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Dealing with Mono

Anne Hornyak — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:04:04 +0000

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.

Savannah – a #winning CVB

Anne Hornyak — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:32:41 +0000

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!

Fact: Facebook Owns 95% Of Social Networking Time

Anne Hornyak — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:48:35 +0000

A recent post at Business Insider states that

Facebook accounts for 95% of social networking time on the web in the U.S. according to an analysis of comScore data provided to us by web publisher Ben Elowitz of Wetpaint.

If your business or organization is not already on Facebook, now is the time to create your business page. Seize the day!

#tourismchat Highlights: Social Media Contests

Anne Hornyak — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:54:16 +0000

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?

@pagetx I’ve only used Flickr for contests. Promoted via Facebook/Twitter, but avoided paying for 3rd party apps that way.
@WhosYourAnnie If gaining high quality photos, flickr is great. Engagement = Facebook. Fast & Short giveaways = twitter.
@emilyforsha Flickr is great for photos because the pro photographer community is there. FB for engagement.
@stefanieksays have had the most success w/ Facebook for achieving all goals, on Twitter ran into more people not following back, etc.
@jeremy_harvey I like FB the best, but I guess it depends. We used YouTube for people to submit cast videos to be in our web series.
@VacationFun Little contests on FB wall for interaction – big like-gated welcome page sweeps for likes/leads – Twitter to promote it

What’s a good duration for the contest?

@WhosYourAnnie Flickr contests can be longer; Facebook = 2-3 weeks; Twitter = 1-2 days? What do you think?
@pagetx Our Flickr contest ran too long. 1.5 months. I’m going to chop off at least 2 weeks for the next one.
@stefanieksays If there is a high barrier to entry than I like to do at least a month, for sweepstakes less- two to three weeks
@catherineheeg I’ve built them to run for several months with monthly and a grand prize = Engagement.
@CygnetUpdates Flickr=1 mo RT @WhosYourAnnie: A4: Flickr contests can be longer; Facebook = 2-3 weeks; Twitter = 1-2 days

Does prize value affect the amount of entries?

@HeidiTown I have found that prize value does NOT reflect the amount of entries. I find ppl like t-shirts & beer.
@CygnetUpdates Yes & if it’s too big it becomes ALL about the prize & then they’re gone. Q6: Does prize value affect the amount of entries?
@ParadiseDeals The prize value may affect the amount of entries…Who wants to win a keychain? lol
@WhosYourAnnie I think up to a level. A getaway package will probably get the same interaction if the hotel is $$ vs $$$$.
@pagetx Yes, I think it can affect # of entries. It’s a fine line between just wanting the prize & wanting to be engaged with you.
@catherineheeg Prize has to be relevant to the audience. Interaction is key motivation for many.

Which apps did you use to facilitate your contests? And what are you doing to make them sharable?

@WhosYourAnnie I’m a fan of woobox. It allows you to give bonus entries for sharing & liking other pages.
@SarahElam We used WildFire and were quite happy with it.
@catherineheeg Used Offerpop and Wildfire.
@stefanieksays love Woobox; it offers so many bonus entry options, bonus for liking partner pages, bonus for sharing, etc
@VacationFun Static HTML iFrame tabs was any easy wat to start with a like gated contest
@stefanieksays Woobox is very easy to use and pretty inexpensive; they charge by fan size (>20k – $29.99 a month, 100k- $99)
@FSAustin We used Offerpop for our last contest and liked it. Only downfall is no mobile entries
@stefanieksays Woobox also offers a microsite that has all of the FB functionality (required like, etc) that is mobile friendly

What tips do you have for successfully managing social media contests?

#tourismchat Highlights: QR Codes

Anne Hornyak — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:13:30 +0000

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?

@theresaoverby Mainly in print. Most successful is on airport/concierge signage directing visitors to mobile site.
@maddenmedia We used them at an outdoor festival to giveaway subscriptions. They were on pavement vinyl stickers and sandwich boards.
@thompsonpaul Used unique QR codes on Transit Bench ads to try to track engagement from different locations
@theresaoverby The Louisiana Marathon will use individual QRs on race bibs to access personal race results.

What type of print pubs have you used/seen them in? (VG, rack cards, etc)

@pagetx Festival use => post on banners @ festival site with discounts at downtown shops. Drives attendees into town.
@WhosYourAnnie @pagetx what about pre-festival. Link to a musician’s youtube vid so people know if they want to hear that group.

What are you tracking for your QR Codes?

@TomMartin clicks, 2nd clicks, requests for additional info, and time on site post scan
@theresaoverby Only clicks right now. That’s why @44doors Capture is so darn sexy to me! I’m a stats geek!

And finally, here are some of my favorite tweets from the chat:

@CajunMama I would love to see QR codes at attractions or historic sites that link to video or interview w/ backstory. Educational.
@Joe_ExpCols That’s smart! QR is best for intercepting people already in market, showing & delivering your resource instantly.
@TomMartin QR Code is all about context. Needs to move buyer one step closer to sale

QR Codes are become more mainstream but we need to be more and more creative in how they are used. There must be a benefit to using them. Whether it’s added knowledge, behind the scenes info or coupons, consumers almost expect a reward now for scanning the QR Code. Don’t let them down.

#tourismchat Highlights: Location-Based Networks

Anne Hornyak — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:03:14 +0000

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?

@WhosYourAnnie I think it’s best to create several smaller lists (10 items) that are really specific rather than a few large lists.
@WhosYourAnnie …like create a BBQ list, best dessert list, food cart list rather than one dining list.
@eMpTyKeller I just created one today for work page, not work profile. tip: Follow your stomach, people love food tips
@Joe_ExpCols I’m creating a 4sq list to accompany a great Chicago Trib article we just got on Japanese food here
@TourismCurrents People love lists of “hidden,” local places, especially restaurants.
@caseclosed26 Working on one in conjunction with our best of contest
@libbyeconnell I love food/restaurant lists. The Travel Channel has some good Foursquare lists.

Are you using Yelp, Foodspotting or something similar to entice foodie travelers?

@katiecook I like Foodspotting possibilities and that you can integrate it into your website.
@WhosYourAnnie I think Foodspotting is great for foodies. Yelp has a tremendous user-base. Both good to use!
@TomMartin We use Foodspotting to create guides for folks to find when in French Quarter — not sure how much biz yet but trying

Does your staff participate by checking in, leaving tips, etc. How do you motivate that? Or should you discourage it?

@katiecook No reason to discourage staff participating. They are guides to their cities too even if not in mktg dept.
@BeckyMcCray You and your team know more about what’s local than anyone! Jump in there and share what you know.
@emilyforsha Think staff should be encouraged to check in and leave tips on their personal acct. Their chance to share insider info.
@maddenmedia I think it should be encouraged, especially if you’re keeping biz/consumer locations separate -Visitors Center vs Film Dept
@Joe_ExpCols my philosophy – help staff who want to be active, but don’t force anyone. That’s a recipe for lame content

Is it smart or dumb to create the same list/itinerary/challenge in Foursquare, Google Maps, Foodspotting, etc?

@katiecook Smart. Different channels, different audiences. Plus, more chances for exposure.
@WhosYourAnnie I like consistency. Users probably won’t be using all your tools so they might not see Foursquare list but will see G Map.
@sheasylvia I think each channel should be treated differently as each has a different audience w/ different expectations.
@BeckyMcCray While it’s good to spread the info around, tailor it. Consider what info the users want on each network.

Do you educate/provide training for your partners or businesses on how to use these networks?

@robertpatterson Industry education is essential for success. It take a village mentality to help uplift a destination w/users broadcasting
@WhosYourAnnie Educating partners is key. Providing social media workshops/e-blasts is a great member benefit.
@BeckyMcCray Your local career tech/community college/training group might work with you to train partner businesses.

And my favorite tweet from this chat was from @TourismCurrents: You don’t go for mass w/these tools right now. You go for the talkative, sharing folks. It’s not numbers, it’s amplification.

Most of these networks have a small but very active user base. Choose the network(s) that make sense for your destination and don’t worry about the others. You don’t need to be everywhere. You need to be where your users are. And not just be there, but be active there.

Smoky Mountains, October 2011

Anne Hornyak — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:29:01 +0000

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.

When I take photography trips, I like to follow a specific set of photography guide books. They always lead me to hidden spots and even talk about what time of day or which direction to aim in for the best shot. The Photographing the Great Smoky Mountains book mentioned talking Cades Cove loop road for the single best view in the entire park so, of course, I had to try it.

The road itself was very scenic but to get to the “best” view, you had to take a one-way gravel road for approximately 10 miles. The view was of a small white church, nestled among the trees.

The next day was spent photographing the area at Clingman’s Dome in the morning and antiquing in the afternoon.

I found some great treasures in a few stores in Sevierville, TN, which is just north of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

There are actually several antique stores right in the same area of Sevierville but as I was researching stores for this trip, I came across several online listings for Antique Castle.

The don’t have a website but I found an email address for them and inquired about their hours, to which they quickly replied. They hoped that I would get a chance to browse around and it was this little statement that hooked me. Now I had to stop by. In addition to being extremely polite, out of all the other antique stores I went to in the in the area, Antique Castle also seemed to be the cleanest and most reasonably priced.

My most treasured find was this vintage rooster plate — only $7.95! It’s perfect for right about the stove in my kitchen, which was the main item on my antique store shopping list.

The next morning was my last chance to get amazing photos so I decided to start early — very early — and catch the sunrise. Once again, I headed to Clingman’s Dome, set up my tripod and froze while standing outside experimenting with different shutter speeds, f-stops and views. Even though most of my night shots didn’t turn out well, just being out there, almost in the middle of nowhere, was an incredible experience. And the stars were amazing, of course.

After a while, a few more cars came up to the parking lot and everyone got out and set their tripods up. They were taking a photography workshop and the instructor was kind enough to give me some pointers with the rest of his students.

As soon as the sun was all the way up, it was time to head out of the park and start the journey home. Traveling through the lens of a camera gives you an experience like no other. I can’t wait until my next trip.

The Best View of Chicago

Anne Hornyak — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:12:48 +0000

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:

My photos are decent but if you want to see what the city looks like from the perspective of a professional photographer, you must check out the work of my friend Jim Watkins. His photos are truly amazing, especially his street photography. Here’s just a sampling but spend a few minutes checking out his Flickr stream. It’s so good.

MT on Twitter

Anne Hornyak — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:00:23 +0000

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:

More twitter abbreviations you should know:

MT = Modified tweet. This means the tweet you’re looking at is a paraphrase of a tweet originally written by someone else.

RT = Retweet. The tweet you’re looking at was forwarded to you by another user.

DM = Direct message. A direct-message is a message only you and the person who sent it can read. IMPORTANT: To DM someone all you need to type is D username message.

PRT = Partial retweet. The tweet you’re looking at is the truncated version of someone else’s tweet.

HT = Hat tip. This is a way of attributing a link to another Twitter user.

CC = Carbon-copy. Works the same way as email.

Feel free to use MT when modifying a tweet. I think this trend is going to stick around.

How to lose respect on twitter

Anne Hornyak — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:42:12 +0000

There are several ways to lose respect on twitter but the fastest two ways are scheduling tweets without checking mentions and spamming hashtags.

Someone has been spamming a few hashtags I follow. He’s using scheduled tweets and actually sent the exact same tweet at 2pm two days in a row. I tried reaching out to him through a tweet but he never replied. And then came more spam on the hashtags.

When people follow a hashtag, a lot of them will place it in a search column in TweetDeck or HootSuite. TweetDeck users have the option of setting an audible or visual notification anytime there’s a new tweet in that column. That’s what I do for important hashtags. Now imaging getting this notification several times a day from a user that has nothing to contribute to the conversation and is only promoting his business. It’s frustrating.

So be smart on how you use twitter and don’t be a Social Media DB.