Lonely Planet.com/Australia as an Effective Website - Research Paper Example

Analyzing Lonely Planet.com/Australia Introduction Lonely Planet.com/Australia is a website that sprang from a long-standing popular series of travel books that first saw print in the 1970s. Originally, the purpose in writing the first Lonely Planet travel guide was to share the experiences of the newlywed Wheelers in tracking overland in 1972 through Europe and Asia on their way back to Australia, with” a beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket, and a sense of adventure.” (Lonely Planet Home site, 2009). The first guide’s authors and publishers, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, trekked through the overland route on a shoestring budget. Upon their return, their story generated such interest and queries among friends that they decided to write down their experiences. The first travel guide, entitled “Across Asia on the Cheap,” was crudely printed and manually bound, sold 1500 copies in one week, and 8,500 for the year. It was easily eclipsed by the second book, “South-East Asia on a Shoestring”. Today, Lonely Planet is still committed to producing travel guides with an emphasis on independent travel, trustworthy advice, stewardship over the ecology, and editorial independence. (Lonely Planet, 2009) Analysing using PAIBOC Purpose – The website’s purpose goes beyond merely providing information about tourist spots. It is intended to address the same purpose as the printed magazine, to provide trustworthy advice on independent travel with an eye towards minimizing cost and maximizing the travelling experience. It also fosters a sense of community among like-minded travellers who seek the out-of-the-way places that conventional tourist travel ignores. Also, it aims to generate an interest in ecology and advocates conservation of the country’s natural resources. Audience – The website is targetted at all tourists, but particularly at the individual or budget traveller with particular interests in visiting Australia. Habitual travellers are encouraged to become members in its online communities, write in its blogsite, and organize activities that advance the interests of travel in Australia. Web participants are also invited to help one another, air their problems and give advice and tips concerning individual travel. Information – Lonely Planet contains information not only about Australia’s interesting travel sites and events, but also its history, culture and people. It also establishes venues where travellers could meet up and compare notes or give and receive advice. “Travel mentors” volunteer to spearhead discussion among community participants, and competitions and other such community events are held. Information is also given concerning shopping and other travel services that the individual traveller will find useful. The individual tourist will find useful the information concerning cheap flights and budget-priced hotels and hostels included in the website. Benefits – The benefits afforded by Lonely Planet to its patrons are financial safety during travel, familiarity with places, events and culture in the places they travel to, a working familiarity with the local lingo, and a guide to work out a suitable, safe, and budget-conscious means of transportation. Practical information section provides important items for travellers to know. Information may be downloaded through mobile phone service anywhere in the world. Objections – Several objections could be and have been generated by the Lonely Planet, not only because of it being a website but also because of the nature of its advisory. For instance, the “Banana Pancake Trail” in South East Asia was generally blamed on publicity generated by the Lonely Planet publications. Because of the popularity of the sites recommended in this service, the influx of tourists have led to the destruction of local culture and unwelcome traffic in what were once quite, out-of-the-way sites. Also, features made by the guide book of some countries such as Burma had been mistaken as an invitation to visit the country and in effect stand as political endorsement for an oppressive regime. While the above actual controversies did not involved Lonely Planet.com/Australia, it should be kept in mind that such widespread media as a website on the internet are capable of swaying public opinion and may be suspected of advancing certain covert advocacies. Also, the places Lonely Planet.com/Australia may not always welcome the attention and influx of many tourists, inviting negative reactions from web visitors; therefore care must be taken in the choice and portrayal of these locations. Context – The Lonely Planet group seeks to maintain the same approach its original publishers intended thirty years ago – to create the context of friendship and camaraderie among like-minded travellers who opt for the adventure of independent travel rather than joining organized packaged tours. The service assumes that the independent traveller will need guidance and advice as to where to find wholesome, good quality yet reasonably priced lodgings, refreshments, and transportation, as well as visit the places that will provide meaningful adventures and memorable experiences. This is the reason why the content writers of both print and electronic media used by Lonely Planet are required to themselves travel along the routes they write about – the same approach used by the Wheelers, who went on every trip they wrote about to experience for themselves what they advice their readers to do and where to go on their trip. Further Analysis: Lonely Planet.com/Australia as an effective website Lonely Planet seeks to communicate the same message through many media, but the website must be evaluated for its effectivity as a website. In Principles of an Effective Website by Dr. Mark Hoffman of Grand Valley State University, there are additional points to consider in addition to the PAIBOC guidelines, to address the desirable characteristics in a website. These are: Information – The Lonely Planet.com/Australia website provides invaluable content that inspires visitors and even encourages their participation in its web communities. Visitors have expressed that the website has inspired them by its vision of cultural understanding, human fellowship, and ecological preservation. Reliability – The website has engendered the trust and reliance of its viewers, in the same the travel guides did of its readers. This is because of the policy that writers should themselves undertake the experience they describe to their patrons. This has developed a sense of credibility and trustworthiness that Lonely Planet’s content is reliable. Engagement – Active participation is consistently encouraged and viewers’ engagement is developed through the various communities they could join, activities such as “travel mentoring”, and nurturing of a vital interest in travel, culture and environment that many persons feel an obligation to pursue. Lonely Planets online community, named the Thorn Tree, is consistently used by more than half a million travellers for the purpose of accessing trade tips and advice. Accessibility – The website is equally accessible and easily manageable by the average internet user, full of coloured visuals about Australia, video presentations, and links to related sites that the user will find important. In 2008, the Lonely Planet website was upgraded, adding new features that include a way to rate and review various sites and restaurants, to save them to a list of favourites, and to use a Trip Planner tool. The company is developing mobile websites and iPhone products, increasing its accessibility from any part of the world. Design - The website’s "face" is a manifestation of its public persona of an organization. Lonely Planet.com/Australia loses no chance in putting forward not only its face but that of Australia with its remarkable visuals of terrain, people and the flora and fauna of the place. In this respect, the website’s design is exceptionally laudable. Conclusion The Lonely Planet publications gained its initial popularity and subsequent loyal following because its brand name (“Lonely Planet”) had come to be associated with a certain down-to-earth adventurousness that individual travel has come to be characterized by. The usefulness of the very subject matter, validated by the actual travels and experiences of the writers, have carved its own niche in the field of travel guides and publications. The Lonely Planet.com/Australia website has come to carry on this tradition, and much more. As part of the Lonely Planet group, it maintains its novelty and clarity of purpose in catering to the needs of budget-conscious travellers, while expanding its audience to include those who travel often for varied purposes such as business and education. The information contained in its web format provides answers to almost every question the transient visitor is likely to ask during his travel, and in a form (mobile electronic technology) and format (user-friendly web design) that is convenient and accessible to him at the time and place he requires it. The benefits to its audience are of great significance for providing not only entertainment and knowledge but information that may prove vital to the success of his trip, at a time when he may not have other recourse. Objections to the website’s service are present but have been and will continue to be addressed by management. Finally, the context of the service remains to be one of service, global community spirit, and preservation of culture, history and the natural ecology. REFERENCES Chih-Hsiung Tu & Corry, Michael. “Building Active Online Interaction via a Collaborative Learning Community.” Computers in the Schools, Vol. 20 Issue 3, p51-59, 2003. Company History. Lonely Planet Home Website. 15 August 2009. Gaytan, Jorge & McEwen, Beryl C. “Effective Online Instructional and Assessment Strategies.” American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 21 Issue 3, p117-132, Sep2007. Hoffman, Mark. Principles for an Effective Nonprofit Website. Michigan Nonprofit Research Program. 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