Join us at our Social Media Marketing seminar

For those of you in Dominica, don't miss the DHTA's Social Media Marketing Seminar by Delphis Ltd. The seminar will cover...

What is Social Media Marketing?
How can it help you get more business?

Get the tools you need to find new customers, to increase your internet presence, and to drive more traffic to your website. Learn the latest techniques and best strategies for:

• Social Networking
• Blogging
• Micro-Blogging
• Media Sharing

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 14th from 9 am to 1 pm.
Location: Fort Young Hotel
Price: $50 DHTA Members / $65 Non-Members

Space is limited. Register early with the DHTA.
http://www.dhta.org

Google's Realtime Search

Google announced several major changes yesterday to the way it will be delivering it's search results. They have recognised the impact of Twitter and other real-time applications in the importance of search relevance.

“The importance of relevance has gone through the roof as the amount of information out there is growing. Relevance has become the critical factor.” Amit Singhal, Google Fellow.

So starting yesterday, Twitter tweets and Facebook Status updates (for public pages) will have a place in Google search results. Watch the video below to see how this works.




Learn more about Google's realtime search:

• Read the Tech Crunch article "Google Aims To Push The Speed Of Light With Realtime Results. Seriously."

SVG launches new tourism website

The Ministry of Tourism’s “bright and vibrant” new website got the full approval of guests who witnessed its launch earlier this week.

The site, www.discoversvg.com, which replaced www.svgtourism.com, was officially launched on Monday, at the training room of the National Insurance Services at Upper Bay Street, Kingstown.

Equipped with modern technological amenities, including FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube and Google accounts, the site also allows visitors wishing to travel to any of the many attractions showcased on the site to book accommodations online.

The Ministry of Tourism and SVG Tourism Authority managed site was funded by the European Union to the tune of €150 as part of the Special Framework Assistance (SFA) 2006 Tourism and Private Sector Development Project, which got started three years ago.

It was designed by the Dominica-based web company, Delphis Limited.

Consultant and project web designer Steve McCabe, along with partner Wendy Walsh of Delphis Limited, gave a live demonstration of the site, to the “oohs”, “ahhs” and “wows” of the audience, which included various stakeholders in the tourism sector, as well as employees of the various tourism bodies and the media.

President of the SVG Hotel and Tourism Association, Bianca Porter, said at the launch that the new site captures and showcases key information about the country’s niche markets through its photographs and up-to-date information.

She applauded the initiative that allows on-line booking and said she hoped more business would be generated through this facility. Porter also expressed confidence that the improved site would generate more interest in St. Vincent, resulting in more visitors to the country.

Also speaking at the launch was Minister of Tourism Glen Beache, who indicated that the site, along with other initiatives, would make St. Vincent and the Grenadines a tourism force to be reckoned with.

He added that a tourism website required special attention, and praised Delphis Ltd for the detailed work done. He noted that the website would help to better market the product being offered by St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which he described as the most complete package in the region.

The completed website project is just one of four components under the SFA 2006 umbrella, the others being a 2020 master plan for the tourism sector, the establishment of a hospitality and marine institute and the construction of a boardwalk at Villa.

WordPress blog basics

Some good WordPress tips & tweaks:

http://lifehacker.com/5365600/the-beginners-guide-to-tricking-out-your-wordpress-blog

Web Analytics primer

If you're looking for a simple primer to web analytics, especially Google's, look no further than the acclaimed Occam's Razor blog and in particular this post that distils analytics down to the 5 basic tenets:

#1 Get the Basics Out of the Way.
#2 Understand Traffic Sources.
#3 Fix Stuff and Save Money
#4 the value of using the Site Overlay
#5 Focus on Outcomes

http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2007/12/web-analytics-demystified.html

Why Businesses Should Use Social Networking

"In a piece this year for the insider's technology blog, TechCrunch, entitled "Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet", Eric Clemons, Professor of Operations and Information Management at the University of Pennsylvania, argued that the way that we're using the internet has shattered the whole concept of advertising. We need no encouragement to share our opinions online regarding products and services and offer them star ratings; as a result, we're much more likely to look for personal recommendations from other customers than wait for a gaudy advert to beckon us wildly in the direction of a company website or online store. He claims we don't trust online advertising, we don't need online advertising, but above all we don't want online advertising."

And this is why we use social networking.

Using your Facebook vanity URL

If you use Facebook you'll probably be aware that they recently allowed ther users to register a 'vanity URL' (username is their name for it). Bigwigs have always been able to boast of an URL such as facebook.com/u2 , but this feature has been opened-up to (almost) everyone else.

The value, especially if you're a big user of facebook, is simply to be able to send people to your profile with an easy to remember URL. So I can now say 'check me out on Facebook at www.facebook/com/stevemccabe'.

But to fully utilise this feature, you'll need to make changes to your Facebook privacy settings. Because it's no good boasting of your new FB address if, when someone goes there, there's no infornation showing about you. So in your Facebook privacy settings, make sure you enable the Search Visability to 'Everyone'.

This way your new Facebook URL will say at least something about you, especially for non-Facebook users visiting the URL.