Opinion
A Proud Moment
Aug 30th
I have never been prouder in my professional career than I was last Tuesday and Wednesday. We brought in Global Traveler‘s sales staff for an annual seminar. PowerPoint presentations were made by Alex Young and Kim Krol, covering everything from our competition and our obvious strengths to internal procedures and the fantastic success of eFlyer, GT‘s e-newsletter.
Alex presented, in a very artistic way, all the destinations she has traveled to in her eight-year tenure with Global Traveler — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Tokyo, Seattle, Montréal, London and Singapore were just the tip of the iceberg shown. I followed suit, covering my destinations, including Fiji, Norway, Korea, Thailand, China, Australia and Mexico — just to name a few. Dick Evans even talked about his near capture while on a horseback safari near the Afghan border.
We then presented and summarized our airline clients, pasting their logos on their home markets as we discussed routes and services. In between the presentations, we viewed videos and commercials from Thai, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Delta, United, Air Canada, Asiana, Korean Air and many more. Highlights from Emirates’ first class and Lufthansa’s A380 were shown.
We covered Global Traveler‘s new 2D barcoding capabilities and discussed the possibilities for linking these barcodes from Smartphones to any websites desired. We thought linking a GT 2D Barcode to Dale Moss’s video interview on our website was an interesting use for the new technology.
We ended the seminar in true Philadelphia fashion — with a trip to Citizens Bank Park to watch the Phillies take on the Astros. It was a great event and sure to be an annual gathering from now on. Maybe we should consider Palm Spring or Hawaii next?
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Working with Wikipedia
Aug 27th
What’s the deal with Wikipedia? We all use it. We all know what it is. But does anyone really know how confusing it is?!?!
Over the last two weeks, I have been working to make Global Traveler a Wikipedia article. When I started, I figured I would just need to do some research about the company, add in the things I knew and then put in the finishing touches. I was mistaken.
First of all, Wikipedia has a ton of rules. Rules that you never thought would matter but that Wikipedia thinks is super important. There are rules about making lists and including people’s names. One large rule is the “Point of View” rule. You have to be unbiased and present your article from a completely neutral point of view. That tends to be incredibly difficult when you are making a page about a company that you work for. One of my favorite obstacles is that you cannot have a user name that is a company name. Despite reading hundreds of pages about Wikipedia and articles, I never came across this rule. I learned this the hard way when trying to find out something on a help chat. The person in the chat was so serious about this rule that he would not help me until I filed a “name change request.” Wikipedia is not for those people just playing around.
Wikipedia has its own language. Everyday tasks done on the word processor become difficult and bothersome. Pressing ctrl and “B” no longer makes something bold. The Wikipedia user has to use apostrophes (‘’’) to initiate the bold and then another set of three apostrophes to end it. Similar programming techniques are used to get italics, bullets, lists and headings. I would tell you how to underline, but I don’t even know if that is possible in Wikipedia world.
So after you master the rules and the language, there is one more problem. People and robots continually check the site to make sure that people are posting things fairly and legally. I tried to upload the GT logo and immediately two people were leaving messages on my “MyTalk.” If only they knew I had no idea what was going on and didn’t even know how to find their messages! Right now I have my page up for feedback. We shall see how that works out.
Working with Wikipedia has given me a new-found respect for the articles that people put up. Every link is the result of hard work, and every picture is the result of an intense copyright law. It has been fascinating learning the ins and outs of the Wikipedia world, and by the end of the process I hope to be so knowledgeable that I can call others out on their mistakes. My interaction and work with Wikipedia has confirmed my opinion that teachers and professors should count it as a reliable source. If they only knew how hard it was to get information published on it!
– Mary Carpenter, intern
Dinner in the City
Aug 25th
This past weekend I wanted to switch things up, and I drove into Philadelphia. I am only a 25-minute drive into Center City, but I never seem to get down there as much as I’d like to. I decided to try a new BYOB Italian restaurant called Bistro La Baia. I do recommend this restaurant and was very pleased with my overall experience.
The best part about this restaurant is that the food quality stays high and the prices stay low. Usually when you are eating in a city, entrées can easily cost anywhere between $20–$40. La Baia has entrée prices starting from $12, and the specials are around $20.
Inside, the seating was a bit cramped, but the servers moved gracefully around the tables. I couldn’t believe they didn’t bump into anything. The owner of the restaurant was there, and he greeted everyone with a thick Italian accent.
Our food came out steaming hot, and it was delicious. The portion size was very generous; I ended up taking most of my meal home and eating it for lunch the next day.
I’m going to try to start eating at new places in Philadelphia once or twice a month. I hope each time I have just as good an experience as I did at La Baia.
– Amanda Smith, advertising and editorial coordinator
A Female Business Traveler
Aug 24th
I am a woman who travels the world on business, thus making me a business woman. Should this fact separate me from others who travel, such as a business man? It’s an ongoing question that has warranted many articles and even a contest, GT‘s Female Global Traveler of the Year.
I do believe that as a business traveler, I have the same goals as my male counterparts — to get business done. However, the way we view the world along the way can be very different. I believe I take note of different aspects of a trip than a male traveler might. It could be the details of the hotel room — is it clean? Is the carpet dirty? What floor am I on? How close is my room to the elevator? — to noticing the everyday details of the people I pass on the street.
The differences in the way men and women view the world is an argument that could last a lifetime. But, as a woman business traveler, I enjoy witnessing other women from around the world and seeing how they vary and compare to me.
In the boardroom, we all get work done. It’s fun for me, however, to see a beauty salon in Abu Dhabi or a shopping mall in Tokyo and know the women inside are doing the same things I would do in Manhattan.
Whether I am in the United States, Asia or the Middle East, I do not need to wear the same clothes or speak the same language to understand my surroundings. It’s the small things in life that are fun to appreciate — watching a group of girls in Tokyo giggle as a group of boys walk by, for example. Some things are universal — compassion, health, family. I’m proud to be a woman who travels for business. I know that oceans may separate us, but women everywhere encounter similar day-to-day challenges and accomplishments no matter what.
– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
