Secondly, I think that “listening” is a key element of the social web in general, including Twitter. Putting a filter on what gets passed along…and likely losing the context of those conversations, really puts a hurting on the listening aspect. The marketing team who owns the properties’ experience really should be the ones who are doing this. On a related note, Twitter is also an excellent platform for customer service. It is extremely likely that people who may not have been satisfied will use this channel (as well as Facebook) to tell people what they weren’t happy about. Watching the Twitter feed will allow a smart executive to rapidly respond (not necessarily directly over Twitter) to a guests’ comments and perhaps turn around the perception of the property.

Thirdly, I think that using Twitter (or Facebook) for communicating promotions is also a responsibility of the marketing team and should not be outsourced unless there is no such team.

Just my 2 cents and look forward to following your blog.

Search marketing trends and best practices are always evolving, it’s nearly impossible for a hotelier to give their internet presence the attention that it deserves while running a profitable business. Professional search marketing and website design firms really do have the best tools and resources to oversee that your website is performing at its peak performance.

Blizzard Internet’s Director of Search Strategies wrote about the topic of outsourcing as well in Search Engine Watch in September- http://kl.am/4p70

There is no doubt that Twitter is a commitment, and it can be kind of fun. We often take the approach of Tweeting on behalf of our clients and teaching them the best ideas and thoughts to share so they can eventually take over to engage with their guests.

I realize Twitter monitoring and maintenance is very time consuming, however Twitter seems so personal that outsourcing that task seems to run counter to the intent of using and engaging social media communities.

Alternatively, if you hire someone who is engaged on Twitter and understands the anthropological dynamics involved in communicating with 140 characters then it may in fact be a great option. Certainly, hiring someone to show you the ropes about Twitter and explain the power of # , @, and direct messaging as well as how to integrate Twitter in your workflow is worth the investment in training and development.