Media and PR

First rule of social media marketing: Make sure lots of people don't hate you before you drop a self-branded hashtag onto Twitter.

Set in the Villa Borghese's Globe Theatre, Italian startups will have the chance to rub shoulders with U.S. counterparts and leaders, as well as learn what a hat tip from TC can do for a young company.

Thank goodness: Married men in their late 30s are an underserved market in the ideas and inspiration category. But InsideHook should consider getting the real decision makers in the family subscribed -- the wives.

This seems like a win-win for the people who love Wikitravel: They keep all the content they want, keep the link juice, take the experts with them, and join forces with an organization that shares the same values.

Like many of the other social planning travel sites, Stay looks fantastic and works well. But it could better distinguish itself by being the first of its peers to develop its own expert voice for all its guides.

Can BrandUSA learn some lessons from it? Meaning tackling issues head on that prevent tourists from considering USA as their destination and talking about it?

T+L and its competitor Conde Nast Traveler have long sought to distinguish their respective lists with new measurements and greater user participation, but they find themselves under increasing threats from non-glossy, best-of-like lists from across the web.

The new Metro apps try a friendlier approach to user interface than Windows is usually known for. Its travel features -- built on the back of Frommers.com content -- packages web content as if it were an inspirational app.

What's behind the surge of users of TripAdvisor's Cities I've Visited app on Facebook? It didn't happen by chance.

Expect a lot more airport, airline, airport restaurant and hotel coverage from Zagat as its content begins to permeate Google search.