It wasn’t until I returned home from my recent travels that I really sat down and spent some time getting to know my way around Twitter. I began following travel bloggers, writers, companies, and whomever they were following too.
There was one Twitterer whose sparkling smile seemed to show up on my screen more than any other. Katy, the Community Manager for Where I’ve Been, tweeted travel like there was no tomorrow. And there was something special about Tuesdays I couldn’t quite figure out at the time.
Curiosity lead me to the Twitter page for @whereivebeen and then to their website. While Where I’ve Been may have started out as a simple map application which let Facebook users brag about where they’d traveled (by publicly posting a map to their Newsfeed), it had clearly been growing at a rapid rate into a full-fledged travel community.
Of course my first task was to fill out a map, and post it to my Facebook profile like any good, self-promoting traveler. I’ve yet to meet a map application I didn’t enjoy. And as I mentioned, the site is about much more than maps now.
Over 9 million community members currently have the ability to:
- Book hotel rooms, domestic or international flights, and even tables at their favorite restaurants.
- Become travel experts: the more pictures, videos, and reviews they add to the site, the more credit (points) they get to become a travel expert on a specific country or city.
- Write reviews, upload photos & videos, and share them not only through Where I’ve Been, but also on Facebook. As a result, friends on Where I’ve Been and Facebook are instantly connected and can share travel information all in one place.
- Read not only user-generated content, but also aggregate content from multiple accredited sources, including Citysearch and Kayak, and Hotelvideoreviews.com
And why are Tuesdays on Twitter so special?
Katy and Where I’ve Been initiated the de facto way for travelers to share Twitter users worth following each week. Simply use the following hashtag, #TravelTuesday, along with your recommendation, and the travel community will thank you.
About the Author:
Dave is the author of 1527 posts on Go Backpacking.
Dave (Editor-in-Chief) blogged his way around the world from 2007-2009, and then started Travel Blog Success to teach others how to do the same. When not writing, he can be found salsa dancing in Medellin. Follow him on Twitter @rtwdave or look for him on Google+
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Categories: Blogging, Features, Reviews
Post tags: facebook, Maps, social media, twitter
4 Comments
Wow. I didn't realize how large Where I've Been had become. I definitely had a map on my Facebook as well!
I saw an article that there were rumors about them being bought back in 2007, so I think they've grown as the Facebook community has grown (and that's giving access to 300 million users at the moment!)
Wow-I had no idea that's where #traveltuesday came from. Pretty crazy! Thanks for the info on whereI'vebeen. I too once had a map on my facebook page.
Wow-I had no idea that's where #traveltuesday came from. Pretty crazy! Thanks for the info on whereI'vebeen. I too once had a map on my facebook page.