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Paulette Grant

How companies are benefiting from Web 2.0: McKinsey Global Survey results | McKinsey & ... - 0 views

  • Nearly 1,700 executives from around the world, across a range of industries and functional areas, responded to this year’s survey.1 1.McKinsey Quarterly conducted the survey online in June 2009 and received 1,695 responses from executives across industries, regions, and functional specialties. We asked them about the value they have realized from their Web 2.0 deployments in three main areas: within their organizations; externally, in their relations with customers; and in their dealings with suppliers, partners, and outside experts.
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    The article highlights the benefits that companies around the world are deriving through the use of web 2.0. This was done through a survey from a range of industries that has used web2.0 and has seen tremendous value of the technology in dealing with both internal and external customers. According to the report 69 percent of respondents report that web 2.0 has impacted their businesses in a positive way. They are able to market products more effectively, reduce the cost of doing business and better able to communicate with customers, suppliers and of course the ability to collaborate with business partners and experts in a dynamic way; something that was not possible using the static web pages of web 1.0 The article was written four years ago and this goes to show that the technological capabilities of web 2.0, one that revolutionizes the way business has been conducted online, has been around for quite a long time and has been creating tremendous benefits for many businesses such as increase revenues. As the technology continues to increase and expand, and the public's acceptance continues to grow, going beyond web 2.0 is what we are presently experiencing using tools such as semantic web and augmented reality with the launch of web 3.0. The report uses exhibits to highlights areas that companies have gain measurable benefits using web 2.0, how companies have tie other technologies into web 2.0 and regions of the world such as North American and China that have experience tremendous benefits from web 2.0 interaction with both customers and business partners.
Paulette Grant

New Search Technologies Mine the Web More Deeply - NYTimes.com - 1 views

  • Beyond the realm of consumer searches, Deep Web technologies may eventually let businesses use data in new ways. For example, a health site could cross-reference data from pharmaceutical companies with the latest findings from medical researchers, or a local news site could extend its coverage by letting users tap into public records stored in government databases.
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    The article talks about the new kinds of technology that major search engines such as google are using to reduce the 99% of data that is hidden and largely unsearchable by search engines. This 99% of information is indeed public but the challenge that search engines continue to face is finding a way to access these information. With the use of these new technology they will be able to explore beyond their current reach which will likely return a better quality of information that is delivered to online users. The new technology includes a software developed by Kosmix that would match data bases that contain meaningful information relative to queries been made, hence delivering a summary regarding important topics from numerous internet sources. Google on the other hand uses a web search strategy where it utilizes certain programs to determine the contents of all the websites that it comes in contact with. Deep peep is yet another technology that will send out spiders to crawl the web and index all data base on the web. This seem quite difficult to accomplish as the accumulation of information on the web is so profound that its needs more than just a crawler to penetrate deep beyond the tiny surface of the web that is presently been searched. Indexing every website will be a challenge as many website owners ensure that their websites are built to highly reduce, or block searches by search engines. Website integration technology has also been explore. Websites cross reference each other; an action that is quite similar to semantic web. However in my view if sematic web is unrealized; quite unknown and many online users are not familiar with its potential to interconnect data how is it that another program built on this platform or similar will be able to perform the task that semantic web never did? While the article was written a few years back it goes to show that the endeavors to penetrate unsearchable data bases have long been approached, and presently ther
noreen1

The Property Management Puzzle | Top Stories | | Hospitality Magazine (HT) - 0 views

  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • ...70 more annotations...
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • . “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • . “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • The company is in prototype on a social media integration project that would, among other things, let guests book a room through Facebook and then send a confirmation text to their mobile device.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • What’s still not clear is the extent to which social media can and should be integrated into formal property systems, so that user-generated content can be stored, mined, analyzed and tracked.
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • “One of the promises of the cloud is that it becomes easier to integrate, so you can go more best-of-breed in your solution choice, but you still have issues with data structure and architecture.”
  • If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • next year.
  • next year.
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,” says Nickelson, whose 2,000 acre property is located in North Carolina’s rural heartland. “If I look at it from a city hotel perspective, absolutely; there’d be no downfall to cloud.”
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Over the long-term, the result is the same: a massive, impending re-architecting of how properties are managed.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • The industry is also mid-stream in a massive replacement cycle, with 40% planning to upgrade their PMS by the end of next year.
  • Hotel management systems are shifting from on-property to cloud-based, from tethered to mobile, from data-heavy to insight-rich.
  • A significant chunk of hotel IT budgets -- 19% -- is spent on property management systems (PMS)
  • Some are ready to embrace cloud-based solutions; others want to expand their mobile capabilities; and others are excited about the possibilities rich data can provide in personalizing the guest experience
  • I think it’s really about the ability of the PMS to grow with the changing need. What we need today isn’t what we needed just two years ago
  • Both Nickelson and Yelley are experiencing different symptoms stemming from the same challenge: better integration between systems.
  • Every vendor and most of the hoteliers HT spoke to predicted that property management systems would eventually migrate to the cloud.
  • “We’re an hour and a half from a major metropolitan area. There are enough providers selling the bandwidth we’d need for redundancy in a true web-based cloud environment,”
  • “Just because they’re in the cloud doesn’t make it easier to integrate,
  • I agree, from a PMS standpoint, that I want to know everything about a guest when they show up at the front desk. I should be able to see that you’ve stayed with me, and if you posted about our hotel in our social space, and if it was a complaint.
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    Hoteliers are expecting a lot more out of their PMS's such as data acquisition, integration with other systems, mobile capabilities, and social media. This article describes some of the different directions hoteliers are taking based on their specific focus and desired results. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of cloud based PMS's are discussed such as mobility, internet connection redundancy for rural vs. urban areas, and multiple system integration. The increasing role of social media is also explored and the degree to which it should be utilized by the hospitality industry. There are many possibilities including using social media posts to mine guest reviews, as well as the ability to book your hotel on Facebook and receive a confirmation via text. I apologize for the diminishing hi-lighting towards the end, my tool bar is having some issues!
asweet28

Web 3.0: The Third Generation Web is Coming - 0 views

shared by asweet28 on 17 Jun 13 - Cached
  • This cycle will continue for five to ten years, and will result in making the Web more connected, more open, and more intelligent. It will transform the Web from a network of separately siloed applications and content repositories to a more seamless and interoperable whole.
  • I would also add to this definition another trend that has been a major factor in Web 2.0 — the emergence of the mobile Internet and mobile devices (including camera phones) as a major new platform driving the adoption and growth of the Web, particularly outside of the United States.
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    This article talks about some of the differences about web 2.0 and web 3.0. This article mainly points out the positive outcomes of web 3.0 and some of its origins. I chose this article especially because of the diagram which I found to be very interesting.
Ashley Mullins

Automated testing of complex Web 2.0 applications prevents security vulnerabilities - 0 views

  • So far there are no methods to test complex web 2.0 applications systematically
  • developed a software system for checking complex web applications autonomously.
  • He says that the methods that web developers and responsible project leaders rely on to try to find programming errors and security holes in web applications have been too ineffective and inefficient.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • developed the software system "Webmate", which determines automatically why Web 2.0 applications fail.
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    There is internet fraud everywhere and the most common one these days is web application fraud. Saarland University have developed a software system that checks web applications autonomously which is convenient t for application users. Most methods fail but with Webmate we are able to figure out why it did so. Webmate is able to detect how the applications work and what virus are trying to interact with the application.
Hanlu Hu

E-Commerce for the Hospitality Industry | The Moscow Times - 6 views

  • E-commerce has been defined as "the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet."
  • Accelerating Internet usage worldwide The Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel Most travelers research hotel reservations on the Internet Social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor The web is the preferred media source for travel information, favored 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines.
  • Adding real time search functionality to your site, capability to generate user reviews, launching contests helps to build fresh content and quality links
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Heavy graphics, animation and flash demos cause your site to perform slowly. Sites that are built keeping these guidelines in mind will deliver better user experiences, will perform better on search engines, and ultimately drive higher ROI.
  • As things stand now, mobile queries represent about 10% of all queries made on Google. People are using mobile devices to conduct searches, as well as share content, connect with friends and browse the web
  • Embracing social media. 93 percent of social media users expect companies to have a social presence. 85 percent of social media users want companies to interact with them on social sites. A well-planned social initiative can turn fans into brand evangelists.
  • The Internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed the way we communicate, and the way we do business.
  • The growing importance of e-commerce in the modern hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple solutions to manage companies' online presence. Now that each hotel is involved in e-commerce, why is hotel e-commerce so important today?
  • We forget that the human brain can only consume limited information. It is important to take a holistic approach and prioritize information. Good web site architecture and organized content improves site usability and its efficiency when used with search engines.
    • yan xie
       
      It is true that we always forge how many information the human brain will take at once. Although the e-commerce is the good way for customers to know the new products and new service from the hotels, sometimes the hotels provide so much information to customers. It lets customers confused and does not know what the specifice products can meet their requirements. And sometimes, they feel some hard to understand your service so that they give up hotels service or new products to choose the one they are familiar. So how to make e-commerce usability and efficiency is a new point, which the hospitality industry company need to consider.
  • make sure your ad groups are made up of tightly knit keyword themes and that those keywords are reflected in your ad copy; ensure that your landing pages clearly reflect the offer promoted in the ad copy and includes clear calls to action and conversion factors.
    • yan xie
       
      As the point two mentioned, the customers cannot get so many information at once, and they also cannot search lots of information at once. So the keyword themes is also another important thing for company to do the promotion and ads. This ads need to have the keywords to clearly reflect the offer promoted for customers. In this way, the customers will catch the information as possible as they can.
  • Top e-commerce sites are continually testing new things. It's the only way to achieve continual improvement.
    • yan xie
       
      To do the continually testing new things is always a best development way for the developing company. If the company cannot test the new things in their e-commerce sites and e-commerce process, the e-commerce of this company will be far away from other companies. Company need to have the innovation to make some new things for their e-commerce and do the test all the time to select the best way for the business and customers' expericence.
  • hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies
  •  
    The hospitality industry along with the resourcefulness of the Internet has allowed the Russian hospitality industry to benefit and grow with the technology of e-commerce. E-commerce is defined as "the buying and selling of products and service by businesses and consumers over the Internet". This technology is significant due to its beneficial factors of lowering costs, accessibility, decision-making, and media exposure. As well, the article provides for methods and advice regards effective strategies to utilize the Internet. Primarily, the speed of the website's functionality is essential, along with providing compatibility of browsers, thus, allowing for a better experience for users. The information in the website should be efficient, allowing for real time search whether using a mobile phone or a computer. It was informative to read the multiple functionality, that social media is playing in the hospitality industry regards the exposure and marketability. E-commerce has change the market of goods and services, from a tangible experience to digital experience, through the use of online shopping estimated at $228 Billion in 2010, a third derived from the purchase of travel and flight websites, thus, demonstrating the importance of the Internet in relation to consumerism.
  • ...7 more comments...
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    This article talks about why hotel E-commerce is essential today and how to go about having E-commerce work for your business/hotel. The article says, "The internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform that has changed he way we communicate, and the way we do business." This is the reason why businesses need to utilize the internet. According to the article these are the reasons that hotel e-commerce is important today: the internet is being used worldwide, the internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking medium, the internet is used, by travelers, to research hotels and their reservations, the internet is the home of social media and hotel reviews and the internet is preferred 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines for travel information. It would be at a hotel's detriment if they do not utilize the internet and e-commerce. It isn't enough to use e-commerce for business but there must be an upkeep. It is extremely beneficial to research or monitor how customers and potential consumers are seeking information and what attracts them to a site. According to the article, e-commerce strategies that would 'help get the best from the internet world' are: 1. Search-friendly website design 2. Improving Conversion and Usability 3. Paid Search 4. Real time Search 5. Mobile Device Market 6. Social Media 7. Testing
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    This article mentioned why the ecommerce important for the hospitality industry. And also there are more things they hospitality industry companies need to know. Although the e-commerce is the good way for customers to know the new products and new service from the hotels, sometimes the hotels provide so much information to customers. It lets customers confused and does not know what the specific products can meet their requirements. And sometimes, they feel some hard to understand your service so that they give up hotels service or new products to choose the one they are familiar. So how to make e-commerce usability and efficiency is a new point, which the hospitality industry company need to consider. As the point two mentioned, the customers cannot get so many information at once, and they cannot search lots of information at once. So the keyword themes is also another important thing for company to do the promotion and ads. This ads need to have the keywords to clearly reflect the offer promoted for customers. In this way, the customers will catch the information as possible as they can. It is true that we always forge how many information the human brain will take at once. To do the continually testing new things is always a best development way for the developing company. If the company cannot test the new things in their e-commerce sites and e-commerce process, the e-commerce of this company will be far away from other companies. Company need to have the innovation to make some new things for their e-commerce and do the test all the time to select the best way for the business and customers' experience.
  •  
    This article discusses about the application of e-commerce in hospitality industry. Internet has become a very powerful tool for customers when they are planing their travels. As the same time, it has become an important media for hotelierss to improve their businesses. Internet can provider a lot of online sources to customers when they make any dicisions. And how to make your web site become more competitive and attract more customers is the topic of this article. First of all, a good design for the web site is the most important thing for hotelierss. And the download speed is the basic factor. Quick download speed brings a good experience to users, and improves the ranking in organic search. Secondly, improving usability needs to be focused on by hotelierss. Large imformation may not be took in by users. You need to make your customers seethe most important information first. In other word, you need to prioritize your web site and make the imformation more understood. Paid search and real time search are also focused on by the author. Sometimes, paid search can make your hotel more compelling on the search engine. And some tips have been given in this articel to help the hotelierss to maximize conversions. Real time search is similar with paid search, and it needs compelling fresh content and quality incoming links on the web site. Maps, photo galleries, videos and press releases are creative ways to distrivute content on different channels. With more mobiles customers using, mobile represent about 10% of all queries make on Google. Hotels can exand the mobile market and improve the download speed of their site by avoid heavy graphics and flash, making their site is mobile compatible. Social media is in the same condition with mobile. Customers need more connections on social sites, so they want companies to interact with them through the social media. The last point is testing. Every new thing needs a lot of tests. It can provides changes and improvement for
  •  
    The article discusses power of internet and how different it is from magazine and television ads. "In terms of time your travel websites are available for are accessible for a longer period of time, the flexibility that the content can be changed without asking someone,if you have a content management system." Also travel websites will help your business potentially reach a wider audience. Another big advantage of having a travel website is it's availability even when your business is closed or no one is available to answer your phone. Everyone knows that there are so many time zones, and the visitors can come from any part of the world. So having a travel websites gives your travel business visibility for all 365 days of year 24x7.
  •  
    In hospitality industry, customers are constantly seeking new sources of information to help them make decisions before purchasing services. E-commerce in hospitality industry is about the online buying and selling services. And it's become such an important source for the company and customer. Hospitality businesses are all involved in the trend. Smart hoteliers need to keep a sharp focus on the fundamental shift in ways customers are seeking information and channels that drive maximum return on investment. This article listed several basic e-commerce strategies that will help hoteliers to get the best from the Internet world.
  •  
    As new technological advances are being made, the hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies. The term e-commerce has been defined as the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the internet. Now that hotels are involved directly with e-commerce it becomes even more important today because of the accelerating internet usage worldwide,the internet is still the lowest cost channel for booking, many travelers make their travel decisions via the internet. Embracing social media, 93% of social media users expect companies to have a social presence and 85% of social media users want comoanies to interact with them on social sites. A well-planned social iniative can turn fans into brand evangelists. This article dealt mainly with a brief introduction of what e-commerce is in terms of its defining and what it means to the hospitality industry. With more and more people utilizing the internet each day, the potential to have a person book a hotel room greatly increases. Several search engines have advertisements relating to many hotel companies offering specials and customers will see these ads and book. With more technological advances bound to come into play, its only a matter of time before the practice of e-commerce is taken to another level.
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    Over the last decade the population of Internet users has increased rapidly. The hospitality industry has always been among the first to capitalize on new technologies. E-commerce has been defined as "the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet." With hotel e-commerce, the landscape of the hospitality industry is forever changed. Online sales are an important part of the business. The growing importance of e-commerce in the modern hospitality industry has created an urgent need for simple solutions to manage companies' online presence. Now that each hotel is involved in e-commerce, reasons why is hotel e-commerce so important today may because the accelerating internet usage worldwide, the Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel, and social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor.
  •  
    E-commerce has become more and more important in our daily life, because many customers today prefer to use internet to help them make decisions. In hospitality industry, e-commerce also plays an important role, as internet is a very cheap and convenient booking channel and many people use the internet intensively. There are many e-commerce strategies for hoteliers, such as making friendly web site design, embracing social media, etc. As e-commerce has so many advantages, I think e-commerce is an opportunity for hoteliers to grasp. It is important for hoteliers to use different strategies to get the best from the internet world.
  •  
        This article introduced the function of ecommerce and the ecommerce effect for the hospitality industry. The author listed some important reasons about why hotel ecommerce is so important:1)Accelerating Internet usage worldwide.2)The Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel. 3) Most travelers research hotel reservations on the Internet. 4)Social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor. 5) The web is the preferred media source for travel information, favored 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines. This article also listed some basic e-commerce strategies that will help hoteliers to take advantage of ecommerce from the Internet world. 1) Search-friendly web site design.2) Improve conversion and usability 3) Paid search. 4) Real time search - natural ranking.5) Mobile.6) Embracing social media. 7) Test, test, test. Top e-commerce sites are continually testing new things.      In a summary, the author suggest smart hoteliers need to keep a sharp focus on the fundamental shift in ways customers are seeking information and channels that drive maximum return on investment. Moreover, hoteliers have to constantly learn and look for ways to harness the power of new developments and trends.
Jing Huang

Property Management System- The Future of Hotel Industry - Tourism and Hospitality - Zi... - 1 views

  • They work completely on the web and are based on the cloud.
  • It is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium.
  • one of the major boons of Internet on the hotel industry has been the web based property management systems. Unlike previous applications which would burn a hole on the pockets, these online hotel software are user-friendly and do not need any additional hardware or software expenses. They work completely on the web and are based on the cloud.
    • Juan Du
       
      "Property Management System" play an important role in Hospitality management. Because the Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship. The hotel need collect data to analyze the market and make the market plan. Property management system have a lot advantages. It is easy to make a reservation, the system can control the over booking. Use this system can keeping a check on the add-on services. Also PMS has its own system to operate the whole things. PMS is able to provide some basic function: enable guests to make reservations, enable guests to check-in/register when they arrive and check-out/pay when they leave, enable staff to maintain guest facilities. And it is easy to use, especially for employees.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Property Management System- The Future of Hotel Industry
  • Property Management System- The Future of Hotel Industry
  • Property Management System- The Future of Hotel Industry
  • It is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium
  • Central Reservation System: One of the greatest advantages of using an online hotel software is that you do not have any more headaches about reservations.
  •   Numerous Point of Sale: Keeping a check on the add-on services your hotel provides can easily be done with the help of the numerous points of sales.
  • Sales and Marketing Console: To help popularize your hotel and make it known to people from across the globe, many PMSs have a dedicated sales and marketing console.
  • Travel Agents and Corporate Clients:It is also important that you properly deal with travel agents and corporate clients as they play a very important role in bringing in more guests to the hotel.
  • Connected to 1000s of Travel Portals: These property management systems  help you get connected to many travel portals like Travelocity, Tripadvisor and Expedia helping you reach more people. 
  •  
    This article particularly caught my attention because it points out the major advantages of web-based PMS, but it does not mention the risk of transfering such sensitive guest information over the unsecure and unregulated Internet. Surely there are great cost-related and operational advantages to web-based PMS and that alone often motivates hotels to upgrade in that general direction. Afterall, the reason why the hotel is operated is to generate revenues. However, is risking the identity of thousands of your guests worth the money you will save? That is what this article does not cover. As the title points out, web-based PMS is the future of the industry, but securing the identity of the biggest drivers behind all revenue for your hotel is arguably more important. Is the risk worth the reward? I believe the Internet needs to become a more secure highway of information before the industry can fully embrace this new technological advancement. My thoughts on considering an upgrade to web based PMS: Research and proceed with caution.
  • ...5 more comments...
  •  
    Karl- Valid point in saying is the "risk worth the reward", with all the viruses, glitches and hackers sensative information floating around in cyber world ready to be attacked and stolen. I feel its up to the cloud computing companies to set the security parameters to run their systems and for the industry to enforce them, so that we can embrace the growth of technology in hospitality.
  •  
    This article shows a lot of advantages of using online hotel software. Better Reservation system can be found on a cloud based PMS. More factors of hotel can come out to be a famous feature when they all come online. Much easier for a hotel to deal with travel agents and corporate clients when they using a cloud-based PMS.  The cloud-base PMS can bring the hotel to more travel portals which will lead to more clients. 
  •  
    This article focuses on the numerous advantages of a Property Management System. It summarizes the fact that it makes a business more proficient and how a company can save by not spending money on additional software or hardware expenses. The main benefits that this article gives attention to is the fact that it assists in the reservation process and point of sale process, helps market and target the correct people, positivity deals with travel agents, and connects to several travel portals. All in all, a Property Management System is a great tool and advantage in the hospitality industry because it facilitates in all operations and helps companies with daily challenges.
  •  
    The hotel industry is crossing over to web based PMS and this article states that because it works off a cloud its less headaches and more user friendly. There are many reasons why a web based PMS can be beneficial and why the hotel industry is swithcing over. It can be used for multiple properties and reduce double booking. Another great feature is you can have numerous points of sales and it all interconnects. This is the future of our industry.
  •  
    "Property Management System" play an important role in Hospitality management. Because the Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship. The hotel need collect data to analyze the market and make the market plan. Property management system have a lot advantages. It is easy to make a reservation, the system can control the over booking. Use this system can keeping a check on the add-on services. Also PMS has its own system to operate the whole things. PMS is able to provide some basic function: enable guests to make reservations, enable guests to check-in/register when they arrive and check-out/pay when they leave, enable staff to maintain guest facilities. And it is easy to use, especially for employees.
  •  
    This article indicated the importance of Internet for hotel industry and also assumed that web based property management systems will widely used in future. The author listed some advantages of web based property management system:1) Central Reservation System: One of the greatest advantages of using an online hotel software is that you do not have any more headaches about reservations.2)   Numerous Point of Sale: Keeping a check on the add-on services your hotel provides can easily be done with the help of the numerous points of sales.3) Sales and Marketing Console. With the help of this console, you can access the database of your customers get in touch with them notifying them of special offers and discounts. 4)Travel Agents and Corporate Clients:It is important that you properly deal with travel agents and corporate clients as they play a very important role in bringing in more guests to the hotel.5)   Connected to 1000s of Travel Portals: Web based PMS help you get connected to many travel portals like Travelocity, Tripadvisor and Expedia helping you reach more people. 
  •  
    t is the age of the Internet, the age when many businesses solely run on the Internet. From marketing to reaching new people, there is a lot that can be done with the help of this medium. The hotel industry too is not insulated from its effect. Almost all kinds of hotels, from inns to bed and breakfasts to resorts, everyone is trying to tap the energies of the Internet and make optimum use of the medium. The Internet plays a major role in improving the sales and customer relationship.
Yanique Coach

Hardware and software tools you need for web design- (ts) Articles - 0 views

  • A computer to be used for web design should have a large hard disk and Random Access Memory, high processing speed and large storage capacity to be able to process the large video files.
  • Two servers are needed, the hardware and software servers which are important for web hosting. The relevant software for instance Dreamweaver and Microsoft front page need to be available before any progress can be made in construction of the site.
  • It is important to have a good antivirus or software that prevents the website from external threats.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • If you are considering hosting videos in your site, it would be important to take the videos yourself.
  • You can also have mobile web design and editing software to edit and modify the website from any location.
  • Depending on the content you will put in the website, you may also need databases. Dynamic websites are examples of sites that require the use of database.
  •  
    To design a website hardware and software tools are needed. A computer with a large hard disk, Random Access Memory to store data, high processing speed and large storage capacity is necessary to be able to process large video files that you would need to put on these websites. with videos, its best to take them yourself so as to lessen the cost of production. Two servers are needed both hardware and software. Microsoft front page is a software needed before constructing the site because it is a website design and management tool that is used to add, rename, delete or move around files. It also contains web pages, graphics, documents and multimedia. A good anti-virus or software is important to have for web design to prevent external threats. Backing up the website should be done through emails, where it can be restored if any problems occur. With mobile web design and editing software you can edit your site from any location and it can be viewed on smart phones, PDAs etc. Some website require databases, for example Dynamic websites. This is prepared with fresh information and is easier to update with new contents for the webpage.
wei xie

Web Browsers Can Bring Unwanted Threats to Hospitality Operations | Top Stories | Hospi... - 0 views

  • Because Web browsers have become essential to most enterprises, nefarious computer attackers are busy infecting a growing number of Web sites with malware that produce a seemingly endless range of browser-related vulnerability exploits. This trend has created a major new issue for IT security professionals: the need to secure the browser.
  • From a security perspective, however, these very qualities make browsers a virtual breeding ground for vulnerabilities
  • websites. One of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of incidents caused by compromised browsers is to implement a Web content filtering solution.
  •  
    As the title states, this article talks about web browers secrity problems which concerns hospitality industry more and more today. First of all, the article brings out a fact that web brower is palying a big role in all kinds of enterprises, almost involved in every operations processed everyday. And it is also becoming the major target of nefarious computer attackers.That is why"This trend has created a major new issue for IT security professionals: teh need to secure the brower" as the article stated. Then the article explains that browser can be used as a hacker's tool in many ways. Hacker can simply use security flaw of these very popular technologies which is integrated with browser to steal senstive information, such as Flash, java and so on. And the security hole of browser itself is also a attack vectors for the malicious. Being attacked can cause devastating damage to website, espically for those with huge amount of visitors, but the war against computer hackers will not end shoirtly. At the end of the article, article brought out one powerful solution to web security problems, filtering solution. Simply apply content filter to web browser can reduce risk of getting attacked effectively. Filtering solution includes URL filter, anti-malware, automated code filtering and botnet detection. As the web browser has become a indispensable tool, and the malicious computer hackers will never stop, i think it is really important for companies to improve their web browser security, such as applying filtering solution.
Kassandra Baumgardner

Sales and Event Management Web Application Boosts Sales and Productivity for Restaurant... - 1 views

  • Tripleseat, a cloud-based Sales and Event Management application for the Hospitality Industry, announced they have recently achieved the milestone of having over 400 restaurants, hotels and unique venues as customers.
  • delivered over $200M in leads
  • managed over $500M in events
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • result has been chaotic events, lost sales and not enough time to grow the business.
  • private parties and events represents over 30% of a restaurant’s revenue but it requires a coordinated sales effort to be successful
  • The event business is a $26 billion a year industry and it is being run on post it notes and ad hoc technology.
  • To fix the problem, I had to develop a easy-to-use, no hardware/software solution that was fast and intuitive."
  • stores all of the past client data
  • he web application can easily integrate with existing websites and social media channels
  • Tripleseat, a cloud-based Sales and Event Management application for the Hospitality Industry, announced they have recently achieved the milestone of having over 400 restaurants, hotels and unique venues as customers
  • Founded in 2008, Tripleseat has delivered over $200M in leads and managed over $500M in events in cities like New York, Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Chicago. Jonathan Morse, a former Event Sales Manager, founded Tripleseat after he realized that restaurant Event Sales Manager were still using paper and pens to manage their banquet business.
  • Morse explained that private parties and events represents over 30% of a restaurant’s revenue but it requires a coordinated sales effort to be successful.
  • Tripleseat, a web based sales and event application that can deliver and capture leads while simplifying the booking and planning of events, ranging from conferences to banquets to private dining affairs.
  • Tripleseat has enhanced my ability to service customers fast and efficiently with all of the tools right at my fingertips. The integrated system stores all of the past client data and has helped me reduce paperwork and focus on sales."
  • Tripleseat is a Sales and Event Management web application that increases event sales and streamlines the planning process
  •  
    Tripleseat offers a cloud-based system that keeps client information-even little details- and can be used to assist event planners. Private parties/events represent over 30% of a restaurants revenue and event managers lose time and money conducting their planning the way that they have before. Tripleseat streamlines the process and makes finding leads and simplifying the planning process. 
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    The event planning industry was seen by Morse as a billion dollar industry so he decided that the planning and booking process had to be streamlined. The result was a "web based sales and event application that can deliver and capture leads while simplifying the booking and planning of events." The application makes the business more efficient as it stores clients data, so that more emphasis can be placed on sales. "The web application can easily integrate with existing websites and social media channels," so that leads and proposal requests can be made easier.
  •  
    This article talks about a Tripleseat company a cloud base sales and event management application for the hospitality Industry, announced they have recently achieved the milestone of having over 400 restaurant hotel and unique venues as costume. Tripleseat has delivered over 200m in leads and managed over $500 million in event in cities around the country. THE EVENT BUSINESS IS a $26 billion a year industry and it is being run on past it notes. Tripleseat, a web base sale and event application that can deliver and capture leads while simplifying the book and planning of event
  •  
    This article discusses a program called Tripleseat that was created in 2008 as a way to better organize sales and even planning within the hospitality industry. The program is a cloud-based software that provides a competitive edge that event managers need. The founders of the software said that the idea came when he realized that Event sales managers were still using paper and pens to organize their events. He said that event planners were losing sales by not having a simple organized system to track their events. The point of Tripleseat is to provide a fast yet simple to learn program that allows event sales managers to easily book and plan any sort of event no matter the size. It keeps track of little details as well as past client information, there is less paperwork, and managers are able to focus on sales. Since this is a web application it can easily be integrated with other websites as well as social media. It is a sophisticated event planning system, but is also offered at a manageable cost. This type of system sounds like a great system to use. I only wonder if it is able to interface with a property management system of a hotel? Especially one that isn't cloud-based.
anonymous

article_32_vol_5__1_.pdf - 1 views

shared by anonymous on 05 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • Much has changed in the business world since the birth of technology and the subsequent discovery of the world wide web (www) in 1989.
  • Much has changed in the business world since the birth of technology and the subsequent discovery of the world wide web (www) in 1989.
  • According to South African Tourism (2015), more than 180 million bed nights were sold in 2015, making the hotel industry an attractive client of e-commerce.
  • ...58 more annotations...
  • suppliers and customers meet in a virtual space to perform transactions using Internet technology as it has the potential to add substantial value to business operations and competitiveness of a business.
  • scene of the famous lion-buffalo-crocodile battle watched more than 75 million times on YouTube)
  • e-commerce has not only
  • changed the way business is conducted, but has increased the revenue of organisations tremendously, in particular that of the travel and tourism industry.
  • The top three visited travel sites include Booking.com, Expedia.com and Hotels.com.
  • survey conducted in Hong Kong of 249 leisure travellers, 80% searched for hotel information using Web tools, with more than half making their bookings through hotel host websites or third-party websites
    • anonymous
       
      They wouldn't be able to gather this information on technology unless they had the proper technology to do so.
  • right: © 2016 A
  • understand how the various online sales platforms interconnect.
  • the internet consumer of today assumes all businesses worthy of trade have a website;
  • it is not enough for hotels to rely on their web pages alone for room sales.
  • An aspect of e-commerce revolves around how social media affects a hotel’s online presence, and how it is used as a tool for gaining a notable share in the e-commerce market for hotel room sales.
  • In an increasingly competitive market place, tourism products require an effective distribution strategy for a firm to reach its target tourists and local markets
  • E-commerce mainly helps in the generation of leads, presenting information about the tourism product to the customers, and facilitating the transaction process electronically
  • The Internet is an ideal platform for the tourism industry
  • 1) they are intangible, 2) their production and consumption cannot be separated, 3) they are perishable, and 4) they are seasonal
  • online travel booking is the specific business-to-consumer (B2C) transaction in the context of online tourism
  • Social commerce should be considered broader than the act of sharing shopping experiences with others, as it has challenged and redefined traditional vendor-push business models and marketing strategies (Gonçalves Curty & Zhang, 2013:260-261).
  • E-commerce allows the tourism consumer to purchase tourism products and packages online and act as his or her own travel agent by building personalised travel packages and eliminitaing the need for traditional processes
  • From a hotel business perspective, e-Procurement is a good example of the innovative use of technology in the lodging industry
  • 2B
  • E-procurement can be defined as a business-to-business (B2B) tool that supports the buying process
  • implementing e-procurement has become an important enabler for achieving a flexible and responsive supply chain.
  • An example of e-procurement or a business-to-business transaction would be a hotel selling its rooms to OTAs on a wholesale or commission basis.
  • e-commerce in the modern tourism and hospitality industry is important because the Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel, most travellers research hotel reservations on the Internet, and social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor.
  • there are three most common retail sales channels – brick-and-mortar, catalogue and the Web – across the elements that characterise the shopping and business ownership experience
  • Travel services are categorised into Accommodation and Airlines, as these two components constitute a large part of the hospitality industry.
  • This research study is focused on room sales, therefore the distribution channels used for this purpose will be explained, namely, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and merchant sites.
  • Today, e-commerce focuses on profitability.
  • challenge for retailers is to attract the attention of the digital natives (consumers who have grown up in the digital world) and persuade them to spend more, as well as to attract digital immigrants (consumers who are presumed to resist new technology or at least have trouble accepting it) to this way of shopping.
  • Social media can increase communication for a website and create brand awareness.
  • a social network is a virtual community, profile site or website on the Internet that brings people together in a central location, to talk, share ideas and interests or make new friends.
  • platforms such as social network services (
  • is one of the main reasons for advancement in Web 2.0 technologies and developments in e-commerce.
  • social commerce providers started their businesses by combining group-buying with selling discount coupons offered from their partners over the Internet.
  • Although the statistic does not identify the specific modes used to make room reservations, it can be presumed that electronic sales made up a considerable percentage as sales method.
  • consumers have become the storytellers and are the new brand ambassadors.
  • social media is driven by word-of-mouth and if done properly can improve positioning in the market
  • e-commerce is still new. Getting (2007), maintain that most online communities are free and are growing at a rapid rate.
  • An online rating site is a system of ranking places, products and services via customer reviews based on past experiences.
  • TripAdvisor is classified as a meta-search engine, which is defined by Webopedia (2015) as a search engine that queries other search engines and then combines the results.
  • the prevalence of traveller reviews had a significant impact on the online sales of hotel rooms and that hotel managers should seriously consider the impact that online reviews of their hotels on these websites have on the consumer.
  • Online channels allow the potential customer to see the location details and compare hotel prices easily, as well as read online reviews which have a wider reach and are less ephemeral than traditional word-of-mouth reviews.
  • Figure 1 further illustrates the direct booking channel guests have to hotels via the Internet.
  • Reservation System (CRS) in the 1960s to the Global Distribution System (GDS) in the 1980s and the advent of the Internet in the early 1990s, the tourism industry has always been confronted with the rise of new technological developments
  • rapid growth of online travel agencies caused traditional indirect distribution channels through tourism intermediaries to decline
  • The Internet has become an integral part of everyday life. In order for businesses to be sustainable, they need to have an e-commerce presence
  • it is a service that can be readily offered to global markets and it can become a trade platform joining suppliers and buyers from around the world
  • with technological advancements, firms are increasingly reaching out to their customers through a variety of channels such as e-commerce, m-commerce and brick-and-mortar establishments. Heinemann and Schwarzl (2010:1) contend online retail today is taking place at a higher level of evolution than in the initial years of e-commerce.
  • there are technical and non-technical aspects associated with e-commerce
  • How can hotels compete in a digital world and what will their future business models look like?
  • an intranet as a private network, operated by a large company or organisation, which uses internet technologies, but is insulated from the global Internet by a firewall (a system designed to prevent unauthorised access). An extranet, however, is an intranet that is accessible to some people from outside the company
  • studies in the tourism and hospitality arena have indicated that ICT is a tool particularly suited to this industry for a variety of reasons.
  • The Internet has become an integral part of everyday life. In order for businesses to be sustainable, they need to have an e-commerce presence
  • The hospitality industry is an ideal trade for making use of e-commerce and the social web.
  • Reputable booking sites such as Booking.com, Expedia.com and Tripadvisor are visited by over 300 million online visitors each month.
  • Internet users have become demanding in their expectations of company presence online.
  • “if I can’t find enough information on your hotel it’s probably not a good choice.”
    • anonymous
       
      BOTTOM LINE
  • E-commerce is expected to reach global sales of $1.5 trillion by 2018 (Statista, 2016), and therefore hotels in CT will need to increase their presence on the internet, not only on booking sites, but also on the social web in order to receive a sizable share of electronic sales.
  •  
    This article talks about where the internet has brought us in the business world and where it is taking us. There are other articles included to support the idea that hospitality businesses need the internet inorder to successfully reach out to and market toward customers. Along with the idea that if a business does not have an online presence,that, is an untapped stream of revenue. As well as the combined business efforts that go into delivering a flawless product to its customers via the web. There were two case studies that took place in order to understand the role e-commerce has played and will potentially play in the hospitality industry.
paige rosenberg

The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras « Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang ... - 1 views

  •  
    Social network is just going to expand in the future, where people from all over the world can learn and get to know each other on different levels. Each social network created is created for different reasons, some for work, some for pleasure, and some from both combined, some for marketing, etc the list can go on forever. This article lists out the 5 different eras of the social web and explains each ear in detail. The eras arent sequential, but instead they are over lapping.
Carl Miller

Mobile App vs Mobile Web: An Event Organizer's Guide - 0 views

  • It may be tempting to just build an app, but is an app really what you need?
  • By far the most familiar way for people to engage with content on their smartphones is through an app.
  • Many of the hits to your existing event website may already be coming from mobile devices, and delegates are far more likely to search for information about your event through their smartphone’s Internet browser as their first port of call, rather than looking to their app store.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • “Why do you want to offer a mobile access point to your event in the first place? What do you want to let your delegates do?”
  •  
    This article gives pros and cons of mobile apps compared to mobile websites for event planners. Of course each have their positives and negatives. I think the decision of going mobile app or website depends on the people who are attending your event. If it's more of an older business crowd, I think a mobile website would be most appropriate. You can email the web address to all attendees and then they can click into it straight from the email on their smartphone. This can work with any phone that supports a web browser so you don't have to worry about developing an app for iPhones, Androids, and Blackberries. If the attendees are younger and more tech savvy, an app is probably the way to go since that can incorporate parts of their phone like the camera. Younger people are more apt to take pictures and post them to twitter or facebook. With the app they could do that right in the app and connect to more of their peers that way. Younger attendees are more likely to go through the trouble of downloading the app and using all of its features whereas older, more business oriented attendees are more likely to appreciate the ease of use of just clicking on a web link. At any rate it's an interesting choice to make if you are unable to afford both options. 
Heather Del Ponte

Net Neutrality 101 | Save the Internet - 0 views

  • When we log onto the Internet, we take lots of things for granted. We assume that we'll be able to access whatever Web site we want, whenever we want to go there. We assume that we can use any feature we like -- watching online video, listening to podcasts, searching, e-mailing and instant messaging -- anytime we choose. We assume that we can attach devices like wireless routers, game controllers or extra hard drives to make our online experience better. What makes all these assumptions possible is "Network Neutrality," the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet. Net Neutrality means that Internet service providers may not discriminate between different kinds of content and applications online. It guarantees a level playing field for all Web sites and Internet technologies. But all that could change. The biggest cable and telephone companies would like to charge money for smooth access to Web sites, speed to run applications, and permission to plug in devices. These network giants believe they should be able to charge Web site operators, application providers and device manufacturers for the right to use the network. Those who don't make a deal and pay up will experience discrimination: Their sites won't load as quickly, and their applications and devices won't work as well. Without legal protection, consumers could find that a network operator has blocked the Web site of a competitor, or slowed it down so much that it's unusable. The network owners say they want a "tiered" Internet. If you pay to get in the top tier, your site and your service will run fast. If you don't, you'll be in the slow lane. What's the Problem Here? Discrimination: The Internet was designed as an open medium. The fundamental idea since the Internet's inception has been that every Web site, every feature and every service should be treated without discrimination. That's how bloggers can compete with CNN or USA Today for readers. That's how up-and-coming musicians can build underground audiences before they get their first top-40 single. That's why when you use a search engine, you see a list of the sites that are the closest match to your request -- not those that paid the most to reach you. Discrimination endangers our basic Internet freedoms. Double-dipping: Traditionally, network owners have built a business model by charging consumers for Internet access. Now they want to charge you for access to the network, and then charge you again for the things you do while you're online. They may not charge you directly via pay-per-view Web sites. But they will charge all the service providers you use. These providers will then pass those costs along to you in the form of price hikes or new charges to view content. Stifling innovation: Net Neutrality ensures that innovators can start small and dream big about being the next EBay or Google without facing insurmountable hurdles. Unless we preserve Net Neutrality, startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay for a top spot on the Web. On a tiered Internet controlled by the phone and cable companies, only their own content and services -- or those offered by corporate partners that pony up enough "protection money" -- will enjoy life in the fast lane. The End of the Internet? Make no mistake: The free-flowing Internet as we know it could very well become history. What does that mean? It means we could be headed toward a pay-per-view Internet where Web sites have fees. It means we may have to pay a network tax to run voice-over-the-Internet phones, use an advanced search engine, or chat via Instant Messenger. The next generation of inventions will be shut out of the top-tier service level. Meanwhile, the network owners will rake in even greater profits.
  •  
    The major problem with the Network being available to only limited users is that not everyone will have the funds to access the network. If they put a a large price take on using the network and being charged to used websites, many small companies, etc. will not even have a chance to grow since the eternet is used in so many aspects of a business.
Dongyun Oh

10 Features To Look Out For in a Hotel PMS - 0 views

  • A quick check on 10 features that you should be looking for in a web based property management system are listed below
  • 1. Web Reservation
  • . Revenue Management:
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Front Desk Management:
  • Back Office Work: One of the most boring yet very essential departments is the
  • back office.
  • Housekeeping:
  • Preparing Invoices and Bills:
  • Travel Agents Commission:
  • Report Making:
  • Ability to set the PMS for your hotel
  • Multi-Currency and Languages Features:
  •  
    The PMS can do many things for the hotel, like web reservation, revenue management, front desk management, back office work, housekeeping, preparing invoices and bills, making report, multi currency and language. It involved all parts of the operation of the hotel. It is very useful. 
  •  
    Property management systems should be chosen after a lot of deliberation and research. With many property management systems in the market, it is important that you are not cheated or you don't hastily buy something that doesn't work for you. A quick check on 10 features that you should be looking for in a web based property management system are listed below: 1. Web Reservation: One of the most important things to look for in a web based property management system is its web reservation features. Having a good hotel with great facilities is no longer enough. Letting people know about it is crucial for the success of the business. A hotel management software is the right tool for this purpose nowadays. When you are looking into a PMS, check that its web reservation system is easy to use, not time consuming and is flexible. 2. Revenue Management: Getting your finances sorted is essential so that even in the most testing times, you finances and revenue are well managed. A PMS that has a good revenue management system will see that you can control your rates efficiently and provide easy yet detailed reports of the same to any authorized person as and when required. 3. Front Desk Management: Sorting out the checking in and checking out process, facilitating the guests with whatever they need, and linking the same details with all the concerned departments are some of the things that a front desk console should be doing for you. Check that your hotel management software can efficiently take care of these. 4. Back Office Work: One of the most boring yet very essential departments is the back office. All expenses are doubled checked here; all means of revenue calculated and audited, statistics are prepared as are ledgers. A property management system should be having a console that can look into these things easily and without much human effort. 5. Housekeeping: Hotel management software can be a great help when it comes to taking care of rooms. Fro
Yanique Coach

Mobile and the Emerging Markets | eMarketing Articles - 1 views

  • The 2008 milestone that saw mobile Web access exceed desktop computer based access for the first time was hugely significant internationally.
  • Despite the advantages of Web and communications access, users battle with literacy issues, small screen sizes, inconsistency across devices in terms of functionality and navigation, inability to use cookies or javascript, access speed, incompatible pages, restrictions on the size of messages and the cost levied on both voice calls, text messages and bandwidth charges.
  •  
    Mobile web access for emarketing is used more than desktop computer because they are cheaper. Mobile phones connect to the outside world through Web access, voice communication and text messaging.This accessibility is facilitated by an industry that relies on large numbers of micro-payments and subscriptions for revenue.Some countries doesnt have access to phones for example in Africa. Mobile phones have the potential to connect educators with those needing to be educated.Mobile phones and their ability to facilitate communication and provide access to global networks and the Web could change the face of emerging economies.
Yue Li (3011472)

Hotel's Free Wi-Fi Comes With Hidden Extras - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • The hotel’s Internet service was secretly injecting lines of code into every page he visited, code that could allow it to insert ads into any Web page without the knowledge of the site visitor or the page’s creator. (He did not actually see any such ads.)
  • The lines of code include references to “rxg,” which stands for Revenue eXtraction Gateway, a service aimed at generating money from Internet access points. On its Web site, a company called RG Nets, which makes Revenue eXtraction Gateway, explains that its system rewrites every Web page on the fly so that it can include a banner ad.
  • Even though this ad-serving system was apparently not serving ads, it was the principle of the thing that upset the online critics. Mr. Watt said that the technique not only affected people browsing the Web, but also the content creators, because they would not get a cut of the revenue and their own ads could be blocked.
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    Mr. Watt, a customer who was spending his weekend at the Courtyard Marriott in Midtown Manhattan was browsing the website. He realized that there was a strange drawing appeared on the top of the web page, which did not exist before. At first, he did not pay too much attention to it, but he still determined to check source codes to see if there was anything wrong with the computer or the Internet. After checking the source codes, he found lines of code which include references to"EXG". He thought it was a hacker attack, but his IT background enabled him quickly figured out that lines of code that include EXG had nothing to do with a hacker attack, but was a service named Revenue Extraction Gateway used by RG Nets company to inject advertisement secretly without the knowledge of the users, which aims at generating revenue from the Internet access points. Mr. Matt claimed that although this service will not bring harm to the users, but the principle of the thing that upset the users most. The hotel then apologized to Mr. Watt, and promised not to use this service anymore. What I feel interesting is that I also had such problems before, and after I interviewed some of my classmates and friends, I realized that this is a pervasive problem. However, what surprised me the most is the truth that most of the hotels do not know that their hotels' internets are exposed to secret ads injection because this kind of secret service is not on the contracts that the hotels signed with the internet company. In my opinion, it is an unethical service. Customers who use the internet feels that he/she is being spied on, and for the web content creators, they could not get a cut of the revenue from this.
Jingyi Wen

Smart Web PMS - 0 views

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    Smart Web PMS is a web-based PMS. It do not need hotel to install complex software, all you need is a computer with an internet connection. The dashboard displays the new reservations, recent check-in and check-outs, available units and urgent tasks on one screen. Once the information update the change will immediately show to all the users in real time. The reservation board show all the rooms states. Make reservation is simple, all you need to do is click the free unit. It also makes the online booking become more convenient. This PMS connect with most popular reservation platforms. Once the price or the availability of the hotel is changed the information on the reservation platforms will change. Once the platforms generate a booking the information will update immediately on the dashboard and reservation board. The workorder management system will report the existing repair task and problems in real time. It can send notification to the appropriate employees to deal with these problems. With the help of powerful system and filters we can find the information about the client quickly. It protects the data security by set access levels. Employees with different access levels have different aspect of the system can be viewed and edited. You don't need to worry about the security problems by use this system. This system back up the database in two separate servers in order to avoids damage of hardware failure. This system use https to transfer data which is the safest way to handle sensitive data. The servers who store the data are protecting by complex firewalls. I think this PMS is a good choose for hotels especially for the hotel that just start their business because this system charge base on the real number of units in the systems. It cost less than the traditional PMS.
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    My summary includes the feature, benefit and the price on the web page. Please click the button to read all the information.
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    I like the Web-based PMS. If i was the owner of a hotel, I would like to use the Web-based. It would save my money on installation of several softwares and require less IT managers to maintain the system. All changes about rate, status and workorder would be updated to all users in real time.
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    Yes, compare with the cloud-based PMS. I prefer the web-based PMS, because it keep the data more safe and the monthly cost is lower.
Donald Wojciechowski

Meeting Planners Use Hilton's e-Events to Create Custom Web Pages | News | Hospitality ... - 0 views

    • Donald Wojciechowski
       
      The Hilton Family of hotels has launched a new feature for event planners to create their own custom web pages for groups of 25 or more. The feature will be called e-Events and will be available at the following brands: Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy suites, Hampton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood suites by Hilton, and the Waldorf Astoria Collection. The service is customizable for business groups, special events and sports trips at hotels in North America. Bob Brooks, vice president of eSales feels the service will give more choice and better control to a meeting planner because the service will be available 24/7. One of the features for planners is the Guest List Manager. This feature will give planners real time access to their group's reservation details.
  • Following the launch of its online group bookings for small functions of up to 25 guest rooms, called e-Events, the Hilton Family of Hotels has launched the next phase of its electronic event planning tool: complimentary Personalized Group Web Pages.
  • Features of the Personalized Group Web Pages include:
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  • ability for event planners to create their own Personalized Group Web Page
  • Complete control placed in the hands of the event planner without depending on hotel
  • A means for event planners to promote their events and display important event details for attendees/guests
  • A booking mechanism that directly links to the group block
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    The Hilton Family of hotels has launched a new feature for event planners to create their own custom web pages for groups of 25 or more. The feature will be called e-Events and will be available at the following brands: Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy suites, Hampton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood suites by Hilton, and the Waldorf Astoria Collection. The service is customizable for business groups, special events and sports trips at hotels in North America. Bob Brooks, vice president of eSales feels the service will give more choice and better control to a meeting planner because the service will be available 24/7. One of the features for planners is the Guest List Manager. This feature will give planners real time access to their group's reservation details.
Ruoxi Wang

Pro and Cons of Web Based Versus Server Based Property Management Systems - 0 views

  • There are pros and cons to each, it depends entirely on your business needs and situation as well as your budget, and which property management system offers your business the best all round solution based on your business requirements.
  • Your business needs should have been determined prior or during the first stages of the system evaluation process. 
  • With Web based hosted solution property management systems now being readily available, reliable and proven, having a server based system with data located on-site may no longer be deemed an advantage.
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  • For both web and server based, if someone has unauthorized access to the property management system then your data/guest data is not secure.
  • There are both server based and web based systems that meet the Payment Card Industry, Data security standards so I can't say one is more secure than the other.  It would however be advisable that the property management system you decide to purchase meets the payment card industry data security standards.
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    This article introduced what are web-based and server-based management system and the pros and cons of each. We can not say which one is better. But a hotel need to consider its specific business requirements and budgets when choosing one. Either one can cause security problem, and security is already not an advantage of server-based management system now. What the hotel should do is to ensure their management system meet the industry data security standards.
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