I'm slowly learning the many differences between "old world" ways
and the ways of the new world as defined by the Web. But I'm not
learning fast enough, if it's possible to learn about the Web fast
enough.
I'll try to close the gap in the next two weeks by attending two
Internet-related travel conferences. Next week in Miami, I'll be at
the @travel conference and the following week Travel Weekly is
sponsoring its annual technology conference in Chicago.
One difference I have noticed is the aggressiveness of
participants at some of these conferences. It's not as if the idea
of getting good press just happened. It's that the Web companies
are spending unprecedented amounts of money to get ink.
The @travel meeting sponsored by the Jupiter organization
allowed me to register as a press attendee, which I appreciate.
But the moment my name hit the press list, it must have been
circulated to the public relations representatives for every travel
Web site on the planet.
Almost instantly, my e-mail box has been besieged with pitches
from public relations people for me to sit down with their clients
while in Miami. If I accepted every one of these offers, I wouldn't
be attending any of the sessions.
Mulling over this unusual surge of demand for my attentions,
I've attributed it to the incredible competition in what the savvy
folks the "Internet space." The need to get positive publicity for
Web companies really must be intense if they're chasing me this
avidly.
It's not that I don't want to sit down with Internet executives
and learn about their activities. I just don't respond very well to
being "pitched" to do it. I prefer to choose my subjects as a
result of what piques my interest rather than in reaction to public
relations offers.
Part of the problem the Web sites have is getting the world to
understand what's different about any of them.
As I mentioned the other day, it's getting pretty tricky to sort
out one travel site from another. The Bear Stearns report that came
out this week referred to the overheated competition and
duplication among travel sites.
If differentiating among the sites has become difficult for
those of us who are paid to follow the industry, can you imagine
how the consumer must feel?
Surfing for travel information on the Web is rather like walking
through an endless flea market. You know there's great stuff there
somewhere but where the heck is it?