Blog homeOK – enough already – no more posts about blogging. Maybe just one more (better make it a good one!)….
So, in a few bullet points, what are the differences between, say, someone like me who writes a couple of blog posts a week about travel industry ecommerce topics – and a journalist working for the travel trade press.
Source of revenue
Journalists tend to be paid by advertisers (or maybe subscribers)
Bloggers tend to be blogging for the love of it – or perhaps some other reason such as profile building, pseudo-pr etc. What is certain is that bloggers who work in the travel industry tend to have clients….. or colleagues….
The question is – do advertisers impact what a journalist writes about? Probably yes – indeed one industry magazine (who will go nameless) sent me an email this week offering me “editorial opportunity” if I took up advertising with them. It was a personally addressed email as a followup to a phone call, not a mailshot, incidentally. Umm….
So are travel industry bloggers impacted by our relationships with clients or are we biased? Yes. Most of us love writing about ourselves positively. And very rarely will you see something written negatively about a client….. However this example is interesting from Hospitality technology made simple -
“Our experience last night ranks in my top 5 worst at any hospitality venue”
“Also an important point is I go there because they are a former customer and I am a firm believer in supporting your customers.”
“I helped implement El Paseo’s technology solutions so I know their systems cannot be to blame for what we experienced last night.”
I am not sure how Kevin Sturm’s blog post fits with his principle of “firm believer in supporting customers” – maybe its tough love! I would have probably drawn the line before writing that post as he has used his knowledge of their systems as a core part of his post…. which is probably beyond what is suitable for b2b industry blogging.
Industry examples
I have recently tried to incorporate actual numbers in my blog posts. Whether it is our metric for page generation speed or actual conversion numbers of a travel website we work with….. these I believe add value and interest to my posts. Most journalists tend to work on “news”…. which is great – we all love news.
Chocolate
Bloggers don’t get chocolate sent to them by travel companies. Journalists do (even small bars) (see Travolution Blog). Cheapflights – I promise not to write about how you have been editing Wikipedia again if you send me some chocolate. See I am easily bribed.
Comments and feedback
It would appear that most B2B travel industry journalists give an opportunity to a company under discussion to “feedback” on an article PRIOR to publishing. Or journalists try their hardest to contact the press office of a company in the news before publishing an update on a situation.
Bloggers though tend not to. I know I don’t. The reason for this is simple – I can’t go around contacting press offices of companies – some of whom are competitors – some of whom are clients – saying “Hey I am writing a blog post about XYZ what do you think?”. It just would never work. Instead I just have to be happy that as a result of this web based medium anyone can come and publish comments on this blog if they wish to correct a point of view or to put their own side of the story.
Conclusion
There are significant structural differences between a journalist and a travel industry B2B blogger. I would say that neither compete directly with each other as we tend to come from a different direction (analysis vs news, for example) – however we are all competing for that same 15 minutes of attention that people want to give us on a daily basis – normally at lunch time while eating at the desk.
Any other differences I have overlooked?
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please don’t be bitter about the chocolate, Alex!
advertisers do not influence the editorial in travolution – we would not have gained the credibility we have if this had been the case.
i cannot say the same for the mainstream press or other trade publications.
Hi Kevin,
(writing generically, not about your fine publication in particular)
There are two distinct aspects to editorial coverage….. firstly what topics you choose to cover – and secondly – what angle you take with that coverage.
I am sure that most industry press are not influenced regarding the actual words used in any editorial coverage….. however perhaps it has some minor influence regarding whether an announcement gets any coverage at all in the first place. This may just be because, as advertisers, you are aware of who they are (which after all is the point of the advert in the first place!)
If you notice, I was very careful to say in my blog post above that it may influence what you write about (not how you write it)
It is a little chicken and egg…. Large travel companies place adverts, large travel companies generate stories that interest a wide number of readers….. so it would not be true to notice a correlation between advertising and editorial coverage and conclude one is a result of the other.
Just clarifying incase anyone reads what I wrote and thinks I consider all journalists “for sale”….. oh, wait a second, apparently they are for sale…. for chocolate. Quoting you directly Kevin…. “The average hack’s post bag is stuffed full of chocolate”…… is this a bit like Linden dollars?
[how irritating that your blog doesn't remember my details - i've had to enter them again]
Travolution does not produce a forward features list, for example. (A mainstay of many an ad-get based publication.)
Anyway, perhaps you should come and do a week’s work experience at Travolution, so you can see for yourself how much chocolate we receive in the mailbag and understand how lazy and corrupt we are, while constantly on the phone to our advertisers because we so completely devoid of ideas.
Whoah…. sounds like your sugar levels are low guys. Better have some-
On second thoughts, maybe not.
Kevin,
I would love to come and spend a week at Travolution towers !
I could do a “guest editor” slot like they do on the Today programme
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/misc//guesteditors_20071218.shtml
However I know you are not serious!
What would I focus on, hypothetically? The role of the small business in online travel – as I feel that most media coverage is too focussed on the big brands. Dynamic packaging for example is a non-issue for small businesses (after all, a small agent can’t compete with the OTAs by becoming an OTA – but by being unique and having something of value that others don’t have)
Howabout a “smart agent” edition? (although I would want to widen it to include non-agents – i.e. product suppliers). This would be distinct to the “long tail” edition because large companies can utilise the long tail… its a very different concept.
@Nathan – had 3 eggs yesterday (just small ones). Still not recovered. I will do anything for chocolate. Even pimp my blog.
I’m not a travel industry B2B blogger, but just a comment on:
“I can’t go around contacting press offices of companies – some of whom are competitors – some of whom are clients – saying “Hey I am writing a blog post about XYZ what do you think?”
If I am writing a holiday complaint on behalf of a consumer then I contact the company and tell them that I have done so posting the full details. It’s only fair that both sides of the story are allowed. Of the two recent complaints, one company pro-actively communicated with me via email and in the comments, which resolved the consumers issues, the other refused to respond to email or leave comments, and the consumer is still in limbo.
I feel that this is the right way to go around these things. Would you agree?
@ Darren – looks OK. I would hope that you show enough information about the customer so that the travel company can find them in their records – but not enough to be a privacy issue for the person who sent you their details (a difficult line this one)
As a result of my inability to contact companies I stick to writing about things where no contact is required!
Alex
Sometimes Bloggers do get Chocolate bars…If you only would have attended ITB:-)
There is a white lemon chocolate bar right on my desk here from a hotel chain we had a cocktail at after the summit…
you’re playing with fire there Guido. surely you will have learned of Alex’s, er, opinions about the Bloggers’ Summit.
Alex,
You may be right that I crossed the line on what is acceptable in a “B2B” blog, but I suppose it is dependent on is “hosptiality technology made simple” a B2B blog or an open forum discussion. I think it opens the question generally as what is the point of an independent industry blog…marketing, sharing information, or just a medium to tell the world your thoughts.
This post is interesting on the difference between blogging and the trade press. I think generally regular bloggers blog for the love of it (”it” can have many meanings here) and trade press writers blog for the love of it (”it” also having some different meanings here). Both have the opportunity to generate revenue. Bloggers through advertising or promotion of a business (both our objective I think) and trade-press through advertising revenue or promoting a business. The medium is definitely different and I think the readership is as well, but I think the differences can be small or great depending on your niche and/or the topic(s) of which you blog. For my blog it is pretty small really as the trade press (Hospitality Upgrade, Hospitality Technology, Lodging Hospitality, etc.) cover some similar topics. Other hotel related hospitality blogs generally cover “who bought what system” or “who aquired who” which I don’t talk about. So for me my alikeness to the trade press in my specific niche is pretty close I think. Though at the moment I do no advertising which most them do as is traditional for print trade press.
I follow your blog pretty regularly via WIWIH even though our industry focus is pretty different. With that said I think your characterization for my post “apathy – a problem technology cannot solve” was a bit unfair. I also spoke well of El Paseo and why we go there and why we will continue to go there. I don’t know if my post is really tough love or just I believe if I’m going to post about I’m going to be honest on where and how my experience led me to the reason for the post.
On my blog I give advice on implementing technology solutions, offer general comments to hospitality technology trends, and occasionally provide my thoughts on success in hospitality. The post you commented on was of the later and also included all the things we really love about El Paseo (my former customer), but the general point was how our experience could have been very very different with the same level of service provided. Maybe would have been fair to characterize the whole blog versus just the part you disagreed with.
The real point was when as a venue you know you can’t offer your best service to “roll out the welcome mat”, “when required set a low expectation”, “cater to your customer”, and “apologize when you know you should”.
I did make me think through my reasoning for including the lead into the story. In after thought I still support my decision.
Kevin
@Kevin S
Thanks for your comment. Nah – your post was OK. I enjoyed it and have now subscribed. I like people who say it how it is. I also like to subscribe to blogs around the edges of what I do…. you don’t learn anything by reading stuff you already know!
I have written less favourably about some of my clients on this blog as well…. however the difference is that I never mentioned that they were existing or previous clients…. I guess I should have done in order to fully disclose my background….. but I can’t – because many of them are confidential…
Back to the point of this post (originally) at least everyone knows who advertises in trade press (for journalists revenue streams) (or they can look it up) – but I suppose that many people don’t know who pays a blogger’s mortgage – so actually we could be very biased without anyone knowing.
“but I suppose that many people don’t know who pays a blogger’s mortgage”
Unless the blogger is writing an undisclosed paid post review (which many do) it’s quite easy to asses who pays the bloggers “mortgage”
Just look on my blog and you can see for yourself.
I wish revenue from TR paid my rent and bills though
p.s. Alex, I tried to register for Small Fish Big Ocean but I’ve not received an email authenticating my membership.
Hi Darren,
Well yes everyone can see what pays for this blog (my travel ecommerce consulting through Travel UCD). The question is – who does Travel UCD work for !? (The answer is very few companies at the moment as the focus is on TourCMS)
Not sure what is going on with SFBO….. it should all go OK. Please try again (This is the web version of – have you rebooted?). Not on Travel UCD hardware so I can’t take a peek and see what is going on behind the scenes. Thanks for your understanding.