Google is beginning to roll out the newest edition of it’s search engine service. Google have been busy making some some fairly major changes, perhaps the most noticable of which being the slight change in the logo and the addition of a navigation panel on the left hand side of the results page.

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Apple recently reached a deal to acquire mobile “assistant” provider Siri. This move has been widely regarded as Apple’s next big move in the war against rival internet giants Google. Google have long dominated all forms of search so this recent move demonstrates Apple’s desire to not only compete but dominate on all levels.

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Social media programs tend to start with a flurry of activity and then either take over our life or fade into obscurity. At one end of the spectrum is the coordinator who’s issuing updates every thirteen seconds and neglecting her other duties. At the other end is the manager who resents social media’s insatiable appetite for time and creative energy and is neglecting it in favor of other duties.

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Video can be a very powerful tool for businesses of any size, but YouTube’s free-to-use business model, ease of use, and mass market audience means it’s a great channel for small businesses. However, like any tool, in order to get the most of it, it needs to be used well.

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Under a new partnership between Google and Bazaarvoice, retailers and manufacturers can display their online product reviews and ratings within their AdWords ad campaigns – as well as have them appear in product searches on Google.com.

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In a further push to become more dynamic, Facebook announced that they would be introducing a universal “like” button. The announcement was made at Facebook’s F8 Developers Conference. Facebook users (of which there are many!) will now be able to “like” any website on the internet with a “like” button. Further to this, Facebook will collect the “like” data, creating a data goldmine which they are sure to make good use of.

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Most of us already know that twitter can be used for customer service, recruiting, contents, giveaways and promotions for your hotel. There are, however, more business opportunities that aren’t quite as obvious. Mashable have looked a little deeper than most and have come up with 5 unique ways to use twitter as a business tool for your hotel.

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Google are currently in discussions to aquire Travel Software maker ITA. It is thought the online giant could use ITA Software’s tools to compete with travel-search features offered by rivals Microsoft. ITA Software could request around $1 billion for their aquisition by Google, who have already announced 6 takeovers this year.

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Putting a face to your hotel using social media networks definitely has its advantages. It allows your customers to converse with a face rather than an anonymous employee while at the same time giving your hotel a voice. Allowing your customers to connect with your hotel on this level will create a much deeper, more meaningful relationship. So if you decide to go down this route and have your hotel represented by a ‘face’, it’s important that that ‘face’ represents exactly what you want your hotel to represent.

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