Charts

Today, I met with my thesis advisor to go over chapters {content & sequence} & then I got to work finishing the research/compiling material for my social media marketing chapter. This is the one I'm making all those charts for...

I decided on the top travel/trip planning sites to gather material for these charts. These were either websites that I knew of & had used before {trip advisor, lonely planet, etc} or ones gathered from a basic Google search {which is probably how people go about planning a day trip anyways}. Here they are {the number in parentheses refers to the amount of activities suggested for New Bedford - remember I'm focusing on day trips, so I'm leaving lodging out}:

1. Trazzler {3}

2. Yahoo Travel {49}

3. Visit New England/90 Things To Do in MA {1)

4. Trip Advisor {197}

5. Lonely Planet {8}

6. Yelp {321}

7. Mass Vacation {33}

8. Southeastern Massachusetts Convention & Visitors Bureau {25}

9. Virtual Tourist {12}

10. Travel Channel {0}

11. Short drives {3}

12. Frommers {0}

A number of sites {specifically, Travel Channel & Frommers} listed nothing for New Bedford. Clearly, a chart has not been made for these sites, but I will include that they had no suggestions because it is pertinent to the level of exposure New Bedford has on tourism websites - & these two are heavyhitters in that realm.

Unexpected & Accidental

Awesome article about the surprise benefits of Hurricane Earl {who thought there would be any?} - which hit Cape Cod & the Islands in Massachusetts this weekend. I hope all these people spread the news & comes back to New Bedford!

Trazzler

Travel find on Twitter: Trazzler! They have some more unique travel/trip planning ideas on their website. I plan on utilizing some of the ones I found for Washington D.C this weekend, but I did a search for New Bedford, Massachusetts & was pleased that 3 - quite unique -things came up.

Here they are, all suggestions & photos from the Trazzler website {which I highly recommend}:

1. Moby Dick Marathon: Perfect if you're a Herman Melville fan or if you want to read the book, but haven't gotten around to it yet. This year {2011} will be the 15th anniversary of this event -a 24 hour binge reading of Moby Dick {which was set in & mostly written in New Bedford}. I believe my father participated a few years ago & I know I have other relatives who, if not a reader, have definitely been listeners. I'm thinking about going this year since I will be around!

2. Feast of the Blessed Sacrament: This might be one of the things New Bedford is best known for in the present -even though it's been going on forever {founded in 1915}. I have never been & I know my Mémère has never been even though she has lived here her whole life. Could next year be the year? Being that New Bedford's population is, at present, 60% Portuguese it makes sense that the biggest Portuguese festival is held here. It's worth it for the food & wine -even though I'm not Portguese {hey, all my French Canadians!} I have enjoyed their food while in the city.

3.Whaling Museum: It's a big deal. Founded 107 years ago, it's still a big player in local preservation activities & maritime studies.

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Social Media Research

Today, I continue researching social media marketing {SMM} - but instead of making charts determining New Bedford's level of exposure I'm focusing on what social media outlets I want to use in my evaluation. Right now I'm compiling different sites, definitions, thoughts, opinions {positive & negative} on using social media for marketing, especially for small businesses. I'll post what I find here - so I guess this will be more of an open/streaming post. Check back frequently throughout today to see if there are any updates & as usual I would love to hear any thoughts from any readers out there!

• Social Media Marketing definition via Wikipedia to get us started
• Beware Social Media Marketing Myths article by Businessweek {May 26, 2009}
• Social Media Marketing Beginner's Guide article by Marketing Pilgrim {April 28, 2008}
• The Five Pillars of Social Media Marketing article by Marketing Pilgrim {October 30, 2006}
• Social Media Marketing Guide
• Social Media Marketing Blog
• The Importance of Social Media Marketing: Why You Should Learn & Master It
• 2010 Social Media for Marketing Industry Report