What on earth is Web 2.0?

 

When the idea was floated by O’Reilly Publications, which does books in languages only spoken on the Planet Jargon  (Unix in a Nutshell was one of my faves) I was skeptical. Was a scheme to reinflate the giant  Tech Gasbag of ’01, to put lipstick on failed dot coms, an excuse for a conference, a way to coax VCs out from under their rocks?

Whatever the initial intention, Web 2.0 has morphed into something quite dynamic and sometimes downright creepy.  It has brought us blogs and wikis, Facebook and MySpace, Skype, digg and del.icio.us: a world of hawkers, flockers and stalkers. It has created DIY (Do It Yourself) Media . We invented a radio station in a box the size of a VCR. Last week I read about a company that has done the same thing with TV, squishing a control room that once looked like a NORAD defense theatre into a PC. “Big Media, you have incoming!”

It is also profoundly changing the travel industry. Travelers are doing DIY travel on the web. They are finding unique hotels, resorts and travel experiences without the intervention of big brokers and portals. They are poring over reviews online. Travelers are judging products not only on features but on uniqueness and, for a surprising many, sensitivity to environmental concerns. Even the Japanese, long known for their flocking tendencies, are now seeking custom experiences. Good companies are getting good buzz. Bad companies are finding fewer places to hide.

It is on this note that we introduce the Beta (computer jargon) of Connected Traveler 2.0. (But we won’t call it that because it too will go the way of the floppy disk).

Our intent is to help connect people with individual travel products and with each other. While we will continue to feature the stories, videos, audios and opinions of our authors, we have created three new “spaces” on The Connected Traveler:

My Page is literally that. When you register on The Connected Traveler, you will get a page on which you can say virtually anything you wish, post pictures, or do nothing at all. You can remain anonymous, or use MyPage  it to make connections with fellow travelers with mutual interests.

FreeMarket is a free classified advertising section in which you, as an individual or travel company, can post free, searchable classified advertising including pictures and videos from services such as YouTube and Google Video. Only individual hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, tours and attractions can be entered. All properties, regardless of ownership, are welcome. We do not allow corporate institutional advertising in our FreeMarket but we do sell advertising banners and rich media ads all over the site.  It is our way of leveling the playing field for local businesses and keeping profits within local communities.

Critics is our travel critic section. Here, registered users can post reviews and pictures and comment on the reviews of others.

So give it a spin. It is still in Beta so we are still fiddling with it. Please let us know what you think and how we can improve it.