Hej, mam prosbe moze ktos zernac na moje bledy?
The Lonely Planet Forum
-Contents Analysis
Why have I choosen tourist forum?
Since I have remeber I’m interesting in tourist and travel. Mainly in Arabic countries. I usually looking for information connected with these countries, culture and customs. Internet is for me great source of unavalible information, which I coulden’t found anywhere else. When I’m planning a trip, I always spent a lot of time on searching tough the internet the best solutions. Looking for some advice, tips, cheaper ways.
I pick up the LonelyPlanet forum, becouse it is one of the most popular international, turistic forum. It contains a lot of information unfoundable in any other places.
About forum:
This forum is a part of an internet travel guide. It is one big portal, where we can find information about every country. There also we can buy guides which are edited by their own publishing house, get tips about destinations we are interested in, book the hotel, plan a tour or compare flights. This portal contains lots of curios and nessecery information.
*56 branches located in 5 main groups:
-Departure Lounge
-The Lobby
-Check in with Lonely Planet
-Tree House
-Sell, Swap & Meet Up
* 482 925 topics
* avarage 1.910 massages a day
* avarage 5.400 visitors a day
* 21 moderators and 2 administrators
About Users:
* 24.931 registrated users
* 63% users are male
* Users come from whole the world
* Avarage every 5th user is an American
* There are 923 registrated polish users
The observation aims:
To gain information what is the role of the internet in process of searching for the information, before making a purchase decision. I want to know what kind of information people looking for in the internet and where they find them.
Scopes:
Subject scope are all users of the LonelyPlanet Forum.
Object scope is internet as a source of nessesery information in travel branch
Time scope – 1st – 8th april 2009
Research problem:
To find out if internet is a good source of information about destinations, hotels and flights and what is the best place to find such an information.
Research questions:
-What kind of infomation are you looking for, before you decide to buy a turist service?
-Where in Internet are you looking for information you are going to find out?
Active observation:
I asked this 2 questions in one thread. I received only 7 replies on my questions, but 3 of them haven’t been connected with my question. One refers to my grammar mistake and 2 others were spam.
Anwers which I got:
Glaremm1091(France) “Before my trip I usually check prices, opinions about turist agencies and information about my destinations, mostly I’m looking for those info. via google or turist agencies websites.”
Roux (Argentina): “Actually every information about my destination is worth. I use a search engine-esspecially google and organisators websites to find out it, also I spend a lot of time on LonelyP”
Sweate (United States):”Information about wather, worth seeing places, local customs and shopping. Usually I find particular information on organisators webs. but it depends”
Momorisse(United States): “Firstly I’m looking for prices of trains and airlines tickets. Next I’m booking a hotel and after I’m searching for attractions: worth seeing places, local details, what I can visit, opening hours, acces, prices of local public transport. And I check it on maps.
Most of this info. I find with google(everything we can google) But also local and international forums- possibility to ask experianced men- priceless”
According to this replies I’m infering that internet is a good source of information about the world. Users are looking for destinations information, details about places, they compere prices of hotels and flights. Checking weather and shopping information and every details they want.
The most popular way of searching is searching engine, I mean google as no.1. Organisators websites are also very popular, but mainly in particular information esspecialy information about price, hotels. Internet forums are invaluable becouse of many subjective information, where people sheres with emotions, notes and advice.
Summing up I think internet is a good source of turist information. There are a lot of interesting and also particular information. Nowadays it becomes as common source. Every internet user find there neccesery and important information, which he is looking for.
Passive observation:
I deciced to observe the thread “needed or needless?”, becouse it is connteded with my rearch. The problem, which I find there is refer to information contains on forum. Autor ask users about they opinion if LonelyPlanet forum information are helpfull and usefull. In this topic participate 3 users and there are 5 replies.
The author (11maryr- United States) of the subject wrote:
“I observed in most part information here are stupid. What do you think, most of information is useless or not?
In response on this question we can read following answers:
Nea0der(Germany):“Of course needed, thanks them I know what more I have to seek, even this stupid information sometimes are usefull, but it is really difficult to find what I’m interested in”
Jojomami(Brasil: “Big mess here, just 20% of threads is usefull, mods should delate every stupid messeges”
Nea0der(Germany):“oh don’t knock it, even this stupid ones are usefull- you can learn almost all you need esspecially about fools”
Yatwedeei(France):“ LP like a rubish bean? Maybe yes, but I can filter information. Now the most of threads I visited is usefull for me. If I couldn’t, probably it would be a contrast, here are too much rubish. I think without prior research you won’t find what you need, even this rubish sometimes are curiosities or else where from I have to know in ones cities you should wear red clothes, becouse it is colour of mobs. Or you shouldn’t waer short skirts in arabic countries, becouse of their customs. What would you do if you couldn’t read about Spain from spanish, just from webs wrote by Englishman..”
In relation to those replies and information about forum, also after view of contents. I can interpereted that forum for users is like rubbish bean. There are multitude of topics and messeges. But in most part those information are very usefull, as user Yatwedeei wrote users need to have an abilility fo filter information. Also according to his reply thanks to such a forums, users around the world can find information strightly from residents of country they are interested in. Forum contains many usefull and helpfull advice and information. But there are also many rubbish.