A lot of people seem to be obsessing about travel blogging these days.
An inordinate amount of bandwidth is being spent discussing what travel blogging is. Few people are talking about what it isn’t.
Here’s my contribution: three popular misconceptions about travel blogging.
1. Travel blogs are new. In fact, travel blogging, which is loosely defined as telling someone about your last trip, is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. Almost every ancient culture practiced some form of travel “blogging” – only, they didn’t call it that.
2. Today’s travel bloggers are rank amateurs with obvious agendas. While it’s true that almost anyone can start a Web journal now and “publish” online, not everyone is getting recognized for it. The travel blogs readers pay attention to are usually written (and yes, edited) by educated, reasonable people who understand the Internet is just another medium to get their message across – not a “revolution.”
3. Travel blogs will put the traditional media out of business. As I suggested in a previous posting, I think some weaker offline publications could be killed by travel blogs. But all of ‘em? Come on. It’s more likely that travel blogs will change the way “traditional” media is produced. Look for more colloquial styles to be used by guidebooks and magazines. How’s this for a buzzword: “bloggy.”
Anyone who says travel blogs are the latest thing, that travel bloggers aren’t real journalists but that somehow, they are the future of travel journalism, doesn’t have a firm grasp of the facts.
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