Social Media & Hospitality Under Microscope
January 3, 2012 Leave a comment
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,800 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
August 18, 2011 Leave a comment
I began pursuing a BIG dream two weeks ago. After deciding I could no longer avoid the news about the famine in the horn of Africa, I had that gut feeling that I couldn’t sit this one out. I HAD to do something because I could. Something bigger than I could do alone. That’s when #Ask5for5 was born.
Two of my children, Ashen and Bereket, were adopted and are from the region affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They would be two of the statistics if they still lived there. I see my son’s and daughter’s faces in the photos of those suffering in the refugee camps. It could have been him. It could have been her. The thought haunts me.
And moms just like us are watching their children go hungry day after day. I can’t imagine what it’s like, but I have to –I have to be there to help them, because it could have been my children. These families have lost their livestock, their crops, food prices are inflated at the market if there any food there, and don’t have any more lifelines to tap into. Many are traveling hundreds of miles through parched land in hope of finding help. Many are dying along the way. It is estimated that 29,000 children have died in the last 90 days in the famine in Somalia alone.
But I KNOW we can do something about it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed, we can rally ourselves and our friends to respond! I set up a fundraiser through See Your Impact. 100% of your gift will go to the relief and development organization World Vision, where it will be combined with government grants to multiply up to 5 times in impact!
You’ll receive updates on just how your funding is being used to help save lives affected by famine in East Africa. I’m amazed at how much we’ve raised already — over $7,000 in just four days! We blew through our first 3 goals in just 3 days and are well on our way to $10,000 and beyond!
I need you to help me save lives. It’s so so simple; here’s what you need to do:
I’m also looking for 100 bloggers to stand with Ask5for5 to spread the word during Social Media week, September 19th – 23rd. If you’re interested, email me, ask5for5@gmail.com.
Thanks! Please donate and email your friends right now–don’t wait for a calmer moment, because if you’re like me, other demands inevitably crop up and you won’t get to it. A child’s life hangs in the balance, but you can help save her!
June 7, 2011 1 Comment
No matter if you are a jet-setter, airport hopper or just a grocery shopper, you have to travel. If you are a “hip” traveler you own a smartphone. If you have a smartphone, you should install these apps! I put together a list of travel apps everyone can use – read my guest post on the Top 10 Blog:
http://www.thetop10blog.com/top-10-travel-apps-for-every-kind-of-traveler/
January 2, 2011 Leave a comment
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2010. That’s about 24 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 22 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 51 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 4mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was August 4th with 847 views. The most popular post that day was Social Media & Hotels: Top 5 Blunders.
The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, hotelmarketing.com, linkedin.com, hootsuite.com, and facebook.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for what is wrong with twitter, hotel benefit from facebook, tweeple on social media, social networking and travel luxury, and lxlee.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Social Media & Hotels: Top 5 Blunders August 2010
57 comments and 4 Likes on WordPress.com
Twitter mystery resolved. Why the number of your followers is growing slowly / falling / or stuck! February 2010
13 comments
How Twitter Can Benefit Your Hotel & Why Facebook Doesn’t Cut It! September 2010
27 comments
Top 5 Ways Hotels Can Find and Reach Luxury Consumers Through Social Media November 2010
20 comments and 2 Likes on WordPress.com
About Me January 2010
10 comments
May 6, 2010 1 Comment
Don’t have a job? Want a better job? Twitter can help!!!
First and foremost, you need to have a profile that catches an eye and stimulates the brain.
You want people who look at your Twitter profile go “wow, this is good”. You want them to find your profile interesting, creative, and original, because better believe it – they will judge you on the basis of that. The recruiters and HR personnel can always use people who are interesting, creative, and original; however, if your profile screams boring, lazy, rude or dumb, you can be sure that not only you will not land a new job, you may even lose the one you do have. In other words, if you are putting yourself out in the open – and by having a public Twitter account you are doing exactly that – then tweet as if the boss (your current one or a potential one) was reading.
So if you are on the lookout for a new job, take a good look at your profile and ask yourself:
Is your username “hireable”? If your username is “Sexy_Foxy”, “Lazy_Joe” or worse (you get the picture), go to: http://twitter.com/settings/account and change it right away to something that is easy to remember, yet tells who you are. If you are expert in medical field, be a “Medicine_Joe”; if you a travel expert, be a “travelwiz_Joe”. Anyway, you get my point.
Is it visually appealing? A plain background and no profile picture are a no-no. It reflects minimum effort, some may say laziness, no orientation to detail, messiness, whatever you call it – it is a big turn-off. If you are using a template for background that Twitter offers, dump it. You want to use your profile to show your uniqueness and point out why they should hire you and not anyone else. You want to show that you are willing to go the extra mile, that you are detail-oriented and that you are creative. 1-click on Twitter to change the background won’t cut it. The best way to “wow” people is to make Photoshop your best friend. There are many free customizable templates you can play with. Here are the sites you may want to look at: http://bit.ly/a9ArsX or http://bit.ly/d30Aax or simply google “Custom Twitter backgrounds” and play around. If you are not too good with Photoshop or want a quick and easier solution, go to sites like http://www.freetwitterdesigner.com where you can personalize already designed Twitter background.
One last point, the profile picture should be your best you. Not your car or cat, not you with your best friend or logo of your favorite beer. Connect the name with the face, so upload the best picture of your face you can find. When you get compliments on the design of your Twitter profile, you know you have done a good job. Until then, don’t rest and keep working until you do (btw. your friends and family don’t count).
Did you fill out all the information? Make sure your profile is complete. If you have a website or a blog, make sure you list it on your profile. You wouldn’t believe how many people overlook this, so go to: http://twitter.com/settings/profile and check if you are not one of them (btw. I have to thank @Twitter_Tips for bringing it to my attention 
)
Is the bio catchy? Get a good use of the bio – it is a very powerful tool. Emphasize the qualities that employers are often after in your field that you have but many people don’t. Emphasize what makes you unique. Think like an employer. What would persuade you, as an employer, to hire you over the others? Be refreshing and focus on what you are bringing to the table for them & your followers.
Is the content clean? Very, very important point!! THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET. Think as if your boss was reading, because he/she may!! If the potential employer scans your tweets, is he/she going to find grammar mistakes or profanities? If you are not sure, then better start discovering the “delete tweet button”. Also, keep in mind that your tweets show up on the top of the search engines, so anytime someone googles your name, your tweets show up. Oh and do yourself a favor and avoid discussing touchy topics like politics and such.
Does the content show your expertise? Do your tweets show that you know what you are talking about? Tweet interesting content from your area of interest and join a discussion with other like-minded tweeties to demonstrate your knowledge and show your value.
Last but not least a crucial question… Think hard. If you were the employer and saw your profile, would you hire yourself?
To sum this up, you want to stand out, but IN A GOOD WAY. This applies to the content and the visuals as well. You want your profile to reflect who you are, but be professional at the same time.
Good luck tweeties and if you need help, hit me up!
Yours XOXO Lucie
April 15, 2010 4 Comments
Twitter makes me happy – it really does. It brings joy into my life every day and I especially appreciate its uplifting power during the rare occasions when I feel “lower than usual” (why to use the negative words like down 
. So stay tuned and tune yourself to happiness by using these tips on how Twitter can make you happy!
Create an energetic bio that will let your positive personality shine through! With positive bio, you will almost feel obligated to stay positive. You will almost feel guilty to send out negative tweets, because your followers expect you to be positive! Trust me – I have it verified by experience 
So check your bio and make it as positive as possible.
Find and follow people who are positive, inspiring and funny. The moods tend to be contagious and it works the same way in the virtual world too! So having optimistic and cheerful tweeps in your stream can quickly make you optimistic and cheerful! How to find such people? The easiest way is to go to the Twitter directories like Listorious, WeFollow, Twellow etc. and look through the related categories (i.e. comedians, inspiration, funny people, comedy etc.).
Create your Happy list! Put all the people who you find entertaining, inspiring and uplifting into one place – create a Happy list on Twitter! Then when you feel like you need some cheering up, it is easy for you to go through the tweets that can get you back in the right mood!
Quotes work magic! I love posting uplifting quotes and seeing them in my stream. The wise words often help us remember what really matters; they make you think and reevaluate what you are going through, making you ultimately more at peace. Therefore, it is a good habit to tweet quotes about happiness and positive attitude as well as follow people who tweet inspiring quotes (there are many great tweeps who specialize in quotes, my favorite being @livetorque and @lorimoreno to name a few).
Search for relevant hashtags ( #funny, #inspiring, #hilarious, #quote, #jokes and such)! It is plain and simple – you can find great tweets by typing the relevant hashtag in Twitter search box. This will pull up many recent tweets that may amuse you and you can also find great tweeps to follow this way.
Engage in conversation! Talking to your Twitter friends about why you are not in the mood will make you feel better. This applies to real life but it works in the virtual world as well! There are so many sweet tweeps on Twitter who are encouraging and happy to help, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them!
Cheer someone else up! If you don’t believe me, believe Mark Twain: “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” There are many people on Twitter who could use some encouragement and support, so trying to help them out will in turn make you feel better too!
Twitter can help you be and stay happy. Give it a try! Next time you feel blue, remember my words and the blue bird called Twitter!
If you need some more positive energy, connect with me!
Yours XOXO
Lucie
March 25, 2010 1 Comment
Successful companies on Twitter may be big, may be small, may be known or completely unknown in the “offline world”. The beautiful thing about Twitter is that any average Joe can become a superstar (look at @AskAaronLee – no offense). The same applies for companies – any company can become huge thanks to Twitter.
Unlike many other forms of advertising, the size of your company or your budget doesn’t matter on Twitter. The company with 5 employees can have the same or greater impact as company with 500 employees. Just look at Hilton Quebec, for example. @HiltonQuebec has 754 followers comparing to lets say @WigwamMotel that has twice as many. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that any business on Twitter can be successful if one “driving the company’s Twitterwheel” knows the map and follows it. I am here to give your company the map to Twitter success. So here it goes.
Successful companies on Twitter…
Tweet regularly. I personally don’t follow accounts that I see didn’t tweet for a while. Let me explain “for a while”. For a while on Twitter means at the most couple days. Twitter is fast-paced, so updating every couple hours is desirable. If you can’t devote it that much time, aim for at least one tweet a day. To ensure regular updates with ease, schedule the tweets 1 week ahead via Twitter scheduling tool like Hootsuite or SocialOomph etc.
Follow “Quality not quantity” principle. This is a point that I could spend hours explaining, but to sum it up: what really counts on Twitter is quality, not quantity. You can have thousands of followers, but if they don’t retweet you, don’t pay attention to you, don’t really interact with you, you are not any better off than the tweeps who have only few followers who actually care. You should aim for building quality following, not only quantity following. This can and should go hand in hand and the only way to do this is by putting your followers’ interests before yours. THINK about what your followers may like to know, what you can give them or help them with. You can send many tweets a day every day, but if all you feed your followers with is what interests or helps you, you are never going to be successful. Therefore, put on your potential customers’ shoes and walk (tweet) – you will walk much further this way.
Follow others. I will take on the example of Hilton Quebec again. The company follows 195 people. In other words, the company is relying on people finding them. The problem with this approach is that this takes a lot of time for people to discover you, so your Twitter following will grow veeery slooowly. It is way easier and more effective if you go and reach out to people who you think may be interested in following you. In this case, it would be travel agents, travel guides, hotel review tweeps, travel bloggers, people who live close to Quebec etc. You don’t need to follow everybody who follows you or everyone you see, just follow people who you believe could be interested in what you have to say or those who could inspire you (btw. competitors are always a good bet ).
Monitor their brand regularly & respond. Use Twitter search on regular basis to see what tweeps are saying about you. Just put the name of your company in search box and see what goes around Twitterverse. Bad, good, you will probably face it all, but the golden rule is: engage and respond APPROPRIATELY. If you read something positive, react positively. Praise the person, retweet it and better yet, go the extra mile. Give them something they may want – free drink at your bar, special discount, whatever you think would create positive buzz and encourage more people to give you positive feedback. If the feedback is negative, don’t get all defensive. You really are better off following “customer is always right” principle, no matter how much you disagree. If you don’t think you can resolve the situation in a delicate manner (if the person bad-mouthing you is not reasonable), then be silent. The main point is never to engage your company in an argument over Twitter, no matter what. Always respond nicely, but if that doesn’t work, just leave it alone.
Interact. I know I am starting to be boring with repeating this all the time, but this really is the most important part of marketing successfully on social media sites. Ask questions, respond to questions, RETWEET, comment on others’ tweets. Don’t just sit there. There is no space to be passive or anti-social on social media sites. Social media (hint, hint – social) is to socialize, so why so many companies still don’t get this? This is not a newspaper or TV style of marketing. Those rules don’t apply on Twitter or any other social media sites. What is effective in other forms of marketing doesn’t work here. People don’t want to just hear about what you sell. They come to you to talk to you, to connect with you, to help you or because they need help. Don’t you worry, once you build trust, you will sell, but you cannot build trust if ALL you do is sell.
I am normally not too good at reading maps (I can’t believe I said that ), but this one is really plain and simple. You follow it, your company will succeed – guaranteed (or your money back: that is, if this advice was not free….:D)!
Good luck!
Yours XOXO
Lucie
Connect with me!
January 10, 2010 1 Comment
Just to introduce myself shortly… First and foremost, I am a social addict – I absolutely love to socialize, meet new people, talk and network. Second, I am a social media addict – I do social media for work; I do social media for fun; in short, pretty much all I do revolves around social media and online marketing. Yes, you are getting it right… I am a geek and proud of it If you have been following me on Twitter, you know by now that I am a Twitter fanatic - I wake up and I tweet; it is just a matter of time when I will tweet in my sleep too (I will let you know when that happens). I am also big on Facebook, managing several fan pages, groups and personal accounts. I have a passion for anything connected with Internet and marketing. I also have a passion for writing and, most of all, I have a passion for life! I want to share my passions with you and I hope that my blogs will help you stay informed, interested, and positive! I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Best,
Lucie
Online world is my real world! I work in, love, breathe social media! Always positive, full of wild ideas, just a happy Internet/marketing/tech addict!
Online world is my real world! I work in, love, breathe social media! Always positive, full of wild ideas, just a happy Internet/marketing/tech addict!
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