Budget Travel Uses KickApps To Transform Online Experience

Social Media Puts Readers in the Center of the Magazine’s Offering by Integrating Reader Submitted Content Throughout the Publication

Inspired by the magazine's daring, user-generated June 2008 10th Anniversary issue that showcases a reader-submitted cover photograph, and feature-length articles written entirely by readers, BudgetTravel.com now extends that vision to its growing online community. The KickApps powered social media section of the website gives readers and travel enthusiasts the opportunity to share their fondest travel experiences and adventures, and discover new ones.

"With our new social media features, BudgetTravel.com readers will play an exciting role in helping their friends, family and fellow readers travel better and have more fun," said Steve Merrill, general manager of BudgetTravel.com. "The KickApps Platform gives us the ability to extend our ‘reader first' vision and philosophy, which started with our print magazine, to our website in some great new ways. Our partnership with KickApps enables BudgetTravel.com to become both a destination for great content and the perfect place to meet other travelers."

Using the KickApps Platform, BudgetTravel.com gives travel enthusiasts and aspiring travel writers the chance to become ‘uncertified' tour guides for travelers planning their next getaway. The new features include:

• Get a Second Opinion: Links from BudgetTravel.com articles to informative, user-generated Travel Journals that offer first-hand stories, opinions, and advice from community members about their travel experiences.
• A Blog for Non-Bloggers: In the spirit of storytelling, readers can replace their antiquated slideshows and photo albums with photo-enabled Travel Journals that can be read by fellow travelers around the world.
• Be a Star: Everything's rate-able, including photos, videos, and Travel Journals.  Content that receives high ratings gets a chance to be featured prominently throughout the website. 
• Talk Back: Readers will be able to submit comments on articles, allowing website members to have their say on virtually every page of the website.

In addition, Budget Travel kicks off its "A Perfect Day In..." series in June with "A Perfect Day in...Santa Fe."  Editors of Budget Travel will select reader-submitted stories and reviews of the best things to do in cool cities across the United States. Reader-submitted content, including photos and videos of the destinations, will be featured prominently on BudgetTravel.com.  KickApps will power the photo and video submission process for readers. 

"Budget Travel has demonstrated great leadership and vision in making social media and user-generated content such an integral part of its print and online experience," said Alex Blum, CEO of KickApps. "The KickApps Platform is designed to make it easy for web publishers to reap the benefits of audience engagement and interactivity by creating compelling programs the way Budget Travel has. We look forward to our continued partnership with Steve and his innovative team in delivering new ways for Budget Travel's readers to share in their passion for travel and discovery."

About KickApps

Selected by BusinessWeek readers as Best of the Web 2008, KickApps provides brands, enterprises and web publishers with solutions that enable social, interactive, dynamic, distributed and data-informed web experiences. KickApps solutions consist of a suite of hosted social and media applications and services that are used by some of the world’s largest websites and brands to grow & engage their online audiences and foster deeper relationships with customers. Clients include: Budget Travel, H&R Block, U2, CW Television, Guinness World Records, Special Olympics, HBO, Cinemax, Cox Television, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and thousands of other sites. For more information, visit www.kickapps.com and www.kickdeveloper.com.

KickApps Public Relations