Using the Internet for Research, Marketing, and Ideas!

Most travel writers begin by going to their local bookstore and stocking up on the big writers’ marketplace guides. These are great reference tools and deserve an honored place on your bookshelf - among other things, they paint a comprehensive picture of your industry’s wants and needs - but you may find that it pays to think a little more creatively than that. Here are just some ideas:

Travel Guides & Online Versions
Many travel magazines already have well-established presences online. Among other things, it’s so much easier to keep things up to date since they’re publishing in an electronic medium! Frommers, Fodors, PlanetOut, etc. can all be found with a few mouse clicks. Set up a folder in your browser’s bookmarks and start keeping tabs on these every day. What kinds of attractions, angles, and stories are they highlighting for web surfers? What are the differences in style between the publications?

Online Guides
There are also many publications that only exist online, like BootsandAll, Gorp.net, etc. How are these websites different from the travel guides? What angles to they use to separate themselves from the big guidebook companies? Bookmark these too.

Online Communities
The growth of niche communities, bulletin boards, blogs and other personal publishing venues on the web is a boon for the travel writer. It’s like free focus groups, a wealth of researchers, and a marketing tool, all rolled into one! Whether you want to learn more about backpacking in Peru, kid-friendly B&Bs in Maine, or how to find the best pizza in Chicago, there is surely a forum somewhere where people are discussing exactly that issue. These forums can help you in a multitude of ways:

* Skim the topics as general market research. What are the "hot topics" in your area or niche? What kinds of experiences are people talking about? Which kinds of posts generate the most responses?

* Turn a topic into a story idea! Someone’s post may inspire you to think about an old topic in a new way, or to focus on a region/activity/angle that you hadn’t previously considered.

* Use the community to get input for your background research, or for the article itself. If you mention that you’re writing a short article about spas in Sedona, Arizona, for example, you can get nearly-instant suggestions from real people who have been there - recently!

* You can join the community too, and get your name (and links to your articles) out there. If you’ve done several pieces about Napa wineries, for example, offer yourself up as an expert, and let others ask you questions.

One word of caution - although these sites are usually free to read, you may need to register to post a question or a response, and you should make sure that you are familiar with the rules of the community before you jump in with both feet. "Lurk" for a few weeks to get a feel for the members, and make sure that your input will be welcome.

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