Are Google, Facebook and Apple monopolizing the web?

Are Google, facebook and apple getting to big for the web? Are they a danger to the web as we know it?

These really are interesting questions. And the answer is probably “yes”. Maybe not today, but they will certainly become too big at some point! Unlike the person writing the article, I am not sure I would compare Google and facebook to totalitarian governments and after all, if you do not want to have a facebook account, well, no one is forcing you to have one! I also disagree with the idea that freedom of information means that everything must be available to everyone. Having a private online group if you so desire, isn’t that what freedom is all about? When Berners-Lee thought the web, wasn’t that the all point? Share what you will… or don’t, it surely must be up to us to decide what of our private life must be available for public viewing and what you would prefer to remain private (or within a private circle).

I think the real danger is not the companies on the web but rather the internet providers. In Paris for example, I find it very difficult to find a truly “free” internet connection. Almost everywhere, you need to have a password and username to connect to internet, therefore telling the “man” who you are and where you are when you are connected. If providers were allowed to get too big, they would probably be able to dictate which sites you would be able to access, and worst of all, which sites need to be censored… There I think lies the real danger!

http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/are_google_facebook_and_apple_monopolizing_the_web

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The Impact of smart phone on the travel market

I think this article really was an interesting piece but I have to say, I think their study is rather limited. Yes, their studies show that people would like to use their phone check flight times and book hotels rather than update their facebook status but don’t this people know that you can already do that? Asked what sort of application they would like, and they answered apps with weather forecast and restaurant reviews… seriously??? These apps have been on the market for ages already, both in free and paying format! This really makes me wonder how they choose their panel!

Anyhow, after reading this article, I started to look at how the smart phones could really impact the travel market and I found some pretty cool stuff!

Some airline are now offering mobile boarding pass, meaning that you check in online through your mobile phone, choose your seat, you meal preference and all sorts of other options, then you receive a e-boarding pass (2-D barcode image) on your phone. You just need to present it at security like you would with a regular boarding pass except that now you are “paper free”…

Other companies are now offering the possibility of paying with your mobile, the amount is debited from your mobile phone account rather than your bank account. Not a mind blowing revolution but not having to type your credit card number through your phone can only be a good thing and I quite like the idea of getting extra “point” with my phone provider…

Application in the very near future will know where you are and will automatically tell you where are the best restaurants or attractions and how to get there from you stand. Other apps will let you know to get inside within 5 minutes because it is about to rain where you are in 6 minutes, or while walking in a foreign city, the compass will know which direction you are facing and the apps will tell you what you are looking at!

I only search the net for 5 minutes but already I think these I much more interesting options and much more important for the future of the travel industry and I am pretty sure most of these apps will be obsolete by the time you read this…

The Impact of smart phone on the travel market

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Which TripAdvisor reviews to trust?

While reading this article I couldn't help thinking about my first TripAdvisor experience. After booking a 25 euro room at the Rikka Inn on Khao San Road, I decided to have a look at reviews of the hotel on internet (arguably, it is better done before the booking...) and that search naturally took me to TripAdvisor.com.

As I normally do, I started with the bad reviews and I started to get worried about my future couple of nights in this hotel. That said, I did go and realized the reviews I read were totally unfounded. True, the rooms were not the best I ever seen and the pictures on the website were probably a little dated (from before the opening I imagine) but then again, I am not entirely sure what these people were expecting for 25 euro. The truth is the rooms were not the best decorated rooms in Bangkok but they were clean, the staff could have used a couple of english lessons but they tried really hard and were rather pleasant and while I was lying by the rooftop swimming pool I felt the overall experience was rather good value for money!

My real problem with TripAdvisor and other peer review website, is that people are more likely to make the effort to leave a (bad) review if they've had a bad experience than if they've had a great one or even an OK time. There is also the fact that someone who is traveling once a year and someone staying in hotels a couple of times a month have greatly different standards and expectation. The same is true depending on where you are from, your social background and for all the factors that make us different from one another.

The article mentions TripAdvisor having over 40 million reviews on its site, and maybe it is my own lack of faith in people talking, but I cannot imagine many of them being truly objective reviews, and yet, TripAdvisor, with its 5 millions daily visitors, seems to have become a truly important factor on the way hoteliers are running their business.