Maintaining a blog is not an easy task to do. It could be a frustratingly slow experience as most of us will spend an enormous amount of time just to figure out ‘what next?’ If writing just, what is an engaging content to us would have invited billions of reader, things would have been a little simpler.
Empathising with the need of every travel bloggers to the hilt, Blackboard, city of joy’s one and only travel startup successfully organised Kolkata’s first international travel blogging event – ‘Travel Blogging Unplugged’
The event was to create a social impact bringing together the future travel bloggers of the city under a roof. It was executed on 4-5 February at ILEAD Kolkata. To end the stumbling blocks of these budding writers and giving them an insight of to the competitive market and the crucial skills they will need to achieve their dreams.
Amit Sengupta, founder and CEO, Blackboard gave a background to Newsd about the interaction with reputed national and international travel bloggers and entrepreneurs in this business, new bloggers will inculcate the delicate skill to handle their careers; he said, “The aim of ‘Travel Blogging Unplugged’ is to create social impact by connecting a passionate travel community and enable them with travel blogging skills by interaction with reputed national and international travel bloggers. Participants from the region got to learn about various avenues to understand the rich, competitive market of travel blogging; learn the basics, master required skills of travel blogging, the role of photography in a travel blog; SEO and break into the league of national travel blogging. Armed with these vital skills, these young, passionate digitally enabled travellers can pursue their passion for travel blogging, raising funds for social causes and become digitally savvy entrepreneurs in future,”
Mousumi Kar, co-founder of Blackboard, said that Blackboard is advocating the cause of travelling and connecting like-minded travellers. “Youths in the Eastern region to enhance their digital skills of storytelling. We are looking forward to such collaborations with educational institutes to pave the pathway towards a vital ecosystem in the region,” she added.
Travel Blogging Unplugged witnessed a series of successful guest entrepreneurs and travel bloggers leading the business helping the young strivers to absorb the strategies of blog promotion, the economic aspects of travel blogging and collective marketing. They ignited the minds of the attendees by sharing their firsthand account of the challenges they faced on their path to success.
Executive Director of ILEAD Kolkata Pragya Chopra informing the attendees of a budget friendly travel advised, “Youths should look at various avenues to travel on a budget. Before you become an ace travel blogger, try and explore the world, look out and explore avenues to travel to destinations solo or together with friends and colleagues. You should explore budget-friendly destinations, begin with. This will give you a bank of stories and blogs to curate the content that you would need for your own travel blogs.
Vinay Bahety, Zoom car and Mr Kushal Walia, Travel Triangle discussed the various branding techniques and audience targeting to be done to improve and develop a successful blog. He enlightened the attendees about the various kinds of blogs and the popularity of each one of them. Walia also discussed creating a ‘search engine friendly’ blog.
Traveller and entrepreneur Samaresh Das known for his self-driven expeditions in Iceland and Alaska gave a jaw-dropping speech on the vital elements that an epic traveller has to possess to pursue such an off-beat career. Award-winning travel blogger Megan Jerrard gave tips to kick start a new blog.
Parnashree Devi of Traveldiaryparnashree, Abhinav Singh, of Soul window, solo woman traveller and adventure travel blogger Ms Medhavi Davda who runs her famous blog Ravenouslegs, were also a part of their star speakers who inspiring the attendees. International bloggers Zara and Ashray (Backpackme) also joined the discussion online from Lisbon, summing up all that a novice travel blogger needs to know before he’s ready to come up with his own successful and unique blog.
