Chevrolet and OnStar Road Trip Challenge includes 40 bloggers

The hope is the Chevrolet vehicles will build a social following along with their teams during the March 8-10 road trip.

Used for the first time in external testing, the tweeting cars along with their blogger drivers will tell their own stories of the Chevrolet and OnStar Road Trip Challenge to SXSW.

Ten teams of four bloggers will represent their city on the excursion. Cities represented will be Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, Omaha, New York, Toronto, Vancover and various cities from Florida. Their team hashtags and car Twitter handles can be found in the original news release via media.gm.com

Equipped with OnStar Directions and Connections service, a mobile phone loaded with OnStar mobile apps and Autonet Wi-Fi units for passengers, teams will document their experiences as they travel from all directions doing good deeds and raising money for Adopt-A-Classroom through their social media outreach.

“We are excited to make a number of our advanced OnStar social media interaction technologies exclusively available to our road-trip bloggers and get their first-hand feedback,” said Nick Pudar, vice president of business development and planning, OnStar.

“While it will be fun to see the cars join the conversation, the tweeting car demonstrates the potential we see for software that uses social media tools to create intelligent, customized mobility services that interpret drivers’ intent and help them to access highly relevant and personalized information in the vehicle.”

During the road trip, the drivers will have an exclusive opportunity to use and provide direct feedback on existing services like OnStar MyLink, a mobile application that provides remote vehicle connectivity to select 2011 Chevrolet vehicles. Bloggers will also review services that are in public testing including the Voice Communication App and Audio Facebook Updates. Through these tools, bloggers can send and receive text messages, Facebook updates and Twitter messages using only their voice so that they can keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

About SXSW

According to the website, SZSW.com, the South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery.

Year after year, the event is a launching pad for new creative content. New media presentations, music showcases and film screenings provide buzz-generating exposure for creators and compelling entertainment for audiences.

Conference panel discussions present a forum for learning, business activity thrives at the SXSW Trade Show: The Exhibition for Creative Industries and global networking opportunities abound. Austin serves as the perfect backdrop for SXSW®, where career development flourishes amid the relaxed atmosphere. Intellectual and creative intermingling among industry leaders continues to spark new ideas and carve the path for the future of each ever-evolving field, long after the events' conclusion.

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About the Author: After 39 years in the auto industry as a design engineer, Frank Sherosky now day trades, writes articles, books and ebooks via authorfrank.com, but may be contacted here by email: [email protected]

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