Compare the travel journal to an online travel blog - Essay Example

Compare the travel journal to an online travel blog Introduction Online communication has become a popular practice in countries where online technologies are highly developed. In practice, Internet has helped people to share information that is often difficult to be acquired. Reference can be made, as an example, to blogs and other types of social media. On the other hand, it cannot be claimed that communication, as a vital social activity, is related only to Internet. A travel journal is an example of such type. Current paper explains the characteristics of travel journals in comparison to those of online travel blogs. At a first level, their differences seem to be many. However, if they are carefully reviewed, travel journals and online travel blogs have common points, as related to their role as tools of communication. Travel journal and online travel blogs – general characteristics Primarily, the key difference between a travel journal and an online travel blog should be mentioned: a travel journal is a notebook, similar to a diary (Inbox Journal 2012). The travel journal is differentiated from a diary at the level that ‘activities are not necessarily noted on a daily basis’ (Inbox Journal 2012). This means that in travel journal notes are kept in regard to a particular travel but the events of certain days may not be documented (Inbox Journal 2012). Travel journals have the advantage that can be used for documenting events without necessarily having access to Internet. In addition, notes kept in a travel journal can be changed later, before the publication of the journal, without anyone to notice the alteration of the text. The specific issue is particularly important for the following reasons: a) if a mistake has been made when documenting events, this mistake will not be identifiable by readers if the author of the journal make the necessary corrections before the publication; in online blogs such option is not available as it will be analytically described later; b) events that have been documented in a travel journal can be erased later, and before the publication of the journal; in online blogs the text is directly available to the public, the blog’s visitors; erasing parts of the text could prevent other people from reading these parts but, in the meantime, it is quite possible for some people to have already read them. In regard to its form, an online travel blog has similarities to a travel journal in regard to certain points: a) in online travel blogs, as in travel journals, events are documented in a diary form; b) an online travel blog can be open to the public or not, depending on its creator (Inbox Journal 2012). This means that the owner of an online travel blog may choose to keep the information included in the blog just for him or he may decide to share the relevant information with the public (Inbox Journal 2012); in the first case, the online travel blog would not differ much from a travel journal. It should be noted that despite their limited power on consumer behavior, travel journals have two important advantages. In general, travel journals are characterized as of high historical value, compared to blogs (Wenger 2008). Indeed, the historical roots of travel journals are similar to those of the diaries (Wenger 2008); the latter are used, even in different forms, thousands of years as a means for documenting events and information of critical importance (Wenger 2008). On the contrary, blogs have recently appeared (Wenger 2008) and are considered as one of the most efficient Internet technologies (Wenger 2008). In the travel sector, the use of online blogs has been mostly promoted for supporting the marketing schemes of the industry’s firms (Nimrod 2012). On the other hand, the travel journals have been used just as means for documentation and communication; the involvement of travel journals in advertising is quite limited and is rather exceptional and not the rule (Nimrod 2012). In this context, travel journals are differentiated from online blog travels both in regard to their historical and their cultural value. As already explained, the most important difference of online travel blogs from travel journals is the following one: online travel blogs are usually interactive including the events documented by their creator and the responses/ comments of the visitors of the blogs (Inbox Journal 2012). It should be noted that a blogger has the option not to allow comments to his posts. In addition, online travel blogs can attract many readers, significantly more than those of a travel journal. For attracting a high number of visitors, a blogger needs to identify appropriate search terms and send them to those search engines that are mostly used by the public. Google has been proved to be the search engine with the highest number of visitors. In 2010, the visitors of Google were about 1.6 trillion globally (Bughin et al. 2012, p.1). Moreover, for the same year ‘the average number of searches developed by each Internet user in USA was estimated to 1500’ (Bughin et al. 2012, p.1). The above phenomenon shows the power of search engines in promoting an online travel blog, a fact that needs to be taken into consideration by bloggers who decide to develop a blog of such type. Middleton et al. (2009) also agree that the key advantage of online blogs is the chance offered to their readers to add comments to the articles discussed (267). In regard specifically to travel blogs an important fact is highlighted: amateurs are highly involved in online travel blogs without having prior experience in such activities (Middleton et al 267). For example, there are well-known travel sites, such as Tripadvisor and Thompson that offer to their customers the potential to build their own travel blog (Middleton et al. 267). In the above case, the online travel blog is not just a tool for communication but also a marketing tool (Middleton et al. 267). Robinson (2009) states that blogs were initially used as online diaries (Robinson 165). Through the years, their role has been changed. Today, blogs are used either as pure informative tools, for sharing information, or as marketing tools for promoting a particular product/ service (Robinson 165). Still, the value of blogs has been often doubted. In fact, every day, the number of blogs is significantly increased; their content is almost impossible to be checked as of its credibility (Robinson 165). The characteristics of online travel blogs have been analyzed in the study of Wenger (2008). In the above study a well-known travel blog, the www.travelblog.org is compared to other research related to Austria, as ‘a tourism destination’ (Wenger 169). Wenger notes that the resources on which the image of Austria as a tourism destination is based are highly differentiated (Wenger 170). Reports referring to number of visitors, personal experiences of the blogger, online comments in regard to the specific tourism destination and information published in local media have been the main sources when developing Austria’s image as a popular destination (Wenger 170). Still, the level at which each of the above sources was employed in the particular task is not clear, nor relevant information is provided in the above blog (Wenger 170). At the same time, the potentials for crosschecking the information included in the blog are rather limited, mostly because not all sources are clearly defined. Also, it is quite difficult to retrieve sources that could be used as pieces of reference for evaluating the credibility of information provided by the blog. Despite the above implications, the research developed by Wenger showed that online travel blogs are extremely powerful in persuading people for choosing a particular place because of the following reasons: a) an online travel blog offers to the visitors the chance to communicate directly with the blogger and share their views; the discussion, as developed through the blog, is more powerful, compared to a travel journal, to lead a visitor to choose a place (Wenger 171). It is exactly ‘the interchange between the author and the reader’ (Wenger 171) that makes the online travel blog a unique tool for communication. At the same time, the visitor of an online blog travel has the chance to visit the blog on a daily basis (Wenger 171), a choice that it is not available to travel journal that it is readable in the same terms as a newspaper. In the above context, ‘an attachment is developed between the author and the reader’ (Wenger 171), a factor that increases the power of the online travel blog to persuade its readers. Of course, online travel blogs has also certain disadvantages. Reference should be made in particular to the credibility of blog’s content, and its effects for both the author and the reader. By the side of the author, the credibility of content has certain implications: if the author publishes information that has not been fully verified and it is later proved as inaccurate, then there are chances for allegations for publishing false news. For the reader, material that it is not credible may lead to the development of false assumptions in regard to a critical issue; in this case the reader can even ask for compensation for the damages suffered (Metzger 1). The credibility of material published in websites, forums and other similar web areas, has been a major problem for legislators worldwide. The specific theme is important when discussing the value of online travel blogs, as compared to that of travel journals. Blogs are highly exposed to risks of non-credible material, as explained earlier, while in travel journals the problem is minimized. According to Metzger the information available to the public through the Internet is non-controllable mostly due to its volume (1). In the past, this issue was not given much consideration since ‘the cost of production of resources was high and those resources that were finally published were carefully reviewed as of their credibility’ (Metzger 1), a task that today is not possible. The potential relationship between travel journals and online travel blogs is made clear in the study of Wang and Pizam (2011). The above researchers give the following explanation of online travel blogs: ‘travel blogs are a collection of travel journals, diaries and photos from around the world’ (Wang and Pizam 110). In other words, travel journals can be part of the online travel blogs. Moreover, it is made clear that online travel blogs are usually based on travel journals as sources of information in regard to tourism destinations. The relationship between the online travel blogs and travel journals can be understood through the presentation of the characteristics of such blogs and journals, as retrieved through appropriate online sources. The comparison of blogs and journals is based on a series of criteria, such as content, structure, readability, appearance and potential to attract readers. Comparison between travel journal and online travel blog in practice The comparison between travel journals and online travel blogs leads to the assumption that the differences between these two sources are not as many as initially thought. Reference can be primarily made to the travel journal entitled as ‘A journal of two years travel in Persia, Ceylon, etc (1857). Reviewing the full text of the first volume of the above journal, the following comments can be made: a) in terms of structure, the journal is divided into thematic units, meaning that events are not written in chronological order, as in diaries, b) in terms of its purpose, the journal has been written two years after the return of its author to England, due to health problems; c) the journal documents the experiences of the author in India and his views in regard to various local ethics and rules; d) the journal is written in plain text; there is no use of features for making the text attractive to the reader; as noted in the beginning of the journal the author did not intend to publish the journal but he developed it for personal use, for one of his relatives as noted in the introductory section of the journal. The above journal could be compared to the online travel blog with the URL http://www.cntraveler.com/perrin-post; the specific blog has become quite know for the important pieces of advice provided in regard to a variety of issues related to travel. In fact the blog contains information not only in regard to popular destinations but also for problems that may appear when a trip is arranged. Reference is made, as an example to the dress required, issues of survival and travel trips that are popular to famous. The blog also offers the chance to the readers to contact directly the author, Perrin, and share their views on various issues, not necessarily travel. In terms of content the blog is quite wide; in the case of the travel journals provided above, the following question appears: could these journals lead to the limitation of the value of online travel blogs? A negative response should be given. As proved through the website on which the personal blog of Perrin is based, travel journals cannot replace online travel blogs; in the case of the latter, the support provided to the readers is significant, even if the credibility of the content is quite difficult to be verified. In practice, the features incorporated in the online blog, as presented above, cannot be incorporated in the travel journal, both because at the time when the journal was developed there were no such facilities. Thus, the online blog presented above is differentiated from common online blogs at the following points: a) structure, b) readiness and user interface. If evaluated using the literature presented before, the difference between the online blog of Perin and the travel journal presented above cannot exclude the case of a potential incorporation of the journal within the blog. Most important, the users of a blog can affect a blog’s performance, sending their views and sharing information. Such option is not available in travel journals where the content is standardized, it is not possible for readers to intervene in the text and make their suggestions for improvement. Another travel journal that could be used for understanding the potential relationship between travel journals and online travel blogs is the one entitled as ‘Notes from the Journal of a Tourist’ (1890) the following comments can be made: a) in terms of its content, the Journal refers to the travel of the author to a particular area, i.e. ‘Italy, Spain and Northern Europe’ ‘Notes from the Journal of a Tourist’ (1890); b) the author does not provide particular information in regard to the reasons for which he developed the journal; c) as of its structure, the particular journal is characterized by the presentation of events based on their time of occurrence; in other words, events are presented in chronological order and not in thematic units, as the first travel journal presented above; d) as the first journal that used as example, this journal also is written in plain text, with no added features for increasing its attractiveness; e) although it is not clearly stated by the author, it can be assumed that this journal also has been written for personal use and not for being published. The value of the journal mentioned above would be discussed in comparison to the online blog entitled as ‘Cranky flier’. The particular blog focuses on issues related to air travel. The author is the leader of a business that ‘provides assistance to air travel’ (Cranky flier 2012). The blog provides to the visitors important information in regard to air travel, such as information on the list of main air carriers worldwide and tips to avoid problems during an air travel. Also, the blog is used for the promotion of a series of products, with the logo of the author’s business. The above blog proves that online travel blog can serve a series of needs, apart from informing the people on travel issues. In the particular blog the value of such blogs for supporting marketing plans is revealed; at the same time, the superiority of travel journals in terms of historical and cultural value is made clear. Conclusion The use of travel journals as sources of information related to various places worldwide has been quite common in the past. In fact, the use of travel journals has been so extensive that their involvement in research related to travel has been unavoidable. This means that the historical and cultural value of travel journals is high. On the other hand, online travel blogs have been introduced in order to respond to the need for information in regard to tourism activities worldwide. From this point of view, online travel blogs cannot be compared to travel journals; the value of the latter is significantly higher of the former. Still, there is the following issue: in the past, travel journals were the only means for documenting information related to travel, as a leisure activity or as part of work. Today, there are many options. Information from areas visited can be stored using various devices of such use; even mobile phones of advanced technology are used for capturing parts of a travel. However, these devices cannot replace travel journals in storing and reproducing parts of a trip. Online travel blogs have been introduced for resolving this problem. These blogs offer a significant advantage: the potential of the reader to discuss with the author. Also these blogs are accessed in any area where Internet connection is available. In this way, the reader does not have to carry the computer with him; he simply can enter the blog using his phone and check the details related to the travel of the author in a particular area. Through the blog, author informs readers in regard to the characteristics of an area and the local ethics/ attitudes. Also, blog is accessed with no delay while the access to travel journal may be delayed if the reader is not near to the area where the journal is available. Today, with the advances of technology this problem also has been effectively faced. Indeed, readers can access travel journals using the Internet; accessing databases where such material is stored can be quite risky, for both the reader and the intermediate person, as the circulation of such material may not be allowed. As Belena (2010) notes, the travel journal has certain qualities that cannot be replaced; for example, it is easy to manage when having to keep notes and a difficulty occurs in reaching a device for keeping notes/ capture scenes. On the other hand, a travel blog offers the option of storing and publishing material quite valuable for traveling; such option is not available to travel journals due to their structure/ content as explained earlier. For this reason, it would be fair to say that online travel blogs should be preferred than travel journals when travel activities are to be arranged; the survey conducted through the online writing community ‘Helium’. Works Cited Belena, Ruth. “Travel journal or web blog, which is better?” Helium. August 12, 2010. Web. 30 November 2012. . Bennett, Suzy. “The worlds best travel blogs.” Telegraph. November 6, 2008. Web. 30 November 2012. . Bughin, Jacques, Corb, Laura, Manyika, James, Nottebohm, Olivia, Chui, Michael and Barbat, Borja. “The Impact of Internet Technologies Search.” McKinsey & Company. July 2011. Web. 30 November 2012. . Inbox Journal LLC. “Difference between Diaries, Journals and Blogs” 2012. Web. 30 November 2012. . Metzger, Miriam. “Making Sense of Credibility on the Web: Models for Evaluating Online Information and Recommendations for Future Research.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 58.13 (2007): 2078-2091. Web. 30 November 2012 . Middleton, Victor, Fyall, Alan, Morgan, Michael and Ranchhod, Ashok. Marketing in Travel and Tourism. 4th ed. London: Routledge, 2009. Nimrod, Galit. “Online communities as a resource in older adults’ tourism.” Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. 8.1(2012). Web. 30 November 2012. . Robinson, Peter. Operations Management in the Travel Industry. Wallingford: CABI, 2009. Wang, Youcheng, and Pizam, Abraham. Destination Marketing and Management: Theories and Applications. Wallingford: CABI, 2011. Wenger, Anita. “Analysis of travel bloggers characteristics and their communication about Austria as a tourism destination.” Journal of Vacation Marketing 14.2(2008): 169-176. Web. 30 November 2012. . Journals and online travel blogs 1. Full text of ‘A journal of two years travel in Persia, Ceylon, etc’ (1857) http://archive.org/stream/journaloftwoyear01binnuoft/journaloftwoyear01binnuoft_djvu.txt 2. Full text of ‘Notes from the Journal of a tourist’ (1890) http://archive.org/stream/notesfromjournal00buckuoft/notesfromjournal00buckuoft_djvu.txt 3. Online travel blog ‘Perrin Post’ http://www.cntraveler.com/perrin-post 4. Online travel blog ‘Cranky Flier’ http://crankyflier.com/ Read More