Luxury Link Community - Real Purpose?

[omegaet]

Community Members & LL_Moderators (if you are so inclined to comment)...we've traded several PMs and emails with another community member on this subject. So today, we thought we would just post the question and see what, if any, thoughts or ideas others might have on the matter.



Whatis/are the benefit(s) toLuxury Link to operate, administer and incentivize participation in the Luxury Link Community? Of course, we know they have developed a couple of ideas and incorporated them into past changes......but are a few ideas now and then what motivates LL? Thereare certainly costs associated with LL_Moderators and LL_Editors monitoring and corresponding (it is doubtful these individualshave beensolely hired to function asmonitors....they must have other positions of responsibility within the company....and if so, then there are direct costs associated with the added work load). There are costs or at least "lost revenue" associated with the quarterly VIP bonus awards (these numbers are probably not one to one, since some of the recipients might not have ultimately made a purchase without the $500 inducement).



So what say you? Why is LL continuing to operate this community? Do you see it growing and expanding.....if so, what direction(s) might the future hold?



TheSeptember 4, 2007 Luxury Link news release is informative and interestingin terms of innovative and collaborative marketing effortshttp://www.luxurylink.com/about/abt_news_pr.php?val=news&id=1024



Message Edited by omegaet on 09-27-2007 12:04 PM

[disneygal]

Hi O, that's certainly an interesting question, and of course only LL knows for sure how they are benefiting from the community. The way I see it, the community gives LL a glimpse into the travel wishes and experiences of a segment of the buying audience. The vouchers entice us to remain engaged, and to purchase our travel from LL (can't let the vouchers go to waste!). Buy accomodating the wishes of potential purchasers, they can offer the travel products we're looking for. It sure appears to be a win-win.

[claassenam]

Good Question O! When this first began, and especially with the incentives for VIP Contributors, I wondered if this would be a payoff for the company. I think the main thing is this: I for one am spending way more time visiting Luxury Link than I was before. I am seeing all of the little ads that pop up alongside the community boards. Within the discussions my appetite is being whetted to visit auctions I might not have seen unless they were mentioned to me. All of the discussions are getting me antsy for the next trip, and I hope I can incorporate an LL auction or two into that trip! If there are many like me, the payoff has been good for Luxury Link.

I posted elsewhere I feel like the actvity on the board has slowed down as of late, but that is likely seasonal as most business slows down in August/September as people gear up for the fall and winter seasons. I've noticed a lot of new posters, but unfortunately many aren't "sticking". Who knows what the future at LL may hold?

[kyshel]

so, I'm curious--what's your opinion?

[romualda]

The past, current and future purpose of the Luxury Link Community is a
to be a destination
for luxury travelers to share general & specific travel
information, ask questions, tell travel stories, share photos & video (improvements for these are on the way) and to have all of this done from peer to peer.
While we will be providing a
new forum
for Community members to better communnicate with Luxury Link, the design and purpose of this Community is not as a communication tool between the traveler and LL.




The benefit to Luxury Link is very clear to me.
In this Community we are able to create valuable travel content for other users to reference to help them with their own travel decisions.
It also provides a forum for less experienced world travelers to turn to with their questions.
There are other travel communities on the web, but this is the only luxury travel Community
of which
I am aware.




Community content is the most valuable travel information there is on the web becasue it comes from the travelers themselves.
There is no corporate agenda in the community, or affilaitions with hotels or hotel groups...it is simply the opinions of travel experts - and this is very valuable.
And you will see that we quickly rid the Community of spam and posts with agendas beyond passing along useful information.




As a company, we are very pleased with our Community but still think of it as being in its infancy stage.
We have intentionally been slow to make changes or move information around, as we too our figuring out just what it will become.
We have a lot of ideas and plans for the future, and we value the opinions of all Community participants as we move forward.




We offer the participation incentive
as a gesture of our appreciation for the hard work that goes into all of your posts - and remember - when they are about travel experiences, and not idle chit-chat, they are valuable to everyone who may read them.
But I wonder, are you suggesting that we do away with the $500 gift certificate and the contest?
We can if it is not making sense to our most valuable contributors.




In summation, yes, we see the Community expanding and growing.
In what direction? I already let you know that we will be adding a tool to display slideshows
and video - and this will be coming soon.
Beyond that, you will have to hold tight.
We have a list of dozens of things we plan to do in the
Community, and very much
look forward to unveiling them.





I hope that answered your questions.




Cheers,

Jono

[funtimes]

LL is incredibly valuable to us!!! We have taken four amazing trips with LL just this year. Please do not remove the VIP incentive. This obviously helps financally - but LL trips are a bargain already. The incentive keeps some people engaged, and the regular writers are experienced knowledgable travelers. LL is my "escape" to dream of fascinating vacation destinations and speak with others who have the same interests. There is a great deal to learn - I find this a favorite informative engaging site with wonderful opportunities Thanks LL We enjoy hearing of the video-slide show portion to come. makes me wish I was a better photographer and computer person. After our Italy trip, I've finally decided to purchase a digital camera - I know I'm a pioneer. LL will be the first place I look for the camera as well. LL services are excellent -Keep up the good work! happy travels...Funtimes

[Syrene-1]

I'm sorry, O but i did not like this question at all. So...



I have to agree with Funtimes completely - thank you for saying it so well.



The way I normally travel works so well with this site - it's a perfect match. I try to check the auctions and "hot deals" every day or so. When something catches my eye I do a little more research and just buy it. The actual dates and planning when to go comes later.



This fall is different, I needed a get-away and had not a clue where to go. All Ihad to do wasput a shout out to my friends in the LL Community and a flurry of suggestions and ideas came my way. The people in this Community understood what I was looking for. No one suggested Disney or some other generic destination (Nothing against Disney) they understood without my having to explain. That is priceless to me.

[claassenam]

Thanks for the in-depth reply Jono! I love this community, I love being a VIP member (and hope I can continue to be as long as I have the stamina to keep checking in every day or so) and I love the VIP incentives - please don't give those up. I'm looking forward to the changes that are to come. I'm actually amazed by how quickly things change around here, but what is here is good stuff already. Please don't take anything away (except maybe the superfluous "travel styles" boards - I don't think anyone has visited those in a while!)

[travel2fun]

omegaet, when I first read the questions in your thread, I was astonished. I could not image you or any otherVIP asking the questions or encouraging responses from one of the LL_Moderators.



Then I read the articulate and pointed answers given by Jono Hart. Then, I reread you original questions. I think youwere probingto see if you would get the type ofanswers Jono Hart gave and especiallyin the first sentence of paragraph number five. "We offer the participation incentives as a gesture of our appreciation for the hard work that goes into all posts - and remember - when they are about travel experiences, and not idle chit-chat, they are valuable to everyone who may read them."



Sounds like idle chatter and chit-chat are not the objective of this community. Sounds like luxury link is more than willing to reward serious and relevant participation with ranking and bonus rewards.







I think you are crazy like a fox and probably wearing a big smile!



On the other hand, maybe Jono Hart and his associates see it differently and your VIP status and future incentives will be revoked. It's the end of the quarter, so I guess we will all have to wait and see what happens.

[imbues]

It would be helpful to have an active thread link.