Increasing Mistrust of User Generated Content Amongst City Travelers
On an increasing amount of websites, everybody can publish their opinion about a travel destination or spot. User generated content (UGC), as this phenomenon is called, is currently all the rage in the travel industry. A new series of blogs offering travelers the opportunity to experience 16 different European cities "like a local", takes a contrasting approach.
Spotted by Locals believes the key to reliable and high quality travel information lies in the personal handpicking of their bloggers, through a strict selection procedure. Only "real" locals are chosen to write about their favorite spots in the city they love.
Amsterdam, Netherlands (PRWEB) November 4, 2008 -- City travelers are progressively looking to learn more about the local culture of their chosen destinations. They do not only want to "do a city" by visiting standard highlights. An excellent example of this shift in travel attitude can be seen in the hugely successful Couchsurfing project (where visitors can stay with locals instead of in hotels). The project has risen from 6,000 members in 2004 to a significant 750,000 in 2008.
Founders Sanne & Bart van Poll
Travel guide authors are often enough travelers themselves, and as such cannot necessarily offer the local perspective readers are looking for. Also a lot of the time the information in paperback travel guides quickly becomes inaccurate or no longer current. "During my city trips, that `cute local spot' frequently turned out to be infested with tourists carrying the exact same city guide" states Spotted by Locals founder Sanne van Poll.
Travelers are increasingly turning to the Internet to source a wealth of travel tips written by locals and travelers.
Spotted by Locals believes there are some serious drawbacks to this so-called "user generated" travel information. Aside from the fact that genuinely local tips are often written in the local language, Spotted by Locals also believes that content reliability can be questionable. It is often difficult or plain impossible to see who is behind the "local" travel tips. Is it really a bona fide local or actually a traveler who has only visited the spot once? Perhaps it is even the proprietor of the spot with motivations of self-interest?
On the www.SpottedbyLocals.com cityblogs, real locals write about the places they regularly frequent or enjoy visiting. All Spotters are presented prominently on the site with their real names, a picture and a detailed personal profile.
Spotted by Locals sees that the key to creating high quality, up-to-date and authentic content is a face-to-face interview with the "Local". Only writers that speak the local language and are passionate about sharing their passion for the city they live in, are selected to write for the site.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Bart van Poll, or see our press kit.
About Spotted by Locals
Spotted by Locals was started in 2008 by avid (married) travelers Sanne & Bart van Poll. It is the first cityblog-network with handpicked bloggers who write about spots and pass on local tips from a personal and local perspective. It has recently launched 16 European city blogs, and will be launching a further 10 in the coming months.
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