Top Ten Travel Social Network Sites for 2010
It’s pretty common these days for someone to come up with a “top ten” best web site list or best airfare search engine or best applications, and it’s anyone’s guess how accurate or useful the lists are, because we all have different needs and preferences and use sites differently.
But I’m always interested in who’s on top...and on the bottom.
I was particularly interested when Hotel Marketing.com announced that the travel social network entity, Tripatini.com was “the best travel social network of 2010.”
And then the popular blog, Housetrip.com also dubbed Tripatini as one of “The Top Ten Social Networks.”
Full disclosure: I do post to Tripatini, and my content does get “feature status.” But still, I didn’t know the New York Post described it as “the Facebook for travelers,” and I never paid much attention to its ranking.
So I read more.
Both HotelMarketing.com and Housetrip touted Tripatini’s ability to bring together travel industry leaders with travelers, allowing travelers to profit from experienced travel voices, and helping travel experts get better branded. One claim to fame is its successful integration of travelers with travel experts, especially with the “Ask A Travel Expert” forum, and related widget.
Housetrip also listed Boots N All, Lonely Planet’s Thorntree Forum as a top travel community, specifically calling attention to the site’s useful, timely message boards and forums, often filled with solid travel information culled from the publishing giant.
Trip Wolf was singled out as among the top ten, and while I find the site text-heavy and too tight, there’s no question the “Tip Gurus” feature, combined with reviews, tips and consumer generated content, make Trip Wolf a solid travel social network choice.
I was glad to see Trip Say on the list. I like its quirky approach and fun questions, and it’s especially efficient because by “liking” or “hating” a place or destination, users connect only with like-minded travelers and cut right to the chase.
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