There’s nothing like expert advice from a friendly person in the know who lives at your destination. The guys at Localyte.com seem to have created their site intending to connect travelers with exactly that sort of local expert.
I’d never heard of the site until one of its creators contacted me, hoping I’d put a widget for the site here on WanderingJustin.com.
Right now, I’m performing my due diligence. I take a lot of pride in the fact that praise on this site is not for sale. If I say I like something, it’s because I really do. I’ll never knowingly steer someone in any direction because I have a commercial interest in doing so.
Before I slap a widget here, I intend to make sure that’s also true of Localyte.com. One of the things that currently pokes at me about the site is that a lot of the “local experts” have a vested commercial interest in giving you advice. There are concierges and tour companies. I’ve seen some of what I’d consider genuine local people who just want you to have fun in their home because, well, that’s a cool thing to do. But so far, I can’t say they’re the majority.
I’ve spent a little time trying it out. It seems the site is in its infancy – not many questions, not many experts, and some huge destinations missing (Cairns, Australia and Queenstown, NZ, being two notables). So far, think it could benefit from a better selection process for experts, and more vetting of their advice to keep it more unbiased.
I’m keeping a careful eye on the site to see if it’s widget-worthy. I’d definitely appreciate your input. Why not drop in, plug in a few destinations and see how things turn out? I’d like to hear what you have to say. If you know of a good site that does the same thing, feel free to tell me about it. I might need a “hooking people up with local experts” Web site round-up.
