一个旅游博主的无奈

　　原题：《你想用这个博客做什么？——读者调查》

　　译者注：正如大多数研究类旅游博客一样，作者对自己的博客倾注了大量的心血，但习惯于获取的读者们显然不准备去贡献。牢骚也好、抱怨也罢，这样的现实总是很无奈。

　　我对此博客的读者（你）不会要求太多：

　　×我不对你做广告；

　　×RSS里有足够的帖子；

　　×不要求订阅。

　　我的内容目标是：

　　×分析新闻；

　　×一个新闻发表自由区；

　　×每日一帖；

　　×以实践者的角度添加、但不重复贸易新闻；

　　×说说我对此怎样看待。有时这会给我带来麻烦，但本就如此；

　　×参与我可以讨论的贸易新闻。Travolution博客内容聚焦于（在我的狭窄的兴趣里面）有价值的话题，所以我倾向于把着重点放在这个上面。同样的，还因为他们像我一样，努力参与非传统媒体类型；

　　×使博客成为某种我想读的东西（如果我不写它的话）！我知道旅游公司电子商务团队中很多人不读旅游业界新闻，因此，替代的目标是你可以阅读；

　　×全球视角，但是用英国或欧洲的角度来看。

　　然而，投放一年后，越来越难以坚持。高质量的内容不能仓促上线，而必须详加考虑，好好去写，否则，公布出去也没什么亮点。

　　你可以通过四种方式帮助我：

　　1、告诉我你想要我写什么；

　　2、请更经常地评论！

　　3、文章内容水平是否恰当？

　　4、请邀请你的同事订阅（可通过电子邮件或直接用RSS）。

　　告诉我你想要我写什么

　　你喜欢我的网页设计、可用性点评、策略帖子、我对其他公司项目的想法？或者你喜欢我一直上窜下跳？

　　或者，看到你所在地区发生的事情，你认为它将成为一个重要话题，值得更广泛的关注，请务必将这意见发给我，或许我会写它。

　　请更经常地评论

　　有人吗？如果得不到回应，我可能假设没有！

　　有时候，我会苦苦思索一篇帖子几个小时，发布，但是没有评论。嗯……很令人沮丧，即使帖子非常好。请注意，每个人都认为自己的孩子是美丽的……

　　文章内容水平是否恰当？

　　举例来说，最近我获得反馈，一些术语并非所有人都懂。我是否应该尝试让我的帖子更具包容性？或此博客是否应当通过更大网站或旅游业的经验来说明问题？

　　不要忘记，我们已经为小的旅游经营者和针对性代理商开通了Small Fish Big Ocean（译者注：www.smallfishbigocean.com），而Musings仍然是针对较大的旅游公司和业界的一般问题。

　　请邀请你的同事订阅

　　主要有两种方式：或者通过RSS，或者如果你访问本站，你可以通过电子邮件订阅。约有20％的用户是通过电子邮件订阅的，完全有效！

　　结论

　　是的我是在请求你的帮助。在这种情况下，我是在请求你的帮助，除非你在美国。

　　在某种程度上我要说服自己，有一个每日写作的博客是有潜在价值的。否则，我可能会躲起来，并减少更新频率。这会是很可惜的，因为我非常享受写作博客的精神体验，并且作为实战的产物，我对“真实世界”的介绍和策略文章要好得多。

　　继续……告诉我这博客太差劲了，我应该闭嘴，尽管希望你说好话。请给我发些好的故事，让你所有同事都订阅。

　　原文来源：Musings on travel ecommerce  作者：Alex Bainbridge

What do you want with this blog? A reader survey

I don’t ask for much from the readers of this blog (you):

•    I don’t inflict advertising on you

•    The RSS feed has the full post in

•    No subscription required

My content goals are:

•    Analysis over news

•    A press release free zone

•    A single daily post

•    Not to replicate the trade press - but to add to it - and provide a practitioners perspective.

•    Say it how I see it…. sometimes this gets me into trouble - but that is how it is

•    To engage with the trade press where I can….. although I tend to focus on Travolution because they are writing about subjects worth engaging with (in my narrow interest area) - and also because they make the effort to engage with non-traditional media types like me.

•    Make the blog something I would want to read (if I wasn’t writing it!)…. I know that many people in ecommerce teams at travel companies don’t read the travel trade press….. so the goal is you can read this instead!

•    Global, but with a UK / European perspective

However, 1 year from launch, this is becoming difficult to keep up. Quality content cannot be rushed - it has to be considered and well written - otherwise there isn’t much point publishing.

You can help me four ways:

1.    Tell me what you want me to write about

2.    Please comment more often!

3.    Am I pitching the content at the right level?

4.    Please ask your colleagues to subscribe (either via email - or the RSS feed directly)

Tell me what you want me to write about

Do you prefer my web design & usability reviews, my strategic posts, my thoughts on other companies’ projects or do you like me jumping around all the time?

Or…. when you see something happening in your region and you think it would make a great topic deserving of wider attention - please do send the idea to me and the chances are I will write about it.

Please comment more often

Is anyone out there? If I don’t hear from you - I may assume not!

Sometimes I can slave over a new post for a couple of hours, publish it, and then get no comments. Ummm….. depressing - even though the post is a good one. Mind you, everyone considers their own children are beautiful…..

Am I pitching the content at the right level?

For example, recently I have had feedback that I use terms that not everyone understands…. should I try to be more inclusive with my posts - or should this blog address those with greater web / travel industry experience.

Don’t forget, we have already launched Small Fish Big Ocean for small tour operators and niche agents - hence Musings remains targeted at larger travel companies and the industry in general.

Please ask your colleagues to subscribe

There are two main ways - either via RSS - or if you visit this site - you can subscribe via email. About 20% of the subscribers are via email….. so it works!

Conclusion

Yes I am asking you for a favour - unless you are in the USA - in which case I am asking for a favor.

Somehow I need to convince myself that having a blog written daily is potentially worthwhile. Otherwise I may go back into my shell and publish much less often. That would be a pity as I quite enjoy the mental exercise of writing blog posts - and my “real world” presentations and strategy papers are much better as a result of all this experience.

So go on….. tell me this blog sucks and I should just shut up. Hopefully though you will say nice things, send me some great stories to cover and get all your colleagues to subscribe.