As part of our ongoing profiles section, we’re taking a look at people making a difference in the world of new media and are harnessing the power of web 2.0 to make positive change.

Ross Borden is a perfect example. A founding member of the travel network, Matador, Borden turned a love for travel and a desire to help connect travelers into a dynamic and interactive new media powerhouse. Matador is comprised of 11 interconnected sites, and most recently they’ve even devoted one to travel videos as well as launched a travel writing school. Founded in 2006, Borden and his community have accomplished a lot, and we’re excited to see what’s next.

What inspired you to launch Matador?

Matador began in Peru. Long before the business plan was written, Ben and I were in S. America climbing mountains with 3 other friends. On about $30/day we were having one of the most incredible adventures of our lives. Traveling by bus, camping as frequently as we stayed in hostels and savoring meals consisting of tuna on crackers with chopped onions.

High on Vulcan Misty, an 18,000 ft volcano near Arequipa, Peru, we began talking about the need for a global community of travelers where people could share stories like the one that was unfolding on that mountain and connect with locals and travelers over whatever they were passionate about. We didn’t know what this community would look like, but we were sure it didn’t exist yet.

Almost a year later we found ourselves back in California, desperately wanting only to rewind our incredible adventure in Latin America. I was grinding through cold calls everyday, working in a sales program at a major database software company, and scanning the Web for this community that still didn’t exist. It was in that cubicle, long after everyone else had left, that the first visions for the Matador Community were put on paper.

How is new media helping create positive change?

New media and social media are all about individuals getting together and harnessing the power of the Web and the connections it makes possible. Now like never before, people who are passionate about the same things can organize and take action.

On Matador, we’ve harnessed new media to bring together high-quality travel content and social networking so that every article becomes an interactive experience.

When we come across an issue that deserves our audience’s attention, whether it’s the human rights and environmental atrocities of Chevron in the Amazon or mobilizing people to help Haiti, we use our social media prowess to get that message in front of as many people as we can.

Not everyone has jumped on the new media bandwagon, how do you reach out to people that maybe aren’t used to getting news and information via new media channels like blogging?

I usually allow people to sell themselves on the power of new media. Social media is getting more powerful by the day and it’s definitely here to stay. I think at some point everyone will realize this is not a fad and that it’s the most effective way of creating deep engagement with others on the Web, regardless of what your message is.

You work with the travel community, and with the help of new media, you’ve been able to connect a lot of interesting people that want to experience the world? What are some of the positive outcomes of that?

It really all boils down to the personal connections between strangers. When I get an email about someone who has connected with a person through Matador and actually met up with them during their trip and the incredible friendship that has blossomed as the result, that’s the ultimate payoff for me. I think the Matador community is the coolest, most interesting group of people on the Web, so when people take these connections offline, amazing things happen.

There are many benefits to new media, but a complaint is often that we are inundated with too much information that our brain isn’t really capable of handling. What are your thoughts on that?

I actually agree with this point of view. There’s no question that we are inundating our brains with info-overload, and this is not necessarily healthy. That said, I don’t think it’s healthy to watch more than an hour of TV everyday either. Bottom line, all the time we are super connected should be balanced out with at least a little time everyday where we get outside and get completely offline for a while.

Where do you get your news from?

NYTimes.com, Reddit.com, The Economist and The News Hour With Jim Lehrer (the only smart news on TV).

7. What are 3 blogs that we should all be reading?

1. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/ (Great bite-sized marketing tips from a master of the industry)
2. ted.com (“ideas worth spreading” from some of the brightest people in the world on a wide range of subjects)
3. matadornetwork.com! (the best travel content + community out there!)

Thanks so much!