I originally posted this item on my personal blog but I think it is more appropriate on this one since it is more travel technology oriented.

A recent survey by boo.com found that over 70% of travelers who use the Internet for research depend on peer to peer reviews and recommendations. It is not surprising then that TripAdvisor is following suit and adding a social networking to their site. I would like to have seen them integrate more closely with Facebook or LinkedIn in order to leverage existing technology instead of adding yet another social networking site to the mix, but I understand their motivation. The idea that TripAdvisor is owned by Expedia still leaves a lot of questions about credibility and impartiality. Most travelers, however, don’t realize what the relationships are between these seemingly open rating sites and the companies that sell the products that they rate. Check out The Triumverate of Travel for more details on this.

Although I am happy to see that travel companies are realizing the significance of social networking online and the effect it can have on the decision making process, I am skeptical that these product driven networks will succeed in the same way as their impartial cousins have succeeded. A good example of this is Wal-mart’s attempt to build a social networking site based on MySpace that was designed for teens. The problem was that the site was controlled by Wal-mart and was pre-populated with bogus members whose only comments were about how cool it was to shop at Wal-mart. Many of the companies that try to force their way into the social networking arena make broad assumptions about who uses them and why. In addition, these companies try to disguise their true intentions of selling products by trying to force a community around their brand. My feeling is that many consumers, especially the ones online, are more sophisticated than that and will ultimately see beyond the facade.

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