Recently there have been articles and things said at conferences about social media that question its use in travel. I think this is a healthy debate and I'm glad that there are skeptics because they keep things honest.

So is social media the emperor with new clothes or is it David in David vs Goliath, where Goliath is the traditional way of doing things?

The main reason I hear from skeptics as to why social media is the emperor with no clothes is because while it's the hot topic nowadays, it has offered almost nothing in the way of hardcore ROI that many people in the digital space are used to.

And, as a communications channel to engage fans and customers, that road only has a few bright lights. So it's tempting to leave social media as a playground for the twenty-somethings. After all, by spending $X dollars on SEM one can consistent get Y bookings, so why not stick with something that's proven?

Those that are in the David camp thinks that social media is the next big thing — the media to change the way brands connect with consumers; it's at least an evolution, if not a revolution from the web connections of the 2000s.

Many see the potential in social media's distribution power, particularly because they feel their own direct bookings have been impacted by positive social media even if the positive social media isn't always directly linked to their booking engine.

Follow the below link to read the entire article:

www.webintravel.com/blog/is-social-media-david-or-the-emperor-you-decide_1591