What We’re Reading This Week

Do you have something you think we’d be interested in knowing about? Add #TBEX to your tweets or Facebook posts and we’ll take a look. We’ll share the best of what we find each week here on the blog.

Here’s what we’re reading this week:

About Content

• Ask a Freelancer: As a Journalist, Should Writing Listicles Bother Me? – Do listicles deserve their bad rep? Read more here Ask a Freelancer: As a Journalist, Should Writing Listicles Bother Me?

• ‘You Need Editors, Not Brand Managers’: Marketing Legend Seth Godin on the Future of Branded Content – A marketer sounds off on branded content. The opinion is not what you might think. Read more here ‘You Need Editors, Not Brand Managers’: Marketing Legend Seth Godin on the Future of Branded Content

• After seven years of sampling Charleston’s finest fare, a critic bids adieu – Do you write restaurant reviews on your blog? Or any type of review? Do you feel burnt out like this restaurant reviewer? How do you keep your review writing fresh? Read more here After seven years of sampling Charleston’s finest fare, a critic bids adieu
• 10 Specific Strategies to Make Your ‘Most Popular Posts’ Work Even Harder For You – You work hard on your posts and you’re right to feel proud when the resonate with your readership. Try out these tips to help them work even harder for you, helping you reach new readers and building loyalty among current readers. Read more here 10 Specific Strategies to Make Your ‘Most Popular Posts’ Work Even Harder For You

About Community

• If You Run A Facebook Page, Expect The Like Count To Drop Soon – A change in Facebook’s policy will likely result in reduced “likes” on your business page. It’s a matter of cleaning up dead accounts, so it’s probably a good idea. Read more here If You Run A Facebook Page, Expect The Like Count To Drop Soon
• Google Is Slowly Phasing Out Google+ – Are you mourning the loss of Google+ or glad to see it go? Read more here Google Is Slowly Phasing Out Google+
• The Pinterest feed changes: How to see more of what you want to see. And why you’ll never see all of it. – Another social platform changes its algorithm, leaving many of us scratching our heads. We think you’ll find this explanation of the changes, and how to get what you want out of your Pinterest feed is very helpful. Read more here The Pinterest feed changes: How to see more of what you want to see. And why you’ll never see all of it.
• How to Leverage the New Twitter Partnership with Google2 – Join the discussion about what the new Twitter-Google partnership means. Will you be tweeting any differently? Read more here How to Leverage the New Twitter Partnership with Google2
• The Misuse of Social Media – Do you add hashtags to your Instagram and Pinterest accounts, hoping they’ll get noticed – and shared – by a larger media company. What happens may not be what you expect, as explained by Melvin from Travel Dudes. Read more here The Misuse of Social Media – #TLPicks

About Commerce

• Win an inn! Owner of historic Maine inn holding essay contest and the winner gets to take over the property –Precise, pithy writing may just win you a historic inn in Maine. The winner of this essay contest takes ownership in June 2015. Read more here Win an inn! Owner of historic Maine inn holding essay contest and the winner gets to take over the property
• 5 Second-Act Stories (and 5 tips for creating your own) – One of our Baby Boomer community member talk about how TBEX has been an excellent resource for them. Read more here 5 Second-Act Stories (and 5 tips for creating your own)
• In Net Neutrality Victory, F.C.C. Classifies Broadband Internet Service as a Public Utility – What the does victory for net neutrality mean? Here’s an explanation. Read more here In Net Neutrality Victory, F.C.C. Classifies Broadband Internet Service as a Public Utility

About the Travel & Tourism Industy

• More than 100,000 people fooled by free Qantas flight scam – We hope you weren’t fooled by this scam for free Qantas tickets. Read more here More than 100,000 people fooled by free Qantas flight scam
• Public Relations Vets Turn to Content Marketing to Remake Travel PR – Content marketing will remake travel PR says this new firm that claims PR must integrate with SEO, content marketing, social media, IR, influencer relations and digital reputation management to achieve results that affect the bottom line. Read more here Public Relations Vets Turn to Content Marketing to Remake Travel PR
• Tour Ops Adapt to a Changing Seniors Market – Travel marketing to seniors (defined as age 65+ plus) is changing. Have you found companies doing a great job of reaching this market? Read more here Tour Ops Adapt to a Changing Seniors Market
• America: The new destination for rich Chinese shoppers – Chinese tourists spend more than any other foreigners at an average of $7,200 per visit. It’s no wonder that the U.S. is courting these affluent inbound travelers. Read more here America: The new destination for rich Chinese shoppers
• Viking Cruises to Sail on Mississippi River Beginning in 2017 – Always in the know when in comes to cruise information, Cruise Critic reports that Viking Cruises will head to the port of New Orleans in Spring 2017. Itineraries along the Mississipi River wiill include Memphis, St. Louis, and St. Paul. We’re excited to see river crusising expanding here in the U.S. Read more here Viking Cruises to Sail on Mississippi River Beginning in 2017

About Travel

• Stress free travel, can it exist? Maybe with these five tips – Do you stress out over your travel plans? Do you need every little detail in place or are you more go with the flow? Do you return from vacation needing a vacation? These trips for stress free travel may be just what the doctor ordered. Read more here Stress free travel, can it exist? Maybe with these five tips…
• Berlin Museums Update – TBEX team was at ITB Berlin last week, and while we didn’t have a chance to do any sightseeing, this list of new museum openings caught our eye. Read more here Berlin Museums Update
• Barcelona to Valencia, Three Stops on a Spanish East Coast Road Trip – If you want to extend your time in Spain after TBEX, here are some suggestions for visiting the eastern part of the country. Read more here Barcelona to Valencia, Three Stops on a Spanish East Coast Road Trip