It’s been two weeks since the official So Much More Hawaii tour ended, and everyone — bloggers, public relations representatives, marketers, writers, taxpayers, opinion formers — are all asking, what’s next?
The entire process was a complete learning experience for me. I am truly grateful for the lessons learned, even the 
tough ones. As I previously mentioned, my goal was to bridge the local social media and blogging community with the So Much More Hawaii team. The pairing process, while seemingly simple, was actually enduring. It was more than just coordinating schedules and niches; but also handling rejection gracefully and being able to adjust to personality differences.
One of the key elements that I had before making this commitment was knowing many of the individuals that make up my community. For many, a person’s passions are clear in their online content, however the traits that make them unique individuals can only be discovered through real life or more intimate conversations. Over the years, I’ve invested a lot of time offline at different events or online through frequent instant messaging, VoIP and even telephone calls fostering relationships. These sincere investments, I believe, provided the edge needed in building a solid bridge.
Another goal that was also met, and this perhaps was much more favorable for social media marketers, content creators, and long-time users and enthusiast of social networking; was that the Hawaii Tourism Authority gave consideration to social media tools through this tour. This ground-breaking decision led by Vice President of Tourism Marketing, David Uchiyama garnered the attention of local traditional media outlets: Pacific Business News, Honolulu Star Bulletin, and KHON2 news; and of course the blogging community.
The ultimate and foremost goal was to inspire action, specifically having people book and pay for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and activities to experience a vacation in Hawaii. Time will tell if the ultimate goal was met, and the analytics of the tour is still being compiled. But, the question still remains — what’s next?
Here is what I have been doing and will continue to do next:
As does everything, this inaugural tour has room for improvement and I am certain, if asked, several people will have an abundance of worthy suggestions — I have already received some very good feedback. But, right now I’d like to thank Christine Lu, Chris Noble, MJ Miller, Guy Kawasaki, Aric S. Queen, Jim Turner, Leah Lamb, Mark Tafoya, Rick Calvert, Sheila Scarborough, and Shira Lazar with special mahalo to my community, the Puka Shell Tour Guides Burt Lum, Melissa Chang, Russ Sumida, Olin Lagon, Bruce and Yaling Fisher, Liza Pierce, Sarah Burns, Melanie Kosaka, and Leslie Lang. Most importantly, I’d like to extend encouraging words of gratitude to the residents of Hawaii and the Hawaii Tourism Authority that we’re all in this together — what’s next? Pot luck our skills!
In late April, just before leaving for Chicago, Alltop received an inquiry from Christine Lu of Cilantro Media to develop a partnership for the So Much More Hawaii tour. As I discussed my strategy in a previous post, I created an opportunity for myself.
I volunteered to bridge the local social media and blogging community with the So Much More Hawaii team. I have always believed that the State of Hawaii’s best evangelists are its residents, its people. Additionally, one of the best ways to experience a new place is through the recommendations and conversations with the locals. Borrowing the concept from the late, Rap Replinger I put together a team of Puka Shell Tour Guides.
Oahu
Burt Lum is a self-proclaimed digital ronin; the co-host of Hawaii’s leading tech radio show, Bytemarks Cafe; and the social and new media expert at one of Hawaii’s largest medical insurance companies. Professionally, Burt seems to tip the scales heavily towards tech, however if you have spent time with him and have come to know him like I have you’ll realize that he has a very spiritual side of him. Burt is a member of Protect Kaho’olawe Ohana and applies Eastern philosophy practices to his daily life. His knowledge of Eastern spiritual practices are a good match for Leah Lamb’s curiousity.
Melissa Chang, Twitterlulu’s “pushy Chinee broad” is also an accomplished writer for Metromix and has one of the most popular blogs on the Honolulu Advertiser. So popular that her posts have been known to resurrect a “Little Oven” with oh, a modest 80,000 page views for a single story. She has inspired me to discover my inner foodie, and she will definitely serve Oahu on her finest China for Chef Mark Tafoya.
Who doesn’t love the wit and charm of @ParkRat? If you follow him on Twitter then you know that majority of his day is spent shuttling his children to their different sports activities. And, at times his twittersteam is so busy, if you didn’t know him in real life you’d think he has a dozen little parkrats! He has a terrific sense of humor which is why Sheila Scarborough will have a LOL IRL time with @ParkRat!
When I first met this man, he said that he had such admiration and respect for my father that he’d follow him into battle — powerful words that touched my heart. Olin Lagon, Director of Tech & Social Ventures, Kanu Hawaii; his passion is social entrepreneurship. I just heard from Olin and he and Aric S. Queen have planned a full day of activities on Oahu.
Bruce and Yaling Fisher owners of HAWAII-ALOHA.COM love in no particular order; Hawaii, social media, and each other. Being a Puka Shell Tour Guide for the So Much More Hawaii Tour was almost godsend. In truth, their generosity to the local community is godsend. Bruce and Yaling did not wait for the official start of the tour, they’ve already had lunch with Christine Lu!
Maui
Liza is the Kama’aina blogger behind A Maui Blog. She has been living on Maui since 1994 and considers Maui as her “home”. She’s a 40 something mom who likes exploring Maui with family. She’s a busy working mom to two tweens (11 yr old Hapa Boy and a 10 yr old Hapa Girl).
Sarah Burns is The Ohana Mama that traded traffic filled freeways and the cold west coast waters for a beach house in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A Mom and Entrepreneur, she is building a place in the blogosphere that highlights and supports women entrepreneur.
Melanie Kosaka is the owner and founder of First Daughter Mediaworks a company specializing in culinary television production and interactive media. She is also the creator and Founder of Share Your Table, where food traditions, recipes and memories feast. Melanie, Melissa, and Mark have planned an itinerary for Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island!
Big Island
Leslie Lang is an award-winning business, book, and magazine writer whose work has appeared on NPR’s A
ll Things Considered, Hawaiian Airlines InFlight Magazine:
Hana Hou!, and
Homes of the Big Island to name a few. Her blogs include
Big Island on the Cheap and
Honolulu on the Cheap.
The So Much More Hawaii Tour which officially launches today was put together in six weeks. My upcoming posts will provide an opportunity for other local bloggers to engage with the So Much More Hawaii team, as well as have their content featured.
The So Much More Hawaii website officially launched early this morning signifying the much anticipated, first ever social media tour sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. There has already been a lot of buzz in the local blogosphere and on Twitter. Some are skeptical, many are anxious, but one thing I know for sure — the Hawaii Tourism Authority is poised to becoming a leader in the social media world.
Organized by Cilantro Media, its founding partner Christine Lu has a proven, successful track record in the social media sphere. She was named “20 Most Influential Individuals in Los Angeles” by NowPublic based on her influence and “publicness” in online visibility, presence on user generated content and social networking sites, interactivity and accessibility, and presence on microblogging platforms. She shared the impressive list with the CEO of Mahalo, Jason Calacanis; notorious gossiper Perez Hilton, and the Queen of Spain Erin Kotecki Vest to name a few.
In November 2008 she co-organized the China 2.0 tour, similar to the So Much More Hawaii, but on a much larger scale. And, even larger than the China 2.0 tour, Christine’s company, Cilantro Media is a partner in the upcoming Geeks on A Plane.
Over the next week, I will be blogging about my role in the So Much More Hawaii Tour; the role of Alltop and Pono Media; and of course highlighting so much more about Hawaii.
