My Twitter Digest for the Past Week 2009-12-07

  • RT @andybeal: If Google starts showing local results for your keyword & you were #1, expect a 25% drop in click thrus, says @davenaylor #ses #
  • RT @thedailyswarm @stereogum: 10 yrs ago today RIAA filed 1st lawsuit against Napster, demanding $10k for every song traded #
  • RT @wiredprworks: every word in page title is indexed even if it is beyond Google's 65 characters, use keywords 1st #seschi #
  • RT @SESConf "Google gives you value for free, they don't owe you shit!" – @jeffjarvis #seschi | @ATMEorg Lunch discussion? #
  • Google Favorite Places provides travel industry with new destination / mobile channel promotional tools http://j.mp/7UnEgg #
  • Just changed the title of my next blog post to include the term "Quagmire." Was considering calling it War & Peace… #comingsoon #
  • @JoelChusid Glad you liked Le Pichet. Have fun with @googletravel. Hope you tweet about interesting Troogle developments 🙂 in reply to JoelChusid #
  • @randfish Thx for the quick response on the e-mail – especially since you are working on the slide deck. Looking fwd to hearing your prezi. in reply to randfish #
  • @seomoz Please DM me – I need the coupon from the Pro subscription for SES Chicago – Thanks! #
  • @Zappos_Service Think you can spare a couple Kiva robots? Some help cleaning up around the house would be most welcome 🙂 in reply to Zappos_Service #
  • @jowyang Kiva Systems are very real. Zappos cut warehouse labor by 50% – great video on the topic http://j.mp/6HDU12 in reply to jowyang #
  • Portland's Providence St. Vincent Medical Center does the Pink Glove Dance for Breast Cancer Awareness http://j.mp/6r465E #
  • The world needs more people like Karen Boren Gerstenberger http://j.mp/75vFw6 #
  • "TLOGSIDRTHCYAWTPAY" The likelihood of goofy spontaneity is directly related 2 how comfortable U R w/ the ppl arnd U #mooselips #
  • Like @Tweetdeck's boolean search feature. Example, creates column 4: #ses OR #seschicago OR #seschi OR "SES Chicago" #
  • Great questions & links RT @chrisbrogan: Need to better understand a social media marketing engagement? http://bit.ly/5RwcwR #
  • $430 Billion in Dubai construction projects halted; New building office vacancy at 41%. WSJ Reports: http://j.mp/7mKSER #
  • @stephenjoyce Very happy to hear your daughter is stable & getting great care. Always tough to see them on IV's, but the Docs know best. #
  • Seems more like putting mice into a python cage… RT @JohnnyJet: The World's first "Cougar Cruise" http://bit.ly/6M80xU #
  • Losing streak drains gambler of $127 Million; provides Harrah's 5.6% of its 2007 Las Vegas gaming revenue http://j.mp/7S8f2k #
  • Great live Twitter stream of geocachers searching for 10 Red 8-ft diameter #DARPA Balloons & $40K prize http://j.mp/8iHsz8 #
  • Any travel industry folks attending SES Chicago this week? Post #PhoCusWright, seeing what other verticals are doing #SESCHI #
  • Sorry I will be missing the @ATMEorg lunch with @googletravel in SEA on Monday. Have fun Troogling http://bit.ly/1lNut5 #
  • @JoelChusid Suggest Le Pichet. On 1st Ave btwn Virginia & Stewart 6 blocks from Hotel Max. Has music Sunday afternoon http://j.mp/5F9Oix in reply to JoelChusid #
  • An explanation of why travel can sometimes be agonizing torture http://j.mp/QlrUe #UpInTheAir #
  • Last Week's US Hotel ADR was $6.03 below same week LY & $3.39 below same week in 2006 http://bit.ly/74IHFZ | I'm concerned #
  • #MyTravelRules #UpInTheAir http://bit.ly/8YHa68 Believe in travel karma – or attempt to survive the consequences #
  • #MyTravelRules #UpInTheAir http://bit.ly/8YHa68 The most important position in a hotel is the housekeeper. Don't forget to leave a tip. #
  • #MyTravelRules #UpInTheAir http://bit.ly/8YHa68 Avoid flying when the trip length is less than the number of family members traveling #
  • It seems @Hotwire site is DOA – Getting page not found/timeouts. Hope you are intentionally messing with DNS, no outage page #
  • The Mineshaft's Friday Fish Fry – All you can eat battered cod & fries for $4.99 (Brits – think Fish & Chips) #whyilovemke #
  • Thanks @reconnecting on your live tweeting of the US DOT #highspeedrail session. DOT livestream: http://bit.ly/5C4ghl #hsr #
  • STR Weekly US Hotel stats: Worst non-Xmas week RevPAR in last 4 years. -8.4% YOY, but '08 was -32% v '07 http://j.mp/74IHFZ #
  • I like good news. I hope it's right RT @hsmailax: Hotel industry rounds the bend, HIL indicator up (HNN). http://ow.ly/IC1i #
  • @HEDNA_ORG Thanks for providing good RT-able messages! Have a great time in Vegas, sorry I have a conflict & can't attend in reply to HEDNA_ORG #
  • Like Gov't using Social Media | RT @RayLaHood: DOT staff liveblogging HSR meeting! #hsr #highspeedrail http://bit.ly/5C4ghl #
  • RT @RayLaHood: American jobs are a priority for Obama admin's HSR & we have commitments #highspeedrail http://bit.ly/5nCUyh #
  • #Agree RT @LPUSAstaff: Good tips! — How travellers should use Twitter (by @almostfearless) http://bit.ly/6PiZQe #travel #lp #
  • Kansas stops hotel inspections; not for service ratings, but for safety & sanitation violations http://j.mp/66DaMj #notgood #
  • RT @timothychughes: @problogger time | Agree. I have a marathon length list of post ideas & enough time for a 100 meter dash #
  • Like the IOC "Best of Us Challenge" Using social media to engage kids & expose competitor personalities http://j.mp/5BQ2Qs #
  • @gfulgoni Better to restate that 96% of students don't initiate e-mail. Universities require it for essential communication in reply to gfulgoni #
  • A fairly scary article from Las Vegas Sun includes positioning of Vdara – Looks poised to canibalize. http://j.mp/7kmP5O #
  • Uh oh. @tweetdeck update to v0.32.1 hung while installing – twice. You may want to wait for a patch before upgrading #FAIL #
  • This may be the coolest Thesaurus I've ever used – Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus http://j.mp/8g8bsS #
  • Sales pitch for @LizzysFresh Coffee. Why? Great coffee, but also cuz my sister Tina did the label art 🙂 http://j.mp/7lHAAd #
  • Classic @StephenAtHome "Barack Obama sends 30,000 troops into Afghanistan and for some reason, Tiger Woods volunteers to go" #
  • @KierMatthews An intro to Steve would be great. Thanks. #
  • Hotel Owners: REIT with $25-$100M to invest for up to 49% ownership in property portfolio; keeping good mgmt. DM if serious #
  • Thanks for the RT's @amadeusnews @DonaldPalmBeach @EliteTravelGal on Future of Travel Agents blog post http://j.mp/6L88tY #
  • Really cool RT @rickseaney: New tool quickly checks dozens of date combos 4 Xmas & New Years air tix, http://bit.ly/6NnWLc #
  • Been playing with Aardvark (that sounds a bit wrong) – Example Aardvark conversation about restaurants http://bit.ly/5Y5kED #
  • Top 10 Semantic Web Products of 2009 from @rww http://j.mp/4C5ZrE | Not all W3C stds; cool context-sensitive linked data #
  • Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2009 from @rww http://j.mp/5VEkRv | The typical suspects – No surprises except (Aard) vark.com #
  • Bing Maps Beta Site http://j.mp/8vFXz8 | Nice integration of Photosynths & Bird's Eye Views; Resolves funky WI addresses! #
  • RT @harrymccracken: New Bing Maps experience about to launch looks neat and fluid | @fareologist, waiting to hear from you 🙂 #
  • Top 10 Mobile Products of 2009 from @rww http://j.mp/8pn34N | Not surprising to see iPhone / Android apps represented #
  • Fallout from an OTA lockout http://j.mp/4ZVhq7 | Includes my comments (as RockCheetah) on why Columbus, GA is an outlier. #
  • Great example of consolidation in a formerly highly fragmented industry: Brands owned by 2 major brewers http://j.mp/6aQFEX #
  • Impact of the distressed hotel market on meetings business. http://bit.ly/6c2jKW #
  • Cool pmt tech RT @jack: Announcing our new company, called @Square, which I'm thrilled to be a part of http://bit.ly/6QKfAA #
  • When hashtags collide: Luxury Travel Expo & 4G mobile technology Long Term Evolution are both using #LTE – a bit ironic? #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap – In mobile & social media, need to focus on learning, not ROI too soon #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap – Very quiet on corporate travel front – it has been a very tough year #phocuswright town hall #
  • Paraphrasing Philip Wolf "Steven Kaufer is the closest thing the travel industry has to Jeff Bezos" #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap – Topic not discussed at conference: Future IPO / M&A / Consolidation #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap Theme 5 – Referral PPC/PPA models vs. transaction models up for grabs #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap Theme 4 – Social media changing traveler – travel company relationship #phocuswright town hall #
  • RT @EliteTravelGal: Celebrity Cruises opening up all-u-can-drink option | Taking a page from the All-inclusive resorts #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap Theme 3 – Priceline & Expedia performance: up years in down industry #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf Conference Recap Theme 2 – Intersection of Mobile & GPS impact on travel space #phocuswright town hall #
  • Philip Wolf – Conference Recap Theme #1 – Amount of effort put into Travel Technology Innovation #phocuswright town hall #
  • Value isn't based on internal cost of goods & margin. It's based on customer perception relative to competitive options #duh #
  • Playing with @plancast. Interesting platform. Viral like @foursquare, but could apply to travel space like @TripIt & @traxo #
  • Twitter #FAIL Whale up, but only a @kevinlukemay tweet comes through on TweetDeck. Impressed – This guy has serious clout! #
  • RT @hsmailax: For a Google Wave invitation: The oldest hotel still in operation is? | a hint: http://bit.ly/1Nmwhk #
  • Highly qualified buyer seeking cash, quick-close US/Can hotels – Full Svc; >150 rooms, 5-10 yrs, prime loc. DM if serious #
  • Las Vegas NYE 5-star hotel pricing – Venetian/Palazzo/Aria $399; Vdara $359; Trump $309 & Wynn/Encore (2 Night Min) $1,600 #
About Robert Cole

Robert Cole is the founder of RockCheetah, a hotel marketing strategy and travel technology consulting practice. He also authors the Views from a Corner Suite Blog and publishes the Travel Quote of the Day. Robert speaks regularly at major travel industry conferences, authors articles for leading travel industry publications, advises travel-related startups and the equity investment community. He is an evangelist for the global travel industry.