Frommer’s new blog: Behind the Guides

As part of the community overhaul that Frommers.com is currently undergoing, the company long known for their excellent guidebooks just started a new blog: Behind the Guides. In it, editors from across the spectrum of publications are contributing niblets from their travel worlds in a fun look inside of the minds of their staff.

Topics range from broad green articles about Green Hotels to practical advice about traveling with pets, each article covering a speck in the vast field of travel knowledge that Frommer’s provides.

Checking in on our good friend Stephen Bassman’s most recent article, “Preposterous Press Release: ‘The Dream’ drink celebrates Obama, MLK, drunkenness,” I was initially concerned about the direction of the blog as Steve opened by pasting the content of what looked like a pretty lame press release. To my delight, however, the article goes on to talk about the idiocy of jumping on the presidental bandwagon and is a light hearted essay.

I’m glad that Behind the Guides will have a distinctive voice, an editorial body that will develop as the team continues to post and mature as a blog. We’ll see you around the neighborhood, Behind the Guides. Hopefully soon.

Could you be Southwest Airline’s new Blog-o-spondent?

Are you handy with the camcorder, good at setting up shots and taking quality video? Were you the founding member and president of the A/V club in high school? Do people always think that you’re the center of attention at parties? Then you might be a great candidate for Southwest‘s new Blog-o-spondent position to which they just started recruiting.

Over the past few months, the airline took one of their lucky employees through a whirlwind tour of the company as she video blogged the entire experience. Now, they’re looking for a Southwest fan to hand off the reins. The lucky person will be assigned a year’s worth of excitement as he or she jetsets around the country, video blogging on the entire airline, experience and any excitement that’s going on in the Southwest community.

Obviously the airline is going to pick someone that’s quirky, loves flying and is great on video, so try to emulate those traits if you don’t have them and put together a one minute video application.

Think you’ve got what it takes? Take a look at the trailer and head over to Nuts About Southwest for details on the contest.