Top Tips Travel Blogger’s Can Learn from Techies

This past weekend at the #TBEX10 conference here in New York I learned two main points. The first being that bloggers consider themselves mostly creatives, on par with any newspaper, magazine, or journal writer out there. The second, they don’t consider themselves marketers but are slowly realizing the value of marketing.

I was both flattered and a little flabbergasted at the sheer amount of people who approached me, heatstroke ridden, soaking wet, very tired (me), to ask about personal branding, branding for blogs, tools for promotion, tips for self promotion, and many other step-one basics that can push great blogs into the spotlight. Your writing is important, of course… but what use is fantastic writing if no one finds or reads it? The key here is to wipe clean the slate of  “marketing” as a dirty word. We live in the age of one-man businesses, teenage millionaire entrepreneurs, and interactive advertising: marketing isn’t dirty anymore, it’s whatever you make it.

Back to New York City, here I am, among a crowd of fantastic people who have courageously left the desk of a 9-5, sit hunched over laptops and smart phones till 3am, and wake up again at horrific hours to pour their whole heart and soul into projects and the world. Sound familiar? I’m actually talking about the start-up technology scene where everyday someone patents a venture they’ve been wishing and hoping for their whole lives. They ditch the traditional, empty their savings, and slave over grassroots efforts to watch their initiatives grow- and so do you, travel bloggers.

And because of this immense, deep correlation between the techies and the travelies, I’d like to formally introduce you. Say hello, don’t be shy, and check-in to that venue together on Foursquare. Because there’s a lot we can learn from each other.

1. Be an Early Adapter. You’re online, you’re connected. There’s no way you can pretend you don’t hear about the new latest phone or app or CMS tool or aggregator. In the start-up scene, everyday people flock to new programs and tools that could potentially be their favorite. Every day they think they could find the one that is a perfect fit for their needs. This rarely happens, but with the skill and time of playing with all these gadgets, a funny thing happens: they become experienced in searching and using them. As a blogger, you’re on the forefront of the Internet and there, with you, are all of these magic items waiting to make your life easier. So, why wait? try them today.

2. Don’t be Afraid of Finance. As bloggers, we have entire panels devoted to how to speak to public relations company’s and tourism boards for “freebies.” One good point made this past weekend at TBEX, is that they are not “freebies.” You provide an advertising and information service that is not fluff, it is substantial, and the sooner we realize that, the better.In start-ups, new biz owners are not afraid to reach out to investors and pitch them. They’re not afraid to say “this is what I’m working on, and it could be great, but I need backing.” How many bloggers out there have the next video or post, the next CMS, the next application in mind that could potentially change how we view travel writing- and just can’t finance it because their too busy humming over how to ask for that one night stay in a 3-star hotel? Be bold. Your work is worth it.

3. Crowdsource. Not everyone can learn every skill. I have a friend who i a developer. He spent many years at the large firms, slave to a desk, writing code that was copied in and pasted out, day in and day out. Now, he freelances, and you’d be surprised how many people call on him for day-long, week-long, month-long projects. And that’s because techies know they can’t possibly do everything. If they require a skill they don’t possess, they crowdsource; that is, take it to the streets to find someone who can. If you think there’s an important issue in Vietnam, and you’d love to comment but don’t know enough, why not ask a friend to guest blog? Why not get a fellow blogger to Flip cam you or photograph you? Hell, why not use a fellow bloggers photographs in exchange for links? If you need something, find it- there are plenty of very talented creatives out there.

4. Take Your Work Seriously, not Yourself. Another big lesson from this weekend: no one likes a jerk. Your work can be absolutely stunning and amazing, and if people don’t like you, they probably don’t care. Saying hello, how are you, engaging, being friendly, actually caring, you know, the things that make you a good person- they apply here, too. And even that Twitterer with the thousands of followers is still a little fish in a very big pond. Never downplay the importance of your work and what you’ve done, and what you plan to do. But laugh, smile, and remember that you’ve always got miles to go.

5. You All Everybody. During Internet Week in NYC you can find dozens of parties at everywhere from Next New Networks to Carrot Creative to Foursquare. And everybody piles in and grabs a solo cup of cheap wine, and writes business plans on napkins, and exchanges info. Because this is their community. This is their best resource. Travel blogging is the same way. There’s a niche for every single voice, and there’s a post idea for every single blogger. At the end of the day, these are your fellow entrepreneurs who left their jobs for round-the-world, or pack-up carry-ons for Friday night to Monday morning excursions. These are your people, and they are your greatest resource.