Ross Borden, co-founder de Matador nous présente un "social networking travel site " différent des autres acteurs du marché.

C'est, il me semble un véritable site "culturel" ou les voyages ne sont qu'une partie d'un site qui est un lieu de rencontre pour les amoureux d'un veritable "art de vivre" autours de la musique, de l'art et de la culture.

Ross nous en dit plus sur MatadorTravel., un site bien "typé" !!!

> Ross , can you tell some information about you?

Ben and I grew up in the same town and I've known him for years. We share a passion for adventure travel.

>You work for a new social networking travel site , Matador. Can you tell us the story and some fact about it?

During our last trip to S. America, we climbed big mountains in Peru and Argentina and did road trips along the coasts of Chile and Brazil. That's when we realized the need for an online community--a network of like minded people from all over the world. Matador offers the opportunity to meet up with local people from all over the globe, other travelers in your area, as well as the ability to get advice from someone who was just there.

>Can you give us some outline about your goals with Matador!

We want to create a quality community of people who are passionate about travel, music and art, writing and photography, adventure sports, and sustainability.

> Who use Matador? Any special profil and country for Matador group & community users?

Yes, there are other travel sites: big and small, for profit, non-profit, travel blogs, travel photos, travel booking, even travel dating sites. But we offer a unique combination of tools and information for authentic connection with the world around us. By focusing on cultural immersion and positive global development we are creating a community on a mission.

>Any advises for people who start to use Matador!

Yes! Run the site on Firefox (www.mozilla.com/firefox). It will be a lot faster!

> What are the main advantage to use Matador? You are unique compare other social networking site.

Matador is a real community. It has a heartbeat. It features real people, traveling to real places, doing amazing things. Where existing sites display vacation blogs, our community foundation guides newcomers to inspirational adventures in culture by giving them the tools to get fully immersed on their trip. It gives Passionate Travelers and those who hope to join them the chance to enlarge their world and truly connect. The Matador Community doesn't travel to get away from home; we journey to join the rest of the world.

>Did you see something funny or very original for the Matador users?

We've been extremely impressed with the caliber of people who have joined so far and participated in the Closed Beta. They are adventure athletes, teachers, musicians, photographers, writers, explorers, NGO workers....you name it--over 600 of them from 28 countries--and we only launched one wek ago.

>Internet is going faster and we talk now about Web 2.0 and Travel 2.0. What do you think about this evolution in the tourism & hotel market place ? Word-of-mouth marketing and User Generated Content are the big trends for Travel 2.0 ?

At Matador, we think a lot of the "travel 2.0" sites are garbage. Is it really fun to rate hotels and restaurants? Most people don't want to over-plan their trips anyway--they want to be spontaneous and have adventures.

Wouldn't it be better to meet up with other hip, young travelers--or better yet, form a group that does something positive for a local community? Or share your experiences through photos and stories with the people you care about all over the world? At Matador, we believe that authentic travel goes way beyond consumption. We focus on the experience, and real, face to face interaction.

>We see important impact of news technologies (RSS, AJAX, podcast, blog, social networking tools, Google mashup, Vidéo etc), what is your point of view ?

We have them all. These are some of the tools and technologies that make matador so powerful.

>What about your development and project for Matador?

We'll be launching a bunch of new features at the beginning of March.




> Ecotourism seem a trend in tourism industry and we see some great initiative like EcoMilles or other Tour Operator who have specialized their products.
What about Matador ? What do you think about this trend ?

We are a member of "1% For The Planet" and we support all of our many community members who are passionate about eco-tourism and conservation.

> Can DMO's and Tourism Board become Matador Partners?

Probably not. Matador is built for travelers, as opposed to tourists.

>What are your personal taste for:

>Travel: .

Good friends in small numbers. Take risks and hang out with local people as much a s possible.

>Travel destination:

Brazil / Namibia / Alaska

>Hotel :

Hostel, crash with cool people from the area, or tent...

Merci Ross.