Touze

Jerome Touze the co CEO and Founder of WAYN. com, (Where are you now?) the largest social networking site in the world with 13 million members, also gave the delegates a good introduction to the world of web 2.0 and the marketing advantages social networking offers.

m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News 2008

Touze, 28, developed Wayn. com with friend Peter Ward after backpacking around the world during a gap year.

IOL Technology 2008

Earlier this year, AOL were rumoured to have offered $200-million for Wayn. com, but Touze refuses to disclose financial information for the site.

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With sales of online travel valued at more than $100 billion, Touze and other key players in the travel industry were invited to the conference with the aim of developing the online tourism market in South Africa.

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"We want to make the world accessible, no matter where you are," says Touze.

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Touze says that a distinguishing feature of the website is being able to see where friends are at any given time.

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"We serve different purposes - although there are common communication services which we share, the reasons for using one site or another are generally different," says Touze, adding that users 'information is less exclusive, in terms of access, on Wayn. com.

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Touze, who spent some of his childhood in Ivory Coast, says that the website will become more focused on location in coming months, bringing even remote locations to travellers.

IOL Technology 2008