Times journalist and aspiring author Michael Moran is promoting his new book Sod Abroad through his blog (natch), as well as through an interactive map where users can add their own holiday stories.
True to the spirit of the book, which apparently promotes the idea of staying back in Blighty, as opposed to frequenting nasty foreign hell-holes, visitors to his Google Maps-powered whinge-a-thon have obliged by posting tales of holiday woe... often in excruciatingly graphic detail.
Particular highlights include Amsterdam ("Don't do shrooms alone in AMS"), Riva del Garda, Italy ("got Scabies") and Sharm El Sheik, Egypt ("squee").
I don't know how successful this particular Web 2.0 scheme will be at selling the book - it's eminently possible that some of the stories added (genuine or not) are rather better than Moran's efforts.
Still, kudos for a genuinely interesting and entertaining web mashup (Google + Yahoo Pipes) - and it's got to be better than videos of cats and bad virals.
Google Maps to Share Horror Stories
"Sod Abroad" Promotion
Trend Themes
1. Interactive Maps for Sharing Travel Experiences - The travel industry can leverage this trend by offering interactive maps and other digital tools to help travelers share their experiences and create user-generated content.
2. Hyper-localized Personalization - Using data-driven technologies, industries can provide customers hyper-localized personalizations that cater to their specific needs and preferences such as recommended hotels or attractions based on their interactive maps.
3. Crowd-sourced Travel Content - Businesses can leverage crowd-sourcing platforms such as interactive maps or social media to create a wealth of user-generated content to help customers plan their vacations.
Industry Implications
1. Travel and Tourism - The travel industry can leverage this trend by offering interactive maps and other digital tools to help travelers share their experiences and create user-generated content.
2. Marketing and Advertising - Marketing and Advertising agencies can use this trend to create personalized campaigns and gather user-generated data through interactive maps and social media.
3. E-commerce - E-commerce companies can incorporate interactive maps in their platforms, enabling customers to visualize products and services in real-world context, improving their online shopping experience.