Monday, April 20, 2009

Widget Gadget Paper 4

As a novice traveler, it might take a bit of experience, or research to discover that there's an abundance of local attractions that provide just as much entertainment as a tourist one would, with the benefit of being immersed in the local culture.After dealing with the frustrations of booking flights and hotels, I always put off the task of planning an itinerary. It's not that I don't get excited about compiling a list of places I'd like to see, or things I'd like to do, but often because I don't know where to start. This is where Joobili comes in, and it's quite possibly one of the coolest things I've stumbled on through the internet. Joobili is an events generatorand social network, and all you have to do is let it know what dates you're planning your trip around and it pulls up events related to an assortment of topics, like: culture, food, arts, sports, and more!

Jared Salter and Tomas Gabor of Joobili Timely Travel, conceived the idea after returning from a trip to Switzerland and learning that they had each experienced vastly different events (tourist spots and Cartier's Polo World Cup) at the same time. With the realization that timing is essential to travel, and knowledge of attractions that are off the beaten path, Joobili was born.

The site aims to match events with travelers according to their interests and travel dates, while connecting users to other travelers via a social network. Users are encouraged to interact with one another and build connections through comments and ratings of events. It's still in the baby beta stage, which means that it suffers from occasional spazfests if you try to navigate the site too quickly, but the creators seem keen to perfect it, and take all manner of feedback as soon as it seems the site isn't working. Joobili is definitely geared to the recreational traveler, possibly the budget oriented college student on their three month pilgrimage to all things arty in Europe, or a retired couple eager to break free from the trite and true sightseeing landmarks.

Here's a breakdown of how it works and the background information behind it: Joobili Prezi

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