View from the Wing [VFTW] discussions
Sep 19, 2016, 5:26 pm
#721
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
Not many have. I've yet to try the place in question, or Otoko. Life without referral fees is difficult! I have been to Uchi twice though since moving here. Seems Gary doesn't get north of UT or south of Oltorf though, based on his favorites. He possibly hasn't visited Peached since they moved to Burnet, judging from his list of places. Good for me, keeps him away from the spots I like 
.
Also, recommending a $150 sushi place isn't exactly difficult. It had better be good for that kind of money.
. Also, recommending a $150 sushi place isn't exactly difficult. It had better be good for that kind of money.
Sep 19, 2016, 7:06 pm
#722
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,623
Not many have. I've yet to try the place in question, or Otoko. Life without referral fees is difficult! I have been to Uchi twice though since moving here. Seems Gary doesn't get north of UT or south of Oltorf though, based on his favorites. He possibly hasn't visited Peached since they moved to Burnet, judging from his list of places. Good for me, keeps him away from the spots I like .
Also, recommending a $150 sushi place isn't exactly difficult. It had better be good for that kind of money.
. Also, recommending a $150 sushi place isn't exactly difficult. It had better be good for that kind of money.
Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż
Sep 24, 2016, 9:27 pm
#723
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
I am confused. Is GTL actually suggesting in his post on eight great Marriott redemptions that the Marriott Courtyard in Melbourne, Florida is on the doorstep of Miami? Actual quote from the article: "You’ve got access to Miami beaches."
Well, yes, yes you do. About 180 miles away. Closer would be any of the theme parks in Orlando, the speedway and beaches in Daytona, the theme parks and beaches of Tampa, the beaches, including Sanibel and Captiva, near Ft. Myers, football at the University of Florida in Gainesville (although Tallahassee and Florida State fall outside this distance), and even the golf courses at the TPC south of Jacksonville at Ponte Vedra--although lovely downtown Jacksonville is 10 more miles beyond the radius from Melbourne that would include Miami Beach.
It would be like talking about the access Austin gives you to the nightlife of Houston.
What you talkin' bout Willis?
Well, yes, yes you do. About 180 miles away. Closer would be any of the theme parks in Orlando, the speedway and beaches in Daytona, the theme parks and beaches of Tampa, the beaches, including Sanibel and Captiva, near Ft. Myers, football at the University of Florida in Gainesville (although Tallahassee and Florida State fall outside this distance), and even the golf courses at the TPC south of Jacksonville at Ponte Vedra--although lovely downtown Jacksonville is 10 more miles beyond the radius from Melbourne that would include Miami Beach.
It would be like talking about the access Austin gives you to the nightlife of Houston.
What you talkin' bout Willis?
Sep 25, 2016, 7:19 am
#724
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
I am confused. Is GTL actually suggesting in his post on eight great Marriott redemptions that the Marriott Courtyard in Melbourne, Florida is on the doorstep of Miami? Actual quote from the article: "You’ve got access to Miami beaches."
Well, yes, yes you do. About 180 miles away. Closer would be any of the theme parks in Orlando, the speedway and beaches in Daytona, the theme parks and beaches of Tampa, the beaches, including Sanibel and Captiva, near Ft. Myers, football at the University of Florida in Gainesville (although Tallahassee and Florida State fall outside this distance), and even the golf courses at the TPC south of Jacksonville at Ponte Vedra--although lovely downtown Jacksonville is 10 more miles beyond the radius from Melbourne that would include Miami Beach.
It would be like talking about the access Austin gives you to the nightlife of Houston.
What you talkin' bout Willis?
Well, yes, yes you do. About 180 miles away. Closer would be any of the theme parks in Orlando, the speedway and beaches in Daytona, the theme parks and beaches of Tampa, the beaches, including Sanibel and Captiva, near Ft. Myers, football at the University of Florida in Gainesville (although Tallahassee and Florida State fall outside this distance), and even the golf courses at the TPC south of Jacksonville at Ponte Vedra--although lovely downtown Jacksonville is 10 more miles beyond the radius from Melbourne that would include Miami Beach.
It would be like talking about the access Austin gives you to the nightlife of Houston.
What you talkin' bout Willis?
I guess GTL needs a refresher geography class...or a map? Or maybe he's just getting in sync with some of the ULCCs who fly to airports far from the metro area that they advertise as the destination...but even then I don't think Ryanair or the like would stretch things that far, would they?
Actually for closer "access" to Miami beaches, one should choose the Bahamas where Freeport is "only" about 112 miles away!
While neither are exactly in my top 10, I'd take the Melbourne area beaches over Miami, personally.
Sep 26, 2016, 2:00 am
#725
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,187
He claimed 99$ fares to Europe some time ago (never mind that they were one way barebones fares US East coast to KEF), but shame on you if you go for clickbait...��
Sep 26, 2016, 4:53 pm
#727
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Sep 27, 2016, 7:31 pm
#728
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
But, as noted in my post, his selection of the Melbourne property, which could be useful for someone interested in a central Florida vacation that might include beach time (on the Melbourne and Cocoa Beach beaches), a quick trip to Orlando for Disney World/Sea World/Universal, and a cruise on one of the Disney cruise ships out of Cape Canaveral, is perfectly valid for a lot more activities than access to the beaches of Miami that are nearly 200 miles away. That tells me that I can't rely on all of the representations he has made about all the other properties he's highlighted.
As I've said before, Gary's an adult, unlike most of the other bloggers. He's held responsible jobs. Despite those good points, his research and analysis frequently fall short--and in this case, for no particularly good reason since he could have pitched the Melbourne hotel in a way that was equally, if not more appealing.
As the bloggers like to say, in the interest of full disclosure, I should reveal that I know about the Melbourne area because of one of the best jobs in my life, a summer job working for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. No--not a rocket scientist (I think my posts make clear I'm not that smart at all)--but a great time that was the start of the travels in my life. I like to think that the travel I do now comes from the travel I did in that one summer.
Oct 5, 2016, 12:19 pm
#729
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,623
As a thought leader myself, I thought I would pass along this interesting read on Thought Leaderyness:
https://marketingcraftsmanship.com/2...hought-leader/
7 Signs that You’re NOT a Thought Leader
Thought Leadership is perhaps the most widely used and consistently abused strategy in professional services marketing. There’s diverse opinion regarding what it is, and fuzzy expectations with respect to its benefits.
Our simple definition is that Thought Leadership is a content marketing strategy designed to leverage intellectual capital as a means to engage target audiences.
...
So here are 7 signs that you’re not cut out to be a Thought Leader:
Thought Leadership is perhaps the most widely used and consistently abused strategy in professional services marketing. There’s diverse opinion regarding what it is, and fuzzy expectations with respect to its benefits.
Our simple definition is that Thought Leadership is a content marketing strategy designed to leverage intellectual capital as a means to engage target audiences.
...
So here are 7 signs that you’re not cut out to be a Thought Leader:
- You call yourself a Thought Leader. Worse yet, you call yourself a “visionary.” Thought Leadership is not a mantle that can be claimed. It’s a market perception that’s earned over time, and an unofficial stature that’s assigned to you by others.
- Your editorial content is self-serving. If you’re unwilling to provide insights, information and recommendations without making yourself the hero, or without directly plugging your firm’s products / services, then you’re not really practicing Thought Leadership.
- You lack original or interesting ideas. Repurposing “archived” content (a/k/a other people’s thinking), or providing summaries or news reports of information that’s available elsewhere, will likely position you as an industry parrot, rather than a Thought Leader.
- You’re not a true student of your craft. Bona fide Thought Leaders are constantly focused on the current state and future direction of their professional discipline. They appreciate that a rising tide floats all boats, and unselfishly share what they know and think.
- You think Thought Leadership has a goal line. If you’re looking for instant gratification, and don’t completely believe, at the outset, in the long-term value of Thought Leadership as an ongoing marketing strategy, then simply scratch it off your to-do list.
- You refuse to share the spotlight. The most effective Thought Leaders seek to manage, rather than control, the conversation. Rather than pushing their own viewpoint, they define and promote topics and identify people worth paying attention to.
- You’re unwilling to work hard. Consistency is the most significant hurdle in the quest for Thought Leadership. To establish a level of top-of-mind awareness required for your target audiences to form and sustain a positive opinion, you need to generate relevant content on a quarterly basis. And that requires personal (or enterprise) discipline.
Oct 5, 2016, 12:37 pm
#730
Moderator: Hilton Honors forums
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Posts: 24,997
So here are 7 signs that you’re not cut out to be a Thought Leader:
You call yourself a Thought Leader.
I apologize; but I could not resist...
You call yourself a Thought Leader.
Oct 5, 2016, 12:38 pm
#731
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
.
Oct 5, 2016, 12:48 pm
#733
Original Member, Ambassador: External Miles and Points Resources
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Digital Nomad Wandering the Earth - Currently in LIMA, PERU
Posts: 58,623
Oct 5, 2016, 8:09 pm
#734
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Today's Article: 10 Things I Love About My Chase Ink Cash Card
Correct me if I'm wrong here... but there seem to be some major mistakes in this article. He said he values the points at 1.9 cents apiece, but that's not accurate. It's 1.0 cents apiece. You can't place a value above 1.0 cents UNLESS you have a Sapphire or Ink Plus to transfer the points to.
He is also linking to an article "I value the points at 1.9 cents apiece", but in the article he gives no backing to how he came up with that valuation. What an idiot!
Also, am I wrong here.. but the $95 you pay for a yearly fee (which most get waived at least every other year by calling the retention line) is because you get the Visa Signature benefits?
Correct me if I'm wrong here... but there seem to be some major mistakes in this article. He said he values the points at 1.9 cents apiece, but that's not accurate. It's 1.0 cents apiece. You can't place a value above 1.0 cents UNLESS you have a Sapphire or Ink Plus to transfer the points to.
He is also linking to an article "I value the points at 1.9 cents apiece", but in the article he gives no backing to how he came up with that valuation. What an idiot!
Also, am I wrong here.. but the $95 you pay for a yearly fee (which most get waived at least every other year by calling the retention line) is because you get the Visa Signature benefits?
Oct 6, 2016, 4:14 am
#735
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Today's Article: 10 Things I Love About My Chase Ink Cash Card
Correct me if I'm wrong here... but there seem to be some major mistakes in this article. He said he values the points at 1.9 cents apiece, but that's not accurate. It's 1.0 cents apiece. You can't place a value above 1.0 cents UNLESS you have a Sapphire or Ink Plus to transfer the points to.
He is also linking to an article "I value the points at 1.9 cents apiece", but in the article he gives no backing to how he came up with that valuation. What an idiot!
Also, am I wrong here.. but the $95 you pay for a yearly fee (which most get waived at least every other year by calling the retention line) is because you get the Visa Signature benefits?
Correct me if I'm wrong here... but there seem to be some major mistakes in this article. He said he values the points at 1.9 cents apiece, but that's not accurate. It's 1.0 cents apiece. You can't place a value above 1.0 cents UNLESS you have a Sapphire or Ink Plus to transfer the points to.
He is also linking to an article "I value the points at 1.9 cents apiece", but in the article he gives no backing to how he came up with that valuation. What an idiot!
Also, am I wrong here.. but the $95 you pay for a yearly fee (which most get waived at least every other year by calling the retention line) is because you get the Visa Signature benefits?
I'm guessing the 1.9 cents is based upon transferring UR points to airline programs and some sort of average cash "value" of flights that could be redeemed for award tickets, or something like that. Not sure he really explains it though.