a fresh approach to finding relevant travel stories.
The Internet is a big place. Even though a wealth of high quality travel stories & writers exist, finding them through traditional search engines can often be a challenge.
Moebii makes finding these travel resources easy by taking a
more focused view of the Internet - only tracking content from
travel-specific publications.
To make moebii more powerful, each story on the site is tagged with
detailed, story-specific keywords before it becomes searchable. Re-introducing the
human element helps narrow the pool of travel stories, allowing you to focus on content most relevant to your travel needs.
We are travelers just like you. We know that the right tip or suggestion can often mean the difference between a good, or unforgettable, travel experience. Whether planning for your next trip abroad or exploring your home city, we view moebii as a
collaborative effort to make everybody's experience richer.
Want to know more? Click
here to roll up your sleeves.
Where the content comes from?
Moebii tracks sites that publish travel-related content. We know it's an
incomplete list but it's a good place to start; if there are any particular sites moebii
should follow please let us know. Every time a story is published it goes into our queue to be tagged. Untagged stories are not included in site searches, as they have not yet been vetted. When the community tags a story, it becomes searchable for everyone.
What's the deal with tagging?
Tagging stories is a major building block for moebii. Spending a minute to read a story and applying the most applicable key words can work wonders in terms of organizing content. Consider the following two examples:
- 'Let me tell you about my experience backpacking the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu.' This story could be tagged as follows: Machu Picchu, Cusco, Peru, South America, backpacking, hiking, adventure, outdoor, budget, affordable. The next time someone searches for backpacking trips in South America, this story will appear.
- 'I just landed in snowy Minneapolis and the weather is the furthest thing from backpacking the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu!' This story is not really about the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu or Peru and the tags should reflect that: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, snow, weather, winter.
- A traditional search for 'Machu Picchu' would return both of these entries. A moebii search only returns the story which is actually about Machu Picchu.
This human interaction cuts through the information in a way that a computer algorithm cannot: irrelevant stories are filtered out, allowing quality stories to be found.
This is how we see it: you spend a small amount of time tagging a story or two (or as many as you fancy), and in return you know that you are searching targeted, high-quality travel content. Sounds like a good deal to us!
How do I tag a story?
There are two types of stories that need tagging: untagged stories in the queue, and stories already on the site.
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Untagged stories: On the toolbar, you will find a link to untagged stories - these are stories currently in the queue, waiting to be tagged. Once you find a story you would like to tag, click the 'Add Tags' button
and a drop down will appear. On the first line, pick a category for the article (general travel, news, deal...) and check the applicable boxes (what to do, where/what to eat, where to stay, the armchair, misc). Next, you will see three "tag types" - general, geographic and place/activity/product. General tags should contain information about the story in general, geographic tags should pinpoint all relevant locations mentioned in the story, while "place/activity/product" is for specific things to do or buy in the story (don't worry about this category at the moment). The Tab key will put your tags into the box at the bottom where you may edit them before submitting. Note that the geographic input bar uses an autofill to help keep the site consistent - we'd appreciate if you could use this tool if possible. Once you've added all of the places and tags you like, click the insert tag button. Note that the 'Armchair' is a place for travelers to become acquainted with a destination through alternative media - literature & movie recommendations, traditional music, video clips, artist's sketches...
Ready to help the cause?
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Tagged stories: These stories are already part of the site. However, the tags are not always comprehensive and the process is ongoing. It's important that we continue to add tags to stories in order to make future searches more relevant. To add tags on these stories, simply click the 'Add Tags' button
and proceed as outlined in the paragraph above (with the exception that the "article category" line will not be present).
How do I search?
The main searchbar is located on the homepage and also in the header. If you aren't sure where you'd like to go, click the "Trip Ideas" link from the homepage (located under the searchbar) to get a sense of the most popular tags and destinations; or you can browse the interactive map.
Once you've found your desired destination, browse the results and/or refine your search. The most popular tags for your destination can be found by clicking the
icon - these are common keywords that have already been applied to stories about your destination.
When you are ready to start a new search simply use the searchbar in the header, or click the moebii logo to return to the homepage.
How do I vote?
Each story is equipped with a thumb's up and a thumb's down. If you read a story about vintage clothes shopping in Paris that you like, you can give it a thumb's up. Conversely, if you skim a story on Vegas hotels that you did not find useful, you can give it a thumb's down (sorry Vegas, no hard feelings). Voting is an easy way to express your opinion about a story's relevance, and it ultimately helps you find the highest quality content. Just like in our democracy, you can only vote once (per story, that is).
How do I personalize moebii?
After you set up an account, you can create trip itineraries and add/delete stories to those itineraries, upload travel photos, write & publish your own travel stories, and join city/country conversations. We plan to build out other great features, including a Weekend Travel section, "smart search" via users like you, etc, but our plates are full at the moment so these features are coming soon.
