Have you or your Webmaster mashed up your website? Or perhaps you are Wikiing with your peers?

Web 2.0, Tourism 2.0, Wikiing, Mashups - where does it end? Well, it ends where you want it to end. You could find something new on the Web every day. It appears as if every day someone comes up with something new that promises to increase your traffic, make your site more sticky or give your customers more control over your brand. Just don't forget your core business and, more importantly, how it's used or consumed by customers. And, while it may be convenient and professional to think of our customers as customers or guests or clients or travelers or tourists, it may be helpful to think of them as people and really try to put yourself in their shoes (or hire a mystery guest/customer you can trust). In my recent trip to Quebec City (see below) I had two not very friendly experiences with cabbies when I was by myself and another one when I was with my wife. Fortunately, we also had one very good experience with another cabbie so all was not lost in that arena (but how can destinations make sure cabs and cabbies are presentable and welcoming for tourists?) Some time ago, the now defunct TV show Venture had the great idea of inviting CEO's to go to the floor and do jobs "on the ground," so to speak. I remember watching the then (don't know if he's still is) CEO of Delta Hotels, who went through the experience and as a result made important changes in his organization for the benefit of his employees and his guests. The Web can be a very powerful tool for your business and your destination, but no website will ever serve you a wonderful capuccino (a real one) or cover you at night at your hotel when all you want to do is have a good warm sleep. As for Mashups and Wikis, check out these two sites for ideas: Wikispaces and Google Mania Maps

Cheers,

Jaime