When Julie Yack had a bad stay at a Las Vegas hotel, she published the details on her blog. “It proved rather effective,” she told me. “The general manager called me that day, told me the hotel owners now know what a blog is, and worked hard to make things right.” That included an apology and an offer of a free two-night stay.
NVDL: Blogs are powerful agents of change - they're catalysts for change in publishing (obvious) in general, in the travel industry, increasingly in politics. Your blog is your chance to virtually walk the streets with a signpost and shout out your protest. The question is, are you?
Had a problem with your last trip? Fire up your PC and post something online.
Go on. You just might change the travel industry like Carl Larson did. When he tried to check a regulation-size box on a recent JetBlue flight, an unfriendly ticket agent demanded that he fork over $50. The reason? The box contained a folding bike.
So Larson blogged about the experience on the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s site, calling the airline’s policy “ridiculous.” The story was picked up by another blog, bikeportland.org. Then it made its way onto another site called the Consumerist.
It didn’t take long for JetBlue to fold. Not only did the airline refund Larson’s $50. It changed its rules, too. “Customers traveling with folding bikes in a bag that fits within the standard checked bag weights and dimensions will not be charged the bike fee and will be treated like any checked bag,” a representative told him.
I have discovered that bloggers have changed the way we elect presidents, deal with financial crisis and even in my industry, the way people buy high end bicycles. I had to realize, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em".
The blogs now can make anything sink or swim at internet speed. I have commented on my own blog, http://blog.kgsbikes.com about this phenomenom.
I think blogs have fundamentally changed the way we think, research and act. The train is leaving the station and we will either get on or be left behind.
1 comment:
I have discovered that bloggers have changed the way we elect presidents, deal with financial crisis and even in my industry, the way people buy high end bicycles. I had to realize, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em".
The blogs now can make anything sink or swim at internet speed. I have commented on my own blog, http://blog.kgsbikes.com about this phenomenom.
I think blogs have fundamentally changed the way we think, research and act. The train is leaving the station and we will either get on or be left behind.
Thanks for the great post.
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