Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Travelocity.ca "Share Your Travel Experiences" Photo Contest?
The Travelocity.ca "Share Your Travel Experiences" Photo Contest is an exciting initiative from Travelocity.ca to bring travellers together and provide them with a new forum to share their vacation images…along with a chance to win some terrific prizes. Not only are participants sharing their vacation images, they're also providing great context and content to fellow travellers about exciting travel locations around the world, including their own neighbourhood, city or town.
The contest is open to entries until 23:59h (11:59PM) PDT on Monday, September 10, 2007. Entries and votes submitted after this date are not eligible for prizes.
How does it work?
The way it works is quite simple:
- Participants will log onto the site – www.travelexperiences.ca
- They will then upload their photographs into one of 10 categories (Fun with Friends & Family, Nature’s Glory, Big City - Bright Lights, Sports & Adventures, Eco-Tourism, Romance & Relaxation, Travels in History, Life’s a Beach, The Great White North, and Entertainment Extravaganza)
- Along with the photo, participants also enter a description and location of the photo.
- Participants may then generate an email message to their friends and family encouraging them to vote for their photo.
- The photos will be available for viewing on the website and viewers will be encouraged to check out the photos and rate them, the incentive being the chance to win the community award.
What can I submit to the contest?
Any original travel photograph, taken by the submitter, is eligible to be entered into the Travelocity.ca Travel Experiences photo contest. Each unique photograph is to be submitted along with a brief description of where the photograph was taken. Entries will be declared invalid if they are late, illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, mutilated, forged, garbled, mechanically or electronically reproduced, or deemed inappropriate.
What are the categories I can enter my photos into?
Photographs can be entered into one of ten categories, including:
- Fun with Family & Friends
Whether it’s the look of joy on kids’ faces at Disney World, or just clowning around with your family or friends on vacation, having fun with your family and friends is all about togetherness and the good times had by all.
- Nature’s Glory
Be amazed by the wondrous beauty of nature. Cascading waterfalls, brilliantly-coloured flowers and a sensational sunset are just a few of nature’s glories we hope to see in this category.
- Big City, Bright Lights
Paris, New York, LA…it doesn’t matter where you go. Photos in this category should reflect the excitement and energy of cities around the globe.
- Sports & Adventures
Are you one for hiking, mountain-climbing or white-water rafting? Or maybe you’d prefer to just sit back and watch while others work up a sweat on the tennis court or football field. In any case, if your photos reflect sports or adventurous activities, this is the category for you.
- Eco-Tourism
Diving through the Great Barrier Reef, going on a safari surrounded by wild elephants and giraffes, or hiking through the rain forest in Brazil, eco-tourism is all about travelling to areas of natural or ecological interest and being sensitive to the need to minimize your impact on the environment.
- Romance & Relaxation
Photos in this category reflect relaxation, whether chilling out on a beach, strolling down a boardwalk with your loved one, or watching the sun set over the water…or anything that connotes romance.
- Travels in History
Walk in the footsteps of the Titans in Greece, the Ancient Romans in the Colosseum, or marvel at the wonder of Egypt’s pyramids. This category includes monuments, churches, museums, and any other historical sites.
- Life’s A Beach
What better way to enjoy yourself than frolicking on white sandy beaches while sipping exotic drinks with paper umbrellas and salsa music playing in the background.
- The Great White North
The vastness of Northern countries have a beauty all their own. Whether you’re visiting the Canadian arctic or the Nordic Fjords, capture the unique landscapes and diverse cultures of colder climate areas across the globe.
- Entertainment Extravaganza
Who doesn’t love to be entertained? This category offers plenty of scope to let your imagination run free. Capture the magic of a fireworks display, a Broadway show or a concert, or perhaps even the circus, parades, festivals and festivities.
How do I win?
There are three different ways to win prizes. A select panel of judges will judge the photographs submitted based on their artistic and technical quality and creativity. They will select one winner from each of the ten categories and choose an overall Grand Prize winner. The winners of the remaining nine categories will receive a runner-up prize. Those who submit photos can also win the “User’s Choice” award which is awarded to the photograph with the highest star rating that receives the most number of votes. Finally, even those who do not submit a photo can win simply by registering to vote for their favourite photographs. Those who register and vote will receive one ballot for each photograph that they rate.
What can I win?
You can win one of the following prizes:
- Grand Prize:
Three-night trip for two to Las Vegas and $1,000 in photofinishing from Black’s. - Runner-Up Prizes (9):
A digital camera and $100 in photofinishing - Viewer’s Choice Award:
A digital camera and $100 in photofinishing - Community Award:
A digital camera and $100 in photofinishing - Random draws for voters:
One of 50 copies of Black’s new photofinishing software, valued at $10
How will I know that I won?
Each winner selected will be notified by telephone or e-mail by Friday, September 21 at 5:00 p.m EST. They must respond within five (5) business days of notification.
What will the entries be used for?
The entries will be displayed on the www.travelexperiences.ca photo contest site. However, they may also be used on the www.travelocity.ca site (or any other Travelocity site including Travelocity.com) for any promotional purposes as deemed fit by Travelocity.ca.
Can I enter more than once?
There is no limitation as to the number of photographs you submit to the contest. However, each photo can only be entered once and into one category.
Can I enter a photo that my family member took?
You may only enter a photo on behalf of an immediate family member, including legal or common-law spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, son, and/or daughter.
How can I increase my chances of winning?
You can increase your chances of winning by submitting more than one photograph into the Travelocity.ca Travel Experiences photo contest. You can also win a prize by having your friends, family and the general public vote for your photo. Finally, you can win prizes just by voting for other people’s photos, if you register on the site. By doing so, you will receive one ballot for each photograph that you rate, which will then be entered into a random draw of all voters.
How do I submit a photo?
From the home page click the “Submit” button. From here, click “Browse” and select a photo from your hard drive or network. You will be asked to fill in a few fields of information and to choose a user name and password. Once you have completed these tasks, your photo will be submitted into the contest.
If you wish to enter more than one photo, or if you wish to login to vote, simply use your selected user name and password to login from the home page.
What type of file, or file format, can I submit to the contest?
Photos must be .jpg or .jpeg file formats in order to be successfully uploaded. Most digital cameras and desktop photo management software output photos in this format by default. Please don't reduce the size of your photos before submitting. The higher the resolution of your picture, the better it will look. If you're scanning an actual photo please scan at a minimum resolution of 200 DPI (dots per inch).
What is a tag?
A tag is a (relevant) keyword or term associated with or assigned to a piece of information (e.g. a picture, article, or video clip), thus describing the item and enabling keyword-based classification of information for the purpose of retrieval and/or browsing. Tags are usually chosen informally and personally by the author/creator or the consumer of the item. Typically, an item will have one or more tags associated with it. (Source: Wikipedia)
A tag cloud is a visual depiction of content tags used on a website. Often, more frequently used tags are depicted in a larger font or otherwise emphasized, while the displayed order is generally alphabetical. Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. Selecting a single tag within a tag cloud will generally lead to a collection of items that are associated with that tag. (Source: Wikipedia)
How do I tag?
You can tag your photo in two ways. You can select relevant tags that describe the content of your photo from the tag cloud provided on the submit form (right above the field for entering tags). Just click on a tag that you’d like to include for your photo and it should appear in your tag field.
OR
You can simply input your own words to describe the content of your photo. Make sure to separate all tags with a space and put phrases in “double quotes”.
Why is there a size difference between the tags?
Often, more frequently used tags are depicted in a larger font or otherwise emphasized, while the displayed order is generally alphabetical.
How do I use the maps?
Travelocity.ca is using Google Maps for plotting destinations all over the globe. You can navigate or move your view of the map in two ways:
- To "pan" (or move the map in the latitude or longitude direction) do one of the following:
- Click and drag the map (your mouse will change to a closed fist while you move the map)
- Use the Navigation Controls in the top left corner of the map
- Click the appropriate arrow buttons to move the view north, south, east or west.
- Use the "centre" button
to return to your original view.
- The map can also be zoomed in or out. Be sure to centre the map first as it will zoom towards the centre point in the current view.
- Click the "zoom in" button
to zoom in towards the centre of the map. - Click the "zoom out" button
to zoom out. - Drag the "zoom slider" up or down to zoom in or out incrementally.
- Click the "zoom in" button
To mark your location, click the mouse on the map as close to your location as possible. This will place a red marker 
where you clicked.
What does "I am of age" mean?
Participants must be of the age of majority in their province or territory of residence or older at the time of entry.
What if I find inappropriate content?
If you find a photo or text that you feel is inappropriate (i.e.: adult content, foul language) please “flag” this for Travelocity.ca to review. To do this, simply click on the photo in question. Below the enlarged photo you will find a yellow flag with the words “Flag as inappropriate”, click on this link. This will let us know that there is something we should review and remove if needed.
Do I need to register to vote?
You do not need to register to vote. However, you do need to register to be eligible to win a prize. By registering on the site, you will be awarded one ballot for every photograph that you rate. You will then be eligible to win the Community Award, a random draw of all the ballots awarded, or one of 50 prizes of Black’s new photofinishing software, valued at $10.
What if I’ve forgotten my username or password?
If you’ve forgotten your username or password, you can click on the link that says “Forgot password”, and enter your e-mail address. Your username and password will be e-mailed to you.
Who are the judges?
The judging panel includes:
- Brian Simpson, General Manager of Travelocity.ca
- Phil Chapman, Vice-President, Imaging and Development for Black Photo Corporation
- Loren Christie, Travel Correspondent for Canada AM
- Kathryn Folliott, Associate Editor of Travelweek
- Paul Burwell, Edmonton-based photographer and Let’s Go Digital columnist for Outdoor Photography Canada magazine
- Graig Abel, official photographer for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors.
What is Digg This?
Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Everything on Digg is submitted by the community (that would be you). Once something is submitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best. If your submission rocks and receives enough Diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of visitors to see.
To use Digg you must have an account. To sign up for an account simply visit www.digg.com
Source: Digg
What is del.icio.us?
del.icio.us is a social bookmarking website -- the primary use of del.icio.us is to store your bookmarks online, which allows you to access the same bookmarks from any computer and add bookmarks from anywhere, too. On del.icio.us, you can use tags to organize and remember your bookmarks, which is a much more flexible system than folders.
To use del.icio.us go to del.icio.us
Source: del.icio.us
