todd lucier › Comments

"I think people who ask the question so who do you work for are boorish. I think we just haven’t learned how to be social. Before the traditional holiday season comes around I think we can all arm ourselves with some really good questions and as often as possible lets try to kickstart the conversation in a tone that is more social, less hierarchical. How about these: “What do you love about your what you do?”, “What’s going on in your community?” “What do you love to do in your spare time?” “What are your favourite places to travel?” “Been anywhere lately?” As for feeling a little low about your role, consider working on a compelling vision / mission statement that gets you excited. The truth of the matter is most people will be jealous of your self-governance structure. A true answer spoken with pride will elicit a much more influential air. First be really proud, excited about what you do. Then respond truthfully, “Ain’t nobody telling me what to do, ain’t reporting to anyone. I..." - todd lucier

"I’ve heard that before Sam… but it’s simply untrue. Here’s why I know Google is following and evaluating these links. Google’s Marissa Mayer tipped her hand about Google crawling Twitter links when she mentioned Google is working with Twitter on creating a real time search engine. Where would these links come from other than crawled status updates? Listen to Marissa’s startling cut off and subject change talking about working with Twitter on Real Time Search at Web 2.0 last month. http://bit.ly/44E67V Could Google really instantly crawl all blogs and news sites looking for and indexing updates? How would it rank these results without links? I’ve written before about how important real time indexing of the Web matters and how Twitter is core to real time search. This post describes how Twitter is crawling the links and looking to use reputation in grading the quality. http://bit.ly/2jAaG3 If Google didn’t follow and index these links, competitors would. My advice stands. Create content..." - todd lucier

"Thanks John, fixed the link to travel and tourism list. Renamed the list after publishing. cheers, t." - todd lucier

"I’ll keep saying it until everyone gets it. I hear it all the time. “How can I get more followers, how can I get more visitors, How can I get a higher ranking?” The cream always rises to the top." - todd lucier

"Celes, Now you are thinking like a handheld toting traveler. Nice to hear your dreams. They are not that far from reality. Imagine if the content in Wikipedia were accessible as you stood looking at a building or monument and what if this content was geolocated to a Google Map with streetview. It’s closer than we think. Say Hello to Saint John, New Brunswick for me." - todd lucier

"Thanks Trevor, Not sure we need experts, I think we need experience with handheld devices and applications! Then we need to put on our traveler hat and think like our ideal guest. Of course we need experts to help us out… once we understand our clients needs and match that with our content stream. I think most people think mobile is tremendously difficult and that it is something that is way out there in the future. Its simply not true. I think of the loyalty edge that organizations will have with their mobile customers and can’t help but throw myself into designing something new right now! Calling all coders, I’ve got a hot project that I think will inspire others small tourism operators to do something in mobile… heck, it might even be a template for others to follow. Stay tuned." - todd lucier

"Lower standard of living for going carbon friendly? What a bunch of hogwash. I agree gov't needs to mandate the changes required, but to suggest a lower quality of life for making sustainable lifestyle choices is simply wrongheaded. Most people don't change because its more convenient to keep doing what they have always been doing, not because it's a lower quality of life. I look to the simple act of Toronto gov't implementing a 5 cent charge for plastic bags to lower the cost of waste management.... the result, business all got involved and delivered reusable bags and implemented a similar fee. The lifestyle change was difficult, but it certainly hasn't been a lower quality of life that has resulted. In most cases like this it is business that need the stick to be shown the most sustainable way to do business, that's because most never consider bottom lines other than the dollar. Even the most sensible lifestyle choices start with an economic incentive. Government can do more to help..." - todd lucier

"Quality matters above all else…. and it’s the quality your ideal followers are looking for that matters most. Know your audience. btw, this new site could be interesting for those looking for lists of travel tweeters. http://listorious.com/search..." - todd lucier

"Thanks Carol. It’s all about presence. We’ll look at Web sites one day and say, what were we thinking?" - todd lucier

"Claude, sometimes in Canada we find ourselves quite a bit behind the US too. And even the US is way behind others – ie: Japan way ahead in handheld adoption. Mary Meeker’s presentation yesterday at Web 2.0 highlighted how handheld adoption leads to significantly higher posting of status updates! Now 19% of folks report updating status – up from 11% in 2008. I think what is most significant about this news is that Tweets will cross over into Search which will create revenue for Twitter (no more need to ask @biz or @ev about that) Most importantly the tweets will influence search and be visible to even non-users which will increase adoption rates for Twitter world wide . . . and in the world of updating status, look for social web sites like Flickr, Youtube and others to start offering status updates. Soon, everyone can get in the game of making money off search." - todd lucier

"Claude, sometimes in Canada we find ourselves quite a bit behind the US too. And even the US is way behind others – ie: Japan way ahead in handheld adoption. Mary Meeker’s presentation yesterday at Web 2.0 highlighted how handheld adoption leads to significantly higher posting of status updates! Now 19% of folks report updating status – up from 11% in 2008. I think what is most... more... - todd lucier

"Craig, My perspective is along the lines of Spotted by Locals. Employment and engagement of bloggers at the local level is what I advocate for. Sort of like having a local columnist for a city newspaper. The question of DMO’s paying per post…. no, I don’t think this is a good idea. Report comment" - todd lucier

twitter - todd lucier

"Darren…. it’s time to rethink the relationship between bloggers, their audiences and economics. My take: It’s time for bloggers to start working with Destination Marketing Organizations, Visitor and Convention Bureaus, regional tourism marketing organizations and requesting a high rate of pay for valuable content. Dropped a few thoughts on my blog about this before reading your post. A good conversation. Thomas Power’s link on disclosing marketer/blogger relationships is a non-issue the way I see it. Getting the stories out is what matters. Newspapers have been paying their team of reporters for years and the credibility or value in the stories produced is widely accepted. Bloggers are simply the multimedia travel writers of the day and good content should be rewarded. Report comment" - todd lucier

"Visit http://Maps.Google.com and use the appropriate links to add/edit your listing or report an error to correct your listing. You can move a pin on the map, add photos, descriptions and a whole lot more that makes you easier to find." - todd lucier

"Hi Sam. http://www.northernedgealgonquin.com is the site we are using Facebook boxes on. Thanks for reading!" - todd lucier

"I know, I know, the video and audio aren’t synced…. YouTube messed it up. Message still clear – just listen to audio if it’s too distracting. cheers, t." - todd lucier

"I’ve got to agree with lots on this list. I think the definition of mobile phone has to be expanded to embrace the data-connections that are inherent in the new bread of always connected devices. Since they inherently could replace or include a number of items on this list including: digital maps, cameras, check-in and travel apps, travel reviews on trip advisor and the like, gps, web browsers for online booking, access to paypal and e-payment, and virtually ubiquitous Internet access, the list could be boiled down to two items quite simply. 1. Handheld device. 2. Bags with Wheels." - todd lucier

"I’m thinking we’re going to opt for the server side redirect to our new WAP pages for handhelds by editing the .htaccess file and including the code found on this helpful site. http://dev-tips.com/feature... That way, the iphone, blackberry and palm apps will automatically be shown the new url. Of course I’ll always include a link back to the main site. Any advice on the screen dimensions we should be designing for if using a universal redirect such as this?" - todd lucier

"Thanks David. I had a thought the other day that as screen size decreases, the time commitment of the user decreases as well. Mobile sites need to get to the point much more quickly than websites in general – NO DISTRACTIONS. Handheld users are even more likely to be multi-tasking and want the information NOW. It also needs to be place relevant. It has to answer my needs as I stand HERE in your community or en route. So DMO’s and travel regions need to be smart about their mobile Web presence and design it with a deep understanding of the needs of travelers in their region. Lastly – make sure your phone number is always prominent. Since this mobile user is holding a phone, you might intuit, that they would appreciate being able to call someone. Thanks again David." - todd lucier

"Hey Robert, Great article. I hope some readers jump over and reflect on the importance of your article. I sincerely wish I had seen it and been aware of the information you cite. I’m sure there are comments on Youtube that I missed that would have made this evident. After wading through at least a hundred – “Oh wow!, Incredibly True” comments I missed them. I did see a few funny comments there about a certain number of statistics being made up, but I laughed them off. Indeed social media is important enough without having to inflate actual usage statistics. Another aspect of social media is gaming the system…. with comment spamming, something I’m sure the makers of the video have the resources to implement. It is rare that I ever see comments that include the word TRUE, so often as in the comments of this video." - todd lucier

"Hey thanks for posting this Adam. Dropped the code into the Tourism Keys Blog, we’ll see if there is any improvement in click thrus (although its certainly a minimal, low priority issue for my content). cheers, t." - todd lucier

"Nice post Natalie. If you notice all the photos in the ad contain cues of activity. I like to think that models don’t necessarily have to be engaged directly in the activity in question to get across the essence of the experience. Note the backpacks, wet weather gear, canoe and bike. Each photo evokes an emotional response too. See this article on getting great photos in the tourism keys archives. http://www.tourismkeys.ca/blog..." - todd lucier

"Tourism Boards must know: authenticity rules in Web 2.0! Thx for sharing another example of taking a shortcut gone wrong." - todd lucier

"Thanks for the reminder Alex. I meant to link to this article in the Links: Alberta Marketing Faux-Pas" - todd lucier

"Good Question, “Where to start?”. Start by reading and listening to the content of others. Look at how others are using blogs, twitter, facebook, flickr, youtube and other social sites. Comment if you are moved to. This will help you get to understand how social media is being used by others. Next, set up a blog and start posting. This is where you can write about things that matter to your audience and build your reputation." - todd lucier

"Hey Gary. Indeed we all have undiscovered treasure in our backyard. In my work with the tourism industry the core lesson from your journey is the single most important item for those in the biz to understand. What is special and unique about your location? Sometimes, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we need to go a long long way to discover there is no place like home and indeed there is treasure in our own backyard." - todd lucier

"Lara, Indeed I see blogging as the most vital social media tool. It’s easiest to develop your authentic voice and encourage Google to pay attention if it becomes a regular habit. Thanks for your comment!" - todd lucier

"Great advice for those who have the time to test the SEO and eye catching response to their headlines. Certainly a lot easier to get it right the first time when using a multiple upload service such as Tubemogul." - todd lucier

"Perhaps the most insightful comment I’ve ever seen on this blog. Well said." - todd lucier

"That’s a great question to consider… what is the future role of DMO? How can they leverage the support of local community in helping promote the region. Recent new shared blog sites are leveraging the skills of locals to help travelers discover the special unique, hidden values in the community. Finding ways to pay for such content is important. Montreal is piloting a project like this, paying bloggers to report on the gay scene. Others like My life in Leeds are just getting started sharing local values in the community. Thx for sharing. Indeed there are untapped resources in your community." - todd lucier