Wednesday, October 30, 2013

#FutureofSEO - Thanks to #Hubspot

The always excellent + expertise generous Hubspot pulished The Future of SEO 2013 slideshare. 

 I will share with my hotel + serviced apartment clients to help them better understand why we are doing 'sustainable adapatbility' tactics.

Buffer and Feedly- Powerful Curation Tagteam

Any individual or organization who regularly publishes content online will benefit from these tools.


Feedly
Feedly is a media reader that allows users to follow their favorite blogs, news, and other publications. Feedly's simple data stream is extremely user-friendly. Look at all of your streaming content at once or filter it with customized categories.

My barebones homepage with bold headlines that say it all.
If you're on the search for new content, switch over the the +Add Content tab and search by category or enter a URL directly into the search bar.

I'm always looking for inspiration, thanks Feedly!
Once you have found life changing content you can share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, (and more if you pay a monthly fee for the Feedly Pro account) by just clicking a button on the Feedly toolbar.

Check out this popular video tutorial by Johnny Beirne for even more information. It is a little dated so Feedly has since updated their interface, but it is helpful nonetheless:




Buffer App
Before you sign up for Feedly and end up frustrating all of your friends and followers because you are excitedly oversharing, get Buffer. The amazing sharing scheduler that allows you to decide when your content is published.

Don't worry about posting at the same time everyday, Buffer does it all for you.
Post directly to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, app.net or Google+ or upgrade to Awesome Buffer and 'connect up to 12 social networks at once'.

Here is SocialScoop's Buffer App tutorial:
The browser extension is great if you want to Buffer content on the fly but Feedly generally leads me to all of the content I could possibly need and more.

Happy hunting! Do let me know if you find anything interesting.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Hotel Service on Smartphones - tech market heats up

As an analyst of changing guest service expectations,  hotel Service 3.0, I am seeing more and more provider entries into the marketplace.  This service+satisfaction tech by Neon is one of the latest.

While each provider has pro's + con's of capabilities, the most important aspect is that independent hotels + smaller, hospitality groups will be able to compete effectively with major brands in the area of digitally delivered services. 

 Creatively crafted services will permit small budget hotels to differentiate in the marketplace.

A smart article from Skift on the topic - Smartphones as the Concierges of the Future


NEON Concierge Screencast from Ryan on Vimeo.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Net Skills for busy hospitality pros - a cheatsheet

Oneglobe is collaborating with HER Consulting to provide HER readers with easy, actionable methods to stay ahead of the 'firehose' of industry info while saving time.

Here is our SUPER easy cheatsheet - guaranteed to make your life easier!!




Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Google Presentation, Emaze, or Prezi: Which presentation platform is right for you?

If you don't want the pros and cons, check out Final Summary at the end of the post.

The most interesting content can appear dull if you do not choose an appropriate presentation platform. Powerpoint is no longer the only way to inform an audience, and in my opinion that is a great thing.

Google Presentation, Emaze, and Prezi are three examples of FREE presentation platforms that one could use. You can easily embed your presentation in a website or blog or share your presentations with fellow collaborators using any of these platforms. However, there are differences that should influence your decision. Check out the pros and cons below.

Google Presentation
Just another tool that Google Drive provides. In Google Drive choose Create>Presentation to create your own.

Pros:

  • Easy to use: If you have used Powerpoint before this will be familiar.
  • Hyperlinks: You can add a hyperlink to any object you can click. Text, image, or other.
  • Great for collaboration: Allows you to add comments and even chat with other collaborators.
Cons:
  • Boring: Powerpoint is old news. People don't engage with paragraphs of text on blank slides.
Google Presentation in action

A beta platform that will amaze and delight you.

Pros:
  • Looks great: Emaze is never boring. The templates that are provided will keep your audience engaged.
  • Easy to use: The controls are straight forward and mostly familiar.
  • Hyperlinks: You can add hyperlinks to objects such as text.
Cons:
  • Glitchy: Emaze is a beta site, so you can expect some glitches. This is generally not a problem if you patiently wait for it to catch up.
  • Limited template options: Your options are limited, but the templates the do provide are stunning.
Emaze in action
Powered by emaze
If you have a bit of time to learn Prezi, your content will not be dull. Viewers will stay engaged.

Pros:
  • Looks great: With a little creativity, you really can do anything in Prezi.
  • Many template options: There is a template for any presentation.
  • Smooth: Both Emaze and Prezi have great visuals, but Prezi has smoothed out nearly all of the glitches.
Cons:
  • Takes a bit of getting used to: If your presentation deadline is in 10 minutes and you have never used Prezi, don't start now.
  • No Hyperlinks: You can paste an entire link into a textbox, but you cannot create a text link.
Prezi in action



Final Summary
  • Use Prezi if you want to amaze your audience and you have a bit of time to figure out the controls.
  • Use Emaze if you want to amaze your audience and don't have as much time. You also may want to consider another option if you cannot endure a glitch now and again.
  • Use Google Presentation if you have a lot of text and a lot of slides. Especially if you're working with others that have Google accounts.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Marriott Mobile Check In - #London Launch

At Modul University Hospitality Service 3.0 presentation, we used Marriott's Mobile check in as an example of guests' experiences driving service expectations and new 'standards'.

Now we see the news that Marriott Mobile check in is moving beyond the US - happily - and London is among the next cities.





Friday, October 11, 2013

Hospitality Service 3.0 - Modul U presentation

There was a responsive group of 90+ participants for our Oct 3 presentation at Modul University in Vienna.  All Net savvy, the students were amazed at the speed of change that is already occurring.

We owe Mathieu Pollet of Lounge Up great thanks for setting up 'guest experience' access to the Lounge Up app.  The participants were most impressed at the possibilities to create services that delight guests.

Also, a sincere merci to Hani El Sharkawi, Department Head at Modul Careers for the invitation.

Below is our intro slideshow - videos of digitally delivered services and the full presentation is here.  This important conversation will continue online - please join us.

Thank you Stephanie Bond for assist with creations + presentation.



Powered by emaze

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Collaborative Economy - Accommodation, Transport, Resource sharing

An excellent, very visual Slideshare by SparksandHoney illustrating the growth in collaborative economy.

Progressive thinkers will see opportunities in this trend, which is projected to grow exponentially.

Jeremiah Owyang, an expert analyst,  writes on  #collaborativeeconomy extensively + predictively.