Jan16

Dealing with Mono

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Dealing with Mono

It’s 4:30am and I’ve been up for nearly two hours trying to fall back asleep. Welcome to my new life.

I’m 34 and I have mono. Again. And the symptoms are much worse than when I had it in college.

Sure, many people make fun of mononucleosis by calling it the “kissing disease” but it’s nothing to laugh at.

I’ve had a low-grade fever every day for the past three weeks. Every. Day.
Slight nausea started before the fever and was extremely intense while on antibiotics.
I’ve been on Amoxicillin, Azithromycin and even Rocephin via IV infusion. None of the antibiotics helped.
My tonsils were so inflamed that I had problems swallowing and breathing.
I just finished a course of Prednisone, which should have reduced my swollen tonsils but it’s still painful to swallow.
I had migraines from a severe sensitivity to light.
I still get horrible headaches if I’m awake for more than 4 hours at a time.
I’m taking 3-5 naps throughout the day. The fatigue is unbearable.
It takes me nearly an hour to fall asleep each time.
I’m much weaker. My arms constantly ache, especially when trying to sleep.
Gatorade is the base of most meals. A loss of appetite has resulted in forcing meals in between naps.

Now the good news:

The swelling in my lymph nodes is finally starting to reduce a little.
My eyelids are no longer swollen.
The white patches on my tonsils have drastically decreased from the Prednisone.
My thermostat is set 2-3 degrees cooler than normal, which hopefully will be reflected in my NISPCO bill.
I’ve had a few days without nausea.

Yes, the list is short but not dealing with nausea on a daily basis is a HUGE plus for me.

Many sites say that the major symptoms last for 2-4 weeks, longer for older adults. It’s been 4 weeks since the fever started but I’ve only dealt with extreme fatigue and strep-like throat for 2 weeks. The fatigue seems to be getting worse so I’m hoping that things will turn around soon.

The physical symptoms are bad but the worst part for me is all the frustration that comes with the disease. I’m not big on watching tv and I get bored with movies. I’ll sometimes play on Pinterest while “watching” tv but that’s the extent of my online life now. For someone who built her professional credibility on twitter and in Facebook groups, it’s sad to see this decline but I just don’t have the energy to maintain it now. And for future reference, jokingly referring to mono as the “kissing disease” to those infected only makes things worse. I’m exhausted, irritable and frustrated. Please tread lightly.

Jan5

Savannah – a #winning CVB

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Anne Hornyak

Savannah – a #winning CVB

How do you know when a CVB is doing a FANTASTIC job on twitter?

When they get a review like this from a travel professional:

Amy Brock is the epitome of a Tourism Geek. If you’re in the tourism industry, put her on your watch list!

Dec5

#tourismchat Highlights: Social Media Contests

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

#tourismchat Highlights: Social Media Contests

Our latest #tourismchat (December 1, 2011) focused on social media contests. A lot of the chat participants have managed contests in Facebook but not too many had experience with Twitter or Flickr contests. Below are my highlights from the chat. Check out the entire chat transcript for all the details.

Have you managed any social media contests for your DMO? What were the results?

@pagetx Yes. We’ve done Flickr photo contests for 2 yrs. Increased social fans, engagement, & # of photos in group. Success!
@MontanaTia We did our first giveaway this summer via facebook and increased the # of fans on our page.
@SarahElam Yes, we’ve done 2 very successful ones on FB. One geared towards outdoor fun, one on shopping. Increased fans & exposure!
@stefanieksays Yes, had amazing results w/ Facebook contest especially if supported with ads. See fans sticking around even after it ends.
@emilyforsha Flickr photo contests and some ticket giveaways on Twitter. Great engagement on both. Flickr gets us great content.
@ParadiseMeeting Our social media contests have been free nights at hotels. The response was phenomenal! Everyone wants to visit Florida.
@catherineheeg Facebook contest to gain fans and photos. Now working on a web-based contest to gain exposure to Trvl. agents

What were the goals for your social media contests?

@stefanieksays email address acquisition/phone number acquisition is always a big goal for clients I have worked with.
@catherineheeg goal was to gain more photos to be used in future marketing campaigns. Fans increased as well.
@CygnetUpdates consider results/goals that go beyond raw numbers. Are people continuing to engage AFTER the contest ends?
@SarahElam Increased fan base and general vb exposure…and fan interaction!
@pagetx Our goals were increased awareness of region & getting more photos in our Flickr group. Wanted active shots, not scenery.
@jeremy_harvey Definitely increase fans (& keep them), but also get some good interactions and conversations going!
@ShuttersSecrets We’ve seen the best results from contests where people have to do more than “like” us. Continued engagement is key.
@seanmdixon Recent (and awesome) side effect of last FB campaign: 150+ written FB Recommendations.

Which platforms or networks are best for contests? With which goals? Read the rest of this entry →

Nov30

#tourismchat Highlights: QR Codes

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

#tourismchat Highlights: QR Codes

The October 13 #tourismchat discussed QR Codes and their use in the tourism industry. Take a few minutes to read the entire chat transcript. For a condensed version, here are my highlights:

What’s the most creative use you’ve experienced with QR codes in tourism?

@maddenmedia I’ve seen them used on visitor signs to download maps of the area, especially for hikers.
@JoeGiessler We’ve incorporated our ‘hi’ logo into some QR code designs & used it on banners at trade shws to link to FB/mobi site
@TomMartin on personalized DM: scan>>personalized microsite w/personalized video inviting MP to host meeting in city
@WhosYourAnnie I love the @VisitSanAntonio River Walk QR Code tours: http://t.co/cFcTvlTj
@thompsonpaul using a QR code to visitor content/apps on the door of a Visitor Info Centre for when they’re closed
@WhosYourAnnie here are a few other QR Code/tourism examples via @travel2dot0: http://t.co/SFg5Waiy
@JoeGiessler An Ohio wine fstvl used them at lines so ppl could get info on the winery they were ab to try while waiting

What’s the most creative use of QR codes in non-tourism campaigns?

@xSiteable Love the World Park campaign example. http://t.co/K4Xx3aLt
@TomMartin Best three non-tourism uses I’ve seen http://t.co/Q5bzVgM7
@theresaoverby Great QR on the planting instruction card of perennials at Lowe’s this season. Fun info.
@xSiteable I’m a big fan of how the Lion Nathan Wine Group wines used QR codes: http://t.co/UI7vNJAN Real VALUE for the consumer!
@pagetx I liked REI’s QR use: http://t.co/90oBGm9J Sent you to a live hashtag stream of how people spent their dividend check.

Have you used QR Codes before? Where? Read the rest of this entry →

Nov28

#tourismchat Highlights: Location-Based Networks

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

#tourismchat Highlights: Location-Based Networks

Our #tourismchat on November 17 focused on location-based networks like Foursquare, Gowalla, Google Places, Yelp and Foodspotting. Check out the entire chat transcript for all related tweets. Here are my highlights:

What location-based networks does your DMO use?

@Beaumartian We’re using Foursquare, Yelp, & Google Places
@TuscarawasCoCVB Foursquare, Google Places
@katiecook Gowalla, Foursquare, Foodspotting and Google Places. Wowza!
@eMpTyKeller 4sq, fb, urbanspoon, yelp, google places. Not so much SCVNGR or Gowalla anymore though

Who do you think does an awesome job with Foursquare?

@decillis I’ve always admired the History Channel’s foursquare presence.
@WhosYourAnnie I’ve seen great Foursquare lists from @VisitSavannah and @BaltimoreMD.
@robertpatterson I am biased, but @Colorado. Also @ExploreChicago, @VisitPA and @Zagat of course.

Have you created Foursquare Lists yet? Any tips? Read the rest of this entry →

Nov26

Smoky Mountains, October 2011

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

Smoky Mountains, October 2011

I’ve been to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park twice before but it’s been many, many years since then and I wanted this trip to focus on photography and antiquing. Autumn is quite possibly the most breathtaking season in the Smokies and I wanted to plan the trip for when the leaves would be changing colors. So, as any social media addict would, I researched Flickr photos to see when the most colorful photos were taken, mostly focusing on the past few years. It turned out that my research, along with a lot of luck, actually worked.

This was a short trip last month — only four days including the 9.5-hour drive each way. The first day in the park was mostly spent driving scenic loop roads and setting up my tripod along side of a river to catch reflections and mini waterfalls. I also got to test out my new close-up filters on leaves. It was the perfect setting for this.

Read the rest of this entry →

Nov25

The Best View of Chicago

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

The Best View of Chicago

Chicago is a diverse and exciting city. There are a million spots that are great to photograph but my favorite view is of the skyline from the hill just in front of Adler Planetarium.

Here are some photos I shot last week from this spot:

Read the rest of this entry →

Nov17

MT on Twitter

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Anne Hornyak

MT on Twitter

If you’re on twitter, you already know that “RT” stands for retweet — forwarding or re-posting someone’s tweet to your followers. Well I’ve been noticing a new trend and it turns out that it’s not new at all. At least in terms of social media time.

People have been using “MT” to indicate a Modified Tweet. It’s basically a retweet that’s been edited. Makes sense, right? I’ve been seeing it more and more recently but I found mentions of this in blogs from as far back as August 2010. That’s ancient history on twitter.

When should you use MT instead of RT? Here are three answers: