Nova Scotia Tourism has done a great job at putting to use the most popular social media groups but in addition to their links for facebook, twitter, Flickr, and YouTube, they also have a page for blogs. These are platforms for people to write creatively/freely about their Nova Scotia experiences and favourite things.
A few of the suggested blogs to follow from the link on the Nova Scotia Tourism website are all from http://www.novascotiablogs.com/ :
Nova Scotia, my Oyster - By Cynthia Bragg
“I've got one of the best jobs! I get to explore Nova Scotia and share it with the world. Tough gig if you can get it, right?” ~C.B.
The same person who maintains the NS tourism twitter page and facebook group has also a blog on http://www.novascotiablogs.com/ which she uses as a platform to chat about different tourism attractions in the province including pictures. It is marketing, but she uses enough personal anecdotes and creates a feeling of familiarity that engages the reader to keep reading.
The Bay of Fundy - Terri McCulloh
"Life's too short not to live by the sea. Join me on my adventure ~ living, tasting, and exploring the highest tides on the planet!" ~T.M.
If there is something happening by the bay in this province you can bet that Terri has it on her blog. She posts two to six times a month depending on what is happening and keeps her blog up to date. Terri has done an awesome job at promoting the Bay of Fundy with its natural attraction having the highest tides in the world and can also be found on twitter.
The Right Coast Nova Scotia- Maria McGowan
When not blogging about my discoveries, I am working, raising a family and doing a crossword puzzle (in pencil, not pen)."
Maria does a great job at re-discovering Nova Scotia's coastline with the perspective of someone who moved away and has come back and is now learning to enjoy the province as a wife and mother and documents her discoveries in her blog which tend to be little out of the way things that you wouldn't normally see written about.
Tom Wilson's Blog- Tom Wilson
“’We make a living by what we get - we make a life by what we give.’ - Sir Winston Churchill”
This link was actually a dissapointment, and his quote seems almost ironic because it doesn't seem like he's giving too much on this blog. Forgive me, at first it looked like a really interesting blog to follow- especially for any hikers or cyclist enthusiasts however there have only been three posts, and the last one was in September of 2009. With healthy and eco-friendly living being the new trend in tourism; bike tours of Nova Scotia are more popular. Tom needs to get back on the wagon here, in my opinion, if he wants to keep any kind of following and could potentially do a lot for the Outdoor Adventure sector of tourism in the province if he used this correctly. Just because it is winter doesn't mean you can't get people excited about what is upcoming.
When Social Media turns on you...
That actually is a great example of the issue with blogs can sometimes be the upkeep. People love hearing a story, but if you only write the first three chapters of the novel and don't continue, people are going to lose interest in the book. If you follow bloggers, it's almost like those who follow columnists in the papers or magazines, only these people often don't have censorship or editors and can say things either incredibly outrageous, or interesting and people come to depend on their posts. The more controversial, the more addictive they become.
When you use social media you are creating a relationship - which has great benefits but it also has a responsibility attached to maintain those good relationships and to continut posting information. There is nothing worse than initiating a conversation and then not following through because it leaves people with bad impressions, which is never good for business.
"People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." —Unknown
So I hope that the overall impression that people are getting from Nova Scotia Tourism is making them feel welcome to come explore a little more on Canada's Eastern Shore
Your Travel-lovin' chica,
ox This is my Nova Scotia xo
