Yelp search monetization
1) I dunno if this even warrants a blog post, because this is, yet again, speculation. But I will say a couple things
2) I had mentioned this at some point recently, and I am sure no one listened… but monetizing the chatter on talk is quite interesting, short of the fact that talk has become the cesspool recently chatted about Here: http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/10/08/this-cesspool-we-call-the-internet
3) You know I like data… well this post has little data. This has a lot of Stephen Colbert’s Gut thinking.
A couple weeks ago,
I am just noticing that they are indexing a totally different way. If you type “yelp talk sf” in google, you will note one or two threads may come up, but it used to be a LOT more. I am wondering if they capped the threads at 2 months for this reason… so instead of having meaningless threads that are not part of the current social media conversation, archive anything that isn’t current or topical, and then bulk up your search algorithm, make it a closed network of real time conversation like twitter, and whammo….. you have a marketable, searchable engine that carries endless real time conversation about geographically specific brands, restaurants, events, sales, and way, WAY more.
Interesting is all. Not sure.. but something is going on.
REAL COMMERCE ON TWITTER
@magiccurrykart
@cremebruleekart
@amusebouche
CHEFFIN IN THE USA
two days ago i was jamming with this guitarist and his room mate comes in bouncing of what i could only imagine was tweek or coke and starts complaining about not finding a job so i ask what he does and he says he’s a chef, so I’m thinking cool where were you a chef and before i was about to ask he proceeds with “i went to culinary school why the fuck won’t any one hire me”, so i asked “cool, which school”. “Cordon Blu!” he says with pride. Then it all donned on me this ass was never a chef he’s a cook who’s been ripped off, had his ego inflated to think that his school means something and feels because the experience cost 60 grand it comes with title like a doctorate does. There is no respect for title or deserved work. I call myself a chef cause I held the title and since here in the city Chef doesn’t mean shit fuck titles. SO I can call myself what ever I want because when your eating my food there are no need for words just enjoy.
i had fun writing this
The intersection of hospitality, social media, the bad economy, and the future of brand positioning. Social media (which none of these kids use other than YT or FB, and they HATE Twitter) has democratized the consumer voice, marginalized corporate messages, and upended the marketing model that has been blindly trusted by the public and corporate heads for decades. Now you have businesses no longer in the position to CONVINCE or PERSUADE you into thinking their product is worthwhile or ethical…. but rather you have consumers mitigating a necessity for a business to actually *BE* worthwhile or ethical…. therefore reversing the approach of Madison Ave.’s cynical ploy of creating want or need for a shite product or brand… and instead engineering an ethical and worthwhile brand that is self-perpetuating, in which consumers can become passive endorsers for a product…. advocating in such ways as you might wear on your lapel, purse, or sunglasses…. but instead online through reviewing, conversation, and active social networking.
I work with http://www.goodnightfoundation.org and http://www.hotelsthathelp.com
I also have a blog post working out in regards to the green movement being a small part of a larger push to do social good within business. I think green was an entry point for hotels to start doing good, having realized how deeply entrenched we are into the community…. and responsible (due to local impact with tourist dollars, TOT, and employment) for it…. it is obvious to me that the green movement is just the start of a massive push towards making business ethical, and sustainable.
Push away from objectivist selfishness.
was green.
now *is*
now more… always altruism. Now more.
cultural shifts actually happening… cool to see.
No way buddy… this is collaboration. Learn from each other. How old are you anyhoo? Do you have a linked in.. I wouldn’t mind seeing some history or just knowing how you fell for hotels so hard?
There aren’t many of us that insane. =) My fiancee is a hotel nutjob… she is almost 30 and still works property level. I built http://www.cavallopoint.com for the last 3 years until it opened in May where I took a FOM position. 18 hours days were unfamiliar to me at that point. It was bad news. So started my own company and here I am. Trying to ramble enough and sound important to keeps people’s attention. But as much as I loved earning my chops working hard… I love the discourse and management / hotelier philosophy that social media has opened up for us. Beyond opportunity… it is like we have a chance to shape the future of the industry, instead of watching the normal slapdash approach of just dealing with problems as they arise. We can bring hospitality into the 21st century and make it more impacting, ethical, & an example of how bussinesses should act and relate to the community.
Of course, I will be forming this into a blog post here pretty quick. haha. always on the job. =) I am have been looking for a way to understand what is happening in the hotel biz with the green movement.. and how I think it is an underlying metaphor for hotels being involved in something bigger… that the green movement is simply a precursor to a larger component of hotels creating a social net for the community, and investing locally. Our business can be a shining example of this new endorser/advocate based consumer model.
There are options…. from establishing your own sort of community outreach (giving away left over food, clothing drives) or by programs like the http://www.goodnightfoundation.org or http://www.hotelsthathelp.org
They are both the same idea… on each guest bill there is a $1 -$4 donation, made by the guest that goes to the local community. You are also employing the community, in this hypothetical situation, that is from the poor area as well… so you can also involve employee’s and their family with education and support.
It is moving to a time where we need to be ethical, and reactive, to the local and surrounding area because it is what defines us. We need to operate in a way that bolsters the brand, not covertly misrepresents it. Social responsibility is part of that.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/firefox_could_be_the_real_facebook_challenger.php
Well sort of…. I don’t have labels on my clothes, or wear anything designer, etc. I just don’t feel the need to scream that I am a consumer.
But I am noting the direction of brands is no longer forced marketing, but active advocating of a brand. It seems the internet is going to be a wild place in a couple years as all this sorts itself out. Not sure if you saw this, but I think you would like it….
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/firefox_could_be_the_real_facebook_challenger.php
I assume you saw it. Anyhoo… some comments talk flock up.
Whatever the case, I would love a dialogue with you about what you are up to? I am so overwhelmed with social media as my job, it seems ¼ of the time I am just understanding all the tools that make life easier… yours is certainly one of them.
However, there is a huge problem with all of social media right now, and it is the overall ignoring of the multiple personality disorder. I cannot even begin to tell you how many twitter accounts I have, but the two main ones are biz and personal. I even did FB with 2 accounts because some stuff appropriate for my inner circle of friends is not so appropriate for biz people.
Humans compartmentalize… it is how we operate, manage, and cope. The first group that figures out how to compartmentalize the professional and personal streams of information, inside some level of “dashboard†or a place where you can source *everything*… from personal and professional youtube accounts, twitter, review accounts (like professionally using tripadvisor versus personally using Netflix)…
That person or group will win. I see it getting closer with stuff like you and friendfeed, but it is still a ways off. I want to be able to be logged into endless accounts, and not have to navigate away to a different browser, or log out and back in. As of now I am running chrome, firefox, explorer, *AND* flock… each one for a different purpose or client (not all the time, but I find as bulky and intensive as that seems it works well to… compartmentalize… you know?)
Anyhoo.. I will ramble all day. Thanks. Address below for fun shirts and stickers! Hoot! Or “Flockâ€!
I cannot believe I missed this! I am so sorry Bill!
Okay as for me… got hitched, all is well, but social media cannot make money enough for me, really. It is general consulting and real operational management that makes a living, and this social media stuff is a never ending onslaught of minutia and throw away nonsense while looking for meaningful connections… it’s worthwhile beyond a shadow off a doubt, but it is also exhausting. Never ending. I can get ROI for a couple properties, but it’s still a massive fight to trudge through it all day. It’s the wild west of media, it’s massive but changing… people that don’t get it are wildly distrustful of it – but it is changing. Not fast enough, especially within this economy…. but people are starting to get there is something going on.
Hotels are so slow to adopt new tech and changes. Usually 10 years behind the curve, and I was thrilled to see properties like yours really grasping it. BUT… I saw this in Monterey with some people, in the Pacific NW at a couple hotels… during this recession all the social media, online people got let go. They will pay a consultant to do some managed social media services, but it still isn’t a full time on property job.
Which leads to that problem of establishing a brand image and entry into that realm…. people will be out there waiting for your message and thoughts, or possibly directly interacting with you. That’s a problem, because it is almost like not picking up the phone when a potential reservation is calling.
Have you, since the townspeople’s mob antics, found out what “direction” they planned to go? Did it just mean cutting the whole position, or moving someone like the DOS to cover it?
That sucks…. so what are you doing now?
A couple things:
1) it is the hotel brand, but it is definitely your intellectual property. If they aren’t doing anything with the account, 100% for sure, it is totally within your capacity to change the account to your name. Consider yourself an e-concierge for the area, or whatever new area you are in. This has happened to me before and I blogged about the ethics of it, as well as asked the entire crowd what they thought… and I am still open to opinions. But I think a twitter account that you created and managed is your account, whatever the name. The fact that you can change the name, and just be yourself (which is what you were the whole time), seems to add to the validity of it. I am not sure what you think…. but I think it’s yours?
2) Let me know where you are online, whatever you “brand” yourself…. I will be happy to alert people to you.
3) What are you doing? Social Media expert for restaurants, hotels, etc might be a possibility out there. The markets that yelp and tripadvisor hit and cluster, etc.
CHEERS… keep me posted, and sorry for missing this!
Here is a great article about some of the different ways you can use this. A concierge app is one thing… not sure how that would work. But being able to reach the desk, housekeeping, engineering, order room service, etc…. it’s very interesting. we can talk about a lot of developments in this field on Thursday. Also want to talk about
Some good articles to get up to speed:
App Happy: http://www.hotelsmag.com/article/CA6686816.html?industryid=47565
Iphone app caters to “inn” crowd – http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/12/5/72256/8639/hotels/New_iPhone_App_Caters_to_the_Inn_Crowd
review of first hotel to use an app: http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/10/21/11379/862/hotels/iPhone_Geeks_Must_Check_Into_the_Malibu_Beach_Inn
Mobile is GIGANTIC. It’s vital, it’s huge, hotels are behind on this. Half the world doesn’t use computers, they just use phones. Actually it is even larger a number than that. I think a mobile booking system is even more important than an app. Apps cost a lot to develop, and they don’t always generate revenue. But finding a way to generate revenue is what is really exciting… http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/commerce/2358.html 1.25 million in 100 days.
Social Media vs. Traditional Marketing 101: Trad Marketers care about the public’s perception, not the actual product.
Haha! It isn’t of concern, and no worries on this side. It’s funny… so many people (businesses) are SO defensive when it comes to the online world… reviews, comments, etc. I know a lot of old school hoteliers that are panicking because there is no longer a way to maintain “the message” or control “the brand” etc. I think it is somewhat fantastic that consumers have control now, and it is best for a company to stop panicking about PR, and just LISTEN… and learn. It was really a pleasure interacting with you, reading your blog, etc. I am pleased we worked out the confusion, but it really is my pleasure to chat with you… and thanks, in the end, for amending the post and making that comment. It is secondary to the listening and learning, but I *really* appreciate. =)
Not really. social media has few metrics. What these people do is basically what I do, but they have built a zippy nifty interface to look at that makes things prettier… and fairly rich with simplicity. Instead of hunting and pecking through different parts of the internet, this puts all the data in one place for a user to use as a dashboard. It’s helpful, but incredibly expensive. Radian 6 is the only one I would really consider, and they are far and away too pricey.
What I do is basically content. I haven’t gotten this far for the but youtube, flickr, blog, yelp, tripadvisor, etc…. I am posting content all over the place, even if it includes replying to blogs as a concierge, etc.
In fact, a lot of SEO experts are saying what I do with social media is better than traditional SEO and linking because the sheer amount of relevance in all the related keywords buried in meaningful, legitimate conversation helps bolster and anchor the website…. the more interactive and “out there” you are, the more meaningful and relevant your brand name and website are.
I also watch all the “feeds” and appraise people of any relevant links or situations, but mainly it’s about content generation while managing brand image. The metrics for little guys like me are coming, beyond sending endless links of endless chatter (which is overwhelming). ROI is found in customers going to the hotel, booking, etc…. I am not sure the numbers that our rez system has tracked, and I do know a lot of people that found us on social media don’t mention it…. but we are getting better at tracking this stuff.
Hope that is a nice ramble that answers a lot of questions? =)
Would love to meet again… your office? Let me know!
It’s bigger than that. http://www.geek.com/articles/news/microsoft-bing-might-pay-rupert-murdoch-to-pull-newscorp-from-google-20091123/ Murdoch should stop muttering idiocy like syrupy drool. That guy got an offer from MS’s Bing a month or two ago, and has mulled it over while taking swipes at Google. It isn’t that he is the cowboy pioneer taking back free content… he is emotionally opposed to google and makes bad decisions based off it… including possibly taking cash money from Bing. Bing is willing to takes some chances on it’s agonizing climb up from the dark well…. but Murdoch is really out of touch if he thinks this is a real “stand” against google or free content.
Now with the proper background, I am ready to get this thing going. Give away free news, then try to take it back… will the consumer balk, or pay? I want to know. I think it would be the stupidest single move that guy has ever done, sure…. but if the rest of the news world is ready to try to save itself, he may be leading the way.
Great article! Thank you for this… it is something that has been on my mind a lot lately… not only the issue of consistency as the hallmark of hospitality; from motel 6 to world class Four Seasons properties, but the complexity of just how much has changed in our industry in the last couple decades (not a glamour/honor job, no one w/brand loyalty). This schism of then and now is palpable right now in our industry, and I worry about it.
There are endless hotels, but I rarely, if ever, meet other hoteliers. I know people with money that got into hospitality, I know people that work at hotels… a lot of hotels are investors, not families…. and hospitality – a profession that used to be respectable, endlessly classy, and about hospitality has gotten broken up like so much business into cold margins and bottom lines. I am as conservative and money focused as the next guy (you need it to stay open and provide your services), but our industry is hospitality….. and that seems to be vanishing a little by little.
Uniformity and consistency is a powerful tool of efficiency, but as Hans mentions it is truly difficult to standardize smaller operations, and if you try too hard to do so, you can drastically effect the individual properties’ charm or individual experience.
1) Corporate hotels are no longer run by hoteliers – it’s business. The last head of Hyatt was from the Auto world, prior to that it was a lawyer. Hoteliers are retiring, and the older ways of standardized hotel operations are in a rut, because these processes were standardized decades ago, and much has changed. These large brands are in great danger of falling prey to the lack of “dynamicism” in their SOPS and management styles.
2) smaller boutique brands are real on the job hoteliers, learning as they go. There are very few boutique hoteliers that came from larger, standardized brands.
that all being said, there is a massive
Great article… thanks!
It is nice to actually read another hotelier’s thoughts… there aren’t that many left. So many boutique properties are owned by investors, philanthropists, etc…. and so few of the owners making decisions have ever actually worked in a hotel. It astonishes me how much our industry has changed in the last 40 years or so, but the hallmark of hotels is that they aren’t dynamic…. typically they are consistent and constant which is the opposite of dynamic. Hotels are suffering greatly because of their lack of dynamicism, and it is really neat to see someone talking about standardizing SOPS, creating efficiency through consistency, etc….. but also have the bird’s eye approach that things are constantly changing and remarkably fluid compared to the old days. Not only can you not control the consumer, their fickle attitude towards brand can change within the blink of an eye. Hotels really will need to understand this in the future… and that is PRECISELY where marketing and operations coincide. Because all the commentary and hubbub about your property *IS* marketing, even if it is awful. You need someone to be on top of that, operationally…. marketing *IS* part of operations now. It isn’t that they just coincide.
The other thing that was quite neat to read was the complexity of branding boutique properties. You can’t standardize too much because the flavour and feel of a property rests so much in it’s location, individual charm, etc. I find this a conundrum for some of the brands I work with:
You want to create efficiency without altering the individual brands, and create meaningful systems to organize and standardize things without overshadowing the individual properties with a looming flag. So many boutique hoteliers operate by the seat of their pants…. and threaten properties while trying to build brand of the parent management group.
Frankly…. the hotels will always be what matters. It is vital to create systems of efficiency in hospitality – but only to improve processes of the property and not to celebrate the larger brand of the management company. It’s a tight rope to walk and it sounds like Mr. Pfister is doing quite well.
Please keep finding hoteliers. I am very interested in hearing their thoughts compared to another social media “guru” or “expert”. =)
SO… I am going to unfollow spam. I have a couple tricky ways to do it.
1) using untweeps.com to unfollow people with their new alpha feature by searching specific terms: “make money fast” etc
2) going through my recent tweets to find spam, and blanket posters (sorry hotels hooked up to RSS feeds)
3) Unfollowing people who haven’t posted recently? 90 days? 60? 30? Either untweeps or even more functional tweepular (which is down rebuilding for a couple more weeks)
I love metrics, and I love data… but just like Market Metrix (a company I think does the best work in the industry with their guest surveys) and Tripadvisor’s partnering is producing nothing more than pretty charts on relatively subjective data. I know it combines the rating system across the different categories, but it lacks transparency on what it is showing you.
I know Chatter Guard says it pulls from many sites, but where are they getting the data from in the monthly report? I understand it’s amalgamated from clients, but what metrics are they using to derive their conclusions? What sites are they combing for information?
In the end, those charts are fairly benign, and don’t really give meaningful information unless it is clear how they arrive at their conclusions. I appreciate how respected they are in the industry, but without peering under the hood how they arrive at their data, it is more argument of authority than scientific method.
QR codes have been interesting marketing, and slow to take off.
I think, once we move through all this muddled bullshit of stupid apps, stuff like QR codes will be extremely relevant… they are opt-in, not opt-out.
I am so fucking sick of opt-out I could scream.
Anyhoo… they have been seen on Morgan’s Hotels bar napkins, etc… and it’s quite a conversation piece.
I think it’s too ahead of it’s time tho.
I think there will be a reaction to foursquare and other GPS mobile marketing, etc.
I don’t want to be constantly hypersensitized to checking in, having my phone etc.
We all look like silly zombies with our heads down and lost in the world.
I am opting out of all this bullshit, and QR codes will allow me to opt in at my leisure.
It’s smart, savvy, and non spammy marketing. Lovely.
SICK OF HOTEL WEBSITES AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT?
What did at is exactly what this guy suggested… which is nice because I mentioned this to Stephen and actually pointed out STI’s site. So that legitimizes my input too, which is nice. We use Leticia for redesign, then Geri for SEO and getting it noticed. They are sort of two different things.
When the best hotel web developers are too busy, they get honest. This is fantastic info. I included my response for kicks, but Michael Davis’ response is the nail in the coffin, at least for me, about the headaches from these guys like ..
it isn’t worth it, and those slick sites don’t really mean anything at all. The internet is changing, and they aren’t billboards anymore. They are anchors for your hotel to convey brand information in the vein of stories, community events, etc. They are living and breathing content generators rather than passive billboards.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From:
Date: Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: Searching for a Mr. Michael Davis?
To: Michael Davis
That is so funny…
I work with someone that has set up precisely that, and I am *ALL* about it. It’s amazingly cost effective, and so manageable and easy to configure. While normal keyword stuffing has become really passe and possibly dangerous in regards to future search indexing – it’s real, meaningful content that seems to be king. The one property we set up on WordPress has been enjoyable, simple, and very approachable, even for the least “tech” of our team. I find that the scrutiny and skepticism of consumers about overly marketed / branded websites make it a very poor investment – you can spend $100K and still have a website people leave in less than a second to look at TripAdvisor. Transparency and simplicity coupled with dynamic, interesting content seems to work best?
Your advice as a respected industry pro is well taken. Seriously… I have been trying to convince people of your words for some time. Cheers, thank you, and be well!
On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 12:16 PM, Michael Davis wrote:
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your interest. I’m actually 1 of the co-founders of Tablet (and the Creative Director so thanks for the props) but I’m afraid I’m not taking on any new outside work at this time. However, based on what you say below, I would really recommend just using a WordPress (blog) setup with a custom design. I am seeing a lot of people starting to do this, and then possibly hire freelance programmers to build custom PHP functions as needed, though there are a lot available already. It may not seem like a viable solution at first but it’s incredibly flexible, affordable, operates as a CMS, and has the advantage of being optimized for SEO out of the box. My two cents FYI.
Best – Michael
On Feb 18, 2010, at 2:57 PM,rote:
Cheers and good day!
I am making an initial inquiry into redesign of a website for a hotel we help manage – Inn at Point in South San Francisco
We are looking for a quote for a new site with some level CMS, IE ability to control updates and information to some extent, adding widgets like weather, a possible social media page, a blog, etc. I was referred to you via Stephen Hudson at SKS, who suggested you. I believe you have done some work with Tablet? I quite like the UI and feel of their branded sites.
I work in hotel marketing to some extent, but will certainly defer to you as experts. If we might have a conversation about this in the hopes of developing potential business, I would be markedly appreciative. Contact me at your leisure. Thank you!
I hope this finds you well, and we are looking forward to chatting with you.
Sincerely,
http://melissagaskill.blogspot.com/2009/04/hotels-that-help.html
http://voluntourism.org/
It’s funny because I think this is all about hotels realizing that their influence is of greater import than previously thought. What started as a grassroots desire to move towards more ethical development and sustainable design and execution of “hospitality” on a much broader level… is now moving towards realizing the green movement was simply indicative for a greater responsibility of business being tied and dedicated to the community. So from http://www.03/30/its-not-a-movement-anymore-green-leed-is-just-the-way-we-do-business-now/ to http://www.hotelsthathelp.com there are so many ways to make a difference…. charity programs, ethical design, and altruistic development are all part of a much bigger movement that is happening in hotels.
Righteous. That’s right… congrats. I will get to that email too.. interesting thoughts.
I think the way the new algorithms will work, the crap will be pushed down almost immediately (IE meaningless blogs like mine) and vetted, intelligent stuff will rise to the top…. (inbound links due to the power or worth of your content will make the organic searches link to you. As long as the content is good, it will be recognized and therefore bolstered. The better the content, the more eyes on it, the better it will do and it’s a feedback loop… it starts building and solidfying it’s place in the internet)
Schmidt is right… the internet is a cesspool. This is a good thing, because it gives a chance for solid brands to gain ground.
this should be illuminating?
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/10/08/this-cesspool-we-call-the-internet
and I promise to become more uniform with my pics. I send to about 4 or 5 random groups, so I can never stay on top of it. I think I am going to standardize who I send the fun silly stuff to… and do it all at once, etc.
So no more mistakes. Promise. =)
On Sun, May 9, 2010 at 12:06 e:
First off, you are a Jizz Farmer.
As for this article, definitely interesting and a nice brief plug for my new employer (Patch). The whole idea that the democratization of the Internet makes everyone a content creator/writer is depressing, not just because it reduces what is indeed a craft to mere “I have something to say, and I can say it!” but also because of this sentence:
The problem with content farms, Mr Gillmor and others say, is that they swamp the internet with mediocre content. To earn a decent living, freelancers have to work at a breakneck pace, which has an obvious impact on quality.
Bottom line: I think there’s room for everybody, but there needs to continue to be a line between what I do, which is write, research, report, edit, and what everyone with a keyboard does, which is blather because they can. Maybe that comes off as snobbery, but there’s a reason that the shitberg doucheturd on Haight strumming Violent Femmes’ covers isn’t making a living off that shit.
From: Mic
Sent: Fri, May 7, 2010 5:40:47 PM
Subject: are you a content farmer? RISE OF CONTENT FARMS!
http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16010291
this is solid shit for you
An acquaintance sent this to me in regards to a restaurant I am involved with at the . I posted a Mac and Cheese recipe from our restaurant that is DIVINE, and it has gotten a lot of attention, par example:
—–
“Michael: I have been eyeing the Mac n Cheese recipe posted on your FB site for some time now. Finally made it Sat. night and wrote it up for The Taste of Oregon. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed devouring the results. Warm regards, Charles
http://www.thetasteoforegon.com/2010/05/01/very-adult-comfort-food-oregon-style-%E2%80%A2-truffled-mac-n-cheese-and-a-glass-o-pinot/”
——-
I responded that he was fantastic, and that it is really exciting to see how social media has altered connecting with consumers. I love the idea of restaurants being more open about family secrets and sharing with the world. It gives people the opportunity to develop a respect and understanding for how hard restauratuers work! In this new world of connections and networking, the closed off mentality that chills discourse on these sort of subjects will pass…. and there will be new community born from conversation and collective enthusiasm over stuff like this. With too much coffee this morning, I am finding time to wax a bit, pardon me! =)
It is a treat to read, and it’s a FANTASTIC write up. I am passing it around *EVERYWHERE* now – the property, networks, etc =) Haha.. thanks.
this is popular for restaurants… read his email first, then my response just below this sentence. The upshot is a new write up that is REALLY great, and restaurants getting a better understanding that sharing secret recipes can drive loyalty, awareness, and return sales. Now we have this article that will drive more to try it
http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15557431
clicking for Gold… how internet companies profit from data on the web
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/world-center-hotel-ground_n_490128.html
ground zero as hotel marketing
growing list of hotels offering deals on foursquare
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2010/3/5/22486/71119/hotels/What_Hotels_Are_Offering_Deals_on_Foursquare_
Foursquare introduces tools for biz:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/foursquare-introduces-new-tools-for-businesses/
but foursquare got punk’d too
http://www.krazydad.com/blog/2010/02/mayor-of-the-north-pole/