Blog Archive

Posted on Aug 5th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
As widely expected, Facebook has recently announced that it has passed the 500 million member mark. In Australia alone, Facebook was able to garner 9,151,280 members on their site....
Posted on Aug 5th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
For Apple, making the most-wanted gadgets like the MacBook and iPad is not enough. Recently, there have been rumors that the company wants to delve into travel as well with the application called iTrave...
Posted on Aug 5th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
How to Create and use Your HootSuite Account: To create a HootSuite account visit http://hootsuite.com/ and click on the 'Sing up Now' button. Fill in the required fields and click the 'Create Account' button. You have the option to link up all y...
Posted on Aug 4th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Facebook marketing is growing at such overwhelming speeds but it's still a relatively untapped territory for many hotel, apartment and restaurant operators. In our previous blog entry on Facebook Group and Page - Which product should your Resort choose?,...
Posted on Jul 21st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
It is seemingly the important question being asked by Resorts and Internet Marketing campaign managers; Facebook Group or Page? There has been recent discussion as to benefits of Pages and Groups for Resorts wanting to increase their Facebook and subse...
Posted on Jul 14th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Over the past few years, the online travel industry has immerged as one of the most popular and booming online industries. Search engines have readily become one of the first points of call for prospective travelers to research all their travel related qu...
Posted on Jul 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
By now everyone in the online world has heard about Google's acquisition of Software Company ITA. We have heard the rumors of Google's potential monopoly of Cyberspace and the online travel industry, but what does this mean for companies already in the ma...
Posted on Jul 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
It seems as though everyone's favorite search engine giant Google is not satisfied with search engine dominance, the web has been circulating rumors recently regarding the possibility of a Google version of social networking website Facebook. Faceboo...
Posted on Jul 5th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google has finally announced the $700 mil deal to acquire Software Company ITA. This agreement is just another step for the search engine giant to solidly its hold on the online travel industry. Google first rumored its intentions to acquire the company e...
Posted on Jul 1st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Twitter is rapidly becoming one of the most popular social networking platforms. It is continuously being the chosen forum to broadcast breaking news, host online competitions, advertisements as well as being an obvious choice for friends to interact. Twi...
Posted on Jun 30th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The travel industry is being taking over by internet giants. First Google infiltrated the travel industry with its Google maps, its partnership with online travel guide Ruba and rumoured acquisition of ITA, and now Microsoft is set to enter the industry w...
Posted on Jun 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The internet has truly turned mobile. The popular trend in today's society is mobile internet, and everywhere we look resorts are jumping on the band wagon. Mobile internet allows people to access websites on their mobile phones, literally anywhere " buse...
Posted on Jun 25th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
With the developments of the internet and the increasingly popular trends of Social Media, reputation management has become a defining feature for many online users. Never before has it been this easy for people to find out personal information of other u...
Posted on Jun 23rd 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Gone are the days where majority of hotel bookings were made via calling the hotel direct. In today's mobile and social media society, the growing trend revolves around online; Online Travel Agencies (OTA), hotel websites, and mobile devices. More and mor...
Posted on Jun 21st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The answer to this questions is technically no, you don't NEED one, but here are a few reasons how your hotel could benefit, and why you might WANT one. The age of the mobile is upon us Mobile technology is no longer something we are anticipating,...
Posted on Jun 18th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
In a recent blog post we explored if starting a blog was right for your hotel. In this post we are going to include some useful tips when blogging. Maintaining a regular blog is a sure way to increase your search engine traffic. A blog works as a...
Posted on Jun 16th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The new Facebook "Like" button has been active since early april and we are beginning to see some interesting ways that this feature can benefit your Hotel! The new and improved "Like" button is said to act as an open channel, giving hotels the option...
Posted on Jun 14th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Last week we discussed the importance of content in your SEO strategy. This week I want to focus on a specific type of content " the video....
Posted on Jun 10th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
When creating a website it is important to ensure the content included within it is effectively optimised. What this entails is an effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. An effective strategy would see your website rank highly in major searc...
Posted on Jun 3rd 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The blog can be a very powerful tool for your website if you know how to use it effectively. It can also be a major buzz kill if you don't maintain it, and keep the posts interesting and informative. One of the biggest issues with blogs is that people sta...
Posted on May 31st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The wait is finally over for avid Apple fans, eagerly anticipating the launch of their latest product, the iPad....
Posted on May 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google has taken steps to make its mark in the Travel Industry by partnering up with online travel guide and community, Ruba....
Posted on May 27th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Consumers have spoken and what they like is online videos. Retailers are reacting to the increase of consumers demanding online videos when performing online shopping. The growing trend shows consumers react positively to video's displaying images, visual...
Posted on May 26th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Hotels are becoming increasingly more image conscious, especially when it comes to guests who post their reviews online. Some hotels have started to use information locations, dates and usernames that appear online to discover the identity of a guest....
Posted on May 24th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Popular location-based consumer service, Gowalla is set to assist InterContinental Hotels Group by incorporating mobile devices into their Hit it Big Summer promotion....
Posted on May 21st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Here at eTourism we pride ourselves on being innovative and technologically savvy. We are continuously updating our website and products to ensure we can offer the very best to all our clients. If you have visited eTourism online recently you would have n...
Posted on May 20th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Now that you have set up your Google Analytics account, let's see how you can use it to view your website's traffic:...
Posted on May 20th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Analytics is a great tool which allows you to analyse the traffic on your website. It provides you the tools to view who is visiting your site, what they are looking for and how they are getting to your site. It also allows you to monitor your webs...
Posted on May 20th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
How to deal with negative reviews in a consumer-driven Hotel industry? Social Media is rapidly taking over the way both you (a person involved in the Hotel industry), and the consumers look, feel and think about products....
Posted on May 19th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
With the iPad's impending release and its (already) massive popularity, I thought it was a good time to get you thinking above and beyond when it comes to new technology and your Hotel....
Posted on May 17th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Apple announced last week that the highly anticipated iPad will be available in Australia on Friday 28th of May....
Posted on May 14th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
There is a buzz in cyber space in the wake of Google's release of the new look interfaces....
Posted on May 13th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Twitter has hand selected businesses to participate in the beta testing of the products, having the 'Twitter Business Centre' only available to this handful of accounts. Twitter plans on expanding the accessibility once further testing results have been c...
Posted on May 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google announced its plans to launch its new Search Engine Interface, which according to ITech Report should be visible to Australian users later today....
Posted on May 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Social Media is steadily taking over marketing practises in businesses everywhere. If you're still not convinced that social media marketing is the way, here are a few simple reasons why spending just 10 minutes a day on it, can improve your Hotel's onlin...
Posted on Apr 29th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
The Web has recently been bombarded with rumours surrounding the possible transaction between Google, Software Company ITA and their rumoured 1 billion dollar deal....
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Search engine giant, Google is said to be in talks to purchase Cambridge based Software Company, ITA Software Inc....
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Last month we discussed the impending changes to the Facebook "Like" button. It looks like the wait for this new feature to become available is officially over. This week the popular social networking group released their new "Like" button for all accoun...
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
"Web 2.0" is the growing trend in online communities. It involves businesses using online content made by web users, as opposed to traditional publishers. This new trend ultimately incorporates online technologies focused on social media and interacting...
Posted on Apr 28th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Alerts is a great tool businesses can use to monitor their online presence. This function allows you to create "Alerts" in relation to particular topics....
Posted on Apr 21st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Setting up a Foursquare account is a quick and easy way to increase your online presence....
Posted on Apr 21st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
One of the most important factors for your hotel or resort is building a loyal online community. Inherent in this idea is ensuring you have the trust of your followers. So what are some easy ways you can build the trust of the people involved in your onli...
Posted on Apr 15th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
If you haven't heard of Foursqaure by now, here is a quick run down. Foursquare is a location-based social network that allows users to share their location with a group of friends by "checking in". Users can "check-in" to restaurants, business or other v...
Posted on Apr 12th 2010 by Jessica Stevens
Apple is making waves by launching a new program, iAds for mobiles. This new software is the first step made by Apple to enter the business of selling advertising, once again placing itself at odds with Google. Google's AdWords application features a simi...
Posted on Apr 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
It's no surprise that social media is the way of the future. Would you like to improve your Resorts social media visibility? Whilst there is no set method of optimizing your Web 2.0 content, there are definitely a few key ideas that Resort can implem...
Posted on Apr 8th 2010 by Max Starkov
Facebook is definitely here to stay and has experienced tremendous growth, but it is not going to replace Google as a travel planning tool anytime soon. Though Facebook initiatives drive traffic to hotel websites, this trackable traffic is not directly re...
Posted on Apr 8th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
In recent years we have seen a shift in the way businesses are conducting their marketing. With the emergence of social media, the internet is becoming a prime source to interact with customers (present and future). Facebook is one of the leaders in this...
Posted on Apr 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Google Maps is currently experimenting with a new feature which aims to make planning for vacations faster and more effective. The new feature on Google Maps displays specific prices for selected hotel listings....
Posted on Apr 6th 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Create a Facebook Page for your Business: Setting up a Facebook Page for your business is a quick and effective way to put your business online. A Page is similar to a personal Profile, except that instead of people "Friending' you, public users can be...
Posted on Mar 31st 2010 by Bryan Marsh
Facebook is making a minor change to the way users interact with Product Pages. According to a recent confidential e-mail sent to several ad agencies, the popular social networking site announced they will be replacing the "Become a Fan" button with a "Li...
Posted on Mar 15th 2010 by Pascal Metivier
Mobile solution provider that developed the world's first crypto acoustic solution for check-in/out and room access via any guest's mobile phone announces new services to further enhance operations and guest services....
Posted on Mar 15th 2010 by Juliana Shallcross
Do you Foursquare? No, not the game you used to play on the blacktop at recess. We're talking about Foursquare, the newest darling of the social media realm that allows you to declare your exact locations via your mobile devices. That's what's called a "c...
Posted on Mar 12th 2010 by Bas van den Beld
For online marketers, optimizing for social media has become not just interesting, but a must. All major search engines have embraced social media. And with Google incorporating Facebook content into its real time results the integration of social media a...
Posted on Mar 11th 2010 by NICK BILTON
Foursquare, a location-based social network, plans to distribute a free analytics tool and dashboard in the coming weeks that will give business owners access to a range of information and statistics about visitors to their establishments. Tristan Walker...
Posted on Dec 20th 2009 by Bryan Marsh
A few weeks back I bought myself a new Amazon Kindle. Amazon have only recently opened this to the Australian market - my Kindle congratulated me for being one of the first in Australia to purchase, cool! One of the reasons I got this Kindle was to follow...
Posted on Dec 19th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
I found this short video from Social Media expert Chris Brogan. Chris was giving a keynote speech at the Web 2.0 Expo with using a case study of the Roger Smith Hotel....
Posted on Dec 18th 2009 by Bryan Marsh
Facebook claims to have more than 700,000 local business pages already created (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). This number is growing significantly each day, however Australian hotels and resorts seem to be slow on the up take....
Posted on Nov 13th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
Most hotels and resorts in Australia have not adopted social media. Social media is not going away, it is not something you can forget about and hope it passes by quietly. Social media is not a fad, its a trend, a game changer that needs to be adopted....
Posted on Nov 12th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
Well, Google has started the season of giving by providing free Wi-Fi on all Virgin America flights until January 15th. Yesterday, Google announced they are extending the gift of free Wi-Fi to 47 airports throughout America. Good work Google, when is it c...
Posted on Nov 10th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
This post will guide you through the steps required to set-up TweetDeck, a great tool for managing one or more Twitter accounts....
Posted on Oct 29th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
This tutorial is to help you get started with Twitter. We will show you how to: Create a twitter account Find friends (twitters) Send Tweets, Replies and Direct Messages (DM's)....
Posted on Oct 28th 2009 by Bryan Marsh @bryanmarsh
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text messages, similar to SMS, 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers."...
Posted on Oct 21st 2009 by Doug Kennedy
If you are embracing consumer generated media, guest reviews, and social networking as marketing and public relation opportunities to get the good news out about your hotel, here are some interesting points of discussion for your next meeting....