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Adventure Online
Kirby's Korner · September 10, 1999

Three new Web site debuted this month that, in one way or another, are dedicated to unusual travel.

All three tout the three "C"s Web experts tell you are needed to make any for-profit Web site succeed -- content, community, and commerce.

Yet despite these similarities, the people behind each site have chosen distinctly different approaches to achieving their goals. So I encourage you to visit each site for at least a couple of reasons. First, the subjects of the sites might be of interest to you. Second, with the discussion here in mind, you might become more aware of how we typical Web users are viewed by the powers that be who are behind the Web sites we encounter.

The three approaches chosen might be called "community," "pseudo-community," and "I am community." (And let me acknowledge something up front that a sardonic commentator is never supposed to recognize -- all three of these sites are in their earliest stages. All could change for better or worse.)

"Pseudo-community": Worldwaters.com is absolutely gorgeous. It is quick loading -- I visited it using a 28.8K connection and, other than the home page, have no complaints -- and visually stunning, particularly the fresh photo that appears on the top right-hand portion of each subsection of the site.

The site is dedicated to fishing, in all its myriad forms. It is divided into two main sections, a store for purchasing fishing gear and travel packages, and a "content" section with articles ranging from product reviews to destination information. You can learn a bit about a few travel packages available, but you'll have to call the San Francisco area on your own nickel to make reservations.

Promotional materials released by the site emphasize its "real personality," and I'll concede it has an original "look and feel." The first batch of articles and destination descriptions are written in-house, and they provide a fresh look at everything from Alaska fishing to reviews of new products.

What I disagree with, at least so far, is the claim that the site is building a "robust fishing community where anglers can go to share information with other anglers," according to a news release. I visited the site two hours before this article was posted and a few days after the site debuted. Not only can I not find discussion groups or visitor feedback, I can't find anywhere visitors are invited to share their experiences -- other than through a monthly contest that promises the possibility of earning $100 in credit toward purchases at the Worldwaters store.

That's the true problem with the site so far as community is concerned. Any quick look will tell you the site isn't organized around community, it's organized around selling.

Not, as the Saturday Night Live crew would say, that there's anything wrong with that.

"I am community": Shark.com, with one of the greatest Web addresses around, is designed around Australian golfer Greg Norman. It was designed by one of my favorite Web designers, vivid studios of San Francisco, and launched early this month.

The site "aims to inspire and enable active men to live their lives to a higher standard of success -- their own," according to a news release. At it, you'll find travel and lifestyle information, much of it naturally centered around Australia.

Shark.com -- which uses Norman's nickname as a title and Web address -- debuted at about the same time I was lamenting the lack of community sites on the Web for men. General manager Krisztina Javon told me there are plans to add chat and message boards to the site, to build a community for men, but she didn't think interactivity was the driving force behind the market shark.com is trying to reach.

You'll find travel information there, though, as well as advice from experts, information on outdoor sports, and trends and fashions of interest to men. A commerce section is planned, but the site is clearly driven by editorial concerns, rather than the sales decisions of Worldwaters.

I asked Javon why she and other women are in key positions on this site aimed at men. "We know you better than you know yourself," she laughed.

"Community": AdventureBase launched early this month, following a couple of months of beta testing available to the family and friends of site employees.

The site owners are in the game to make a profit, but this is clearly a labor of love. Aimed at all types of adventure travel, you'll find a directory that encourages you to go off-site, and a small amount of original editorial information.

A discussion area encourages us hoi polloi to participate, something that sets the initial launch of this site apart from the two other sites examined above. There's not much there yet, but that should change.

"A lot of people jumped on the 'community' mantra, but we want to emphasize that," cofounder T.J. McCue told me.

You can buy books on the site now, and you can link out -- in a "portal" sort of way -- to other Web sites. But I'd advise you to bookmark AdventureBase for future explorations. The folks behind the Web site clearly understand that you'd like to be heard.

David Kirby is the editor of the Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at dbkirby@pressroom.com.