Social software practices on the internet : Implications for the hotel industry

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to gain insight into the implications of the proliferation of social software like blogs, message boards and consumer review sites, etc. and its consequences for the hotel industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on literature from journals, periodicals and other relevant literature for theoretical underpinnings and links it up with data gathered from online sources like blogs, message‐boards and consumer review sites. Findings – The findings indicate that, with proliferation of blogs, message boards, and other such sites, hotels are increasingly losing control over what gets written about them online. It is important to be aware of the trend and have strategies in place to deal with the fast emerging medium of information sharing. Practical implications – The phenomenon of social software is explained with its implications for business and suggestions about how to deal with it. Originality/value – The paper brings into focus the nascent trends of social software and the changes in the way consumers may access information. The paper tries to bring forth a systematic overview of this emerging area.