Smart Talking with #ScotlandHour Revisited

#ScotlandHour: Great Places to Stay in Scotland, 29 February 2012, 9-10pm GMT

Smart Talking is delighted to chat once again to Dougie Baird, the man behind Baird’s Travel website, West End Walks, and founder of monthly Twitter chat #ScotlandHour.

Hi Dougie, welcome back to Smart Talking. How has Scotland Hour developed since our last chat in November 2011?

Dougie: Things are going really well. We’ve had two excellent #ScotlandHour sessions since then – our Hogmanay Special at the end of December 2011 and then our Burns Celebration in January 2012. Both of these generated a great buzz for our #ScotlandHour community and hopefully helped answer travel questions about Scotland. During the hour from 9pm – 10pm GMT in the Hogmanay Special we had 7,140 tweets (including RT’s) mentioning #Scotlandhour (thanks to Susan McNaughton for the stats).

For those who haven’t joined in yet or who don’t know what Scotland Hour is, can you give us a brief overview of what it is and how we can take part?

Dougie: At present Scotland Hour is a monthly chat on Twitter: Where to stay, where to eat, what to see and do in Scotland.

Tweeters can share their tips, suggestions and recommendations by joining in the Twitter conversation on the last Wednesday of every month, between 9 and 10pm GMT, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ScotlandHour.

It has been live now for eight months and its popularity is increasing every month. Many of us hope that it will become a valuable marketing tool for our country, particularly for travellers and for destinations alike.

Every month has a theme, and this month we celebrate “Great Places to Stay” in Scotland. Not only could this be destinations such as towns, cities or locations such as Glencoe, but different kinds of accommodation: from tents to teepees, from hotels and B&B’s to lodges and self-catering to luxury resorts; ‘glamping’, camping or caravanning – you name it, we want you to share the best with us and tell us where and why to visit.

It would be great to see destinations and those involved or passionate about tourism answering travellers’ questions and then helping them on their way, for example, from the South to the Borders, then to Perthshire, to Loch Lomond and then to the Highlands and Islands for example.

Some people say they find it hard to keep up with the pace of Scotland Hour – how would you respond to that?

Dougie: I can appreciate that, I know it’s pretty fast-paced due to the sheer volume of tweets, and everyone getting involved, but at the same time it’s great to have so many people wanting to participate. I’d just encourage people to do what they can, dip in and out, and enjoy it however they can. Many people have made friendships through #ScotlandHour – many of us are meeting at the next Edinburgh Travel Tweetup, for example – and I think that’s a good thing.

Is there anything new we need to know about Scotland Hour?

Dougie: We have a new ScotlandHour website where you can check out more info, a “Who’s Who” of those who help to promote Scotland Hour, some favourites on Scotland and a new Accommodation listing. All accommodation providers signing up to the #ScotlandHour chat this month are entitled to a free web listing for their business – the list is growing as we tweet so get in touch!

As always, however, the most important thing is to keep the spirit of #Scotland Hour special, fun and as a conversation for people who share a passion for travel to share information and ideas.

Many thanks for Smart Talking with us again, Dougie – looking forward to joining you for the next #ScotlandHour.

Scotland Hour Site

Sign up to Twitvite for ScotlandHour

Articles on and related to #ScotlandHour:

Smart Talking with Douglas Baird’s Scotland Hour

Smart Talking: Scottish Tourism Stories

Jacobite Cruises – All Aboard for Scotland Hour

How Was if For You – #Scotland Hour  – Susan McNaughton