Fri
16
Nov '07
This is just a link alert for a topical post that I just put up over at Gadling, entitled “Independently produced travel guides – pipe dream or way of the future?”
The post is in honor of Robert Reid’s recently completed free online guide to Vietnam, though I take the opportunity to plug several other free online travel guides, including my own to Romania and Moldova.
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November 18th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Dear Leif,
I am perplexed. What is the payoff for hours of labor by the author of a free guide? (Besides fame, of course.) Isn’t the workman worthy of his hire? How will these folks ever claw their ways up to the Sushi Line?
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:03 am
Anne Marie – For now, the online independent guide is merely an investment in time and space. The more established ones are already paying off reasonably well. In a few years time, assuming proper promotion and dedicated revenue streams, they *should* provide sizable income. However, like any business venture there is a significant chance of failure.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Apparently I am more slightly out of touch than I thought, but the other day, I was doing my festive online shopping at amazon.com and noticed their new gadget, the kindle, which I had not even heard a breath of before.
The device has some definite flaws, chief to me is that I should have some way to store off my books and re-use them on future devices. When I pay hard earned cash for a book and actually like it, I’m hanging on to it.
This isn’t some strange advertisement for a device I wouldn’t buy, but a point towards were the future may be going. This thing has an always on connection like a cell phone. Imagine traveling with this thing and the ability to pull in the free online guides? Even at a not quite free cost (i.e. less than printing and binding, lawyers, blah blah blah but not completely free), people might be more willing to mix and mingle guides on a trip. I know X guide will have more information about the sights, but Y author has never steered me wrong about restaurants.
It will be interesting to see where these gadgets and future non-print publication takes us. :-)