It's funny how sometimes you just don't connect things. I read about Word of Mouth on the Web (WOMOW) some months ago on Rave About It's Local/Focal blog. It was only today, however, that I discovered that WOMOW was founded and is run by one of my classmates at MBS, Fiona Adler.

WOMOW is "a platform for word-of-mouth information so that recommendations can be stored and accessed to help people find the best local businesses." That is, it's a place where you can find & rate local businesses and give & receive advice from members about local businesses.

I've discovered this service at a particularly good point in my life because my study term is just about finish (one and a half weeks to go!) after which my wife and I will have about three weeks of vacation (she's also on her summer break). We were going to spend this time exploring Melbourne and its surrounds -- have monthly tram card, will travel! -- and WOMOW is the perfect resource for doing that effectively.

For example, we haven't explored Fitzroy as much as we would have liked to. WOMOW will help us plan our explorations better by giving us a list of places that we shouldn't miss and a list of places that we can do without. And if we visit a place that isn't already listed there, well then we'll just create a new listing for it and everyone will be better off.

Ah, I like this whole Web 2.0 stuff (much as I hate the term "Web 2.0" itself).

P.S. How do you pronounce WOMOW, I wonder. Is it Woe-Mao, Woe-Moe, Whommo, or something else entirely? :)  I guess I'll have to ask.