I was glad to hear what Renee Blodgett of We Blog the World has been up to lately. She's just done a relaunch of her site and I asked her about it.
1. Why did you do the relaunch?
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| Renee Blodgett at We Blog The World |
At
We Blog the World, we realized that while there’s a lot of content for travelers out there on the web, there’s not a lot of content that is tailored around events, festivals and culture, specific to so many different countries under one umbrella. In other words, there is a wealth of resources on tourism sites for events and festivals specific to a region, however that content is hard to find and you have to do serious digging every time you want to go to a specific country or city. The content is fragmented at best.
Secondly, a lot of travel sites focus on either high-end luxury or they focus on adventure travel for backpackers when most of the world falls in between the two. Where does the discerning traveler go who’s already been to the popular hot spots and is yearning for more? We want to provide that content and a community that supports that interest and desire.
2. Who’s your best audience and who do you want to reach?
We are trying to reach an educated savvy traveler who has done a lot of traveling but is yearning for more. We’re after those who think and ask: I want to experience cultural events around things I care about most that will expand my mind: food/wine, arts, culture, entertainment, music and green/sustainability and what’s out there that I can experience beyond the traditional tours where I can expand my horizons, meet interesting people, grow and make a difference in the world? In other words: Renaissance thinking meets travel and cultural events. We are a catalyst that will connect the forces at play: those creating the experiences and those wanting to experience them and this is obviously worldwide not just in the U.S.
3. Are you a global social media site?
We’re not really a "social media" site, we’re a travel and culture site that is social media savvy. Our readers are heavy technology and mobile users who spend a lot of time online but also yearn for adventure. They also like to travel and want to expand their minds through new and unique experiences. Social media is a catalyst to help make that happen. Because
We Blog the World heavily engages on a number of social media networks, we engage with our readers regularly and learn about what works and what doesn’t. Social media mobilizes things so much faster and we use social media to engage with our readers and to learn about what people love and don’t. We Blog the World readers come from the U.S., England, Canada, India, Australia, France, Singapore, Germany and the SE Asia in that order, although South America is growing organically.
Exciting times here with my Kickstarter book project. Again, thanks so much to all my supporters. I've been meeting with editors and proofreaders to line them up -- a bit like finding a good midwife for a baby due in a few months. They make it or break it honestly! And as the title suggests, I can write the thing but I need someone else to cross the t's and dot the i's thank you very much.
