"Where on the Web is Matt Lauer" has a staggering amount of content to the site. Since my eyes weren't drawn to one particular area on the homepage, I landed first upon Matt's video passport. I ended up getting sucked into Matt's coverage of Sydney, Australia in 1999 and Hong Kong in 2007 -- he's just so damn likeable and I was learning all kinds of interesting trivia on these cool cities -- I couldn't break away from the video content.
Back to the homepage and I stumbled upon the user-generated content portion of the site, "Do you deserve a vacation?" Don't we all deserve a vacation? This quickly became my favorite part of the site. I filtered through a half-dozen sob story videos of people pleading to Matt that they haven't taken a vacation in 10+ years, and discovered the "Sort by Top 50 Videos" functionality. The highlight: an 87-year-old woman, her 60-year-old daughter and their little dog singing to Matt (yes, the dog can talk, if you call screeching a form of talking). Of all of the amazing content on the FollowMatt.com site, why is the crappiest content (poor production quality and devoid of intellect) my favorite part of the site? Because, it allows me to view the real target audience -- everyday Americans -- and get a glimpse into their lives. It's the same reason why YouTube is wildly popular and why Web 2.0 has grown as quickly as it has.
Ultimately, we all have the same basic human needs. We want to feel like we belong to a community where other people "get us" and speak our language. In this case, I didn't necessarily connect on an individual level with others submitting their videos, but I took comfort in relating to my fellow Americans.
Oh yeah, the main element of the site of playing the game "Where on the Web is Matt Lauer" (under the magnifying glass) is cool, too.
-- Ryan Buchanan, CEO, eROI
Out of the blocks, FollowMatt.com begins with a well-designed graphic interface. A sprawling, travelers-bag look that feels appropriate for a travel-based site. From there, the site breaks down into three primary sections: an online "Where's Waldo?" game called "Where's Matt?"; videos of Matt's travel adventures to exotic locales and a contest promotion for people to upload their own video pleas for a fully-paid vacation.
The "Where's Matt" section didn't do it for me personally, though the game's graphics were strong, with some excellent photoshopping effects. The video contest is a decent run at user-generated content, although truth be told, most people simply aren't that entertaining.
Yet, Matt's Video Passport did capture my interest. I found the videos well-produced, entertaining, of a good length and informative (I had no idea an American 'rediscovered' Machu Picchu in 1911. I thought Easter Island was currently uninhabited.) The video resolution was also good, although if you watch enough YouTube, anything looks good by comparison.
As for the user experience, overall the site was simple and well-structured. Navigations systems were clear and easy to follow.
Marketing-wise, I was surprised at the lack of several obvious Web 2.0 tactics. The videos have no embed code for them. Wouldn't that be a great way to extend the visibility? Just a couple top bloggers posting the videos could dramatically improve site traffic. Nor could I find any use of RSS to track the shows or Matt's travels. That should be a natural for an episodic series. Both of those tactics are relatively simple to implement, as well.
Overall though, the travel videos made a big impact and give users a real reason to visit the site and forward links. The videos are engaging, and made me want to pack a bag and buy a plane ticket. Yet another case for the power of online video. Something online travel companies should be taking note of.
-- Doug Schumacher, president, Basement, Inc.