TripUp est un site de social travel networking. Il s'appelait tripmates il y a encore quelques semaines, mais ce changement de nom a aussi permis d'ajouter de nouvelles fonctionnalités au site Internet.

Les fontionnalités de networking sont bien pensé et le graphisme simple et intuitif.

Mais laissons la parole à Sam Rogoway (CEO, Founder) qui nous présente TripUp et sa vision du Travel 2.0

>> Samuel,can you tell some information about you?

Prior to running TripUp, I was an entertainment attorney. I worked on matters for celebs like Paris Hilton and Ashley Olsen.

>>You are the co-founder a great travel 2.0 web site, www.tripup.com.,
>Can you tell us the story and some fact about it?

The idea for TripUp originated when I was traveling with friends. Guide books led us to stuffy hotels and empty bars. The best trip advice we received came from locals and other travelers-- the true travel experts. So, we built a social travel network where you can interact with people who share similar interests and obtain candid and current trip advice before you depart. TripUp is also the first website where you can effectively find a Trip Buddy-- someone to meet up with on a trip. Many single travelers don't travel because they either don't have someone to go with or don't know anyone in their destination. TripUp empowers the single traveler by providing an opportunity to find a Trip Buddy either traveling to or living in a particular place. People from all over the world are using TripUp to link up, meet up, and hook up with travelers and locals.




>>Can you give us some outline about your goals with www.tripup.com.!

The goal of TripUp is to become the largest social travel network on the planet. TripUp already offer the most comprehensive social networking features of any online travel community. For instance, you are not going to find customizable profiles (similar to MySpace) on any other travel website. And we are continuing to develop cool user-generated content features- like Trip Flicks, the first user-generated travel video feature offered by an online travel community.

>> Who use www.tripup.com? Any special profil and country for tripup.com group & community users?

TripUp has a very diverse membership. Members come from all over the world. Most are between 18-35 years of age, but all share a love of travel.

>>Any advises for people who start to use www.tripup.com !

Don't be afraid to express your inner-traveler and get interactive. The great thing about TripUp is that you can really express yourself and your travels by customizing your profile (such as adding html and embedded flash, as well as designing your profile styles), posting upcoming trips, and sharing trip blogs, photos, videos, and reviews. Become tripmates with other members and build a network of travel experts and contacts from all of your favorite and dream destinations. Plus, a lot of our members become a Trip Guru for a destination and offer travel advice to other members.

>> www.tripup.com is a social travel network , how do you make money to > run this Travel 2.0 business?

TripUp is supported by advertising. However, we don't clutter our pages with ads like some of our competitors.

>> What are the main advantage to use www.tripup.com?

The main advantages of TripUp are:
(1) you can seek current and candid travel advice from real people with similar interests; and
(2) you can enhance your trip by finding a local to show you around or a fellow traveler to meet up with while on your journey.

>> What are the top 5 users for www.tripup.com?

Top 5 uses for TripUp:

1. Seeking trip advice from a Trip Guru

2. Finding a Trip Buddy

3. Posting user-generated travel content

4. Keeping track of your friends' travels

5. Organizing a group trip with our Tripvite feature




>>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 ?

The online travel space is slowly evolving. User-generated content and social networking are very hot topics, but the largest players in the space (online travel agencies) aren't sure how to integrate them. There is also a lot of debate regarding how useful user-generated content is for trip planning. I think user-generated content is extremely effective if put into context. A great itinerary for one person might be inappropriate for another. Unlike sites like TripAdvisor, TripUp allows you to link to a person's profile and interact with them directly. Getting to know a travel advisor helps you evaluate the credibility and relevance of their advice.

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

Online travel is just starting to recognize the value of adopting these technologies. TripUp is at the forefront of integrating new technologies like AJAX, mashups, and flash, and over the coming months we will be releasing more cutting-edge features.

>>What about your developpment and project for www.tripup.com?

We develop everything in-house.

>> Can DMO's and Tourism Board become www.tripup.com Partners?

We are actively discussing partnership opportunities with a variety of travel-oriented organizations. Since we are leading the pack in social travel networking technology, we believe we offer a very exciting product that can add tremendous value to other travel websites.

>>What are your personal taste for:

>>Travel:
Exploring a new city without a map. It's amazing what you find when you are lost.

>>Travel destination:
Tough one- Hawaii is great for a tropical holiday. But, the South of France is "formidable."

>>Hotel :
Manele Bay in Lanai

>>Business:
I travel often to San Francisco for business and enjoy staying at the Clift Hotel- close to the action and features a great restaurant and bar.

>>You have the micro

Our motto at TripUp is "Don't be a tourist!" So I encourage everyone to join TripUp so they never feel like a tourist again.