absolutelyBangkok archive · Culture & Arts
Originally published Sept. 23, 2009
Life in Asia is about to be enriched by CNNGo.com, a new local lifestyle and travel site from CNN. “A work still in progress,” as CNNGo’s Bangkok city editor Karla Cripps tells aB.com, is launching the Asia regional site covering the six city sites Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2009. Makes you wish to be in Asia, that’s right! Eat, drink, play, shop, sleep, it’s all in there.
Sneak peeks are available, but the curtain’s about to be raised anyway. Initially planned for a June launch and delayed again and again, the site’s editor-in-chief Andrew Demaria took a timeout for a careful preproduction and went for a late September start. An invitation email now promises: “CNNGo is the ultimate insider guide for Asia’s greatest cities. Set to be the definitive, indispensable city lifestyle resource, it harnesses the unrivalled experience, integrity and excellence of the CNN brand in a unique digital destination.”
Sounds like an addition to or even competitor of local blogs? Well, the whole site is a kind of blog. And bloggers will play an integral part within CNNGo. Each city has a dedicated “Local Blog Buzz” section pointing to the very best blogs locals and travelers should know about. All adding up to: “For the most discerning local, the cultural voyeur and the visitor (traveling for business or pleasure) alike, CNNGo compiles the best each city has to offer, often dishing up the unexpected and opening up these cities like never before.”
Me personally I think it’s exciting to see a colossus such as CNN doing some real footwork while aiming at the top of local culture, lifestyle, exquisity and, yes, curiosity. After the Asia launch an expansion of the project is planned to cover other major world regions and cities. And remember, you read it here first!
Now circle that launch day on your calendar and pre-bookmark the site. You may think you know everything about your city, but even the dedicated City Guides come in handy. Scrolling through CNNGo makes you feel like wanting to rediscover Asia’s metropolises anew.
The only major negative? CNNGo is strictly no politics. Lifestyle doesn’t mix with politics? That’s for the parent site only? I think lifestyle is very well an integral part of politics, and vice versa. Problem is, nothing in Thailand is understandable without involving politics. Maybe us politics junkies should just try to hang loose a little more. Why bother!
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