  Detmi7mile Member Username: Detmi7mile Post Number: 10 Registered: 12-2007 |
I would like to know your opinions on what I should do for a Detroit site I'm building. It is a travel guide to the city and my question is should I focus on the main city or include the suburbs when it comes to hotels, restaurants, and whatnot because there are many good places to stay in and out of the city as well as good places to eat in and out of the city. | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 286 Registered: 10-2006 |
I would say include the Burbs but mainly focus on the city! Send us the link when its ready!••• Also you should have a section on New Developments so tourist can see what's in store for Detroit! | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1494 Registered: 04-2006 |
a couple of questions for you to ponder. what differentiates this site from visitdetroit.com? why would people use your site and not the one run by the visitors and convention bureau? You would need to include the suburbs if your site will discuss places to shop, and you can't get a full picture of cultural offerings without Auto Baron Mansions, the Zoo, Metroparks, Cranbrook, or the Henry Ford. Should you decide to concentrate on City itself, you will lose a lot of the market. Not everyone wants to hang out at Garden Bowl, go to casinos, eat at Lafayette at 3 am. | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 287 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yeah how is your site differ from www.Detroit.Travel | ||
Detmi7mile Member Username: Detmi7mile Post Number: 11 Registered: 12-2007 |
Good questions. Well my site is focused on everything the city has to offer but from a personal perspective. From the perspective of myself and other Detroiters. For example I have a restaurants section where I give my opinion and review about the place and I only recommend places that I think are top notch. I feel like visitors will be more inclined to go to a particular place if they get sort of a "Relationship" with the site they are visiting. I look at a site like visit detroit and I see many good restaurants listed but that's about it. A big list with a brief description of the place. Another thing I wanted to do for my restaurants section is allow fellow Detroiters such as yourselves write your own reviews and submit them to the site because I definitely havn't eaten at all the restaurants in the city. My main focus is content and relationship from people that live in the city to the visitor rather than just a nice looking site with a list of things to do and go see. | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 288 Registered: 10-2006 |
whats the address? for the site | ||
Detmi7mile Member Username: Detmi7mile Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2007 |
detroit-travel-guide.com | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 528 Registered: 08-2006 |
Your site seems a bit text-heavy. Not that that's bad, I just think some people might get turned off. Try to slim down your text and include more photographs of the various sites you mention. Also give specific locations. For example: Instead of: If you MUST take the bus, take the Woodward bus from downtown to the art and museum district and walk around from there. You might want to say where the bus picks people up at, and where specifically to get off. Out-of-town visitors would not even attempt the bus without specific directions on where to go and how to use the system. Just one example. | ||
Gnome Member Username: Gnome Post Number: 526 Registered: 08-2007 |
DetMI7 - GsGeorge is being kind. Edit. Pump up graphics. Your site currently looks like a pre-GUI invention from 1992. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 623 Registered: 06-2005 |
Detmi7mile, good luck with your site. Have you considered that many visitors may have particular, focused interests and would like to have specific info that directs them to their interest? For example, a visitor could have an interest in old cemetery architecture. If so, they would benefit from your directing them to Detroit's two outstanding sites: Elmwood and Woodlawn. You could also provide a bibliography of the guide books on the topic. Another example, visitors may have a particular interest in historic neighborhoods. Your site could direct them to Boston-Edison, Corktown, IV, etc. Perhaps also providing info about nearby restaurants. Perhaps including the dates of the various home tours most neighborhoods sponsor. If the area of interest is landscape architecture, you could direct them to Belle Isle & Elmwood Cemetery (Fredrick Law Olmstead) and Lafayette Park (Alfred Caldwell). Victorian Era housing? Canfield Historic District, Moses Field House (currently being restored), and Brush Park. Rather than giving info solely about major hotels, consider focusing on the more unique places in Detroit such as the Inns on Ferry Street and the b&bs in Corktown and Brush Park. Finally, when the Dequindre Cut Trail opens, be sure to include a mention! Again, good luck! | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 290 Registered: 10-2006 |
Feel free to use any of my images on Flickr! http://flickr.com/photos/92993 89@N03/ You might have to cut and paste the Address | ||
Detmi7mile Member Username: Detmi7mile Post Number: 17 Registered: 12-2007 |
Thanks everyone. Honesty is what I need. Pretty soon I'm going to add a restaurant form so people can give their own recommendations about restaurants. I hope you guys will contribute  But I am adding more pictures. I've been out of town for awhile at school and I hadnt taken any pictures in awhile. French77, I cut and pasted and it still didnt work. | ||
Plymouthres Member Username: Plymouthres Post Number: 455 Registered: 02-2007 |
I think your idea is a great one if you put the kind of spin on it that makes people want to get into it further once they type your address in. Something new and different. That being said, you are welcome to highlight Fort Wayne on your site as a tourist attraction as we are in the process of providing specialized tours on a request basis. The address to our web site is www.historicfortwaynecoalition .com, and will be interactive shortly as the site itself is undergoing major changes as we speak that will make it more easy to schedule tours and view future events. You may also feel free to contact Subvet or myself at any time for picture opportunities if you would like. Both of our e-mail adresses can be found in the HOF mega-thread for Fort Wayne. Possibly also include a trip to the Tuskegee Airmen museum as an additional attraction worth visiting. Good luck on your site and I think that you have good potential if you put the information together correctly! | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 291 Registered: 10-2006 |
http://flickr.com/photos/9299389@N03/630578807/ that is Joe Louis but look at my slideshow (Message edited by French777 on December 31, 2007) | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 531 Registered: 08-2006 |
French777's flickr page French777, if you pick a username on your account page you can have something like "flickr.com/photos/french777" instead of the unwieldy numbers. | ||
Carptrash Member Username: Carptrash Post Number: 1508 Registered: 10-2003 |
I think a guide to Parducci's Detroit is indispensable. eeeeek | ||
French777 Member Username: French777 Post Number: 293 Registered: 10-2006 |
The website is pretty good though but hard to find on search engines | ||
Detmi7mile Member Username: Detmi7mile Post Number: 20 Registered: 12-2007 |
Yeah it's gonna take awhile for me to get that free search engine traffic. New sites typically don't just appear right at the top of the rankings and the site is going on 4 months. I guess it's in what you would call the "google sandbox". I also need a lot of inbound links. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 4204 Registered: 12-2005 |
http://www.detroit-travel-guid e.com/ | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 642 Registered: 11-2006 |
I can help you out with some reviews of unique out of the way places. Visiting offbeat spots is my forte.Terry783@hotmail.com got some great pics,not digital, but can be transfered to disc. I have some ideas, the perfect name for the site which I am not willing to share as I have my own idea for a Detroit guide. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 856 Registered: 07-2007 |
-links lots of links - use search parameters by zip code, city or business type. County search as well - co link with other sites so they come back to your site. A lot of revenue can be had here. - Offer best deals by vendors link. - too many sites are advertiser driven so when i search i don't get good or correct local businesses. |
