Sheila's Guide To The Good Stuff

Get a smartphone if you don’t already have one.

Like, NOW.

Having access – in your purse or pocket – to the web, plus your entire social network, is the biggest game-changer since we decided that personal computers in every home wasn’t as stupid as it sounded.

The shift to a mobile life is happening, and it’s happening screamingly fast. Tourism, travel and business overall are changing forever, right this very minute, but it’s hard to truly grasp what that means until you use a mobile device regularly yourself (hence my insistence that you go shopping.)

No, your expertise in checking email on a phone is not what I mean.

Below is the slide deck from my new keynote presentation titled, “Mobile: Is That The Internet In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Glad To See Me?” (hat tip to actress Mae West.)

I gave it for the first time at the Annual Meeting of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania regional tourism organization; they were marvelous hosts and I hope they found it helpful. Later I realized that I’d forgotten to mention two specific resources: Tom Martin on QR codes, and Aaron Strout on location-based services. D’oh!

There are short speaker notes on each slide, and hyperlinked sources at the bottom of the stats slides.  Here’s the direct link to the deck on SlideShare.

In the wildly diverse and ever-growing world of bloggers and other online publishers, how do you sort through the stack to find the ones who interest you?

The ideas below were adapted from a comment of mine on the SpinSucks post “Blogger Outreach: Three Steps to a Successful Program“….in the spirit of more content in less time, I’m also going to put the same information here as a blog post.

Where do you find bloggers who might want to know about your destination, attraction, product, service or book?

I’m not sure I’d recommend that old warhorse Technorati for much of anything these days – I’d go for Alltop.com instead, if you’re looking for online publishers in lots of different subject areas.

Pssst – there’s an Alltop Tourism Industry channel, too!

Consultant Christina Pappas suggests looking for blogrolls (lists of favorite blogs, usually found in the sidebar) which is good when you can find blogs that still do them. Also look at Twitter Lists on Listorious and the membership of open Facebook Groups (one travel blogging Facebook Group has over 800 members; no harm in asking to join a Group if you have something to contribute, but don’t go in there and start overt marketing or you’ll probably get a digital spanking.)

Consider Twitter chats – many travel bloggers hang out on the #TBEX and #TBU hashtags, for example, and they also attend the associated TBEX / @TBEXEvents and Travel Bloggers Unite / @tbloggersunite travel blogging conferences, so show up there and participate.

It’s very effective to connect OFFline by going where the geeks are;  events like BlogWorld & New Media Expo, SXSWi (South by Southwest Interactive,) BlogHer, SOBCon, the 140 Character Conferences worldwide, Blissdom, local Social Media Clubs and Social Media Breakfasts plus small niche gatherings …. there’s a pet blogging conference, a beer blogging conference, food blogger events, craft blogger conferences….you get the idea.

But yes – meet bloggers on their blog, not in their email IN box (where I spend an inordinate amount of time deleting stupid stuff that I don’t want, thanks to people buying my name from companies like Vocus, Cision and BurrellesLuce.)

Meet bloggers where they are, on their terms. After all, YOU want what THEY have.

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)

Welcome to the Carnival of Cities blog carnival, where we tour the world in a single post, via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one, single city (or fair-sized town.)

The previous Carnival edition was hosted by the Perceptive Travel Blog and we will return to PT Blog on November 2.

If you would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog, please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Africa

Nairobi, Kenya   Pam Mandel presents This is Not About a Taxi Driver posted at Nerd’s Eye View, saying, “Overwhelmed by Nairobi, traveler Pam Mandel opts out of adventure and goes for the beaten path tourist sites. She’s not the least bit sorry.”

Cities in the Americas

Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawaii, USA   Jennifer Miner presents What Will Happen to the Ihilani Resort and Spa? posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “Now that Disney has opened the Aulani, what will happen to the JW Marriott Resort & Spa right next door in Ko Olina, Oahu?”

Tunica, Mississippi, USA   Lisa Konupka presents Celebrate Fall with Delta Day on October 29 posted at Down the Road in Tunica MS Blog.

Phoenix, Arizona, USA   Nina Simmons presents Fall Festivals in Phoenix posted at The Hot Sheet saying, “If this doesn’t work, I would be happy to submit another post. Thank you for the opportunity!”

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada   Zhu presents Night Owls posted at Correr Es Mi Destino, saying, “Dur­ing sum­mer, days are long and sun­set is late, so I’m rarely down­town Ottawa after night falls. But as days are becom­ing shorter, I decided to go hunt for night shots while the weather is still nice. Last Sat­ur­day was one of these days. It was in the mid-twenties and I left home around 7 p.m. to roam the down­town core with my cam­era. Half of the city had the same idea—by Sep­tem­ber, we are all clutch­ing at the last bits of summer.”

(more…)

At the national conference for the AWC (Association for Women in Communications) I was excited to speak at a session with Maria Henneberry about creating and conducting online training through webinars.

AWC organizes and runs a webinar series about a variety of communications topics (I’m on the Tech Committee that finds topics and speakers) plus we run webinars at Tourism Currents related to social media, technology and tourism/hospitality.

So, I have webinars on the brain these days. What are the main things to remember?

Do NOT make boring slide decks, take advantage of the web and multimedia tools, remember that your voice must show the enthusiasm you feel (since in many cases attendees can’t see you) and keep an eye on online presentation tools like Zipcast that easily and cheaply bring video into the mix.

Here’s the direct link to the webinar how-to presentation on my SlideShare channel, and let me know in the comments below if you have questions or feedback.

Someone floated the idea recently (in a Facebook Group) of writing a textbook on social media for tourism.

My first reaction:  We’re already collectively writing it as we do it. The problem is capturing the best thoughts in one place.

Even if you wrote it as an ebook, you’d have to keep updating/rewriting/re-uploading the document (just like we do with our Tourism Currents online course, which fortunately uses WordPress publishing software so it’s easy to update.)

On the one hand, it’s not about the tools – which change constantly – it’s about how we use those tools as communicators.

How about a hybrid product: communications fundamentals in a book, with accompanying blogs that speak to specific areas like mobile, social, general digital, email, offline/print, etc. Maybe someone could build out an already-solid product like Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day.

How would you teach this topic, Professor? Let’s talk in the comments….

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!) 

This is a combined post written with Troy Thompson of Travel2Dot0, my co-presenter at the excellent, wide-ranging eTourism Summit.

We spoke together about blogger outreach at the conference and here are a few of our follow-up thoughts….

Troy, on things to consider before working with a blogger

As part of my eTourism Summit schedule, one fateful session had me teamed with the America’s Blogger, Sheila Scarborough [ note from me - Troy says that this is like America's Team, but that I don't throw interceptions.  ] Never one to pass up an opportunity to express myself, nor is Sheila, we decided to take a couple of themes and thoughts from our presentation and through the magic of the internets, turn them into an article.

Sheila is covering relationships, I am covering evaluation. Two posts for the price of one.

How To: Evaluate and Select Bloggers

It was a popular question during our recent eTourism Summit presentation: How do I evaluate bloggers? Or, more specifically, how can I tell the good bloggers from the freeloaders?

An excellent question and one that everyone in the tourism space will eventually deal with. While the correct answer is based upon your needs and goals (sorry), I do have a few tips on how to evaluate and select the right blogger. Used in conjunction with other sources these tips should provide the foundation for your own blogger evaluation algorithm.

Google Analytics

Yeah, numbers. Start here. The numbers will not tell you a whole lot. Frankly, audience size should not be a top priority…quality over quantity, right?…but asking for Google Analytics will provide two clues about the blogger. 1) Are they willing to share statistics. And 2) do they have statistics. If the answer for either question is no, then you can move this candidate to the bottom of your list.

Klout

Ah, Klout. Half of you just cursed out loud, while the rest of you are frantically Googling the word Klout. The social ranking system has strong supporters and loud detractors, but it does provide another piece of your blogger evaluation puzzle. Check the score. Again, this is just a basic test. Klout of 5? Red flag. Klout of 54, continue the evaluation investigation.

Writing Style

Take the time to read the writer’s work, and not just the most recent post. The first post, the most popular most, a random post. Understand their perspective, writing style and technique. Does it fit with your brand, goals or campaign? Does the blogger tell a complete story. Do they use images, video and other content to complete the narrative. Is it a good story? Check, check, check…okay, let’s keep moving.

Being Social

Yes, we already looked at the Klout score, but that is not the end of the social investigation. Klout can be fooled. Look on the blog; are social network icons present? Are they active on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.? Do they promote their writing via these channels? Are they actively communicating…and, are readers communicating back? Are there comments on the blog posts? Does the blogger respond? How social are they? You want someone who will carry your message and story beyond a single web page. You are hiring a digital advocate for your brand. The question is, are they an advocate?

Network

Going a step beyond just being social, you need to know who they are social with. A bit selfish on your part, but hey, a comp [complimentary hotel] room is a comp room. Is the blogger talking with other bloggers? Are those bloggers or writers potential connections for another story about your destination? What about building their network. Is the blogger active in Twitter chats or Facebook groups? What about on Disqus? Is there an opportunity to not only benefit from the direct network of this blogger, but their indirect network as well? Yes. Perfect. Comp ‘em that room.

While our five tips are a great start, they are just that, a start. Your goals are likely different from a retail store, internet start-up or another destination and therefore your evaluation criteria should be different as well.

But, as long as you are researching against goals…and not looking for a quick Klout rating…the right blogger is just a tweet away.

Me, on growing a blogger network, or Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty

I can’t claim credit for the “dig your well” idea – it’s the title of a book by Harvey Mackay – but when it comes to building a network of online connections and resources, it is definitely true.

(Head over to Troy’s blog to read my unicorn blogger advice….)

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!) 

Create once, use many times.

That’s the key to creating more content in less time, but here is what you must also do….think like a multi-platform, multimedia online publisher.

Here’s an example:

This morning, I was trying to get some itinerary ideas for an upcoming road trip in a state where I don’t have a lot of recent travel experience.

I go to the state tourism website, and there’s gobs of great stuff on there, including a section called Trails that should have given me what I wanted – highlighted places thematically grouped together, and then laid out on a map so I can visualize driving around to them.

Instead, when I drilled down, all I got was what I get way too often from tourism websites:  an alphabetical list of places.

Do you know how discouraging it is to see a list starting with “A” places – Aardvark Restaurant, Al’s Chicken Wings, etc. – and look at the bottom of the website and see that you’re on Page 1 of 10 of these listings?

Forget it.

So, without naming the site in question, I griped a bit from my personal account on Twitter. Theresa Overby from the Baton Rouge, Louisiana CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) saw my tweet and began asking me usability questions, in light of an upcoming re-do of their website.

How Did a Twitter Discussion Become Content?

We went back and forth, exchanging good ideas, and then I began to think like a publisher….”Where else online would this info be useful to people?”

In 30-40 minutes, I had posted:

1) On the Tourism Currents Twitter account, of course, where we talk about social media and tourism. I went to Twitter’s search engine, gathered the relevant tweets together in a search string, and captured the conversation. Then I took that link and tweeted it on Tourism Currents‘ stream.

2)  On Facebook. Since Facebook and Twitter people are their own communities and you can’t assume people are in both places, I then took the same link and published it as a status update on the Tourism Currents Facebook Page, making sure that I tagged the Visit Baton Rouge Facebook Page in the update, of course.

3)  In the blog post you’re reading right now, with the addition of a screenshot graphic edited in a super-basic way using the Print Screen function, pasting that into Paint and then cropping it the way I wanted it and saving as a JPEG. Boom. Done.

That’s how you get more use out of the content you create, including random Twitter conversations. It’s almost like getting more hours in the day.

That thought process of thinking like an online publisher also happens to be the latest Two Pages of Terrific download available in the Tourism Currents Store, if you want more where that came from (like 9 different ways to use one photo.)

How do you use your content in multiple ways? Let us know in the Comments!

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!) 

A quick thought for everyone hearing about how social media ….

—->  ”Is great for contests where people will get their friends to vote for _____.”

—->  ”Incentivizes ‘influencers’ who get their networks to do _____.” (actual sentence)

—->  ”Is powerful because people will leverage their connections to _____.”

All I ask is that folks think about the implications of manipulating customers/visitors/guests to manipulate their friends, families and networks.

My friends are not your marketing fodder.

Be careful when you mess with what people care about a lot more than they care about your brand.

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!) 

This is a bit of an experiment to put up a blog post entirely from my Android phone, while parked at a highway rest stop but not using their WiFi, only 3G on the phone.

The answer is yes, it can be done, but it’s driving me batty; way too slow drafting it directly into WordPress, even though I have a little slideout keyboard.

Thought for the day….

As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with the nasty WordPress Pharma hack here on Sheila’s Guide (don’t worry, it’s safe for your computer or mobile device to be here; the hack only messes with this blog’s search engine results.)

After running after it for weeks and weeks, I’ve called in some more help, but this is not keeping me up at night. At all. I mean, I DO care and it IS embarrassing to have pharmaceutical results come up as the title of my Speaker page, but I’m not frantic.

Why?

Because my analytics data shows me the multiple ways that people find my content other than search engines.

There are lots from people coming to the homepage URL directly, through referral links, Twitter traffic is big for me, occasionally StumbleUpon (especially Stumbles on the recent press trip “exclusive” guest post,) there’s Facebook of course, LinkedIn spikes sometimes, the blog URL is in my email signature/on my business cards/in every online profile I fill out, and then there are my loyal RSS and email subscribers.

This blog doesn’t have a huge subscriber list, but the important thing is that they care enough to have my posts come to their email IN box, which for most people is a busy, crowded place with a lot of things demanding attention. It is nice to be welcomed there, so yesterday I went over and took a look at my email and RSS subscriber data in Feedburner, just to gaze delightedly at the names of the people who support me like that.

I even sent a quick follow-up personal note to several who were listed as “Unverified” – they’d signed up to get my posts, but never completed the final confirmation of their email subscription. Sure, it was only a few people, but every single one of them means something to me and I want to retain them as readers.

Their interest has staying power in a way that random drop-ins from search engines does not.

Until the hacking mess, I’d never truly appreciated in my gut how important it is to vary the means by which people find your content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is important, of course, but the Google basket is not the only place for your eggs.

How many different ways do people find your content?

Have you thought about how you can best nurture and grow those channels?

Please leave a reply in the comments below – and thank you!

*** Credit for post title goes to the old Timex watch ad – “Takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”

(If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup box is on the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)