TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel community, today announced that it has launched three of the web's top travel-focused social applications on MySpace, the world's most popular social network. The applications, Cities I've Visited(TM), Local Picks(TM) and Traveler IQ Challenge(TM) developed by Travelpod(R) have been downloaded by more than six million users, and each provide the MySpace audience with unique ways to share travel information with friends, to challenge each other and to learn. Empowered by MySpace's newly announced Developer Platform (http://developer.myspace.com/), TripAdvisor was able to easily test and deploy the three popular applications in a few short weeks.

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Cities I've Visited Travel Map

Sharing stories is half the fun of travel, and Cities I've Visited lets travelers quickly create an interactive travel map to share and compare with friends. They can pin all the cities, towns, and even suburbs they've visited...and all the places they plan to visit. Cities I've Visited covers more than 20,000 destinations and is available in French, Italian, German and Spanish, enabling MySpace users all over to share their travel maps in their local language.

Local Picks Restaurant Recommendation Tool

Whether in their hometown or halfway around the world, when it comes to restaurants, why wing it? MySpace users can get personalized recommendations from their friends and never settle for a mediocre meal again. From greasy diners to hidden gems to trendy hot spots, Local Picks reveals the best places to eat in any location. There are more than 390,000 restaurants to select from, and Local Picks draws from more than 1,300,000 restaurant reviews -- so MySpace users can get the truth from people who have already been there! The Local Picks library is constantly growing, as foodies can quickly add new restaurants with Local Picks.

Traveler IQ Challenge Game

A little competition makes any subject more interesting, and travel becomes an Olympic event with Traveler IQ Challenge, developed by TravelPod, part of the TripAdvisor Media Network. The game shows a map of the world, then gives you a place name and ten seconds to click on its geographic location. You get points based on how close you are to the target and how fast you click. The play heats up when users begin competing against other travelers or wannabes, and they can issue challenges and compare their scores to others in their groups.

MySpace first introduced their Developer Platform site on February 5, 2008 beginning a one-month application development period, allowing companies, including TripAdvisor, time to build and test their applications in a secure environment before going live to the MySpace community.

In March, MySpace launched the public beta of the Application Gallery, enabling broader testing of approved applications by allowing public installation. MySpace members can now discover and add new applications including Cities I've Visited, Local Picks and Traveler IQ Challenge from a variety of categories, to both their home and profile pages.

"Bringing Cities I've Visited, Local Picks and Traveler IQ Challenge to MySpace lets millions interact on a topic they're passionate about -- travel," said Keith Fitzgerald, software architect at TripAdvisor. "MySpace's strong user community is the perfect environment for travelers to adopt the TripAdvisor applications and use them to explore the world around them."

As with all MySpace Developer Platform applications, Cities I've Visited, Local Picks and Traveler IQ Challenge will be able to safely access publicly available profile information including a user's friend list, interests, photos & albums, video, as well as status & mood. Cities I've Visited, Local Picks and Traveler IQ Challenge will have real estate in five places within MySpace including:

  -- A MySpace application profile (users can "friend" the apps)
  -- Access to embed applications on the user homepage (inward facing-for
     you to see)
  -- Access to embed applications on profiles (outward facing widget-for
     friends to see)
  -- An application gallery listing
  -- A canvas page

"TripAdvisor's success in building online communities makes them an ideal developer for the MySpace platform, and their new travel applications are just the type of activities that our members will find stimulating," said Kyle Brinkman, vice president and general manager, MySpace Developer Platform. "We are committed to creating an open environment for developers, and through them, enriching our user experience."

For more information about the MySpace Developer Platform, please visit http://developer.myspace.com/.

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors* (across ten popular travel brands, TripAdvisor(R),, airfarewatchdog.com(TM), bookingbuddy.com (TM), cruisecritic.com(TM), holidaywatchdog.com (TM), independenttraveler.com(TM), seatguru.com(R), smartertravel.com(TM), travel-library.com(TM) and travelpod.com(TM). TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, six million registered members and 15 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), and Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor, SeatGuru, Travel-Library, Holiday Watchdog and TravelPod are either registered trademarks or trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Airfarewatchdog, Booking Buddy and Smarter Travel are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Smarter Travel Media LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Cruise Critic and The Independent Traveler are either trademarks or registered trademarks of The Independent Traveler, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

About MySpace

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the first ranked web domain in terms of page views (*), MySpace is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience. MySpace will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. MySpace's international network includes localized community sites in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. .

(*) Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, December 2007. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to www.comscore.com.

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor