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 On May 28, I got an email in my VirtualTourist mailbox which I initially mistook for a spam. Curiosity got the better of me when 3 words on the subject caught my eyes: travel, guide, writer.
Intrigued, I read it and found out that the sender was asking if I’ll be interested to join their team as travel guide writer for Manila. A series of email exchanges followed over the next 2 weeks until I was asked to write a short paragraph about myself and a 1-page essay on Introduction to Manila’s History and Current Affair. The latter clinched it!
On the morning of June 16, I was pleasantly surprised to find 3 new email in my Yahoo inbox with the subject: Welcome Aida. Yes! I am now a part of the growing team of a4trip.
Modesty aside, I’m not after the money or the royalty fees. It’s the opportunity to share my city as well as my travel experiences that motivated me to be part of a4trip. And of course, the prestige! I’ll say, a4trip is my claim to fame ;)
I find a4friends much like my other Internet-based community — people are friendly, cheerful, and accommodating. At this point, I wish that I could also develop a “flesh & blood” friendship with the other members, instead of just virtual acquaintance.
As for the website itself, I have some suggestions:
- come up with a gallery of a4friends members grouped into writers, mappers, editors, translators, etc. with picture and brief description. This way, we can connect the name with the person virtually since not all of us can meet each other in person.
- separate blogs from information i.e. a page for a4trip guide announcements, a page for animal conservation, a page for miscellaneous/stories, etc.
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