Associazione Italiana Travel Blogger – AITB

Durante l’ultima edizione della Bit, the Borsa Internazionale del Turismo di Milano, ho avuto il piacere di ascoltare l’intervento di alcuni membri dell’Associazione Italiana Travel Blogger. Una rete che promuove la professionalità, and for this you are given a code of ethics to give quality to content. Trovandomi in linea con il loro pensiero, ho preso la palla al balzo per sottolineare ancora una volta un concetto che mi sta molto a cuore, ma che purtroppo a molti non fa comodo capire. Let me explain ...

Parliamo di Digital Storytelling, il racconto digitale ed emozionale del territorio fatto da persone legate alla comunicazione che gestiscono un blog. Un’attività la cui rilevanza è stata riconosciuta dalle stesse istituzioni locali. The only sore point in this context, è che troppi sfruttano questa passione senza riconoscere l’impegno intellettuale, and not only, nel dedicare tempo ed energie a questa attività. Un pensiero che riscrivo per l’ennesima volta, per rimarcare a chi non comprende, or better, ha convenienza a non comprendere, che gestire e dare contenuti ad un blog, oltre ad avere costi, richiede molte energie.

Sentirsi riconoscere l’attività svolta grazie alla spinta della passione e dell’entusiasmo, non significa assolutamente che chi la esercita ne approfitti. Semplicemente si tratta di un equo compenso che giustifica le spese e il lavoro svolto. Sfruttare la passione altrui è moda assai diffusa. Some, sarebbe più facile avere alle spalle un editore, ma visti i tempi di scarsa riconoscenza, molti di noi lavorano e scrivono sulle proprie testate, con coerenza responsabilità e indipendenza.

A questo proposito mi riallaccio all’Associazione Italiana Travel Blogger, che ha regolamentato l’attività dei propri associati adottando un codice etico basato sui principi di indipendenza, responsabilità, respect, onestà ed accuratezza. Un’autodisciplina tesa a garantire l’attività dei travel blogger, su cui riflettere e da cui prendere spunto per altre categorie di questo settore della comunicazione.

Having said, passo la parola a Monica Nardella, founder del blog di viaggi “Turista di mestiere” e Presidente all’Associazione Italiana Travel Blogger.

Cynthia, la decisione di fondare AITB è giunta dopo una lunga riflessione. I travel blogger, quando ho iniziato io nel 2010, erano persone innamorate del viaggio che volevano condividere le proprie esperienze e, why not, esser d’aiuto ad altri viaggiatori in procinto di partire con consigli e informazioni aggiornate in tempo reale, and, above all, gratuite. Eravamo dei pionieri e non lo sapevamo. Eravamo generosi, entusiasti e sempre con un biglietto in tasca. Poi la rete ci ha scoperti. Attorno ai nostri blog si sono create delle community fidelizzate di viaggiatori desiderosi di dare il proprio contributo o semplicemente di lettori con la voglia di viaggiare restando comodamente seduti su un divano. Sono iniziate le domande, i commenti, i confronti. Ognuno di noi, per assecondare questa passione, sottrae tempo ad altro. A una passeggiata, a un film, a una sana dormita. Ma lo facciamo perché ci piace e perché ci sentiamo (siamo) utili, a tutti: lettori, viaggiatori, territori.

Here, siamo arrivati al nocciolo della questione: il generico “territori” sta per enti, proloco, strutture ricettive, ristoranti, musei. Un circuito enorme che ha inteso perfettamente le potenzialità dei travel blogger, la nostra capacità di creare curiosità, di dare visibilità a una destinazione (con una foto, un articolo o con un live sui social) e di orientare addirittura delle scelte. AITB nasce perché i travel blogger non debbano più sentirsi dei moderni Don Chisciotte alle prese con (alcuni) operatori del turismo pronti a coinvolgerci nella promozione dei propri territori con “pretesa” di professionalità durante tutte le fasi del progetto, ma al contempo convinti che basti invocare la passione per quel che facciamo per ricompensare il nostro lavoro.

Lavoro che inizia nel momento stesso in cui veniamo contattati, ma forse, anzi sicuramente, molto prima. Perché se un Ente, ad esempio, si rivolge proprio noi, non accade per caso. Significa che siamo emersi dal mare magnum di altre pagine. Che siamo ben indicizzati, che il nostro target è definito e risponde alla chiave di ricerca. E questo è successo perché scriviamo bene, perché il nostro blog è accattivante, è navigabile, è responsive. Perché alla base di un blog di successo non c’è più solo la passione. Ci sono tempo, sacrificio, rinunce e, also, investimento economico per quel dietro le quinte che non si vede ma che sostiene la nostra pagina e quegli strumenti sempre più specialistici con cui realizziamo reportage belli e coinvolgenti.

AITB nasce dunque per tutelare i travel blogger che sanno di essere dei professionisti e chiedono di esser trattati come tali in ogni fase della collaborazione e ha come obiettivo dichiarato quello di garantire a chiunque si rivolga ai propri associati di interagire con persone che hanno deciso spontaneamente di lavorare sotto l’egida di un codice etico a riprova della propria onestà intellettuale. La strada all’inizio sembrava impervia e piena di insidie ma la risposta dei blogger e quella degli operatori del turismo ci stanno dando ragione e ci stimolano a perseguire gli obiettivi prefissati con entusiasmo e determinazione. Ne vedremo davvero delle belle!

Associazione Italiana Travel Blogger   www.travelbloggeritalia.it

L’importanza dell’educazione digitale.

Recently, durante i miei percorsi alla scoperta di sapori e di territori, ho avuto il piacere di conoscere Maria Grazia Rosati, Social Media Specialist, and Marco Colombo, CEO & ecommerce manager. Both the team KailashWeb, web marketing agency (THIS e SEM) Lecco, that deals with the design and implementation of websites and e-commerce, content management platforms, social media marketing, web graphics and hardcopy. All clear? I really do not think so, per lo meno a i non addetti.

If we want to talk, but above all to understand the importance of digital communication for the promotion of resources, maybe it's time to leave the ABC, e rendere un pochino più chiara e comprensibile a tutti, often too technical terminology that is used by professionals.

The advent of the Internet has made it faster. For many it is not easy to keep up. The digital education and training, for this, They are of paramount importance. Forse anche un po’ più di semplicità servirebbe ad amplificare questo strumento, a chi non ne comprende pienamente il linguaggio.

Well, we want to do some 'clarity? I would say yes. Maria Grazia, Framework… now it's up to you to answer my questions.

• First things first. Siete un’agenzia di “web marketing (THIS e SEM)”. Vogliamo tradurre in parole semplici questa definizione spiegando in che cosa consiste e qual è l’utilità?

Digital technology has become an integral part of our lives. Basti pensare che oltre il 75% of Europeans have access to internet. People spend more and more hours online: for business or pleasure; watch video, read newspapers, do research, socialize and share content on social. Smartphones have given a significant boost in this direction. For a company, tutte queste persone e tutte queste attività svolte online, rappresentano un potenziale interessante.

How can a company take advantage of opportunities offered by the web? And 'here that "we enter into play". Le agenzie di web marketing aiutano le imprese, from small craftsmen to multinational, ad essere presenti online e a promuovere la propria attività, anche attraverso i motori di ricerca. I motori di ricerca sono un fantastico strumento di marketing che aiutano chi effettua una ricerca a trovare precisamente ciò che desidera. There are two main ways to appear in search results:

– The first way is the SEO (Search Engine Optimizzation), or optimization for search engines which helps to promote their business in the organic search results (no fee).

-The second way is the SEM (search engine marketing) that allows you to buy ad space on search results. Then, be present in the results of the search engines means to reach the right users who are looking for products and services you offer.

• Made "websites and e-commerce". What is the difference?

A website is a space on the web that allows anyone (company, private, institution etc.) to publish content that can be, ad esempio, texts, photos and videos. We can divide the websites according to their function: to meet people such as Community and Social Network, disseminate information and news as sites of newspapers or, as in the case of corporate sites, inform and promote products and services.

The electronic Commerce (e-commerce) is a website that is designed to sell products and services. It 'a virtual shop for all purposes where customers can buy online the things that interest them using a PC, a smartphone or a tablet and a connection. Le vendite online sono in costante crescita, al punto che ogni azienda dovrebbe prendere in considerazione l’opportunità di vendere i propri prodotti e servizi nel web.

• Do you also platforms of "content management". You take a practical example to understand the content?

 I Content Management System (CMS) are platforms that allow you to manage the content of websites without having to have any programming skills. The websites are created using programming languages (html, php, JavaScript to name a few), so in order to publish the updates have to know how to program in such languages.

Mettiamo il caso in cui un responsabile marketing voglia comunicare, through its Internet website, che la sua azienda sarà presente ad una fiera. Must write the news, maybe relate it to a photo or logo of the fair and send it to the programmer for publication. Spesso i programmatori sono esterni all’azienda, per cui potrebbe trascorrere del tempo prima che si pubblichi la notizia. Se poi vuole aggiungere o modificare quello appena pubblicato, dovrà sempre “passare” dal programmatore con tempi che si allungano e costi che aumentano.

Se si ha a disposizione un CMS che permette di gestire tutti i contenuti del proprio sito internet, si può scrivere la notizia in maniera facile, veloce e in completa autonomia. Pubblicarla oppure modificarla. For which a CMS is important as it:

> Being self-employed in 'update the contents of its website
> Not having to possess technical skills of programming, so anyone can update content
> Immediacy of actions not having to depend on programmers.
> Lower costs

• Social media strategy e social media marketing. Two paths and a single goal. Share?

Social media are now part of our daily lives. If you have a business, Social media is a great opportunity because they allow people to get in touch, interact, condividere e scambiare informazioni. Questi canali possono quindi essere uno strumento utilissimo per il business, poiché rappresentano una piattaforma che ti permette di parlare direttamente ai tuoi clienti e a quelli potenziali, be involved in conversations, build a relationship of trust, reach more people, and above all a better understanding of your customers.

Based on my experience, every campaign social media marketing provides a different strategy based on the needs of the sector. The strategies are needed in each case and there are no standards. You can not think of being on social media without having set an appropriate strategy. To do that we must analyze the customer, the sector in which it operates, its competitors, his goal and his Target.

As for the finish line, as I mentioned before, bisogna definire un target e un obiettivo, and for this, before you decide to be present on social media, bisogna capire dove si vuole arrivare e a chi rivolgersi. For example, una strategia Social per un Agriturismo deve essere molto visual, quindi mi concentrerei su Instagram, Pinterest e Facebook. While a professional would use Linkedin, Twitter e Facebook.

Riprendo la parola oltre che per ringraziare Marco e Maria Grazia, dai più conosciuta come Mery Greiss, per sottolineare ciò che ripeto spesso: la semplicità apre molte porte, anche quella della conoscenza.

Obiettivogreen, a startup founded in the suburbs of Milan 2011 a project of the founders Matteo Cozzi and Benedetto Pillon. An idea developed to support electric mobility has evolved expanding the range of other fields of sustainability. A "green circuit" made of points of acceptance, including food, beauty, shopping, spa and travel.

The project in November 2013 He was among the winners of the competition organized by the Lombardy Region "Net Generation". In the same year she was recognized among the Open Source projects of the City of Florence on the city Mobile Applications. A green network that tracks and promotes sustainable reality of Italy, available through the APP mobile iOS and Android, or via the website Obiettivogreen.it

In an increasingly connected, provide a tool to facilitate the consumers to identify and interact with sustainable structures, certainly facilitates ethical consumption, quality and low environmental impact. Given the above, once you download the application, how to proceed?

• I asked the question to the founders of Obiettivogreen.

Cynthia, it's all very simple. Una volta installata l’applicazione sul proprio dispositivo, you can customize the map: you can select "points Reload" if you are among the lucky owners of an electric vehicle and find the columns closest to you, or select the "conventions" in order to discover the green side of your city and find all the activities affiliated with the portal. The selection can be changed at any time, e la consultazione di entrambe le mappe è totalmente gratuita. If you would rather get the discounts in all the activities you can buy the GreenCard directly from the app or on the website, This will appear on the phone's display to be shown at the time of payment to get the discount. Una delle tante scelte che abbiamo fatto per rendere il portale più sostenibile e consapevole nei confronti delle tematiche ambientali.

But the real strength of the App is that of involving the user entire project, simply photographing a column you can add it to the database, and once registered on the portal can be integrated, edit and update all the forms of charging points, clearly the data will be examined by our staff before going online. While for the Conventions you can report any that is not part of the portal and we will strive, contacting you to let it know our project. E 'remained unchanged so our idea to make everyone aware of to ensure that the project will grow with reports of those who live it every day.

• Initiative, your, offering the opportunity to promote sustainable activities of addressing a targeted audience. See for yourself the virtuous structures that adhere to your project?

The creation of a portal that would promote the Made in Italy Sustainable is always our strong point and we wanted this to remain unchanged over time. We believe that portals where anyone can sign up and join there are too many, in our case we verify where you can directly structures that become part of the project. Where this is not possible for reasons including geographical, we tend to place structures that are suggested by other, or by other portals that have the same our sensitivity, or as I said before it is the users themselves, then targeted, to suggest to those who join the project. For this reason you will find that reality often are not mentioned in other portals and if they are found not clear why the value of the place, of your hosts, which instead in our data reflected immediately on the fly.

Currently the facilities are approximately 300 all details, sensitive, with something that makes them a target for our users. We never wanted to enter a form of construction of the card because we prefer to do it ourselves always comparing ourselves with stakeholders to make each tab a starting point and not an end point in the relationship between us and those who join the portal. Also for this reason membership is free, we only ask to the individual to guarantee us a discount percentage agreed always changeable over time.

• At a time like this in which the rate of pollution has exceeded the minimum thresholds, what is your commitment to electric mobility?

Electric mobility is the main theme of our projects. In 2011 we created an app that would allow to report the columns simply by photographing, two years later we were the first project Made in Italy to have a website and an application that would deal with sustainable mobility. All of our users over the years have had in hand the tools to grow this movement, fortunately today we are no longer the only, There are many other organizations that deal with sustainability and mobility.

We believe that the 2016 is a key year for this sector, we will continue to be there with our project, with people who have followed us so far and we hope with others that will increase our wealth of knowledge in the field. We have several ongoing collaborations, just so we believe it is possible to spread a culture that until a few years ago was still the stereotype that an electric car was just a toy too expensive. We believe in this philosophy of change also our work has helped change the mentality and approach to mobility by all the experts, and not only. We therefore expect a significant year for our project and for the sustainability Made in Italy.

www.obiettivogreen.it
info@obiettivogreen.it

Intervista di Maria Grazia Rosati pubblicata il 15 Dicembre su www.kailashweb.it

The digital communications It is an essential element for all companies, often, They fail to understand the importance.

The project #KailashLab continues its path Digital education and along the way he met Cynthia Tosini every day tells, into your blog and social media, "Stories of People" because people are important and even more so their stories.

How you can make digital communications? Simply telling

Deciding to do Storytelling, exposing their companies telling, It increases the trust of customers. Increase confidence ensures efficient and mouth Word of mouth helps to create more and more stories.

The 7 December I met Cynthia at Tosini fair Agrinatura, dedicated to the enhancement of the agricultural sector, forest, livestock and the promotion of rural tourism and the natural and environmental heritage.

The place was not chosen at random but because behind every exhibitor present at Agrinatura, There are interesting stories that Cynthia is always able to tell her to perfection.

I asked a few simple questions helpful to make it clear to many realities the importance of online communication.

 – Hello Cynthia, thank you for accepting my invitation. I leave immediately with presentations: who you are and what you do?

  Who are they? Just a woman who has reinvented. After a bad 'fall', getting up, They came quite by accident in the communication to become a journalist. I've spent the last five years along kilometers and kilometers in an attempt to recover and experience in areas that love always, and that I think are closely linked to the future of the Italian economy: l 'Food and wine, tourism and the environment.

What I do? Condivido il bello e il buono del territorio italiano mettendo al centro le persone. It is not always easy, because I live between two lives ... like I was on a bridge. Sometimes I go down one part, and sometimes the other. Step by step, I learn and build, with the knowledge that everything can change in an instant.

– Like telling "Stories of People", tell us about your experience.

"Stories of people" is my space on the web free of constraints and limits, where I write what I live and I have experienced in recent years. And 'it born after two experiences in wine sites, in a case like the author, and the other as a founding member. The themes that have taken the 'Food and wine, the'ambient e le beauties of the Italian territory. A storytelling lived just through my eyes, my emotions, and knowledge of the people. A narrative that requires research, commitment, passione ed entusiasmo. Essential elements who support me and accompanying me.

– The Digital communication is important? Explain how you use the web and social media in your job.

 Direi fondamentale. Social and digital communication, if you used well, They are strategic for the promotion of the territory and its products. Unfortunately in Italy we do, but not communicate. In this regard, I reiterate the importance of strengthening the network, that, when insufficient, limits the scope for people like me who promotes and enhances resources. The Internet is a global network, a tool with which in a moment millions of computers connect to each other. A great opportunity that we all have to make the most. Finally, I stress the unjust limitations that do not allow you to share images in museums or artistic sites, a cultural heritage and a common good. Carried this regard Article 9 of the Italian Constitution: "The Republic promotes the development of culture and scientific and technical research. It safeguards landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the nation. "In Italy it has many resources, those responsible should only help those who want to communicate to the world. Long speech ...

 – Le realtà che incontri che rapporto hanno con il web?

Some have great value, while other almost absent. Behavior that is justified by the lack of time, or lack of knowledge of social networks. The situation is very variable, but is improving. The problem is also the way to communicate. A website is no longer enough. Products must be recounted, so that consumers can understand it the full value.

– Because a company has to communicate digital?

Because with the advent of the web we open to the world. Using the network can let us know, but above all we can raise awareness of our work and our productions.

A brand that is communicated with all means, to prevent counterfeiting gain the upper hand.

– The same holds even for the small realities?

Some. Small family businesses are the heart of the Italian. Represent our great tradition that distinguishes us in the world. Visit the small reality teaches and excites for life stories that can be heard, and entrepreneurial courage that alas, in recent years, It is strained by too much bureaucracy and the underworld.

– A word of advice for companies that are just online.

The advice I give to companies is communicate their products with images and everyday gestures shared on social platforms. Rather than quantity is useful focus on quality content, using simple words that convey the culture and value of the products. To show off their work, creating confidence and conveying emotions, It is based on the promotion.