Schrute Farms Beets the Competition with Top TripAdvisor Reviews

With over 643 reviews on TripAdvisor, Schrute Farms in Honesdale, Pennsylvania has earned more recognition and positive ratings than some properties that actually exist. Schrute Farms

DavidSabre from Scranton writes that “Schrute Farms beets the Hilton.”

While TripAdvisor may be the lifeblood of agrotourism, an article in the New York Times this weekend notes that not everyone gets the beet jokes. In fact, TripAdvisor has put up a message to “not book a visit here, because this fictional place doesn’t exist.”

So, do you think that ALL reviews on TripAdvisor are legit…?

Photo by Tauuro

Top Google Searches 2009 vs 2006

Watching trends is searches is a great way to see what is on the minds of the masses. Back in 2006, the top searched terms in Google were mostly about this new thing called Web 2.0:

1. Bebo
2. MySpace
3. World Cup
4. Metacafe
5. Radioblog
6. Wikipedia
7. Video
8. Rebelde
9. Mininova
10. Wiki

Look how far we have come, here are the top searched terms in Google during 2009: [Read more...]

Google Now Indexing Facebook Pages?

Join us on Facebook! Facebook has been busy!  Following last week’s privacy settings update Facebook made another update yesterday and it is now allowing Google to index pages to serve them up in their search engine results.

If you don’t want your page to be indexed simply change your settings by going to: Settings –> Privacy Settings –> Search –> then UN-CLICK the box that says ‘Allow indexing’

Since yesterday Facebook has responded to the “misleading rumors” that Google will index all of your information with the pop up below when you go to your settings:

Facebook Annoucement
By “basic information” they mean some of your friends, what you are a fan of including products, places, websites and stores.

Our take is that you WANT Google to index your company page, so “allow” indexing, and if you don’t want your personal page to be indexed then un-click “allow indexing.”

What You Should Know About the New Privacy Settings on Facebook

If you have logged into your Facebook account in the last few days, you will notice that you are prompted to update your privacy settings. Don’t ignore the announcement; there are actions that you should take to keep your info private.

We feel like this change may be a little shady, are we being paranoid? Here are our top tips to make what you want to share public, and what you don’t want to share private:

  • Skip the Facebook recommendations or “simple settings” page. By doing this, you’ll maintain your current settings instead of allowing the interface to “simplify” your profile.
  • Be careful when choosing what information you’d like in the public sphere. Remember, this information will not only be available to other Facebook users, but also to anyone who can do a simple Google search.
  • At minimum, keep your birth date private. There is enough information on a fully-public Profile Page to make identity theft simple for anyone willing to take the time to look at your name, address, and birth date.
  • Double check your settings to make sure that they are set correctly. To do this go to settings, then privacy settings, check both your profile information and contact information.

We do like that we can now fine-tune who sees what on our pages on a post-by-post basis. This is one change that may help you with brand ownership in the search engine placement results – always a good thing!

Join Blizzard Internet on Facebook – Fan us!

Webinar: Social Media Best Practices for Hotels

Social Media Best Practices for Hotel Marketing:
Be Involved Without Breaking the Bank

Learn more about the power of social media and how to utilize it responsibly and effectively in your marketing strategies by attending this free educational webinar co-sponsored by Blizzard Internet and Sceptre Hospitality.

Topics that will be covered in this free webinar include:

  • What happens if you ignore social media?
  • Which social networking site is right for you?
  • Tips on using Facebook and Twitter to enhance your brand
  • How to find lifelong guests and company advocates
  • Realistic results to expect from Facebook and Twitter
  • Top mistakes companies make and how to avoid them
  • How to effectively manage your accounts in just minutes a day

Webinar Details:
When: Thursday, December 10th
Time: 11:00 – 12:00 Mountain Time
Presented By: Sceptre Hospitality and Blizzard Internet Marketing

Sign Up for the Webinar Here

Making the Most Out Of Facebook for VRMs Webinar

Unless you hFacebook for VRMsave been living in a cave without access to the outside world, you have heard of Facebook, the most powerful social media outlet in the world. There are more people on Facebook each day than the population of some countries; millions of people are sharing thoughts, links, opinions, photos, and making RQ_LOGO_Blueconnections at this very moment.

As a vacation rental manager, how can you leverage this powerful tool to connect to your potential guests and clients searching for your product? [Read more...]

Blizzard on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

Check out Blizzard Internet Marketing out on the web.  The following channels offer you ways to see what we are up to and to communicate with us directly:

Blizzard Internet on facebookWe have been updating our Blizzard Internet Facebook page. Mostly with stuff going on around the office, especially the people at Blizzard.  Facebook is where we want to post more casually about what we are up to.

Twitter LogoYou can find Blizzard on twitter at @BlizzInternet.  We have a few folks here at Blizzard twittering and haven’t really been making the most of our corporate twitter

Linkedin logoBlizzard is a Linkedin fan… it is the best professional networking site and useful tool for staying in touch with professional contacts.

flickr-logoWe use flickr for screenshots of our customer’s websites and a way to share images we use. We also upload some company pics there.

communitywalk_logo Communitywalk is a map to our office.  In September we are moving offices to our new building!

Curiously, except for Twitter, all of these show up in the top 20 when you search for “Blizzard Internet” in Google.  Setting up accounts in places like these have many benefits (and costs in human resources)… and certainly one benefit is a deeper presence in searches, especially for your business name.