For most of last year, IgoUgo was tinkering with its technology.
In techno-speak, the travel review Web site was enhancing platforms, or, the layman would say, fine-tuning what makes everything tick for their traveler audience.
But in the coming months, IgoUgo will be turning more of its time and attention to its consumer product: the chatter about cool places to go, things to see, food to eat, and some things to avoid, offered up by a large and savvy travel community.
To do so, it is promoting higher-quality reviews and travel experience content and has started by more actively encouraging its contributors to be better travel writers. It is giving high-profile attention to its top travel scribes on the site.
Its recently released crop of tips for travel reviewers on how to be more literary comes from a bevy of editors at IgoUgo and from within the 350,000-member travel community itself. The advice has begun to sound like something straight out of creative-writing class: keep good notes, use active voice and write from experience.
Peter Campion, general manager of IgoUgo, doesn't shy from the comparison.
"The core writers who were raised on the journals and photos and the sharing of rich travel experiences love all this," said Campion, who took the helm at the site in mid-2007. "They see themselves as amateur travel writers, and some could be professional travel writers."
In fact, the site has spawned travel writers for other media, from magazines to books.
Campion said IgoUgo editors now get requests from authors of books who are looking for high-quality travel photographs, and from magazines looking for new prospects among the all-volunteer army of IgoUgo writers and reviewers.
"We love sharing those opportunities with our writers," Campion said.
In addition to passing along such contacts, the site promotes its top contributors with annual awards. Although IgoUgo pays reviewers with small travel perks, largely frequent flyer miles, Campion said that was not what drew reviewers. He said many reviewers never cash in the miles, leaving him to conclude that a good part of what drives writers to review is their desire to share and to be recognized.
"People want good content, especially with things they are sharing with family members," Campion said. "Ego plays a part, and so people are receptive to suggestions. We are trying to be that travel positive brand, and getting rich content so that more people come to the site to use it is what it's about."
With technological improvements completed last year, IgoUgo is leveraging opportunities for travel planning and sees the improved content as the path to financial performance, Campion said. IgoUgo derives its revenue from advertisers that are attracted to the demographics of travelers who come to share their experiences or to peruse what others are saying and showing about their travel adventures.
To help do that, the site over the next few months is likely to go after enhancements to its restaurant reviews and encourage more reviews by locals of hometown hangouts, food favorites and other attractions.
The site, which records about 1 million unique visitors and 5 million page views per month, directs consumers to advertisers such as Orbitz and Expedia, to direct suppliers and even to nontravel advertisers. About 63% of its members have incomes above $125,000 a year, most are white-collar workers with college degrees, and 80% of members book travel online.
IgoUgo was acquired by Sabre in 2005 and became part of its Travelocity group in 2006.
To contact reporter Dan Luzadder, send e-mail to [email protected].