Coming to Austin for Mega Camp, another event or just to visit KW…and just not sure where or what to eat? Well, we are here to help! Austin is full of amazing restaurants and there are so many choices. To make it a little easier on our guests, we created a Food Guide on Foodspotting.

So, first things first, what is Foodspotting? Foodspotting is a unique local guide where you can find and visually see what people have “Spotted” at restaurants–to see what looks good to you or discover something new. Maybe you would never try the Pasta with Clams, but it looks so good that you can’t pass it up (that’s me)! It is a very fun way to visually see what looks tasty, instead of reading through reviews. Basically it is social media heaven for foodies!

There are two ways to participate on Foodspotting: Continue reading ‘KW is Foodspotting Across Austin!’

Already a big fan of location-based applications like Foursquare and Gowalla, I was pretty excited to try out Facebook Places.

In short, Facebook Places lets you and your friends check into a location. Once checked in, you can see who else out of your friends is at that location or one nearby. Cool right? But, as with any Facebook update, the addition of Places brings a whole new slew of privacy updates to your Profile that you must know about. So, here are a few things to make note of to ensure that you are comfortable with your settings and what you are sharing on Facebook.

1. Opt out of friends checking YOU in. With Facebook Places, the setting is automatically defaulted to “Enabled,” allowing friends to check you in on your behalf. As I wrote this post I was able to check-in at Starbucks on my iPhone from my desk at work (across the freeway from Starbucks) and tag a friend as being there with me. At first, both of us showed up on my Facebook Profile page as being checked in. Then Facebook Places sent an email letting my friend know I was trying to check her in. Once she approved it, a post showed up on her Facebook Profile page. Continue reading ‘Facebook Places: Another Adventure in Privacy’

On Four Square, I am the mayor of my local Starbucks, a sno-cone stand (it is summer after all), a popular mid-century modern furniture store, as well as my hair salon, to name a few. If you have no idea what I am talking about or aren’t sure why you should care, tune in.

Location-based applications are growing stronger every day and should be on your need-to-know list. Part social city guide and part game, location-based applications include Four Square, Gowalla and Loopt. Each of these sites focus on one thing: connecting you to the community. And, just like the early days of Facebook and Twitter, a lot of people still don’t “get” these applications.

If this is something you are pondering, here are three reasons I suggest you start using location based sites (a little bit for fun and a little bit for business):

Continue reading ‘Have You “Checked-In” to Today’s Hottest Mobile Technology?’

Whether or not you use Twitter to actively tweet, no one can deny that what once began as a niche phenomenon for a few enthusiasts has become a great source of information for all. And even if don’t want to tweet, you can always sign up for an account and just listen in on the conversation to understand the tool.

For example, during Family Reunion, our associates used Twitter to share what they were learning and experiencing at the event with people who couldn’t be there and each other. Quotes, links, facts and observations were tweeted from the event and were grouped together by adding #kwfr hashtag to tweets about the event.

For example:

@kwri: Just attended a great session on listing foreclosures! Can’t wait for Mo’s Inspirational Brunch tomorrow! #kwfr”

So, what does #kwfr mean and why should you use a hashtag if tweeting while at an event or about specific subject?

Continue reading ‘Why You Should Be Using Twitter’s Hashtags’