Bonjour 2-0-2-work - Tourism, Web 2.0 & 5 Myths unveiled

It has been a while since I have written my last English post (of substance). Does that mean, that I am tired of the Web 2.0? No! Yes! As in I will not write about whatshisname starting a blog or launching a whatchamacallit this year. Frankly, that is a waste of my time and yours. Many things have been said already. So please do not expect me to post as often as I used to.

In 2008 I am looking forward to tourism companies putting my advice and the knowledge you and I have gathered about this so called Web 2.0 to work. Here are five reflexions on 2007 myths about tourism and the web 2.0.

Every tourism company should offer at least one blog.
No way. I remember talking to a manager of a very large Austrian tourism business last year. He complained that their CEO did not have what it took for a corporate blog. My take: While a blogging CEO does have some signaling effect within the company and the industry, CEO-blogs are not mandatory. On the contrary. Companies should first think hard, before embarking on a corporate blog. I do believe in blogs, but there has to be a payoff. That said I fully encourage small companies like family hotels and museums to blog. If they have something to convey and are determined to take their time integrating this medium with their communication goals.

Nobody knows what Web 2.0 means anyway.
Recent studies in Austria prove that the term Web 2.0 is still widely unknown in my country. However, the different platforms are very popular and widely adopted. I remember asking my young students (22 - 29) last fall what they thought about Web 2.0. Only one in 30 even had heard of the term. But many of them knew MySpace, most knew YouTube, blogs and so on. Meaning that people are using what the Web 2.0 has to offer, while companies are still struggling to come up with a pragmatic integration of the different services and platforms.

Online-reviews of strangers have little or no credibility.
Think again. Austrian studies have shown that 80 % will rather believe an unpolished online-review written by a total stranger than elaborate claims agencies came up with.

Every national destination should start their own social network.
Not at all. There are quite some examples of national tourism networks that do not work. This does not mean, that Web 2.0 was a no-good-hype in the first place. The challenge is to integrate these new "points of communication" (borrowing the term from "point of sale") into your strategy. I am pretty sure, Canada has been the smartest so far.

Virtual worlds like Second Life are dead.
This one is just as untrue as claiming they were the future before. I guess it will take more time. Maybe it will be the digital natives that will fully embrace virtual worlds in a corporate environment.

What is your opinion? Feel free to comment or mail me.