the 'successful blogs make money while their owner sleeps' line. It doesn't mean much really. Lots of businesses derive revenue whilst the business owner isn't on the job... but so what? You still have to get up each day and keep posting... otherwise your 'sleep earnings' will diminsh quite quickly won't they? Bit of a red herring in my opinion.

]]> By: Tim L. http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/blog-travel-press-trips.html/comment-page-1#comment-421 Tim L. Fri, 15 May 2009 15:35:36 +0000 http://www.travelblather.com/2009/05/bloggers-on-press-trips-can-it-work.html#comment-421 I have blogged about experiences on press trips on my Cheapest Destinations blog and the Perceptive Travel blog whether that was the assignment that took me there or not. I agree that "5 days of my time with no remuneration" is a serious consideration, but doing sponsored posts is not the answer---that is crossing the line into an area that destroys all credibility in my view. Getting a free trip or product is one thing. Getting paid to then shill it for them is quite another. Your revenue production is your responsibility, nobody else's. If your blog is not generating enough, then that's a problem in itself. Anyone getting enough traffic to be invited on a press trip halfway around the world ought to be able to work from the road while they are on the trip and keep making the same money they would if they were home. Otherwise, this is a hobby for you. Successful blogs make money while their owner sleeps... I have blogged about experiences on press trips on my Cheapest Destinations blog and the Perceptive Travel blog whether that was the assignment that took me there or not. I agree that "5 days of my time with no remuneration" is a serious consideration, but doing sponsored posts is not the answer---that is crossing the line into an area that destroys all credibility in my view. Getting a free trip or product is one thing. Getting paid to then shill it for them is quite another.

Your revenue production is your responsibility, nobody else's. If your blog is not generating enough, then that's a problem in itself. Anyone getting enough traffic to be invited on a press trip halfway around the world ought to be able to work from the road while they are on the trip and keep making the same money they would if they were home. Otherwise, this is a hobby for you. Successful blogs make money while their owner sleeps...

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