One of the presentations at SoMeT 2010 (Social Media Tourism Symposium) was from MMG Worldwide and covered a variety of ways that tourism organizations can engage visitors through their mobile devices.

As a travel enthusiast who is beginning to really rely on her own smartphone, I particularly liked the idea of providing location-specific ringtone and wallpaper downloads.

This got me thinking about what I’d like to see, since I have conferences and speaking gigs coming up this fall in:

**  Hutchinson, Kansas – 140 Conference Small Town – some great shots from the Cosmosphere space museum, or Third Thursday in downtown Hutch or the Underground Salt Museum, plus maybe John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” or something from these five songs for Kansas.

**  Tulsa, Oklahoma – AWC National Conference (Association for Women in Communications) – there’s terrific Art Deco architecture in downtown Tulsa, perhaps played to the tune of “Tulsa Time” (did you know that there’s an Eric Clapton version of the song?)

**  Los Angeles, California – BlogWorld and New Media Expo’s Tourism track, yay! – wow, where to start for the wallpaper; the swoopy silver Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood sign, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Capitol Records building that looks like a stack of vinyl records (yes, I remember those.) Good ringtone music is tougher – not sure the Doors’ “LA Woman” works, 10,000 Maniacs’ “City of Angels” is better with the lyrics, not many remember Sinatra’s “LA is My Lady.”  I’m kinda stuck on this one; will hum “California Dreamin’” until someone helps me out down in the comments.

**  Tunica, Mississippi and the Delta - SoMeT 2011 – I’ll land up the road in Memphis and then drive south down historic Highway 61 to Tunica. This area lends itself to poignant closeups rather than panoramic shots (unless it’s an aerial photo of the river) but you could include the Crossroads in nearby Clarksdale, where one legend says that bluesman Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for guitar skills. The whole region is stuffed with music, but I’d go for John Hiatt’s “Memphis in the Meantime,” Paul Simon’s “Graceland” or Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” then anything by James Cotton, or “Traveling Riverside Blues” or ”Got My Mojo Workin’.”

Travelers like to really experience the essence of places when they visit, so why not use visuals and audio on that phone that they’re never without these days, to make them feel at home in your town?

Bonus idea, although not specifically mobile: put a few destination-related badges or widget downloads on your website, for your supporters to grab and put on their blogs.

What other digital trinkets can you think of that your visitors might enjoy?

(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.)

Thanks to Best Family Travel Advice for hosting the previous edition, and we look forward to the next one on April 6, hosted by Travel with Teens and Tweens.

If you would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (May 18 and June 1 are still open) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Savannah, Georgia, USA Kerry Dexter presents World comes to Savannah: Savannah Music Festival posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying, “17 days of concerts at the Savannah music festival reflect the city’s heritage as a musical crossroads.”

Cleveland, Ohio, USA Joe Vargo presents Ethnic Eats in Cleveland posted at DiscoveringOhio.  [a tourism blog; yay!]

Purcellville, Virginia, USA Jeremy Harvey presents A Wall at Sunset Hills Vineyard posted at VisitLoudounBlog.com, saying, “Thanks for considering using my post. Keep up the great work Sheila. I love reading your blog! Cheers.”   [a tourism blog; yay! And thanks, Jeremy.]

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Lindsay Dianne presents West Coast Awakening and Granville Island Market posted at The Urban Momtographer, saying, “Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver, BC, Canada.”

Brasilia, Brazil Carolyne Hall presents Brasilia, Brasil: Uma cidade moderna posted at Lady on a Roof, saying, “My trip to Brasilia, Brazil. ”

Seattle, Washington, USA Abi King presents Street Art In Seattle | The Best Cultural Travel & Adventure posted at Inside the Travel Lab, saying, “A funky look at Seattle’s less well-known street art.”

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Kayla presents Whitehern Historic House Highlights posted at Adventures in Heritage, saying, “Review of going to a local historical museum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.”

Atlanta, Georgia, USA Nichole presents Four fun places in Atlanta to visit with your kids posted at Butterscotch Sundae.

Tampa, Florida, USA Nicole presents The Bricks of Ybor in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida posted at Arrows Sent Forth, saying, “The Bricks of Ybor is a great choice for dining with kids while visiting Tampa.”

Portland, Oregon, USA Byteful Travel presents Adventures of a Failed Hitchhike, Craigslist Success, & Portland’s Welcoming Rainbow posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “Portland! What a city! So creative, so historic, and so wonderfully weird. I was very excited to continue my truly epic West Coast Journey by returning to Portland before I headed further south. Now, I could either give you the “director’s cut” of the story, or I could share some of the gory details with you, like the bit about how my first attempt to get out of Seattle didn’t work… at all. I’m going to do the latter here; because I want to emphasize the importance of having a Plan B and being flexible. Thankfully though, this story ends in a stunning rainbow!”

Idyllwild, California, USA Gina Stark presents Festive Festivals of Idyllwild! posted at Gitana Blog, saying, “Idyllwild is small town with BIG culture. Home of the Idyllwild Arts Academy, there is no shortage of venues to exhibit and celebrate the plethora of talent here.”

Marshall, California Mikaela Cowles presents Saturday Steals: Seattle to San Francisco ? The Marshall Store posted at Baguette Taste – Wonder Bread Budget, saying, “Saturday Steals is a portion of my blog, Baguette Taste – Wonder Bread Budget. I explore fabulous deals up and down the coast from Seattle to San Francisco and share how I stretch cents into dollars to live the life I want on the budget I have.”

Cities in Europe

Oslo, Norway Anne-Sophie Redisch presents Open-minded Oslo posted at Sophie’s World, saying, “Come to Oslo to experience nature, culture and Vikings. Bring the kids!”

London, United Kingdom Shelly Rivoli presents Tips for visiting London’s Natural History Museum with young children posted at Travels with Baby Tips by Shelly Rivoli, saying, “Dinosaurs, cockroaches, rocks – oh, my! Tips for anyone visiting London’s Natural History Museum with a stroller, toddler, or diaper-clad companion.”

Venice, Italy Andy Hayes presents 4 Reasons Why I Love Venice Even Though It Stinks posted at Sharing Travel Experiences.

London, United Kingdom Tamara presents Last night in London: John Makepeace at Somerset House posted at Travel Blog – Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels, saying, “In London this week – A private view of a show celebrating the 50-year career of a craftsman dubbed the Father of Modern Furniture: John Makepeace (OBE if you don’t mind!”)

Cities in Asia

Bangkok, Thailand Andrea Wren presents How to navigate and survive Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market posted at Travelling Wren, saying, “An article about one of my favourite places in my favourite cities!”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

(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 edition was here on Sheila’s Guide and the next edition will be hosted on the Perceptive Travel blog on Wednesday, February 23.

Any posts from blogs by tourism organizations (CVB, DMO, Tourist Board,) hospitality or economic development organizations are particularly welcome, as long as they’re about something in one city or town!

If yo would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (March 9 and March 23 are still open, and I could certainly use the help because March is crazy for me) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in the Americas

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Nicole presents Experiencing Egypt at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis posted at Arrows Sent Forth, saying, “The ‘Take Me There: Egypt’ exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis allows kids to experience life in an Egyptian village through hands-on play.”

Nashville, Tennessee, USA Alethea Hutchison presents Viva Nashvegas! posted at I’m Domestic…not Dead!, saying, “The way Nashville views celebrity.”

New York, New York, USA Madeleine Begun Kane presents Snow Job (A Limerick Duet) posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

(A CVB blog – Yay!)—> Spokane, Washington, USA Teresa Ide presents My New Neighborhood Bar posted at Spokane Insiders’ Blog.

Seattle, Washington, USA Byteful Travel presents The Radical Act of Kindness that Floored Me when I visited a Seattle Farmer’s Market posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “What would you do if someone you’d never met walked up to you and gave you a gift, completely unexpectedly? I had to face this amazing reality one sunny day after I’d just stumbled into the Queen Anne farmer’s market (where I discovered an amazing new fruit, a ‘pluot’). And the entire experience reinforced in me how magical travel can truly be.”

Orlando, Florida, USA Jennifer Miner presents Spring Break Vacation in Orlando – 5 Tips to Save Time posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “Spring break in Orlando’s big theme parks can be frustrating, what with all the crowds and long lines. Here are 5 tips to help save time at Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando.”

Ojai, California, USA Andy Hayes presents California’s Secret Sunshine Valley: Ojai posted at Sharing Travel Experiences, saying, “Want to know the secrets of the Ojai Valley?”

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA Apryl Chapman Thomas presents Spotting Winter Wildlife (and Possibly Whales) in Virginia Beach, Virginia posted at Southern Hospitality Magazine Traveler.

Kualoa, Oahu, Hawaii, USA Jennifer presents Kualoa Ranch – Oahu, Hawaii posted at Two Kids and a Map.

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Sarah V. presents Beignets! posted at Wandering Off.

Austin, Texas, USA Pete & Kara present Austinversary! posted at Dispatches from a Winnebago.

Duluth, Minnesota, USA Dominique King presents Iconic lift bridge in Duluth is a major Minnesota landmark posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “This 100-plus-year-old lift bridge is so closely identified with Duluth, Minnesota, that the city prominently features its image in its official logo.”

Cities in the Middle East

Amman, Jordan Sherry Ott presents Late Night Cravings posted at Ottsworld, saying, “Late night eating in Amman Jordan”

Cities in Asia

Gwangneung, South Korea Chris Backe presents Destination: Gwangneung (Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do) posted at Chris in South Korea, saying, “From a day trip near Seoul ”

Cities in Europe

Paris, France Shelly Rivoli presents The best baby-friendly cafe in… Paris? posted at Travels with Baby Tips, saying, “Safe haven for travelers with tots who want to sip cafe creme in the City of Lights… sitting down. A great tip from a Paris mom for travelers or locals alike.”

Rome, Italy Alistair Wearmouth presents From Pizza to Pasta: Get Cooking in Rome posted at Away.com Travel Blog, saying, “A guide to two of the best cooking schools in Rome by food blogger Kendra Bailey Morris”

Cuenca, Spain Eurobookings presents Off the Beaten Path: Cuenca, Spain posted at The European Hotel Specialist.

The Hague, the Netherlands MoTravels presents 10 Awesome Places to See and Things to Do in the Hague Netherlands posted at Monique Rubin, saying, “A local’s perspective on The Hague, The Netherlands”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

(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 host was the Perceptive Travel blog and the next edition will again be hosted here on Sheila’s Guide on Wednesday, February 9.

If you’d like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (February 23 and March 9 are open) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Europe

Orta San Giulio, Italy Donna Hull presents Baby Boomer Tips for Visiting Orta San Giulio, Italy posted at My Itchy Travel Feet, saying, “Outdoor cafes facing a lake that hosts a medieval island, walks through a park-like setting where chapels depict the life of St. Francis of Assisi through painted frescoes – you’ll find an un-touristy Italian paradise in Orta San Giulio.”

Istanbul, Turkey Nicole Elena Robertson presents Istanbul posted at Nicole Elena Robertson, saying, “Istanbul is a beautiful city, rich in history, and often overlooked by Western travelers. While researching my upcoming trip, I’ve gathered some stunning photos of Istanbul.”

Oslo, Norway Anne-Sophie Redisch presents Oslo – 10 Great Free Cultural Attractions posted at Sophie’s World, saying, “Oslo’s premier attraction is nature, and there are many, many ways to enjoy the great outdoors, free of charge. But it’s cold out these days. And not absolutely everyone loves skiing in sub-zero temperatures. So here are 10 favourite cultural attractions, less strenuous and completely free of charge.”

Leeds, Yorkshire, England Keith Kellett presents Winter at Roundhay Park posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands r0dman presents Backpacking in Amsterdam posted at on the way to somewhere, saying, “We would just walk for a bit, then sit down and watch the thousands of people ride past on bicycles, families playing on the grass, dogs playing until they fight each other and then playing again, and all of the other things that happen when you take the time to sit and watch. It was relaxing, but it was interesting too.”

Rome, Italy Tim Freeman presents Weekend in Rome posted at Madrileño Americano, saying, “This blog post outlines my trip to Rome, Italy.”

Paris, France Robin Locker presents Go Organic in Paris posted at My Melange.

Cities in the Americas

Miami, Florida, USA Anna presents Meet my favourite city in the world posted at Anna’s Life and Mistakes, saying, “Miami…the unregrettable addiction”

Nashville, Tennessee, USA Nicole presents Finding my bliss at Blissdom in Nashville posted at Arrows Sent Forth, saying, “My memories of the atrium at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville and why I’m excited to visit again during the Blissdom conference.”

Seattle, Washington, USA Byteful Travel presents Why Pike’s Market is a MUST SEE place in Seattle posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “When I first arrived in Seattle, I knew I would enjoy exploring it. Seattle had a feeling of vast possibility and diversity. And I was very lucky since I had an awesome Couchsurfing host to introduce me to the city. He introduced me to Pike’s Place Market in downtown Seattle. (In fact, it was his idea.) Pike’s Market is one of the most famous places in Seattle, if not *the* most famous; and it’s right on the waterfront. The market is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers’ markets in the United States. Basically, they had EVERYTHING.”

Huntington Beach, California, USA Sharlene Earnshaw presents Surf City Here We Come- 8 Fun Things for Families to do in Huntington Beach posted at the talking trekaroo.

Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont, USA Miss Magpie presents Funtown, Vermont – Smugglers’ Notch posted at FindandGoSeek’s BLOG, saying, “Miss Magpie and her flock visits Smugglers’ Notch in January, 2011, to put their wintertime activities to the test.”

Awendaw, South Carolina, USA Jennifer Heisler presents Bull Island Ferry, Awendaw, SC posted at VisitSouth.com.

Destin, Florida, USA Mike @ jammer(six) presents Things To Do in Destin, Florida posted at jammer(six).

Detroit, Michigan, USA Dominique King presents Visiting Detroit’s William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse on Belle Isle posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Detroit’s Art Deco-style William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse is the only light tower in the United States made entirely of marble, as well as likely the only lighthouse designed by famed architect Albert Kahn.”

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA My guest post about Two Mai Tais, 25 Years Apart on Pam Mandel’s Holoholo Wale blog, which is about wandering the Hawaiian Islands.

Cities in the Middle East

Doha, Qatar Merry presents ..A Dash through Doha, Qatar! posted at MERRY MAKES, saying, “This post outlines the major features of the capital city of Qatar, as experienced over 48hrs. My visit and subsequent blog post happened to coincide with the city’s win for the bid to host the 2022 Olympics  FIFA World Cup. There it was in the headlines and I wanted to share my impressions of Doha City.”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

(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!)

For me, content is either preplanned or is triggered by something that bothers me and I simply HAVE to blast out a post.

I often ask myself, “What is driving me nuts right now, or what makes me happy just thinking about it?” and that becomes fresh content.

Several ways to keep feeding the beast….

1)  Use a monthly or weekly editorial calendar, particularly to help you write seasonal, holiday-related or event-specific blog/Facebook posts or tweets.

Why do you think that “get organized” articles come up every January, and “get ready for bikini season” stuff arrives in women’s magazines like clockwork in April or May? Soup recipes in November, fruit tart recipes in July and August….all of it is evergreen content, re-done every year. Same with those “how to get the most out of XYZ Conference” posts you see before events, followed by link-heavy “Here’s what I learned at XYZ Conference” afterward.

In our very first Tourism Currents newsletter, we talked about editorial calendars for content planning, because it’s that important to have a strategy for what you publish.

2)  Have some way to track the random insights that pop into your head; they often become popular posts if you move fast to articulate your unique point of view on a topical issue. Some people use electronic services like Evernote to record them; I use a notepad and pen (which always boot up.)

Also keep some notetaking device near your bed, because it’s amazing how many ideas will occur to you as you’re falling asleep.  No, you will not remember them in the morning. Trust me.

3)  Which key words and phrases are people using to discover answers in your industry? What are they asking about on LinkedIn Answers, on Quora, on Twitter, in person at conferences, etc? Your answers to those questions are all potential blog posts. Include the keywords in your headline; that’s great SEO because you are using exactly the same “How do I….?” words that people are typing into search engine boxes, and bots like to bring back results that exactly match queries.

That’s what I did for this post – I did a quick analysis of the phrases people use when they do a search about how to blog, then wrote my title.

4)  Sometimes the best posts are images or video, with just a little text.

Always have a camera with you, and periodically scroll your archives for photos or videos that were buried and never edited. I wrote a post about a simple integrated marketing communication example based on a photo that I’d forgotten I’d taken till I did an archive review.

5)  Never waste content. I took my answer to a blogging question on Quora and it became this blog post.

There’s one more piece of content in the can for me, my thoughts kill two birds, and the gaping maw is pacified for one more day. 

(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!)

Many tourism organizations that are not member-based have told me they’re reluctant to mention specific businesses or events in their towns for fear of offending someone.

They say things like….

** “If I RT (retweet) something on Twitter from that particular restaurant, the other restaurants will fuss that I didn’t mention them, too.”

** “If I create suggested itineraries to help visitors, the ones who aren’t on the itineraries will complain.”

** “If I show a photo from that hotel on my Facebook Page, the other hotels will be mad.”

** “If I group restaurants on my website a certain way, rather than listing them alphabetically, some of them will be upset.”

** “If I plug that festival on our blog, the other festival organizers will get huffy.”

All of this may be true, but what it means is that you are not giving visitors the best possible information about how to enjoy their stay in your town. You’re giving them a laundry list – a data dump – and expecting them to figure it out on their own.

This is especially true of my pet peeve: tourism websites that list restaurants alphabetically under Where To Eat, from Applebee’s to Z Pizza.  Gee, then visitors have the joy of wading through that crapola and picking one….without even the courtesy of having them laid out on a mobile-friendly map, to ease the pain of confusion as they drive around an unfamiliar town (probably with hungry kids squawking in the back seat.)

No wonder they go for your safe, known chain places and leave uninspired by anything unique that you offer. Meh.

Rather than using a tweet or Facebook photo to show them, for example, only-in-our-town highlights like that amazing lemon meringue pie at a local bakery, you pump out no-impact, inoffensive, rah-rah vanilla content like “Eat, Stay, Play” without any interesting specifics on where and how to eat, stay and play.

On conversational social media sites, such brochure-speak is a yawner for everyone (you’re bored writing it and they’re bored reading it) so visitors may turn to random searches on Google or Yelp or “where do locals go?” Facebook shouts or tweets to their networks, all in an effort to get past unhelpful data dumps and onto useful information that works for them and their travel companions.

Why not try to figure out a workable, equitable system to spotlight worthy places when it makes sense to do so?

There’s no perfect solution, but at least sit down, think about it and consider offering some options….

**  A rotating tweet or retweet from each restaurant on your website listing. They aren’t on Twitter? Fine; support those who are.  The others can figure it out at their leisure.

**  A variety of Facebook photos, one per day or week, of a special dish from each restaurant in town. If the restaurant doesn’t provide a photo, then they aren’t mentioned. Tough cookies, you know?

**  Offer a short guest post on your blog to the manager of each hotel in town, talking about his or her favorite thing to suggest to visitors as a “must-see.”  Those who provide a good post get on your blog. Those who are “too busy” won’t get one. It’s not as though you aren’t offering the option to everyone.

**  Tell your local restaurants, shops and lodging that you’re setting up some suggested itineraries (family-friendly, history buff, foodie, craft enthusiast, etc.) on your website. Have some brainstorming sessions with them. Publish the first 3-4 that you create. Invite further input from those not yet included. Make them show you where they might best fit with a visitor’s interests.

**  Follow the lead of Visit Virginia and put a This Month tab on your Facebook Page for Events This Month (event calendars are consistently one of the most-trafficked pages on tourism websites, too) and be open to musical entertainment, festivals, dances, specials, etc. Those who don’t submit their data, don’t get on your calendar.

Think of yourself as both the best source of local information, and also as an online publisher who is capable of getting that quality information out on any channel you choose – text, photo, video, audio.

Either you act as the expert, reliable source, or a lone blogger like me or Kate Canterbury (who writes Columbia, Missouri’s Capturing CoMo) will do it….because we can and you didn’t.

We are not constrained by this pervasive avoidance of offending anyone, and with a little creativity and some teamwork around town, you really don’t have to be constrained that much, either.

Have you found any successful ways to deal with this issue? Please let us know down 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!)

Welcome to the December 15, 2010 edition of the Carnival of Cities, where we tour the world in a single blog post via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one city (or fair-sized town.)

I hosted the previous edition on BootsnAll Family Travel, and the next host is the Trekaroo Blog on Wednesday, December 29.

If you’d like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog (January 12 and 26 plus February 9 are open) please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Europe

Copenhagen, Denmark Katie Sorene presents 6 Reasons Why I Love Copenhagen posted at Travel Blog – Tripbase, saying, “After a trip to TBEX Europe I fell in love with Copenhagen! Find out about the city’s penchant for cakes, fairy tales and things that work!”

Munich, Germany Elmer Boutin presents Bavarian Dream Vacation – Day 1, Munich posted at Musings of Řehoř.

Vienna, Austria Happy Hotelier presents 5 Tips for Visiting Vienna in Luxury posted at Happy Hotelier, saying, “For me Vienna is the Number 0ne destination in Europe: Old World Chic in a relaxed romantic environment”

Cities in the Americas

Detroit, Michigan, USA Dominique King presents Fill your shopping basket with regional goodies at Detroit’s Eastern Market posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Detroit’s Eastern Market lays claim to being the largest historic public market district in the United States, and this huge open-air farmers market has a history dating back more than 160 years.”

Austin, Texas, USA My reasons why Austin Rocks: Shop the world at Tesoros Trading Company posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying, “I’ve shopped here for decades; great stuff at reasonable prices, and they’re online, too.”

Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA Sharlene Earnshaw presents Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga with kids posted at Suite Trip.

Linden, New Jersey, USA Khaleef @ KNS Financial presents NJ City Collects Over $1Million in 3 Months From Red Light Cameras posted at Faithful With A Few, saying, “By installing 3 red light (traffic) cameras, a New Jersey city has collected over $1 Million in only 3 months! How did they pull it off? Was it about money or safety? Read the full story and chime in!”

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA I wrote 8 tips on taking the kids to Las Vegas posted at Family Travel Guide, saying, “Yes, take the kids, but there are a few caveats….”

Portland, Oregon, USA Byteful Travel presents Portland’s Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden transports you across Time and Space posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “Have you ever overcome the boundaries time and space? Today I’m going to share with you an otherworldly place that allows you to easily overcome the boundaries of both space and time. I had only been in Portland for a few days when I first entered the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, the prime Chinese cultural heritage site within hundreds of miles; and its presence created a beautiful contrast to the western architecture around it. And even from the outside, the sense of sacred ground gave the air a texture of charged mystery.”

New York, New York, USA Jennifer Miner presents Fun Things to Do in NYC for Christmas posted at The Vacation Gals, saying, “The Christmas season is a great time to visit New York City. Here are some of the best, fun, family-friendly things to do in NYC for Christmas.”

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Sharlene Earnshaw presents How to Take on Las Vegas with Kids posted at the talking trekaroo.

Cities in Asia

Hong Kong, China Keith Kellett presents Hong Kong Video posted at Travelrat’s Travels.

Special All-Cities Post

Here’s a project for counting up the feral parrots in cities; longtime Carnival contributor GrrlScientist presents The World Parrot Count | Science | guardian.co.uk posted at Punctuated Equilibrium, saying, “Do you love parrots? Here’s a fun and educational international citizen-science project that you, your friends and family can participate in: a census of feral parrots that live in all the cities of the world!”

That concludes this edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

(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!)

Although our Tourism Currents online learning community is a pretty new startup, we decided this month to sponsor an event for the first time.

Now we’re in the “big leagues,” right?  :)

It’s the Get Smart professional development conference run by the very active Austin, Texas AWC (Association for Women in Communications) chapter.

I’ve been an AWC member since 2006 (my journalist Mom is an Member Emeritus, ever since it was an honors journalism sorority in the 1950′s) and it is chock-full of a lot of very networked communicators, many of whom are involved in some aspect of tourism or hospitality.

One benefit of our sponsorship is the chance to provide “collateral” – some swag, a printed handout or something – to be distributed to conference attendees.

Now, I was as clueless about this as I was about how to run a trade show booth on a budget, but after some thought I realized that no one wants yet another brochure or piece of paper with pretty pictures.  They want useful information.

So, I rejiggered a simple Word document handout that I’d done for the Texas Travel Summit on social media resources for CVBs to attract conferences, and made it a more general “Tourism Currents favorite resources and tips for social networking.”

Our favorites for finding blogs?  Alltop.com (here’s the Alltop Tourism Industry channel) and Google’s blog search engine.

Our favorite parts of LinkedIn?  The Groups and Answers sections.

Our best tip for Twitter?  Follow one or more of the many regularly scheduled industry-specific hashtagged Twitter chats.

Why are videos and images important?  Because they are great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) if fully titled, tagged and described.  There is less competition for them than for text in universal search.

None of these are blinding revelations, but if every person who gets one of our handouts learns some tidbit they didn’t already know, then we’ve succeeded in not killing trees simply to get our name out there.  If they contact us for more training….well, so much the better!

Tourism Currents logo, URL, Twitter names and email address at top, helpful info, all on one page  –  BOOM.  We’re done.

What sort of ideas do you have for printed collateral that best benefits your event sponsorship? I’d love to hear from you down in the comments.

Connect the offline and the online, and you have yourself a more effective means of communicating with your customers.

Many of this sandwich/coffee shop’s clients sit in front of these napkin holders with either a laptop or a smartphone, or both.  Why not show them where to go with that WiFi?

Props to Star Co. Coffee for this idea (and for supporting the weekly gathering of entrepreneurs, geeks and freelancers known as Jelly Coworking Round Rock.)

At the recent TACVB (Texas Association of CVBs) annual conference in Lubbock, my business partner Becky McCray and I negotiated a trade show booth for our Tourism Currents online course in social media for tourism as part of our speaker fee.

The only problem was that we had never put anything in our marketing budget for booth decorations or signs. We’ve never planned on doing trade shows; such events are probably one of the most expensive ways to market (booths often cost $500 and up) and our network seems to be building pretty well via word-of-mouth, social networking, current customers and our speaking engagements.

How could we put together something engaging without looking, well, cheap and pathetic? We’re a startup, but we have some pride! We decided to shop my stash of personal possessions for decorations, and not sweat the small stuff.

I was the only person at the trade show because Becky wasn’t able to arrive from Oklahoma until the conference opening reception.  I’ve never done a trade show in my life; it was homework time.

First, I read an old article that I’d torn out of Inc. magazine and saved just in case I ever needed it – How to make the most of trade shows.  A quick trip through the article archives of the TSEA (Trade Show Exhibitors Association) was also helpful (update 12 Nov 2010: TSEA just put those articles behind their membership wall,) and I like Make Your Booth Stand Out at a Trade Show from The Entreprenette.

Based on that research and my own experience as a trade show attendee, I could see that we didn’t need to get too fancy with the booth, but it did need to be eye-catching. We needed something to fill physical booth space since our main product is online training.  I looked around my house for things to use – as a globe-trotter, I’ve done a lot of shopping over the years and have figured out how to find travel souvenirs when you’re on a budget.

Here’s what we did:

***  Assess the amenities already provided. We would have a skirted 8 foot long table, head sign with our company name, two chairs and a waste paper basket.  There was power available.  We also ended up with a terrific location, right by the trade show entrance.

***  The table was pulled back into the booth about 2 feet so that I could stand in front of it. I never used the chairs because it’s best to stand up to chat and engage with your visitors. Wear comfortable shoes and a perpetual smile when you’re the “booth babe.”  :)

***  Pick a color scheme.  Our Tourism Currents website designed by Kim Fenolio has a lot of blue in it, so I brought my blue-and-white patterned table runner (originally purchased at Pier One) and two blue tablecloths – one from Kenya, one from Egypt to fit the conference travel/tourism theme – to drape over one of the chairs and over one side of the side drapes. There are a few touches of orange on our website, so I wore an orange jacket.

***  Fill empty space.  I brought a large, tall blue-and-gold cloth umbrella that I’d bought years before on a Navy port visit to Bali, Indonesia. When opened, it looked festive, matched the color scheme, fit the travel/tourism theme and drew a lot of interest. Driving my little Hyundai sedan to Lubbock with a pole running up the middle seemed a small price to pay (I can fold down part of the back seat to accommodate long items. I’ve even gotten a Christmas tree into that car.) I was also going to buy and blow up a bunch of blue balloons at a local grocery store to fill space, but the umbrella did enough.

***  Give people something to fiddle with.  I used what I had – my bag full of tech accessories became a “Geek Gear” display. Many people picked up items, looked at them and asked questions about my external webcam, pocket video camera, tripod, Skype headset, etc. I had to trust that the gear wouldn’t walk off, and none did, but you have to know your audience. I also set out a bowl of Werther’s hard candies brought from home, guarded by a small plastic Japanese Godzilla doll just for fun.

***  Nice colorful flyers (mostly blue) run off at a Lubbock FedEx/Kinko’s were our only out-of-pocket expense:  US$38.32 for 60 of them, which was about 30-40 too many. Becky designed the flyer to include course information and a discount code for the TACVB event, plus some info and another code for our upcoming tourism workshop at BlogWorld and New Media Expo on October 14.

***  Stack of business cards.  I already had plenty, made by moo.com, which lets you do a lot of customizing and use many different photos on the backs. I use the regular business card-sized ones, not the mini ones that fall out of card decks too easily and annoy me.

***  My laptop, with tabs already open to our Tourism Currents course details page, our Facebook Page and our Twitter stream.

***  A clear plastic glass brought from home, about half full of water with a light up party reusable “ice cube” in blue floating in it (originally from our family trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida awhile back, because, why not?) It was colorful and and caught the eye.

That was it.

The most important thing I did – besides chat with people who came by the booth that day – was to follow up the next week via email with everyone who had left me a business card.

And yes;  it resulted in new paying customers for our business.

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