Travel BlogCamp

One of the debates we had at last year’s blogcamp was around the word ‘blog’. I suspect the majority of consumers visit a site and do not differentiate between a blog or a website. That said, you have to stand out and be uniqueso for many using the term blog has helped them along the way, I know it has me.

Please introduce yourself and your blog

I’m Karen Bryan, founder and editor of the UK based, multi-author Europe a la Carte Blog which is about the best places to visit in Europe with emphasis on seeing beyond the usual tourist attractions.

What are the biggest challenges you face as an independent blogger?

In a travel blog network there are personnel/departments dedicated to specific tasks e.g. sales to find advertisers, IT support for technical support but as an independent blogger I have to be a jack of all trades. As readers aren’t prepared to pay for content, advertising is the only possible source of revenue. Therefore I have to spend quite a high proportion of my time on this crucial task giving me less time to research and write about travel.

What annoys you about blogging?

Being obsessive about my blog, I’m always thinking about things I could or should be doing, even during leisure time.

What do you enjoy about writing a popular travel blog?

I love writing about travel in Europe, finding great deals and visiting different places. If reading the Europe a la Carte Blog inspires readers to visit a destination in Europe that they hadn’t considered, or enables them to find a great deal so they can stretch their travel budget further, or if reading the blog entertains them, I feel I’ve achieved my aim.

Do you think the term ‘blogs and blogging’ will exist in 5 years time

I sometimes wonder if the word blog alienates potential readers who see blog and immediately think it must be something techie or nerdy, whereas it’s really just a term for an interactive online magazine. The whole issue of whether bloggers are different to travel writers or travel journalists is largely irrelevant to readers, if they find the travel content useful and/or enjoyable.

Earning revenue is difficult on blogs so what other projects are you working on?

I launched TravelBrandTwt this week. It’s a Twitter account management service to assist travel and leisure brands make Twitter work for them. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Twitter travel and leisure arena promoting the Europe a la Carte Blog, appreciating that merely having a Twitter account is not a magic formula to success. It takes a lot of time, effort and knowledge to maximise Twitter’s potential.

Based on my experience I’ve devised TravelBrandTwt to ensure that travel and leisure brands get the most out of their Twitter presence. I envisage two client groups, organisations who have not yet ventured into Twitter and are not sure how to get started and organisations who have a Twitter presence that isn’t delivering much benefit.”