I’ll Kik u ltr || class #9

Posted on by pris0fcourse

I’m exciting to see how political campaigns will evolve around social media and how much more votes will be generated compared to previous years since the so called Gov 2.0. After gaining more insight from different perspectives in Social Media class I’ll definitely pay closer attention to the methods used.

The social platforms or tools I use the most can be divided amongst Facebook, Twitter and texting messengers such as Kik, MSN and BBM depending on who I’m looking to connect with. For my close friends I talk to daily I use little to no social media networks, because that feels a little impersonal. I mostly use texting messengers to communicate with close friends.

For me Facebook is a great communication mean to stay connected with say high school classmates or better yet primary school classmates, which I have been finding a lot on FB lately. Such conversations are a little more platonic with the usual so what do you do now type questions. Of course the option to upload and share pictures is also a great visual way to show people what you’ve been up to.

I use Twitter for a much broader community, as most of my friends are not on it. I follow people who tend to tweet about stuff I’m interested in. If it’s intriguing enough, I’ll reply, quote or re-tweet. This allows me to connect with a community that my friends may not necessarily be as interested in. I don’t think I’ve ever used the DM feature on Twitter , because unlike FB I don’t necessarily only follow people I know and it would be a little awkward to DM (Direct messages sent only to you) a stranger.

Kik, BBM and MSN also categorize my close(r) friends by the following: Kik= iPhone users, BBM = BB users and MSN = non-smart phone users. I choose this type of tool for this group, because it’s more private and intimate and direct. Also these tools usually have a community in the “language”. Like if I ask someone if they have BBM and they don’t get me, I already know they may be an iPhone user and they can Kik me. A feature on BBM is you can see whether somone received and read your message; it will have a D or R behind the message. In BBM language we say something like…I saw that you R’ed me an hour ago how come you didn’t respond?

I started this blog for class, but I’ll most likely use it beyond class to connect to a similar audience that I’m currently using Twitter for. Only thing is I’d be inviting people to my world with more words.

Sweet Suite’s || class #7

Posted on by pris0fcourse

“Google is not just a company, it is an entirely new way of thinking…” Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail

This week I want to put extra focus on linking, tags and content. With every blog post I need to keep reminding myself to find general and popular tags to link to my post. Since we’re talking about Google’s mission : “Organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful” this week, I’ll take it a step further. I’m using different popular search engines such as Google and Bing Also the inevitable social networks Twitter and Facebook. Alternatives are DuckDuckGo to find out which tags take you to what site. That will help me determine what people are looking for within the cruise genre and aid me to make my blog more “universally accessible and useful”.

I found John Healds successful cruise blog with 9 million readers by simply typing cruise blog in DuckDuckGo. He is Carnival cruise lines’ senior cruise director and although his blog is not number one on the page on the search engines it’s still pretty successful. I think that has to do with the blog being very personal, he’s the one writing it, pictures/videos are of or made by him so there is a level of credibility.

The most awing suite’s I’ve personally seen have been on the Allure of the Sea’s.

The incredible Owner’s Suite

The amazing Grand Suite

And finally the jaw-dropping Royal Suite

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There’s a Critic for Everything || class #6

Posted on by pris0fcourse

For the past 5 weeks I’ve been pretty much praising the cruise community, but as my title declares there’s a critic for everything. The most popular cruise information source is probably Cruise Critic , where you can find over 60.000 reviews. I keep an eye on this site, because here is were most cruisers come for tips, cruise deals, pictures, news and general cruise updates. I have had a few clients tell me they read x, y and z on cruise critic and wanted to know what I thought.

It’s very essential to keep yourself informed through different sources and methods in order to make an educated decision about anything. According to the quantified potential value of the Long Tail to consumers, the value of online access revolved around lower prices.

I definitely recommend using a cruise consultant. The following websites contribute to access to the industry:

– Cruise Critic: reviews of a ships, destinations and cruise lines
– Cruise News Daily: quick headlines of all cruise lines
– The Cruise Daily: Top cruise stories from different sources.

My Secret Obsession || class #4

Posted on by pris0fcourse

There are millions of blogs out in the internet world and there are only so many buzz topics you could write about. Every writer has their unique personality and so incorporating a little individuality in your blog, already makes it different.

Life is a book, you only ready a page if you don’t travel.
I have a secret obsession with nature; the sun, sky, ocean, mountains, fall colors and cherry blossom trees in the spring. I love the fact that I could feed my obsession on a cruise vacation. There is destination to see all these wonders of nature. Some of the itineraries I would like to travel to admire God’s work are:

New England – Fall Colors
Hawaii & Tahiti – Hawaiian Waves
Alaska – Northern Lights & Mountains

Unfortunately these are not pictures that I had the privilege to take myself but those of my co-workers and other travelers. However, I do have a lifetime plan of different occasion and events to experience these trips. All cruise vacation destinations and cruise lines draws a particular target group. According to the target group I would love to go to Alaska possibly on my 25th anniversary. It’s more of an older couples’ destination, very rustic, relaxing and elegant. I would like to do New England when the kids move out to college or something like that and Hawaii would be great as a honeymoon.

Life is a journey, take it!

I shared my “secret obsession”: in this week’s blog post while describing some great cruise itineraries. This is the best way to also get others excited about it, because you can place yourself in the story and picture it in your mind. If I don’t personalize my posts, it may look more like marketing and people tend to be guarded when they suspect that.

More than just a vacation… || class #3

Posted on by pris0fcourse

I’m so excited about my next cruise to the Southern Caribbean where you’ll find the most beautiful beaches. The itinerary includes Barbados, VI, St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. I’ve heard and read all about these places so I’m thrilled to finally see it all for myself. I plan to go jet skiing, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving and whatever other fun shore excursions may be offered. I don’t want to make anybody jealous, but I got if for free, compliments of Princess Cruises . I just have to get to San Juan, Puerto Rico so if anybody knows of cheap air fare, please let me know and I’ll bring you a souvenir 🙂

I can bring one guest, I don’t know if it’s going to be my friend or this hot guy I’ve been dating for the past few months. They’ve both mentioned going on a cruise vacation with me at some point. It’s a little short notice so I just asked them both and I’ll take whoever would be available. In the unlikely event neither can make it, who wants to come?

Some of the cruise blogs I follow The Cruise Web and The Travel Bucket List really make me think about my last week’s post “Why Cruise?” Cruising is not just a regular vacation, it contributes to one-in-a-life time experiences. These blogs unveil a new experience weekly. Each is authored by a cruise destination expert – a long-serving and well-traveled shipboard or shoreside employee. Reading these personal stories make me think about the values of going on a cruise and also helped me to sell better in me previous job as a cruise consultant.

Prior to each class I also pick two or three blogs from the class to read, not only because we’re required to write blog responses but also to see how others are doing with their posts. One of the student’s posts I read was The Francesca Files. I thought her blog looks pretty impressive; the set-up, links and appearance for someone who’s not really down with social media.