About the author
Stephen Chapman
Founder of Make Travel Fair and Editor-in-Chief. I never need too much persuasion to up sticks and explore a new part of the world, although getting engaged last year means that it's not necessarily all about me anymore. My personal Blog can be found at stephen-chapman.com.

Platial Gets Local Guides

Platial

The online, shared mapping tool Platial is described as ‘The People’s Guide to Who and What’s Nearby’. It aims to be a useful way for people to share the context and meaning of Places. Anyone can map just about anything. Platial was developed in 2005 and came from a love of exploring and sharing places. Another social mapping tool Frappr! was acquired by Platial in 2007, combining maps of people with Platial’s maps of places.

Local Guides is a new aspect for Platial. ‘Meet Locals, Get Tips, Explore’ is the tagline. Their first highlighted guide is Philip Lee from Taipei.  The idea of taking an online community offline and making use of the global connection is certainly not a new idea, but one I’m sure we’ll see more of as social networks realise their potential in the real world.

“Local guides give recommendations for the gems in the cities and regions they represent, places which provide glimpses into local life and local flavors. They will share what is unique and amazing about their cities, from local history to food to birding spots or temples. They are not editors or travelers but locals who can bring you face to face with their cultures.”

All local guides are volunteers and the listings are currently limited but with such a large community there are obviously plans to roll out the offering on a big scale.

There are no comments yet. Be the first and leave a response!

Leave a Reply

Wanting to leave an <em>phasis on your comment?

Trackback URL http://www.maketravelfair.co.uk/2008/12/18/platial-gets-local-guides/trackback/

Read previous post:
Green Visions: Bosnia & Herzegovina

If tourism can develop and grow in a sustainable manner through companies like Green Visions, then the unique culture of Bosnia & Herzegovina can be preserved.

Close