In this more recent post, Hitwise and Jupiter research have come up with some data that demonstrates the connection between critical mass and likelihood to influence:

http://blog.highlandbusinessresearch.com/2008/06/12/travel-20-the-data-impacts-and-business-implications/

Thanks again

Vicky

Nice article indeed.

I have previously enthused about his achievements with the British Columbia destination site: http://www.hellobc.com

I do think there is scope to participate in the social networks as a business, as long as it done completely authentically and transparently, and regatded more as participitating in a conversation that is going on anyway, rather than as marketing that will lead to direct response.

We were discussing the at the bloggers summit and wider PhoCusWright conference earlier this week.

TripAdvisor, and the like, were seen as providing businesses with an opportinity to address criticism (and evaluate positive comments) in the same way as comments within your business can. With the advantage that your responses, if appropriate & transparent, can turn a potential negative into a positive.

Stumbleupon has a travel category but I suppose it isn’t niche enough for me as my business concentrates on less well known destinations in Europe. I’m not sure if a social network would ever be so focused as that.

The theory about participating in social networks giving advice on niche travel knowledge is a balancing act, you can’t go in with the hard sell and in a small business do you have time to read and answer queries and give advice on regular basis? Even if you do, I’m not sure if your effort will be financially rewarded. I’ve tried this on Trip Advisor and it didn’t come to much. I wonder if the fact that I am a travel business owner undermines my credability in the social network environment? Is it a contradiction for a commercial entity to interfere in the unbiased arena of real travellers user generated content?

I’m still inclined to think that the best way to promote my travel business and gain additional sales is through coming high on natural searches for my keywords.

http://passionpr.typepad.com/tourism/2007/10/tourism-social-.html

She also references Go See Oregon, pointing out the value that lies in the fact that members can connect to 90,000 other Go See destinations worldwide – adding critical mass to the network.

My feeling is that the most effective solution might well be the good old marketing favorite of ‘the integrated campaign’ and so the small/medium sized tourism business needs to appear in several places much as you are suggesting.

For example, I can imagine that some customers value both social networks AND printed brochures and that trust in the offering is built both media

Which leaves us with the age old question of what actually triggers the conversion.

In the post I wrote recently, I noted that communication theory suggested that you have to talk to different parts of your audience in a different way and my guess is that the conversation with the least engaged segment might well initially be one-way.

Great blog by the way. Only stumbled across it today but there’s a ton of great stuff in here to plow thru when I get a chance,

Cheers.,

I just came across Travbuddy.com yesterday and what they are doing is extensive and comprehensive and I think is an excellent example of how critical mass and strength of community is inherent in network success

“And yet, the power of online communities is in the people within them – their shared interests, participation levels and trustworthiness. Ultimately, the people make the choice of what suits them best.”

Ultimately, I believe it is the strength of the community, regardless of size, that determines whether or not a site or network is successful or not.

Also, I think that niche sites will always be able to gear their content and functionality much better to their audiences than any general social network can, and don’t think Facebook apps change that. I will still go to Chowhound for food recommendations, yelp for nightlife, etc, regardless of what apps or recommendations are available on facebook or more general networks, just because they are geared more specifically to what I am looking for at that moment in time.