Twitter and Me

Is it for me?

Let me start by acknowledging that I think Twitter is a wonderful forum that allows people to share opinions, images and a whole host of other things. I do believe it has many useful applications in business, education etc. but I must admit it’s not for me, not yet anyway! There is an estimated 175 million registered users on Twitter but according to Technolog, of these, “there are 56 million Twitter accounts following zero other accounts, and 90 million Twitter accounts with zero followers.” So it would seem I’m not alone then.

The Big issue

Don’t get me wrong I’m a huge advocate of social media. I’m a keen user of both Face book and LinkedIn. I use them daily. I use Face book for socializing with friends and obviously LinkedIn is for building professional networks. I keep the two separate and I wouldn’t want them linked for any reason. This is my big issue with Twitter personally. I follow friends and perhaps people of interest socially but I also follow organizations and people of interest professionally. This is conflicting for me. I don’t like seeing a page of Tweets from both my social and work life. I like them to be separate, that’s just who I am.

The other issue

Now before this risks turning into an anti-Twitter rant I would encourage you to read the "Why I love Twitter"  blog for a bit of perspective. The other reason I haven’t got Twitter fever is simple. I don’t always have something interesting to say and to be truthful neither do a lot of the people I follow. This means we’re all left with a plethora of, dare I say it, CRAP to read and don’t even get me started on the abuse of hash tags!!!

Finally and on a positive note it has allowed me to follow some very interesting people. It has given me a connection that would never have seemed likely or plausible before. For that reason I won't dismiss Twitter, I just need to learn how I want to use it!

Technology Fast: Past and Present

You want us to do WHAT???

“So we’re going to do a two day technology fast where you’ve no access to your phones or the internet,” declared the lecturer. Some of my fellow students gasped at the notion. It seemed like a fate more terrible than any of the gruesome deaths thought up in the Saw movies. I was admittedly a little apprehensive too. The thought of doing assignments without my brains best friend Google seemed daunting. On the other hand the idea of a technology fast took me back to a very interesting 6 week period in 2009 when my brother and I isolated ourselves from the vast network of the Western world’s communication network.

No phone, no Google, no Face book = good times

The story begins in Auckland international airport. I wake up strewn across some chairs, still a little worse for wear from my farewell party that only ended two hours previous. I took one last look at my phone, my flight departed in 30 mins and I hadn’t even checked in. I left the phone there, knowing it was useless where I was going. I feared the worst as I tried to compose myself for check in. I was already thinking ahead to how I would contact my brother to tell him I’d missed my flight! We were to meet in Hong Kong Airport in a specified location at a certain time. He had arrived from Dublin the day before and I was to meet him. My thoughts drifted to how I could inform him I would be coming on a different flight, I couldn’t ring him anyway his phone didn’t work in China nor did mine. Astonishingly though, and for this reason I implore you all to fly Quantas, they got me through check in, security and on board in 20 mins flat. Relief, plan sailing from here! I arrive in Hong Kong and go to the rendezvous just in time. Two hours later and no sign of my brother and my thoughts start to drift back to how I contact him. I settle on finding a pay phone (yes they still exist) to phone home and find out if they know any details about the hotel I’m supposed to be staying in. Just then he arrives. At this stage I’ve come to realise that we don’t make very good plans these days. Details like the hotel don’t seem important anymore because I can find out at the touch of a button. Well let me tell you when that Swiss Army Phone is taken away, you better hope you’ve made proper arrangements.

The four days in Hong Kong although phoneless allowed access to Face book and Google so we didn’t really feel cut off. However once we crossed into the mainland where none of our familiar internet services are permitted, we truly were cut off. It was 5 weeks of pure freedom. Even if we wanted to contact someone or the other way around we couldn’t. After a couple of days we didn’t even notice, it was great to be so free. I realised through that experience that although these technologies have made life easier, we have become too dependent on them.

The Technology fast this year

This year’s technology fast wasn’t so adventurous but nevertheless I learned something. I was among several of the class competing in the IHI competition. Phones were not permitted and the internet was strictly for research purposes. To be honest it was easy, I didn’t miss the phone or social media, mainly because I didn’t have time to! On the other hand I missed my phone a lot more as a watch and alarm clock than anything else. It just makes me wonder if I need it at all.

Check out the link below for some other thoughts on “why I don’t have a mobile.” It’ll make you wonder about some of the pointless things we all do just because we have that needy toy in our pocket!

Why I don't have a mobile

Mobile Commerce/Wireless Technology

What is M-commerce?

It is basically the extension of e-commerce into wireless mobile devices. It can be simply defined as the buying and selling of goods and services through handheld devices such as a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA). The m-commerce phenomenon is driven by wireless internet access. Wi-Fi has enabled people to access the internet on the go. This has allowed smart phones to offer almost all of the same services and applications as a PC. The graph below illustrates the services offered by m-commerce.

The consumer: from phone to handset?

Today’s typical consumer in the hospitality and tourism industry usually carries a smart phone. The phone/smart device (whichever one of the many names you choose) is the most important influence in the emergence of m-commerce. Today’s Swiss Army Phone encompasses so many applications and services into one device that it seems reasonable to believe all a person will carry in the future is a smart device. In our industry people can use the internet to purchase flights, book a meal, source information, write an online review, recommend to a friend etc. Therefore the importance of m-commerce to our industry is undeniable. M-commerce can be divided into three categories:

1.      Information based: Customers searching for information on a destination, restaurant etc. This could encompass reviews, pictures, direction etc.

2.      Transaction based: The customer can purchase flights, hotel rooms, day trips and a whole multitude of hospitality and tourism products direct from their phone.

3.      Personalised services: This is particularly useful to the actually business e.g. if a potential customer passes through the Wi-Fi of a Cafe it is possible to send an advert or alert direct to their phone and invite them in for a coffee. Similarly the customers data profile and/or location allows the hospitality and tourism industry to target consumers with more personalised adverts.

My–Commerce and Phoneliness

I understand and agree that the emergence of m-commerce is potentially the biggest breakthrough in the business world in the last decade. Despite this however, I remain reluctant to take the leap and purchase a smart phone. Don’t get me wrong I love the convenience of mobile wireless technology. I use my laptop on the go to check e-mails and banking. For me though the smart phone has impacted a person's ability socially, and that’s not good in a business where face time with the client is the moment of truth. I’ve noted my smart phone friend’s tendency to turn to the smart device at lulls in conversions. Is it a crutch, a go to or are we simply happier interacting with a screen than in person. Check out the video, it explains it all. I wonder if for all the benefits of m-commerce if the basic social cost is worth it. For now though I’ve enjoyed m-commerce in small doses from behind my laptop but I wonder what will happen to me when I finally cave in and buy that Swiss Army Phone.

Check out this interesting video on phoneliness!!!

Useful link here that sums up m-commerce quite concisely:

http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/m-commerce