Business travel bloggers in the Times
January 23, 2006
The NY Times piece on business travel blogs discussed a couple of reasons why they have failed to take off so far: lack of time to blog while on the road and fear of giving a competitor useful information about what they were up to.
I sense the first will change with the increased roll-out of wi-fi services, particularly in the air, and ease of using mobile devices to blog. As for the second, I doubt if that will play a factor when a business person seriously has something to get off their chest. Particularly when they discover what a powerful tool a well-read and engaging blog can be to get their point across about bad service, inadequate hotel facilities or airline ineptitude.
From a travel pr point of view, you might hope the business travel blogger will have good things to say about your client. The reality is they are more likely to use it to let off steam.
As the Times says:
Blogging specialists say that it is not a matter of if, but when, these business travel bloggers will start using their clout in a concerted way to change the travel industry.
And when that happens, says Professor Halavais, of the University of Buffalo, “the travel industry will need to adjust.”
As for Ms. Gradwohl [author of the Princess Diaries], in the future she expects to delve more into the routine frustrations of business travel than the highlights that led to some unwanted notoriety.
“I’m stuck at the airport a lot,” she said.