Kerry O'Shea Gorgone's Disney Travel Tips

I'm looking into a trip to Orlando and Disney. My friend, and marketing and social media law expert, Kerry O'Shea Gorgone shared her tips her tips with me:


Okay, here's what I've got for Disney Travel tips.

Disney Experience App

First, download the Disney Experience app

You want that. You can link up your companions' passes and yours, so you can book FastPasses for rides, dining reservations, and stuff like that for everyone.

The scoop on FastPasses

Speaking of which, here's the scoop on FastPasses

They let you come back at a pre-set time so you don't have to wait in the standby line for rides. If you plan these right, they can save you a ton of time.

Are you staying on Disney property?
If so, you can book dining at the sit-down restaurants up to 6 months in advance (and you totally should, because the sit-down restaurants book up fast). You also get to book FastPasses for rides up to 60 days in advance. Again, definitely do it, because those go, too.

Magic Bands

People staying at a Disney hotel also get a Magic Band (awesome RFID bracelet you can link to your passes. It even links to your credit card for in-park purchases.

Extra magic hours
Guests also enjoy "extra magic hours," when they get to enter the parks early or leave late, so you get more park time than the plebes.

All the perks of staying "on property" at Walt Disney World are here

Attraction Tips
The Animal Kingdom's gotten much better over the years, with a roller coaster now. The Kilamanjaro Safari's the most popular ride, so hit it first thing in
the a.m., when it's faster to get on. Cooler temperatures mean you'll see more animals, too. I like to go on twice, because it's different every time! Take a Fast Pass for it, then go on through the regular line. By the time your first safari's over, you'll be able to use your FastPass!

At Disney's Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Mania is probably the most popular attraction, go straight for a "Fast Pass." That way, you can get on without too much of a wait later, although Fast Passes run out for that one pretty early.

It's a fun ride, but not worth waiting 90 minutes, which some families do! At Epcot, "Soarin'," a gentle ride that simulates a gliding experience, is the family-friendly ride that books up fastest. That's the Fast Pass to grab on your way in there.

For Magic Kingdom, the latest ride is the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. The wait is always insane. If you'er staying on property, this should DEFINITELY be one of the FastPasses you book in advance. Otherwise, decide how important it is to you, because it's a long-ass wait.

About Kerry O’Shea Gorgone, J.D./M.B.A.

Kerry is a lawyer, podcaster and speaker. former college professor, Kerry develops training programs for MarketingProfs, and has addressed audiences at industry conferences including the B2B Marketing Forum, the Social Brand Forum, Vocus Demand Success, and FLBlogCon. She has also spoken at specialty conferences including Bloggy Boot Camp and the Type-A Parent Conference, and frequently conducts private workshops for clients.

Listen to her Markerting Profs podcast.

JetBlue Airways Best Fare Finder

JetBlue Airways Best Fare Finder.
Have you ever clicked "My Dates are flexible" when looking for a flight on JetBlue? I usually don't, but today I did and found this.



It's a cool calendar showing fares for the whole month. Very nice user interface.

4 Tips for Great Webcam Video

4 Tips for Great Webcam Video



1. Get to the Point.
Don't rehash 'last week's show' or get sidetracked.

2. Listen for Great Sound.
Sound is the most important part of video. Use an external mic if you have one. It makes a difference.

3. Look for the Light.
Additional light is good. Light up the background too. Don't sit with a window behind you, have the window behind the camera, shedding light on the subject, you!

4. Position the Camera at Eye Level.
Look me in the eye. When recording yourself talking, or live streaming an interview or broadcast, raise the camera to eye level. If you have a laptop with an inbuilt camera, don't leave it sitting on your desk, raise it up with something like a stack of books.

4 Tips for Great Webcam Video 1. Get to the Point. Don't rehash 'last week's show' or get sidetracked.2. Listen for...

Posted by Steve Garfield on Tuesday, December 22, 2015

I have given up on Massachusetts Health Connector

It's December 26, 2015 and I have given up on Massachusetts Health Connector. They ate my payment. They took my money (11/12) and my insurance provider has not seen the payment (12/26).



Today, I paid my new insurance provider directly.
I'm going to just have to wait and see what happens to that payment that got eaten by the Mass Health Connector.
Happy New Year.
cc Charlie Baker

UPDATE:
Within minutes of making this payment DIRECTLY to my new health insurance provider, I got an email confirmation from them. That's how you do it.

UPDATE 12/28:
My DIRECT credit card payment to my insurance provider was received on 12/26 and posted to my account on 12/27. My Balance Due is now $0.00.

It's December 26, 2015 and I have given up on Massachusetts Health Connector. They ate my payment. They took my money...

Posted by Steve Garfield on Saturday, December 26, 2015

Star Wars The Force Awakens Figurine Playset Includes the Rey You Were Looking For

Star Wars The Force Awakens Figurine Playset includes: Flametrooper, Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren, Rey, BB-8, Finn



Star Wars The Force Awakens Figurine Playset (Affiliate Link)

Review: Typewriter: The Book

Review: Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island Bahamas

Image: Courtesy Atlantis Resort

Best Beer Bar in Amsterdam: Arendsnest Proeflokaal

Best Beer Bar in Amsterdam: Arendsnest Proeflokaal
Seriously, just go here. Inside, outside, it's all great. Plus, the bar tender will help you choose.

Massachusetts Health Connector Payment Portal Is Not Amazon.com

I just went through the sign up process for health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector. After enrolling, you have to make your first payment to complete the application process. You make a payment on the Payment Portal, a separate system from the enrollment system.

The Massachusetts Health Connector Payment Portal Is Not Amazon.com

There are issues. Many of them can be solved. Most deal with user interface, but the biggest problem is that the Payment Portal is a separate system from the enrollment system.

Massachusetts Health Connector: Enrollment System - BALANCE DUE
On the Massachusetts Health Connector enrollment system, after you place your order for health insurance and are presented with your BALANCE DUE, you have to go to the Payment Portal and enter everything in by hand.



That's not right.

It's a computer system.

Massachusetts Health Connector: PAYMENT PORTAL

Enrollment ID
If you choose to enter in your Enrollment ID, you have to enter it in without the "RefID_" prefix. Why is that even displayed?



Billing Information
Maybe since it's the first time through, the Payment Portal does not know what my balance due is, so you need to key it in to the Pay Other Amount field.

It's not easy. There is a default 00.00 amount there. I went over to the Massachusetts Health Connector and COPIED my amount due, and then tried to PASTE it into the Pay Other Amount field. It didn't work. I ended up re-keying it in.

Next up was Checking Account Number and Bank Routing Number
When you enter numbers into these fields they are hidden from view. You can't see what you are typing. Over to the right you can see the last four digits of the number you typed, after you type it in, but there's no way to turn off the hidden characters.



Give us the option to display what is typed.

Make Another Payment
If you've chosen both a health plan and a dental plan, at this point you want to make another payment.

First off, why can't I pay both dental and health with one payment? Again, it's a computer system that should know how to apply a total amount to individual payments.

Amazon does it with multiple vendors on the same order.

When you Make Another Payment you are back at square one and have to key EVERYTHING back in again. Enrollment ID, Billing Information, email, etc...

It would be nice it all your info was retained and all you had to do was enter in the new PLAN TYPE and AMOUNT.

Conclusion
It would be nice to complete enrollment on the Massachusetts Health Connector, then be able to click to pay the total balance due, having the system distribute the total between Health and Dental.

Boston Globe Links to A Website Online, But Not in the Print Edition

I'm happy to see the Boston Globe linking to a website that's featured in an article.

City Hall unveils StartHub ‘homepage’ for startups, partnering with IBM:

City Hall’s plan to attract and support startups is getting some more firepower.

On Tuesday, Mayor Martin J. Walsh unveiled StartHub, a website designed to serve as a homepage for technology entrepreneurs in Boston.

StartHub will feature information about the city’s technology scene, including a list of incubators and co-working offices, events calendar, industry news, and “a curated stream” of Boston-based companies and investors.

But when the article is printed in the newspaper, it needs to print the URL too, http://www.starthub.org


Image: Boston Globe StarHub Article with no link

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Review

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera isn't point and shoot. To master it, you've got to explore camera settings beyond today's AUTOmatic world.

How To Cover a Conference with Photos

The First Order is coming. Tune in to Monday Night Football on @ESPN for a new look at #Star Wars: ‪#‎TheForceAwakens‬

The First Order is coming. Tune in to Monday Night Football on @ESPN for a new look at #Star Wars: ‪#‎TheForceAwakens‬. #films #movies #clip

A video posted by Star Wars (@starwars) on Oct 19, 2015 at 10:00am PDT

2016 Mercedes-Benz S550 Test Drive

Note:
Photos shot with Samsung #NX1 in AUTO mode.

Buy on Amazon.com (affiliate link):



Disclosure:
Samsung supplied the Samsung NX1 28.2 MP Wireless SMART Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm f/2.0-2.8 "S" Lens to me on loan to play with and requested a short write-up and/or photos shared with the #NX1 hashtag.

2016 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate - CNN ONLINE FACEBOOK POLL RESULTS are still online

Some sites are reporting that CNN took down their online Facebook poll results from the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate.

I can't tell if they were taken down at some point, but they are up now.

You can see the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary - CNN FACEBOOK POLL RESULTS here: http://cnn.com/vote.


Image: 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate - CNN FACEBOOK POLL RESULTS Courtesy CNN

When I was watching the debate, I was looking for the Facebook integration. All I saw was the hashtag #DEMDEBATE, and followed it on twitter.

I had no idea that I was supposed to go to the CNN Facebook page to interact in real time. Did they publicize that?

Did you know?

Did you vote in the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate - CNN ONLINE FACEBOOK POLL?

UPDATE:
Sorry, Bernie fans: The polls are coming in, and it looks like Clinton won the debate

BAA Half Marathon - Boston

Note: Photos shot with Samsung #NX1 in AUTO mode. Buy on Amazon.com (affiliate link):


Disclosure:
Samsung supplied the Samsung NX1 28.2 MP Wireless SMART Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm f/2.0-2.8 "S" Lens to me on loan to play with and requested a short write-up and/or photos shared with the #NX1 hashtag.

How to Upload a Video on Twitter.com

How to upload a video to twitter from a browser.

GO TO twitter.com

CLICK TWEET


CLICK MEDIA


SELECT A VIDEO


More details about formats, from the twitter blog:

What video formats do you support?
We currently support MP4 and MOV video formats on mobile apps.
On the web, we support the MP4 video format with H264 format with AAC audio. You can upload videos up to 512MB, however you will be prompted to edit videos to 30 seconds or less in length.

What are the limitations on video resolutions and aspect ratios that can be uploaded on the web?
Minimum resolution: 32 x 32
Maximum resolution: 1920 x 1200 (and 1200 x 1900)
Aspect ratios: 1:2.39 - 2.39:1 range (inclusive)
Maximum frame rate: 40 fps
Maximum bitrate: 25 Mbps

TRIM
Now you will be presented with the video in a window that lets you trim the length to 30 seconds or less.


CLICK DONE


COMPOSE
Add any text to your tweet.



CLICK TWEET
Click TWEET to share it. After you do that, you'll see a progress indicator showing that your video is uploading.



Then you'll see it processing.

HERE IS THE EMBEDDED TWEET WITH MEDIA INCLUDED:

"Oh hi there, this is Steve Garfield from http://t.co/y2xpPUPSyz" My first twitter video uploaded from the browser. pic.twitter.com/atljU89lDQ

— Steve Garfield (@stevegarfield) October 9, 2015

You can also embed the media only:

"Oh hi there, this is Steve Garfield from http://t.co/y2xpPUPSyz" My first twitter video uploaded from the browser. pic.twitter.com/atljU89lDQ

— Steve Garfield (@stevegarfield) October 9, 2015

Note that a link back to the user and the tweet is embedded into the video for credit.

Click the user name and you go to the user's tweet stream. Click the twitter icon and you see the original tweet.

KitchenAid Siphon Coffee Brewer Puts on a Show

Note: Photos shot with Samsung #NX1 in AUTO mode.

Buy on Amazon.com (affiliate link):


Disclosure:
Samsung supplied the Samsung NX1 28.2 MP Wireless SMART Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm f/2.0-2.8 "S" Lens to me on loan to play with and requested a short write-up and/or photos shared with the #NX1 hashtag.

Homebrewing Beer: First-time Tips

Guinness #NitroIPA Advanced Tasting and Dinner Boston