The gauntlet is thrown

One great reason to blog is that someone may find your information and publish it on their site, or magazine, or article. It also adds great SEO for google for your inn, make sure you use a hyperlink and the location of your inn within your articles.
[h3]
Here is my challenge to you, should you wish to be challenged...[/h3]
If you have a blog, here is the title you should use:
14 Reasons to visit (your area) in 2014
If you write this, send me a link to the article and I will post them all in one article on Innteractive Inns blog. 14 shouldn't be difficult. If you don't have photos for everything, 14 photos may be too many anyway, pick a top photo to use, you can count down or up, ie
14
13
12
and the number one reason to visit (your area) to see or do for 2014 is:
WHAT DO YOU SAY? ARE YOU UP FOR IT?
Deadline 05/31/14

I'm in.

Hmmm. Interesting. Great idea! Yes, those lists top this and top that are popular. I guess you'd build it as a slide show with a Next button. I'll look into it!

Arks said:

Hmmm. Interesting. Great idea! Yes, those lists top this and top that are popular. I guess you'd build it as a slide show with a Next button. I'll look into it!.

Click to expand...

Arks said:

Hmmm. Interesting. Great idea! Yes, those lists top this and top that are popular. I guess you'd build it as a slide show with a Next button. I'll look into it!

Click to expand...

If you use wordpress there is a slider option to use. (with manual page turns like you mention)
Remember everyone when you use any photos, save the photos with the name of your inn and town as it WILL show up in google from that. Get the most bang for your buck.
ie instead of:
"beach_view2.jpg"
use
"Beach view from Sunset Cottages at Fairmont Alaska.jpg"

Make it simple or complicated, here is an example of what i have so far:
14 Reasons to Visit (our area) in 2014!
The XYZ Bed and Breakfast is offering 14 reasons to visit (our area) in 2014. We would like to entice you first time visitors to pack up the car and make a road trip to our area. You will quickly learn why this is an inncredible part of the country. For those return visitors, who were here and didn't realize what they missed, this list is also for you. We hope you innjoy our list!
MUSIC
OUTDOOR RECREATION
HISTORY
FOOD
SCENERY
WINE
I will post the info on each one of these with a link, to equal 14.

Joey Bloggs said:

Make it simple or complicated, here is an example of what i have so far:
14 Reasons to Visit (our area) in 2014!
The XYZ Bed and Breakfast is offering 14 reasons to visit (our area) in 2014. We would like to entice you first time visitors to pack up the car and make a road trip to our area. You will quickly learn why this is an inncredible part of the country. For those return visitors, who were here and didn't realize what they missed, this list is also for you. We hope you innjoy our list!
MUSIC
OUTDOOR RECREATION
HISTORY
FOOD
SCENERY
WINE
I will post the info on each one of these with a link, to equal 14..

Click to expand...

Joey Bloggs said:

Make it simple or complicated, here is an example of what i have so far:
14 Reasons to Visit (our area) in 2014!
The XYZ Bed and Breakfast is offering 14 reasons to visit (our area) in 2014. We would like to entice you first time visitors to pack up the car and make a road trip to our area. You will quickly learn why this is an inncredible part of the country. For those return visitors, who were here and didn't realize what they missed, this list is also for you. We hope you innjoy our list!
MUSIC
OUTDOOR RECREATION
HISTORY
FOOD
SCENERY
WINE
I will post the info on each one of these with a link, to equal 14.

Click to expand...

Great start! Thanks for sharing!

I'm in too, but first I need to know your deadline. Thanks for doing this.

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list.

Country Girl said:

I'm in too, but first I need to know your deadline. Thanks for doing this..

Click to expand...

5/31/2014

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list..

Click to expand...

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list.

Click to expand...

That's what I did with my 50 things to see & do here book. Had to pay for it myself because the chamber won't do it and the tourism assn is broke. Everybody went wild over it. We went through 3000 in less than a year.
Second printing it expanded to 70 things to see & do, and I was able to sell ads to pay for the printing.
We decided to stick with doing 3000 at a time because a lot of the things to see & do are businesses, and new ones keep opening and old ones keep closing, so the thing gets outdated pretty fast. Best to stick with a number you can use up in about a year then update and reprint yearly.

Arks said:

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list..

Click to expand...

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list.

Click to expand...

That's what I did with my 50 things to see & do here book. Had to pay for it myself because the chamber won't do it and the tourism assn is broke. Everybody went wild over it. We went through 3000 in less than a year.
Second printing it expanded to 70 things to see & do, and I was able to sell ads to pay for the printing.
We decided to stick with doing 3000 at a time because a lot of the things to see & do are businesses, and new ones keep opening and old ones keep closing, so the thing gets outdated pretty fast. Best to stick with a number you can use up in about a year then update and reprint yearly.
.

Click to expand...

Suggestion... Qr code that leads to an easily updated webpage.
You might get more ads, too. Just paying for the link to their site might get more people to sign up.
We pay $50/year to be on a site for birders. It's a link.

Arks said:

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list..

Click to expand...

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list.

Click to expand...

That's what I did with my 50 things to see & do here book. Had to pay for it myself because the chamber won't do it and the tourism assn is broke. Everybody went wild over it. We went through 3000 in less than a year.
Second printing it expanded to 70 things to see & do, and I was able to sell ads to pay for the printing.
We decided to stick with doing 3000 at a time because a lot of the things to see & do are businesses, and new ones keep opening and old ones keep closing, so the thing gets outdated pretty fast. Best to stick with a number you can use up in about a year then update and reprint yearly.
.

Click to expand...

Arks I thought of you and your 50 things as you can cut n paste from that doc.
Re changes to the printed brochures do what the chambers or museums have always done, stick a label over something that has changed (but hopefully not on 2999 of them). The more you add the more chance of a business closing, in fact there is a local newspaper at our lake who sent out a list of things to do at the lake today and I clicked on it.
I thought, hey just like out 14 reasons...and i immediately spotted Smith Stables which has been closed for years. So did they just rerun it or not do their homework? Could be either or both. Some of the items were a stretch too, I thought, kind of pathetic. Volunteering. Well and good, but not on a tourist brochure of what to do on your summer vacation at the lake, no they didn't say pick up trash or anything. They didn't say WHAT to volunteer at.

Madeleine said:

Arks said:

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list..

Click to expand...

EmptyNest said:

I just finished doing a rackcard for a friend..24 Things for Kids to do...in Luray Va
she is getting sucg good response to it. she asked the local !Chamber to do it and they refused, so we did it together and put a CREDIT TO HER BUSINESS ON IT
She ordered thousands and is giving them to everyone she has put on the list.

Click to expand...

That's what I did with my 50 things to see & do here book. Had to pay for it myself because the chamber won't do it and the tourism assn is broke. Everybody went wild over it. We went through 3000 in less than a year.
Second printing it expanded to 70 things to see & do, and I was able to sell ads to pay for the printing.
We decided to stick with doing 3000 at a time because a lot of the things to see & do are businesses, and new ones keep opening and old ones keep closing, so the thing gets outdated pretty fast. Best to stick with a number you can use up in about a year then update and reprint yearly.
.

Click to expand...

Suggestion... Qr code that leads to an easily updated webpage.
You might get more ads, too. Just paying for the link to their site might get more people to sign up.
We pay $50/year to be on a site for birders. It's a link.
.

Click to expand...

Madeleine said:

Suggestion... Qr code that leads to an easily updated webpage.
You might get more ads, too. Just paying for the link to their site might get more people to sign up.
We pay $50/year to be on a site for birders. It's a link.

Click to expand...

He has QR codes.

Here is a page with links to information for visitors from the prv things to do I shared:
On the hotels/accomod
B&Bs are at the top
BED & BREAKFAST INNS
Ashleigh Manor closed 540-876-1247
Clear Point who the heck knows not sure what they are 540-276-2758
Chateauware Bed & Breakfast closed 540-367-1886
Lovestone Inn closed 540-202-0610
The Claiborne House 540-479-4513
So two of the 5 are still open, and only one really is a B&B and we wonder why people get frustrated!

Joey Bloggs said:

Here is a page with links to information for visitors from the prv things to do I shared:
On the hotels/accomod
B&Bs are at the top
BED & BREAKFAST INNS
Ashleigh Manor closed 540-876-1247
Clear Point who the heck knows not sure what they are 540-276-2758
Chateauware Bed & Breakfast closed 540-367-1886
Lovestone Inn closed 540-202-0610
The Claiborne House 540-479-4513
So two of the 5 are still open, and only one really is a B&B and we wonder why people get frustrated!.

Click to expand...

Joey Bloggs said:

So two of the 5 are still open, and only one really is a B&B and we wonder why people get frustrated!

Click to expand...

Congratulations on not being closed.
Cream of the crop.

So you think it's better to start at #14 and count down to #1 (the absolute best thing you have to do)?

Arks said:

So you think it's better to start at #14 and count down to #1 (the absolute best thing you have to do)?.

Click to expand...

Arks said:

So you think it's better to start at #14 and count down to #1 (the absolute best thing you have to do)?

Click to expand...

Since it is 14 and not like a TOP 5 list I started at #1, as none of them are any better than any other, but if I had a WOW at the end, I would count down. Do you have a BIG WOW you want to unleash at the end?

Joey Bloggs said:

Arks said:

So you think it's better to start at #14 and count down to #1 (the absolute best thing you have to do)?.

Click to expand...

Arks said:

So you think it's better to start at #14 and count down to #1 (the absolute best thing you have to do)?

Click to expand...

Since it is 14 and not like a TOP 5 list I started at #1, as none of them are any better than any other, but if I had a WOW at the end, I would count down. Do you have a BIG WOW you want to unleash at the end?
.

Click to expand...

Joey Bloggs said:

Do you have a BIG WOW you want to unleash at the end?

Click to expand...

Boy I wish!!!
And I'm only doing a top 10.

Joey Bloggs said:

One great reason to blog is that someone may find your information and publish it on their site...

Click to expand...

Hmmm. I'm wanting to make this a regular page on my website. But it wouldn't make much of a blog entry to just blog a link to that "regular page".
Maybe on the blog just put the first image in the slideshow, and when they click it, it takes them to the regular page with the real slideshow.
It would be hard to post the whole thing on both the regular site and the blog because my blog entries are 450 pixels wide and my regular pages are 990 pixels wide (blog has a special sidebar the regular pages don't have). So it would actually need 2 separate slide shows, each with its own images sized for the page.
This ain't easy, JB!

Arks said:

Joey Bloggs said:

One great reason to blog is that someone may find your information and publish it on their site...

Click to expand...

Hmmm. I'm wanting to make this a regular page on my website. But it wouldn't make much of a blog entry to just blog a link to that "regular page".
Maybe on the blog just put the first image in the slideshow, and when they click it, it takes them to the regular page with the real slideshow.
It would be hard to post the whole thing on both the regular site and the blog because my blog entries are 450 pixels wide and my regular pages are 990 pixels wide (blog has a special sidebar the regular pages don't have). So it would actually need 2 separate slide shows, each with its own images sized for the page.
This ain't easy, JB!.

Click to expand...

Is your blog connected to your website?
If not, I'd do the webpage like you said and a short blast on the blog. Static pix on the blog, slideshow on your site.
'Want more? Tap here!'