Travelling shark becomes social media sensation
#FloatingHouse, this week saw our social media feeds filled with questions about, and photos of, a little blue house floating down the Thames. This stunt, it turns out, was by accommodation rental specialist, Airbnb, in celebration of the change in the rules on short-term lets in the UK capital (Londoners are now free to rent their homes for up to 90 days a year without risk of fines). Airbnb floated the fully functional house along the river, hosted a celeb-filled party while docked at Canary Wharf and invited a ream of influential journalists, bloggers and Instagrammers to visit. There was also a competition to win a night’s stay in the Pixar-inspired home. We particularly enjoyed the full Airbnb listing-style page for the house.
KLM has always been ahead of the game when it comes to social media-based customer services, and it seems to be paying off. This week, the Dutch airline reported that its team of 150 social media customer service agents have generated $25M in annual revenue alone. The airline fields around 70,000 queries a week, 24/7 in 14 languages and is currently testing WhatsApp as its next portal for a safer and more private place to vent.
In more online customer services news, with an increase in commuters taking to social media to show their frustration with train companies, analysts from the Commute London Group have trawled through thousands of tweets from commuters to rate the nation’s railways. Greater Anglia commuters sent more than 70,000 tweets complaining to the company about everything from the temperature of the carriages, health and safety and even crime taking place on board. First Great Western received 64,302 and Southern was named the most delayed train company, receiving 61,715 twitter complaints. Greater Anglia said that all feedback is positive and they appreciated their customers engaging. With so much negativity heading their way, remember to send a bit of love to our railway operators when they get things right.
This week, a pizzeria off the coast of Fiji has been our main source of wanderlust/envy on instagram. This incredible floating restaurant can only be reached by boat and offers wood fire pizzas and cocktails. There is no entry or landing fee, and with crystal clear waters surrounding every side, it is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal and keep yourself occupied with snorkelling or sunbathing whilst waiting for your order. Have a look at @cloud9_fiji for a taste of this heavenly restaurant.
And finally…Twitter’s sole shark member, a 1.5 ton great white located off the US coast, has become an unlikely social media sensation after amassing 65,800 followers. The Jaws like creature has been basking in its new found fame after having an automated pinger attached by a brave marine biologist as part of a scientific study into the travel patterns for the animal. Every time ‘Mary Lee’ breaks the surface, a tweet is issued notifying the world of her precise location, allowing followers of @MaryLeeShark to stay up to date with her travels.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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