on technology � john kamm, ctp

2010, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?That date sounds tantalizingly like thefuture. Shouldn’t we be vacationing onMars? A machine should be reading mythoughts and committing them to digi-tal memory, another machine bringingmy bagel and schmear. Rosie, Rosie,wherefore art thou Rosie? Not much tolook at but, man, was that robot maid

efficient and the Jetsons loved her. So,we’re not there quite yet, but there aresome exciting trends to watch.Netbooks, small computer appliances

configured for browsing the Internetand running minimal applications, aregetting more alluring. They are perfectfor travel or toting around the house ifyou can’t bear to be away from Facebookfor even a moment. Handsets (the de-vice formerly known as a cell phone) aregiving netbooks a run for their money asthe overhead of the operating systemshrinks coupled with must-have applica-tions and the ability to function on aWi-Fi network. And they still makephone calls! Watch for a spate of smart-

phones running Google’s Android oper-ating system. The venerable iPhone willface some interesting competition. Notebooks or laptops are replacing

conventional desktop computers athome, school and the workplace. Theyhave the power of most conventionaldesktops with the added benefit ofportability. With these machines, the

operating system is a key consideration.Apple’s Snow Leopard is a magnificentexample of software engineering, but thetotal cost of the machine with softwareis often hundreds of dollars more than asimilarly equipped machine runningWindows. Linux still requires a pioneer-ing geeky aptitude but it is extremelyuseful for certain applications when se-curity is of utmost importance. I’m for-getting something. Oh, yes, Windows 7. At this stage I liken Windows 7, just

released to generally positive reviews, to anew puppy. It is cute and full of promise.Time will tell if it is a Lassie or a Cujo.Two things I know for sure—there isnothing sadder than a dog movie when

the canine character doesn’t make it inthe end and the next computer most ofus buy will be running Windows 7. Stepping up, I will go on the record

here to predict that in 2010 someonewill actually figure out how to use socialmedia in a profitable business marketingplan. In traditional marketing modelsthe communication is one-way – fromthe marketer to the consumer. In socialmedia the communication is a conver-sation; if you start the conversation youbetter stay in it because it will continuewith or without you. Marketers feelthey lose control of the message andthat makes them fidget. What aboutROI, return on investment? Since itcosts little or nothing to participate inFacebook or Twitter, there is minimalmonetary investment. Better to think ofthe process in terms of ROE, return oneffort. Yet, what metrics can we use toevaluate success or failure? Personally, Ibelieve it is a secret government stimu-lus plan to find employment for oursons and daughters graduating fromcollege in the next few years. Hire oneof them, they get this stuff. They willhappily tweet and post and YouTubeyour sales through the roof.Next year is going to be an exciting

ride and we only get to take it once.Don’t be a whiner like George Jetsoncrying, “Jane, how do you stop thiscrazy thing?” Best get to it, there’s muchto do.

Technically Speaking, 2010 Is Going To Be Awesome!

At this stage I liken Windows 7 to a new puppy. It is cute and full of promise.

John Kamm is CEO of TourTech Systems, Inc.,

developers of TourTools®, the most popular

tour reservations solution in North America. Visit

www.tourtools.com for more information.

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38 December 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com