Category Proposal :

[+RakeInTheCache]

The category would allow other travelling waymarkers the ability to share hotel recommendations with each other. Why buy a guidebook when you've got Waymarking?

 

Recommendations should include an explanation justifying the recommendation, any noteworthy facilities and relative price indication (value, moderate, expensive) and target market (low budget, tourist, business, luxury).

 

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I think you can click here to join. Hotel Recommendation Group

Edited April 27, 2006 by RakeInTheCache

[+RakeInTheCache]

The trick with this one will be to make it so hotel owners/operators are unable to tout their product.

[+silverquill]

The category would allow other travelling waymarkers the ability to share hotel recommendations with each other. Why buy a guidebook when you've got Waymarking?

 

Well, I'm not sure that creating waymarks to substitute as guidebooks for commercial establishments is exactly the goal of Waymarking, although we do have a number of retail categories.

 

There are two main problems with this idea, as I see it.

 

First, the category is way, way to general! It is not just that there are maybe a million or more hote/motel/inn establishments to waymark, but that they are so wide ranging -- from bungalows to five star hotels. It would just be chaos!

 

Second, it is entirely too subjective to be of use. We all know that one person's enthusiastic recommendation may lead to another person's miserable experience. I think the recommendations would be useless.

 

Third, to create a "directory" would require more effort than I would be willing to spend on a waymark.

 

Okay, I can't count.

 

I'm sure others may have other feelings, and I'm certainly willing to listen, but that's my input at the moment.

[+RakeInTheCache]

The category would allow other travelling waymarkers the ability to share hotel recommendations with each other. Why buy a guidebook when you've got Waymarking?

 

Well, I'm not sure that creating waymarks to substitute as guidebooks for commercial establishments is exactly the goal of Waymarking, although we do have a number of retail categories.

 

There are two main problems with this idea, as I see it.

 

First, the category is way, way to general! It is not just that there are maybe a million or more hote/motel/inn establishments to waymark, but that they are so wide ranging -- from bungalows to five star hotels. It would just be chaos!

 

Second, it is entirely too subjective to be of use. We all know that one person's enthusiastic recommendation may lead to another person's miserable experience. I think the recommendations would be useless.

 

Third, to create a "directory" would require more effort than I would be willing to spend on a waymark.

 

Okay, I can't count.

 

I'm sure others may have other feelings, and I'm certainly willing to listen, but that's my input at the moment.

 

Thanks for your input siverquill. Discussion is what forums are all about.

 

1) I admit, I haven't quite understood why categories need to be real specific. How is a general category any more chaotic than having lots of (sometimes obscure) sub categories?

 

2) Waymark creators are encouraged to explain why they recommended the hotel. Those who, after reading the description, thought the recommendation lacked credibility could disregard it. This could be tightend so that recommendations without justification could be rejected by the group.

 

3) Not sure I understood this - do you mean as a group member or as a creator of waymarks? Is your concern that there would be too many waymarks to approve?

[+martycook]

The category would allow other travelling waymarkers the ability to share hotel recommendations with each other. Why buy a guidebook when you've got Waymarking?

 

Well, I'm not sure that creating waymarks to substitute as guidebooks for commercial establishments is exactly the goal of Waymarking, although we do have a number of retail categories.

 

There are two main problems with this idea, as I see it.

 

First, the category is way, way too general! It is not just that there are maybe a million or more hote/motel/inn establishments to waymark, but that they are so wide ranging -- from bungalows to five star hotels. It would just be chaos!

 

Second, it is entirely too subjective to be of use. We all know that one person's enthusiastic recommendation may lead to another person's miserable experience. I think the recommendations would be useless.

 

Third, to create a "directory" would require more effort than I would be willing to spend on a waymark.

 

Okay, I can't count.

 

I'm sure others may have other feelings, and I'm certainly willing to listen, but that's my input at the moment.

 

Thanks for your input siverquill. Discussion is what forums are all about.

 

1) I admit, I haven't quite understood why categories need to be real specific. How is a general category any more chaotic than having lots of (sometimes obscure) sub categories?

 

2) Waymark creators are encouraged to explain why they recommended the hotel. Those who, after reading the description, thought the recommendation lacked credibility could disregard it. This could be tightend so that recommendations without justification could be rejected by the group

 

3) Not sure I understood this - do you mean as a group member or as a creator of waymarks? Is your concern that there would be too many waymarks to approve?

 

1 & 2) With such a broad category, ANY hotel/motel/inn/hostle/yogwan, etc. is fair game -- anything someone wants to recommend. I think this results in a meaningless hodge-podge of waymarks. That is a matter of opinion, and that may be exactly what you're after. Nor right or wrong, I guess, just personal preference. Then, when I go out to create waymarks, I want something specific to look for. This also implies that one has to stay at the establishment in question, though I suppose not absolutely necessary, I suppose. Even though the submission has to justify the recommendation, it still just comes down to a his/her preference and recommendation lining up with that of the particular reviewer. I see this as an unworkable process. People usually don't take kindly to having a submitted waymark denied, esp. with such subjective criteria.

 

3). This is from the view of one submitting the waymark. I just wouldn't expend the effort and time to get all of the information required to make a directory style waymark. Guess I'm just lazy. Others may feel differently and be attracted to the challenge of gathering all of the details.

 

Like you said, forums are good for discussion. Give and take. Where's the coffee??

[+silverquill]

[

Like you said, forums are good for discussion. Give and take. Where's the coffee??

 

Ooops! Looks as if my wife forgot to logoff, so the above reply is actually from me, Silverquill, not Martycook.

[+RakeInTheCache]

You raised some valid points. This made me think though, you can vote for waymarks on the page. Wouldn't this have the effect of identifying the bad recommendations?

 

Maybe I should narrow the category to recommended tourist hotels, or bed & breakfasts? This would exclude the budget and luxury cateogries.

[+BruceS]

You raised some valid points. This made me think though, you can vote for waymarks on the page. Wouldn't this have the effect of identifying the bad recommendations?

 

Maybe I should narrow the category to recommended tourist hotels, or bed & breakfasts? This would exclude the budget and luxury cateogries.

 

There is already a bed & breakfasts category. Tourist hotels is about any hotel out there, it depends on the budget of the tourist, this classification would not exclude the budget and luxury hotels.

[+RakeInTheCache]

 

There is already a bed & breakfasts category.

 

Yes, I see that. There is also a Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast category which would seem to overlap. Might still be possible to have a "Recommended Bed & Breakfast" category.

[+BruceS]

 

There is already a bed & breakfasts category.

 

Yes, I see that. There is also a Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast category which would seem to overlap. Might still be possible to have a "Recommended Bed & Breakfast" category.

 

The lighthouse bed & breakfast category came first and then the Bed & Breakfast category. I think Recommended Bed & Breakfast category would be a duplicate of the Bed & Breakfast category. I don't think you would find many Bed & Breakfasts that were only listed in the Bed & Breakfast category and the not listed in the Recommended Bed & Breakfast category.

 

Yes every lighthouse bed & breakfast can be listed in the bed & breakfast category but they would not be duplicate categories as not all bed & breakfasts are lighthouse bed and breakfasts. However, I could find someone to recommend any bed & breakfast even the less than desirable ones.