ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the international authority over top-level domain names, has approved the expansion of generic TLDs which will allow companies and organizations to create domains for their branda (such as .coke) or simply create generic names (such as .car or .green).

The option won’t come cheap, though: The application fee alone is $185,000, and the annual fee is $25,000. Still, we can imagine large corporations spending millions on these very soon. If you’re in the business of making phones, owning a “.phone” TLD sounds like a great idea — if you can afford outbidding other phone manufacturers.

“ICANN has opened the Internet’s addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination,” said Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN. “No one can predict where this historic decision will take us.

Read More of this article at Mashable.Com

Related Article RTE NEWS

So, how does a business go about transforming customer feedback into high-yield leads? Make sure to touch upon the following five steps:

1. Maximize visitors’ opportunities to communicate with you. : Offer feedback options on every important part of your website, including landing pages, shopping cart, search mechanisms, and registration pages. Give prospects quick-pick menus and sub-menus so they can quickly indicate the category of feedback they wish to leave. This will also speed your ability to deliver comments to the internal stakeholders who can best address individual concerns.

2. Accommodate a wide range of communication styles: Some prospects will want to write lengthy messages to you. Others will prefer selecting from a menu of icons to indicate their feelings about a particular product or service. Provide both options. Keep in mind that the idea is to let the customer initiate the discussion, so avoid pre-set questionnaires or traditional surveys that limit responses.

3. Respond promptly and helpfully
Studies show that 65 percent of visitors who leave feedback include their contact information. Use that data to connect with prospects, and they’ll be impressed and likely stunned; online shoppers have become conditioned to expect little response from the e-businesses they patronize. Responding promptly need not be resource-intensive. Pre-defined auto-reply emails can address a majority of feedback items. Emails can include advice, solutions, and incentives to return and convert. However, sales, support, or marketing staff should address more difficult concerns personally. Even after a one-to-two-week period, many companies find that contact with visitors leads to conversions.

Read More of this Article at Imedia Connection

Here at Wallop, we‘re big proponents of video usage, especially in the context of building websites. We work with a handful of very talented video producers, so we relish the opportunity to incorporate a video within the projects that we pitch – assuming of course that it’s the right tool for the job (hat tip, @karj).

Generally speaking a well-crafted video makes a strong visual impact and serves as an emotional hook to engage the user. It’s also a means to communicate the “story” of the brand quickly and effectively. Using a more tanglible measurement, building a website that’s memorable and engaging is a good way to increase tactility and reduce bounce rates.

On set at the Top Notch Resort & Spa video shoot in Stowe, Vermont.

Measuring ROI

First, it’s important to note the difficulty in measuring the true ROI of a video within a website from a dollars and cents standpoint. There are a variety of reasons for this, which we’ll outline here.

-A video is a statement of philosophy; a vehicle used to convey a message. It’s primarily used for storytelling, and to provide an emotional hook. It’s visceral, not pedantic.

-Its impact is measured in viewership, the number of times it’s shared, the tactility (stickiness) it adds to the site, and how the amount of improvement it makes to the perception of the brand. Together and separately, these are all pathways that lead to an increase in sales. However we can only measure this objectively after we create and make observations over the life of the campaign.

-Using the ROI metrics from another video or website project is comparing apples to oranges. The videos are different, they are accomplishing different things, the audience is different, the products they are selling are different, and they do not account for the myriad of external factors that influence online sales.

-Video “types” have a lot to do with the measurability of ROI. If we’re talking about a product launch, you can easily measure the before and after sales numbers. If we’re building the brand and communicating a message, the measurement becomes more obtuse as the investment carries a longer cycle.

-Each department within a business that is a party to a website has its own priorities, so the value of adding video will vary according to the advantages derived by each party. For example the sales and marketing will get more value than accounting.

-Technically speaking a pure calculation of “spend X, viewed Y times, made Z sales” (ROI) is possible only after the fact. So it’s tough to quantify within the context of a proposal.

The Big Picture

Another way to measure the value of a video to a website project is by looking at its value to the business from a bigger picture. You are likely creating a marketing piece that will become the strongest branding asset owned by your business.

The video has multiple business applications such as:

- Traditional broadcasting (e.g. TV, radio, print – by creating tie-ins for radio and TV that drive people to the video on the web)
- Internal media usage (sales center displays, kiosks, welcome video for guestrooms, etc.)
- Sales collateral
- Public relations collateral
- HR and recruiting efforts
- Providing an important benchmark for future web projects

Stated another way, the video becomes a central cog in the delivery of multiple business solutions. It has direct application in PR, HR, marketing, sales, and advertising. With some foresight and smart planning, the video has the potential to solve a myriad of business problems.

Read more of this story at WallOpCreator

It is also likely that smaller and younger websites will now find it harder to break through into the much coveted top five places on Google, creating a clear disadvantage for smaller players in the travel business.

Here are a few tips for making sure your website is well-placed for good search engine visibility.

Tip 1. Follow the rules:

Google made the changes to penalize websites that have exploited and manipulated its algorithms by using low-quality content and spam tactics to appear more popular than they really are.

Google is very clear on the use of spammy content and link “building” tactics: They are not allowed.

When undertaking any search marketing work in-house or contracting search marketing work from an outside source, be sure to verify that nothing is being done that breaks Google’s terms of service.

This seems obvious, but unfortunately there are a huge number of SEO “professionals” out there who have made careers out of playing the system. Even some big brands are now feeling the pain of Google wising up to their old tricks.

You should definitely steer clear of any approach that is based on buying links, exchanging links or mass producing hundreds of links on obscure websites. In the past these things worked; these days you’re playing with fire.

Tip 2. Content is king:

Google is equally clear on what is likely to encourage higher rankings in their search results: good quality, unique and valuable content.

Travel businesses, including travel agencies, should be constantly trying to find ways of exploiting their assets, expertise and knowledge, and sharing it online. In the travel world there are a huge number of options: downloadable travel guides and personally written tips on your destinations, travel blogs, photo sharing, video content – the list goes on and the only boundary is your imagination (okay, and your budget).

It’s important to have a comprehensive and ever-expanding website. The easiest way to achieve this is to host a blog on your URL. Update your blog regularly with useful content that contributes something of value to the web and encourages discussion and interaction with your visitors.

Secondly, share your agency’s assets and expertise with the world. Use social media platforms to share your content and your knowledge and you will find people coming back for more.

If your content is great, people will start linking to your website, and it is these natural links (as opposed to purchased or spammy links) that the search engines are looking for when deciding how to rank your site.

The more content you publish and the higher value it is, the bigger the payoff will be. Over time your growing library of content will act as a huge traffic magnet, pulling in visitors from the search engines and driving them towards your product and service pages.

Read More at Travel Market Report

Travelodge Ireland celebrates their victory at the top of the table again this week.

Download the list as a PDF here

(List is correct as of 14^th Jan 2011)

The data in this list differs slightly to that of our Facebook list and is ranked according to the hotel’s influence on the twitter verse.

We’ve used twitter.grader.com to rank each hotel on twitter. This clever little app considers many different factors including number of followers, number of followings and number of posts (among many others). This creates a score, enabling each twitter account to be ranked out of all the accounts that have been graded in the twitter network.

It basically gives you an idea of the impact each tweet has.

The grade is out of 100 and represents the percentage of accounts that have less of an impact than yours. For example, a Twitter Grade of 95 means tweets from your account has more of an impact than tweets from 95% of all other graded accounts on twitter. Pretty impressive hey?!

As with our Facebook list, we’ve done our best to recognise every contender for the list but a few are bound to have slipped through the net. If you think your hotel should be included on the list, please let us know by commenting below, remembering to include your “@” twitter account name.

The list is open to all hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Be sure to check back each week to see if your hotel has made the list.

The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, London celebrates their 36th week at the top of the table.

Download this list as a PDF here

(List is correct as of 11^th January 2011)

The data in this list differs slightly to that of our Facebook list and is ranked according to the hotel’s influence on the twitter verse.

We’ve used twitter.grader.com to rank each hotel on twitter. This clever little app considers many different factors including number of followers, number of followings and number of posts (among many others). This creates a score, enabling each twitter account to be ranked out of all the accounts that have been graded in the twitter network.

It basically gives you an idea of the impact each tweet has.

The grade is out of 100 and represents the percentage of accounts that have less of an impact than yours. For example, a TwitterGrade of 95 means tweets from your account have more of an impact than tweets from 95% of all other graded accounts on twitter. Pretty impressive hey?!

As with all our lists, we’ve done our best to recognise every contender for the list but a few are bound to have slipped through the net. If you think your hotel should be included on the list, please let us know by commenting below, remembering to include your “@” twitter account name.

The list is open to all hotels in the UK.

D4 Hotels, Dublin celebrate their 15^th week at the top of the list.

Download the list as a PDF here

(List correct as of 10^th January 2011)

The list is by no means final so if you feel we’ve missed you out, please let us know by commenting below and your hotel/group could appear on next weeks list.

The list is based on the number of fans the Facebook page has and is open to all hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This list only considers Facebook Pages as opposed to groups and personal profiles.

A Page or a Group, which is better? Well the answer to that depends on you and what works for your business.

Facebook Groups:

1. Set up for more personal interaction, they are highly active and require constant engagement.
2. Connected to the profile of the people who administer them.
3. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile.
4. Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause.
5. If the group is under 5,000 members, group admins can send messages to the group members that will appear in their inboxes.
6. Permissions settings make it possible for group admins to restrict access to a group, so that new members have to be approved.
7. Groups can’t host applications.
8. You can advertise your group.

Facebook Pages:

1. Access to a Page, however, can only be restricted by certain ages and locations.
2. Page admins can send updates to fans through the Page, and these updates will appear in the “Updates” section of fans’ inboxes.
3. There is no limit on how many fans you may send an update to, or how many total fans a Page can have.
4. Pages can host applications, so a Page can essentially be more personalized and show more content.
5. Pages can benefit from social ads that publicize the fan connection between a Page and a specific user.
6. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.

Neither Groups nor Pages have great moderation features. If someone posts spam on your Group or your Page, you have to remove it manually, and you can also remove specific members.

So it’s up to you who best suits your business right now and going forward.

Be sure to check back every Monday to see if your hotel has made the list!

The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, London celebrates their 36th week at the top of the table.

Download this list as a PDF here

(List is correct as of 4^th January 2011)

The data in this list differs slightly to that of our Facebook list and is ranked according to the hotel’s influence on the twitter verse.

We’ve used twitter.grader.com to rank each hotel on twitter. This clever little app considers many different factors including number of followers, number of followings and number of posts (among many others). This creates a score, enabling each twitter account to be ranked out of all the accounts that have been graded in the twitter network.

It basically gives you an idea of the impact each tweet has.

The grade is out of 100 and represents the percentage of accounts that have less of an impact than yours. For example, a TwitterGrade of 95 means tweets from your account have more of an impact than tweets from 95% of all other graded accounts on twitter. Pretty impressive hey?!

As with all our lists, we’ve done our best to recognise every contender for the list but a few are bound to have slipped through the net. If you think your hotel should be included on the list, please let us know by commenting below, remembering to include your “@” twitter account name.

The list is open to all hotels in the UK.

The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair, London celebrates their 34th week at the top of the table.

Download this list as a PDF here

(List is correct as of 21^st December 2010)

The data in this list differs slightly to that of our Facebook list and is ranked according to the hotel’s influence on the twitter verse.

We’ve used twitter.grader.com to rank each hotel on twitter. This clever little app considers many different factors including number of followers, number of followings and number of posts (among many others). This creates a score, enabling each twitter account to be ranked out of all the accounts that have been graded in the twitter network.

It basically gives you an idea of the impact each tweet has.

The grade is out of 100 and represents the percentage of accounts that have less of an impact than yours. For example, a TwitterGrade of 95 means tweets from your account have more of an impact than tweets from 95% of all other graded accounts on twitter. Pretty impressive hey?!

As with all our lists, we’ve done our best to recognise every contender for the list but a few are bound to have slipped through the net. If you think your hotel should be included on the list, please let us know by commenting below, remembering to include your “@” twitter account name.

The list is open to all hotels in the UK.

D4 Hotels, Dublin celebrate their 13^th week at the top of the list.

Download the list as a PDF here

(List correct as of 20^th December 2010)

The list is by no means final so if you feel we’ve missed you out, please let us know by commenting below and your hotel/group could appear on next weeks list.

The list is based on the number of fans the Facebook page has and is open to all hotels in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This list only considers Facebook Pages as opposed to groups and personal profiles.

A Page or a Group, which is better? Well the answer to that depends on you and what works for your business.

Facebook Groups:

1. Set up for more personal interaction, they are highly active and require constant engagement.
2. Connected to the profile of the people who administer them.
3. When you post something as a group administrator, it appears to be coming from you and is attached to your personal profile.
4. Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause.
5. If the group is under 5,000 members, group admins can send messages to the group members that will appear in their inboxes.
6. Permissions settings make it possible for group admins to restrict access to a group, so that new members have to be approved.
7. Groups can’t host applications.
8. You can advertise your group.

Facebook Pages:

1. Access to a Page, however, can only be restricted by certain ages and locations.
2. Page admins can send updates to fans through the Page, and these updates will appear in the “Updates” section of fans’ inboxes.
3. There is no limit on how many fans you may send an update to, or how many total fans a Page can have.
4. Pages can host applications, so a Page can essentially be more personalized and show more content.
5. Pages can benefit from social ads that publicize the fan connection between a Page and a specific user.
6. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.

Neither Groups nor Pages have great moderation features. If someone posts spam on your Group or your Page, you have to remove it manually, and you can also remove specific members.

So it’s up to you who best suits your business right now and going forward.

Be sure to check back every Monday to see if your hotel has made the list!