And so it goes...

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Well the lights are turned off, the chairs are moved back and the TBEX conference has wound down here in Stockholm.  Such an interesting week but not for the reasons you may think…  I wasn’t sure what to expect attending my first TBEX, and so had few expectations but thought that my prior conference experience would hold me in good stead. 

I guess I didn’t factor in that the travel blogging marketplace is predominately made up of Gen X’ers and so I’m not your average attendee, not by a long way…  Although I probably should have guessed that in terms of travel blogging community and demographic it was still somewhat of a surprise.

Okay, so I had a couple of days to participate and listen to a range of topics, and like most conferences the people that have the knowledge aren’t necessarily the ones that can communicate their message the most effectively, however that being said I attended a couple of great sessions which have already got me doing some new stuff – my new Zazzle store for starters!

So now what?  It made me ponder and take stock, so if indeed I want to be a part of the travel blogger marketplace then I need to rethink my approach to blogging in a few key areas, yep all the biggies!   Focus, format, and structure.

To be competitive in this marketplace it was clear that I need to choose an angle and stick to it – should I be focused on traveling with kids, or for business, luxury perhaps...  To stand out and truly put myself in a position where I could drive a revenue stream from my travel writing then I’d need to do a few things differently.  So let me share my thinking with you so far:

Indelible Tip #1:  Focus To become an influencer in this space then I’d have to choose a narrow topic area and strive to be the absolute authority in this space.  It was clear that this is what the assorted travel companies in attendance were looking for.  They want to engage and work with only those who drive new paying customers to them and, which understandably is the name of the game.

The ah-ha for me is that I currently don’t have a razor sharp travel focus (e.g. writing for the business traveler, traveling with the kids or family, or perhaps the over 50’s…) the list is endless btw.  In addition, I would need to travel more…to places more specifically aligned to my genre of travel writing. This is doable, except that the travel industry has grown accustom to not paying its writers or bloggers fees per see with the vast majority of companies offering the writer the experience gratis (take a tour or some night’s accommodation as payment) if you write about your personal experience and make recommendations, but with the understanding that there is no associated fee.

You may have noted the publicity and backlash recently from within the creative community, which includes writers, artists and musicians all pushing back on the corporate community about doing stuff for free in exchange for the publicity. Remember many of these corporations are making tens of millions of dollars in profits each year, but not willing to pay their freelancers.  Makes you think and take pause!   Clearly we can all take the high road, but this market is chock full of people ready to step in when you decide to take the high road on this.

There will always be a segment of the traveling community that will accept the status quo, and maybe if I was in my 20’s and traveling the world this would be an appealing scenario. Nothing like getting some free accommodation and/or a free tour now and then for just writing about the experience and posting it.  On the surface it sounds like a brilliant idea, except that it’s not sustainable...cos' you still have to eat.  

Perhaps the only exception being that if you actually can become the authority on your segment of the market, then not only can you expect to command some actual revenue from your writing but more importantly the speaking engagements and allied opportunities that surround your role as the resident expert.  

I realize I'm fortunate in that I have a diversified background and have multiple revenue streams vs. just my writing - which btw was done purposefully when I set up my business, so that I could follow my passions and still make a living.

Indelible Tip 2: Format You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that my blog format does not fit into the traditional travel blog model, in that I often write about a range of topics and subjects not just travel and so when speaking to the various travel companies I didn’t fit their mold, and so for the most part wasn’t what they are looking for.  Fair enough!

In fact, I’m often asked what drives my weekly topics…  Great question, and I suppose it’s whatever is on my mind when I sit down to write in any particular week.  As you’ve noted one week I could be talking about my childhood, the next about a trip I took, and perhaps the next about Zach and Sami.  This is no master plan – basically going with the flow of life and what is top of mind, hence my eclectic range of topics.

During one of the breakout sessions one of the speakers was quick to point out that not all of us are travel writers or even bloggers, but predominately diarists... A nice way to tell us that we're a bunch of wannabes I suppose.  His point was that there are very few actual bloggers of substance who have the skills and/or qualifications to be writing on the travel industry.  An uncomfortable truth for most of us in the room that day - me included!

True, he was more of a purist in that he is a well-known journalist and travel writer with a major daily newspaper but it made me stop and think.  Hopefully my compatriots in the room also took that tidbit away, although I think to a large degree he had already alienated the majority of them by then with his rather outspoken position on whose is qualified to be a travel writer/blogger.  Shame it was an interesting point of view...although I'm not sure I totally agree. 

Indelible Tip 3: Structure Sorry to say that another big "ah-ha" moment for me was that to be taken seriously even as a blogger I would need to restructure my weekly blog.  Having my blog, bundled with a fictional story and then a bunch of photos isn’t exactly mainstream. Clearly I don’t fit the mold in this department either – yes, yes I can hear you saying...thank you Sherlock Holmes! 

In fact, I would go so far as to say that like much of my life, I sort of make it up as I go along. Remember I have the luxury of having a solid resume and set of life experience that have prepared me for this very type of life so I can sort of get away with it.  Without this solid background and multiple revenue streams then I’d be out of luck…

So what now TW?   First question is "How do I propose to restructure my blog?"   Well, I plan to spin my micro story serial out into its own blog…and so, for those of you addicted - yes, you know who you are I’ll be providing you with the link to Hanoi Posting which will lead you to the continuation of our story in the coming weeks.

To be fair I’d been contemplating this for some time before I attended the conference so more of an evolution of my blogging rather than a complete change in direction.

All in all an enlightening experience at TBEX and wouldn’t have traded my time in Scandinavia for anything.  The best thing to come out of the trip so far has been my new Zazzle store – come check it out.

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“Hanoi Posting”

A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Episode 54: Warmth  

Lea woke with a start, her mind flashed as she quickly reached to turn the alarm clock toward her.  "Shit" she said out loud...we're going to miss our flight.  Alessio blearily opened his eyes, and smiling in a barely audible voice said "non ti preoccupare ti cattura il prossimo volo bello" (don't worry we'll catch the next flight beautiful)  Although Lea wasn't fluent in Italian although she knew enough to get by and she turned on him with flashing eyes and spat "you don't understand I have to be on that flight".  

But before she could move from the bed Alessio had reached for her and pulled her into him, she struggled to free herself but his strong arms held her as their lips met...

Guido smiled as they glided down the stairs a little after 10:00 am for breakfast, although he noted that Lea didn't make eye contact with him when they greeted each other but rather blushed a little.  Guido, the consulate diplomat had already called the airlines and rebooked them onto Bangkok with the flight leaving later that afternoon, via a connecting flight in Rome.  For the most part she had tried to not think about her liaison between her and Alessio but tried to take it in stride and minimize the feelings of guilt that began washing over her after their love making.  

As the day wore on she felt completely out of sorts, on the one hand she reasoned that she loved Bill and that's why she was traveling half way around the world to see him so she could make a go of it, but then why had she fallen into a sexual relationship with Alessio seemingly so easily...

Alessio was his attentive, talkative and attractive self...damn he looked good, and smelled even better Lea thought to herself as the boarded the plane bound for Rome.   Why was she being tortured she wondered, especially now of all times?

Next week:  Episode 55:  Single minded      

p.s.  In the coming weeks I will be creating a new blog for Hanoi Posting so that it will have a a new home and splitting it from the main Indelible Adventures blog post - stay tuned!

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This week's photos are from my time in beautiful Scandinavia.

Enjoy!

TW

 

Loved the old school streetcars that they have in Gothenburg

  

Over my time in Scandinavia I shot a lot of doorways - they were stunning!

Where to begin...

The Saluhallen in Gothenburg - a tasty stop for a hungry visitor

The shoemakers tools to create new shoes...fascinating

Such an ominous sky!   Gothenburg is such a beautiful port city on
Sweden's west coast, often overlooked but a fantastic place to explore

A definite European feel to this city - the architecture alone is what you'd expect to find anywhere in Europe

Fantastic old iron bridges, sit low over the myriad of canals that criss cross the city

A visit to Hala is a definite "must do" when in Gothenburg, this bohemian
neighborhood is south of the main canal and city center

Miles and miles of bike paths all over the city

A typically European delivery truck...or should I say golf cart??

Another of the interesting sights in Gothenburg, as a seaport there
are some amazing architectural and cultural flourishes that don't
quite seem to fit Sweden like you'd expect

An old and storied city...

Even older streetcars on some routes...  Very cool!