WorldMark^® Words

The first issue of the new electronic format of the Worldmark Destinations Magazine is available online. That blue text is a clickable link that will take you to it. Let's see what is in this new "interactive and dynamic format" that was announced last month. Animation, video movies with sound, travelogues, background music? Those could all be interactive and dynamic content.

First Item: Your 2010 Destinations Calendar. A description and calendar for the coming years issues that shows which issues will be electronic and which will be printed. Nothing interactive or dynamic there, it looks about the same as it would on a printed page.

Second Item: Meet the Newest Members of Your Board of Directors. A discussion of the election results. Pretty much a replay of the information that has been on the WorldMark web site for some time now. Nothing interactive or dynamic there, it looks about the same as it would on a printed page.

Third Item: WorldMark's 20th Anniversary Celebration Continues. A rehash of the WorldMark Celebration information that has been on the WorldMark web site for some time. Nothing interactive or dynamic there, it looks about the same as it would on a printed page.

Do you see a trend yet? Let's check a few more items.

Fourth Item: Book Online and Win Sweepstakes. A description of the continuation of the book online incentive program. There is some new info describing a new grand prize and an increase in the monthly prize to 10,000 one-time-use credits. But there is nothing interactive or dynamic there, it looks about the same as it would on a printed page.

The centerline items aren't showing the new interactive and dynamic format, maybe the resort feature articles will.

First Resort Feature Article: Awesome Australia! A description of the Flynns Beach and Cairns resorts in Australia and the Rotorua resort in New Zealand. The article does include some clickable links to surrounding attractions, maybe that's the interactive and dynamic part. But that is information that should be available at all times in the web site resort gallery, not just in a monthly article where it will get shuffled into the background.

Second Resort Feature Article: Coffs Harbour Treetops. A description of the Coffs Harbour resort in Australia. This one doesn't even have links to surrounding attractions. Once again nothing interactive or dynamic there, it looks about the same as it would on a printed page.

That pretty much covers the content. There is some advertising included in the electronic edition but I didn't look at that. I doubt if most owners will either. If the advertisers wise up to that they will request very low advertising rates.

If you get the idea that I am not impressed with this first issue of the "new and improved" electronic Destinations, you are right. Not impressed is a gross understatement, I am very disappointed. If all it is going to be is an electronic version of printed material the least they could do is make it PDF format so it would be downloadable and could be retained locally. PDF handles links as well as web format does so nothing would be lost.

It's the first issue, maybe things will get better as time progresses. It's supposed to be an exciting new interactive and dynamic format, printed material doesn't meet that criteria. Nor does providing a few links. Instead of an electronic form of a written description of a resort, how about a narrated video tour through the resort? Instead of a little printed blurb about owners education, how about an owners education video showing a demo of online booking? Come on folks, let's not use new technology for old concepts. Let's really make it interactive and dynamic. Let's make it jump out at the owners and get their attention.