Hostel Buddies is live
It’s a new community site and it is called Hostel Buddies. I first came across this site when it was in private beta back in March and was impressed with their agenda. But it is ironic that I should be introducing it to you today ( a few days after it went live) on the same day that I have posted information about Boo.com
David Mackenzie and I have hooked up a number of times since he first introduced Hostel Buddies from Vienna to me via Skype and I have to say he has done a great job getting it live. Hostel Buddies only claims to be in Beta Version 1.0 and it seems unfair, but unfortunately impossible not, to compare it to the likes of Boo, Tripwiser or OE.TV. These sites have a greater traction and therefore much greater depth in their user generated content and unfortunately for Hostel Buddies a much slicker interface. Somehow the Hostel Buddies interface seems clumsy and I really struggle to work out how to get around. It is also very buggy (I am using Firefox) and perhaps navigation will become clearer once some of these are ironed out.
Nonetheless, David has been great with me, sending me screenshots well in advance of everyone else and really accommodating my interest. I will watch with enthusiasm as the site grows and hopefully there will be lots of parallel marketing opportunities that I can recommend to everyone. Travel communities (and in particular backpacking/hostels) are a tough space and competition is intense!
Tags: HostelBuddies.com, Industry, News