Join us for #RRchat this Friday

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As our society becomes more engaged in social media, we turn to digital avenues to raise awareness for everything from stating our point of views on hot topics to promoting our businesses. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have replaced traditional means of getting our message across, reaching more people than ever before.

Join us for this Friday’s #RRchat on Twitter from 1-2 p.m. to talk about how Social Media is helping to drive awareness on topics such as your health status and the upcoming election season. Check out the questions below for a sneak peak of the discussion points.

1. Facebook now lets users ID themselves as organ donors. Will you share your organ donor status for all to see?
2. Every November, men around the world grow a mustache to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues. Do you think this impacts others’ awareness on issues like prostate cancer?
3. With elections just around the corner, politicians are already sprucing up their social media presence. How can having a social presence help raise awareness about their stance on issues?

Talk to you on Friday!

Follow #RRchat this Friday

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Calling all music fans! Take a short break this Friday afternoon to chat with industry professionals about how brands are using social media to promote music.

Use the hashtag #RRchat on Twitter and join us on Friday from 3-4 Pacific Time to voice your opinions and comments. It’s fun!

1. The Tupac hologram “performed” @Coachella with @SnoopDogg and @DrDre. More than 23,000 people have followed @HologramTupac on Twitter. If you could bring a musician back from the dead, who would it be and why?

2. @MySpace trumps @Spotify’s collection of free music with 42 million songs. Do you think MySpace will make a comeback, trumping other major music sites?

3. @Coachella has created nine ways to follow them on Social Media. Which musician or festival do you think has the best brand presence on social and why?

Follow @rrpartners and remember to use the hashtag #RRchat!

See you on Friday!

This week in Travel and Tourism – 4/9/12

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DOMESTIC

Atlantic City, N.J., group plans $20M campaign to draw tourists

Nonprofit group Atlantic City Alliance is launching a $20 million marketing campaign aimed at promoting the New Jersey city’s nongaming tourist attractions to leisure travelers. Carrying the tagline “Do Anything. Do Everything,” the initiative will include advertisements in major cities. “We have to reposition Atlantic City as a tourism destination,” said Liza Cartmell, president of the alliance.

Delta breaks ground on $160M LaGuardia hub makeover

Delta Air Lines Inc. broke ground Wednesday on a $160 million renovation and expansion of its hub at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The project includes a 630-foot connector bridge linking Terminals C and D, a new Delta Sky Club in Terminal C and expanded security lanes in both terminals.

INTERNATIONAL

Mexico tourism officials report recovery

Mexico has taken a beating over the past several years, ever since the triple whammy of drug violence, the H1N1 flu scare and a prolonged recession that curtailed travel in the countries that supply the bulk of its tourism. But if the Tianguis Turistico at the end of March is any indication, the country’s tourism industry has bounced back in a big way.

AIRLINE

Allegiant Air to Start Hawaii Flights

The ultradiscount-airline business is spreading to the lucrative market of Hawaii, as Allegiant Air plans to start low-cost service to Honolulu from Las Vegas and Fresno, Calif. Parent company Allegiant Travel Co., which focuses on selling vacation packages along with its cut-rate airfares, is entering one of the nation’s biggest vacation destinations after two years of planning.

Pinnacle’s plan: Smaller operation would fly for Delta Air Lines only

Former managers of Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines Inc. spent four years expanding and diversifying it into a $1 billion regional airline holding company. Through Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings this week in New York, their successors seek to roll back the clock and return to serving a single master, Delta Air Lines.

OTA

IBM research: OTAs, suppliers are misreading buyers’ values

Growing consumer dissatisfaction with online travel agencies (OTAs) and suppliers’ websites offers traditional agents and agencies an opportunity to pick up market share, according to a recent IBM report. In an executive report titled “Travel 2020: The Distribution Dilemma,” IBM researchers said that fewer than half of leisure and business travelers believe they’re getting a fair value for their travel dollar when they book online.

CRUISE

Carnival introduces George Lopez-branded comedy club

The Carnival Miracle launched year-round Caribbean sailings from New York on Thursday, offering several new dining and entertainment options for Carnival Cruise Lines. Making its Carnival debut is the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez. The comedian serves as Carnival’s “curator of comedy,” acting as a consultant on the hiring of comedians.

ETC.

Pinterest draws attention of agents, suppliers

More members of the travel industry are looking at the new social media tool Pinterest and recognizing its potential for marketing, this feature says. “The advantage Pinterest has is simple: pictures,” said Meghan Peters of social media news website Mashable.com. “Its photocentric design appeals to even the most casual social media user. … The site has quickly struck a chord with a mainstream audience, a difficult feat for a new social network.”

Free Wi-Fi is most desired amenity, survey says

Note to hotel owners: Americans really like free Wi-Fi. The most important amenity for prospective U.S. hotel guests is free wireless Internet access, Expedia’s Hotels.com division said, citing its survey of prospective U.S. travelers. Of those polled, 38% said free Wi-Fi was “a must when choosing hotel accommodations.” By comparison, 25% of those surveyed said free breakfast was essential, while 18% chose free parking as the most desired amenity. Room service came in at just 2%.

Join us for weekly #RRchat

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Photo-sharing is all the rage right now. Ten percent of all photos taken by mankind were taken within the last 12 months, and now Facebook has shelled out $1 billion on the social photo sharing mobile app Instagram, following its expansion to the Android platform. First, iPhone users grouched about the non-exclusivity about the app when it became available to Android users. Now, people can’t get over the fact that such a small photo-sharing company is raking in the big bucks with the huge sale of their brilliant idea to Facebook.

So that makes us wonder, what is the future of photo-sharing? How will Facebook integrate Instagram to maximize the visual benefits, engage users and increase the number of shares?

Join us this (and every) Friday on Twitter from 3-4 p.m. Pacific Time for #RRchat to talk about the latest topics in the media and digital landscape. It’s easy! Simply take a break from your more important work to chat with us on Twitter using the hashtag #RRchat. (Don’t worry…you have permission from your supervisor for this super important assignment.)

Question 1: @Facebook recently bought @Instagram for $1 billion. How do you think this will shape photo-sharing for Facebook users?

Question 2: Speaking of photo-sharing, check out #textsfromHilary on @Tumbr. What is your favorite and why?

Question 3: A new waterproof #iPhone case allows you to take pics and videos 20 feet under water. What would you take photos of and would you share your #swimsuit photos with followers?

Don’t forget to use the #RRChat hashtag! See you every Friday from 3-4 p.m. Pacific!