Are We Not Social?

Hello, Dear Colleagues.
Sorry that is not quite in the topic copyright www.hotelsmag.com appeal,
want to open a long blog or forum about pneumatic weapons, but never with the board software and the blog can not define.
Need engine because of the blog and forum with the normal protection against spam, and then my friend found a forum filled with spam, and its already after 2 weeks.
And you are a software engine for www.hotelsmag.com use? Which script forums and blogs I choose to open a forum about air guns?
I'll be glad to any advice, thanks in advance.

It's slowly changing. We've built a network of subscribers to our YouTube channel and embed our videos in other sites. (www.youtube.com/marriottnews) You have to get traction/help from others. With 150,000 associates and 12 million rewards members, Marriott has a built in network to draw from. But only trip advisor has harnessed the power of social networking in the travel industry. Good luck and be patient. Jay

Jeff, I think hotelmen (and women) are the most social beings of any industry I deal with. But I think the preference is still via phone or face-to-face -- just witness the healthy number of conferences we all attend each year. By contrast, the only way I can talk to my programmers is via IM or email.

Seems the hotel industry hasn't historically attracted the most cutting-edge individuals - more conservative types. I know senior voices of the industry who don't even use email (fax instead) or the internet. It's changing, but not quickly.

Has you can see by the replies you got we are social but it is also true that we value time and we use it the best way. So maybe the right way of turning blogging valuable enough for Hoteliers to invest on it as not came, yet!

Yes I agree, I spend such long hours "on site", when I do manage to squeeze in some "off time", I prefer to unwind with family or friends. Yes we are social people, but I'm sure many will agree when I say that taking my mind off work and anything associated with it for a short period is the single most valuable task of my week.

In our industry we communicate so much with people we do not really know: guests, customers, suppliers, etc. So we probably prefer a face to face conversation with our family and friends instead of blogging with total strangers...

I do not believe hoteliers are not interested in being social. Communication is something we hoteliers like to do and know to do best. Time is the crucial factors to why we don’t blog so much. Till now our communication with customers was done face to face and our work was organized accordingly. Today blog is the way lots of customers like to communicate and a large number of businesses are making good use of it. Customers tell us the way they wish to go and we should listen to them. Does blog needs to become part of our every day job task and not off work?

Overload of information and time are crucial factors to why we dont blog so much as hoteliers. Face to face communication is our norm, but I think that this will change. Networking sites are probably our first entry into this area, eg wiwih as mentioned and ecademy.com. Participating and writing blogs require skills we havent had to use particularly until now.....

we have time and energy to blog?!

Communication is something we like. But socializing through computers is something that some can do and some simply cannot. I do understand that especially in the hospitality industry, we don't like to talk to monitors through keyboards, it is more familiar and more friendly and more human to socialize directly with people. Plus, one has to stay hours on the premises for work (sometimes with no more pleasure at the end of the day, sometimes with non friendly guests, etc.) so when it comes to off time, it is better to just go around do something concrete than stay in a virtual world and keep the stress in.

I partialy agree with the ladies, but other professionals in sales in some other industries communicate all day also...yet they are more active on social nets. Are we just bystanders of social relationships, rather than the ones that crate them? Are we trained to listen and please others in socual and other events, as by the nature of the business we suppose to do so? Am I missing the point here...goran tudorovic www.turno.hr

I agree with Susan. Because I work for an on-line travel company now but before I managed e-commerce for a hotel chain we talk all day and we work all day on a computer so I do not want to spend extra time writing a blog.Regina Karolczuk-Orbitz.com

I believe we are so tired out by communicating with our customers and guests all day long, we may have "social communication overload". Susan Stewart-IHG Global Sales