This is it, the rollout of the website that will be our home more than anyplace else as we travel the world in 2006.
The name of the site is “The World Is Not Flat�?, which easily translates to the acronym T.W.I.N.F. We call it “Twin-eff.�?
You can use the primary url: theworldisnotflat.com or the acronym version: twinf.com.
The Back-story:
When we started telling people about our plans for the trip, we found that people love to share their travel experiences. We would write what we could on a napkin or envelope and eventually lose those valuable tidbits.
So, we figured there must be a way to collect and organize similar travel experiences using a web site. We started looking for ways to have a travel blog that also enabled our friends to share their experiences with us on the Web. This was the original inspiration for TwinF.
Fun and Useful Info:
There are a few things on TwinF that you (likely being somewhat geeky) might find interesting.
- We've integrated Google Maps into the site. Our Dispatches from the road appear on the global map and in individual dispatch pages. These won't be nearly as cool until after we leave, but you get the idea...
- We have a star-based rating system for Travel Experiences that members contribute.
- Two different
Tag clouds offer a way to navigate the site two main parts of the site. - There are two primary RSS feeds:
Our Dispatches: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TwinfDispatches
Member Experiences: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TwinfExperiences - TwinF is built on Drupal, hosted (and custom coded) by Bryght, designed by Rain City Studios. Of course, the concept and Social Design are all Common Craft. I could not ask for better people to be involved.
We're Counting on You:
The site is an experiment. We’re hoping that people who have traveled internationally will register and share their experiences. For this to work, we need to generate some word-of-mouth buzz. Please link to this post and/or the TwinF site. Use the tag “twinf�? if you’re so inclined. Pass it on!
About The Name:
There is an obvious resemblance to Tom Friedman’s excellent book The World is Flat. Our site has nothing to do with the book and is certainly not meant to be contrarian. We reserved the URL on December 24th, 2004, and his book was published on April 5th, 2005...if you're curious.
And Finally: Some Expectation Setting
We don't really know where all this is heading, but here's what we'd like to happen. We want to hear from you in comments and via Travel Experiences because we think it will improve our experience. In exchange we'll be very honest with you about our preparation and lives on the road. If you're curious, ask us!
Once we hit the road in December, our priority will be the traveling experience. We want to have a good trip more than a good website and that will be our guide. Until then, I'll be talking more about TwinF here on Common Craft.
Tags: twinf