Posts tagged as:

google

This rocks.
If you are still not using Google services to enhance the management of your tourism business, consider getting on board the G-train.
I’m delivering a training program in the fall that will be focused on helping tourism businesses streamline their CRM processes using the plethora of free tools on the Web, many that Google provides.

As a Gmail user, I’m already addicted to Google Calendars, Tasks and Documents – especially the free Google Forms tool which makes tracking inquiries and leads amazingly simple, but now, we can make free phone calls fromour computer right in our email client!

It’s as easy as clicking call phone from my google chat window and I’m making calls using my computer speaker and headset or built in computer microphone.

Watch out Skype.
I’m seriously thinking of dumping our expense for outgoing phone calls from the telephone and moving exclusively to Google calls within Gmail (free-for-now across North America and seriously cheap around the world).

watch for google phone booths in a university campus near you!Since the major telcos have been ditching their telephone booths, watch for someone like Google to come into your community and offer free services to fill the void.   For the 20% of North Americans who don’t carry a cell phone or for travelers in airports who don’t want to pony up the $2 bucks a minute to talk to folks overseas while they are traveling.

HECK, consider setting up a computer in your lobby and set it up with a Google account to provide free North American phone calls for your guests!  Now that’s something your ideal guest could really appreciate!

Be sure to hang a sign that says – “Tell your family and friends you are calling for free from – ‘YOUR Business Name’ “.

In the process, you might recruit a few new fans.

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Google busting out the Goodies with Real Time Search

by Todd Lucier on December 7, 2009

Google Real Time Search:

Today we see what Google has been working on with Real Time Search.  Integrating search results from Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other news feeds, Google search results show a small scrolling bar of results.  The importance that Google attributes to the real time results determines how high the scrolling real time results display.

Try it yourself at http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&esrch=RTSearch

Links:

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Sticky Situation: Google Moves on TripAdvisor and Yelp!

December 7, 2009

Google has identified over 100 000 businesses in the U.S. as “Favorite Places” based on user reviews on Google Maps and they have rewarded them with QR Stickers – Window Decals like the one below. When snapped with a smartphone camera the two dimensional bar code hyperlinks to the business Google Listing which shows the [...]

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Google Friend Connect Gadget Alternatives

November 5, 2009

Google Friend Connect adds some social sauce with new Gadgets but there are better options to serve the needs of your ideal guests. This post addresses a few of the new gadgets and better alternatives. Friend Connect Widget Google Friend Connect is featured in the side bar on this blog. Until now, Friend Connect Widget [...]

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How Twitter and a Blog can improve your Google Search Ranking

November 4, 2009

Get Greater impact from Twitter on your Website Search Ranking: Perhaps the biggest benefit of the recently announced Google / Twitter deal is that Google can now see all those links that are tweeted. Links have always been the secret sauce for getting your Website to rise above others to the first page – or [...]

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Twitter SEO tips: How to get Tweets into Google Search Results

November 3, 2009

Time to review a little Search Engine Optimization, now that Google Shows Twitter Tweets in Search Results: Twitter Status in Search Results Just googled “Twitter Lists Embed” and to my surprise found Pete Cashmore’s Twitter Status in the search results. It looks just like all the other search results and shows up high in the [...]

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Finally, Search Engines can index people

October 30, 2009

Twitter Lists = People Tags This week Twitter Lists spread across the Web and early adopters have created lists of the people on Twitter that matter most to them. It’s very early in the people tagging game with Twitter Lists. But, link this new tool with last weeks news of partnership deals between Google, Bing [...]

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Google Makes Search Social

October 27, 2009

“Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.” The First Law of Geography according to Waldo Tobler is also a key component in Googles algorithm to determine search ranking. Google looks at how closely search phrases are spaced in the search box, and on the page, as well [...]

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Twitter / Google Partnership means more to Google than Twitter

October 27, 2009

At Web 2.o Summit Marissa Mayer, (Google CEO) opened her short presentation with a curious statement: Listen for yourself…. (it’s only 15 seconds) After announcing Googles partnership with Twitter, Mayer said, “We will be featuring their tweets in our search results, as well as building a real time search ummmmm . . . ” Then [...]

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Microsoft and Google search results to feature Twitter Tweets

October 21, 2009

Microsoft search engine Bing inked a deal with Twitter that includes tweets in search results. Microsoft announced the deal onstage at the Web 2.0 Summit today. The non-exclusive deal made it easy for Google to piggyback on the Bing announcement with their own announcement of a commitment to feature Tweets in search results. Significance of [...]

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