DEFINING OUR OBJECTIVES
In defining a course of action between Planeta.com and Aboriginal
Tourism Australia, we agreed to work collaboratively to increase
the exposure of Aboriginal tourism services and participate in Web 1, 2, 3.
Post-event plans include developing an online
dialogue focusing on Aboriginal tourism. We also agreed to share
ideas on better communicating with U.S. visitors who might be challenged
by Australian
slang!
Reviewing Planeta.com prior to the symposium and again six months
later shows significant development in the breadth and depth of
our coverage and quality web links. We have also seen numerous advances
from individual ATA members who have learned how to post photos
and video online.
BENCHMARKING COMMUNICATION
Some history. Planeta.com works toward decentralizing
communication by encouraging active participation and reciprocity
among our readers. Our site provides some great tools for communication
across the range of tourism and conservation stakeholders. Those
who contribute formal articles (see writers'
guidelines) receive a bio including email and web link so readers
can make direct contact. This past year we launched a ratings
program and events evaluation survey to create further incentives
for communication.
Our forum is
set up so that members can announce upcoming events, post recommended
reading, report dead links and participate in engaging dialogue.
We encourage operators to seek multiple channels to marketing their
services, just as we ask travelers to consult a variety of sources.
QUESTIONS
Are we taking an A-level attitude toward marketing aboriginal tours
and ecotourism?
Are we maximizing use of Web
2.0 features?
Are state and national tourism portals satisfying travelers, media
and local operators?
Are travelers in a position of being 'engaged' by tourism websites?
Will this event be flickered? Will videos be uploaded to YouTube?
CAPACITY BUILDING
Capacity building among operators and potential operators is a
critical step that needs to be undertaken in a collaborative manner.
Communicating and marketing skills can be developed easily if the
players listen to one another.
YOU
If it fits, embrace social networks. Let a thousand flowers
bloom.
- Steve Bridger, Thinking
about social networks
In selecting the 'person of the year' Time
magazine wrote: "Look at 2006 through a different lens
and you'll see another story, one that isn't about conflict or great
men. It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale never
seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia
and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online
metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the
few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only
change the world, but also change the way the world changes."
ENGAGEMENT
In the essay Terms
of Engagement: Measuring the Active Consumer Mark Ghuneim writes:
"For more than a decade, web users have actively bookmarked
their favorite websites and forwarded interesting articles to their
friends. These actions are a form of consumer engagement that has
changed rapidly in scope, degree, and importance during the onset
of Web 2.0.
In the world of YouTube, MySpace, Second Life, and blogs, users
are now more active and in-control than ever. Consumers can not
only interact with brands, but also influence marketing strategies
and performance."
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