Mastering social media later in life

Defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Andrew Davies, shares his discovery of social media and the benefits of becoming tech-savvy, albeit a little later in his career.
 

How Australia Day changed my life

Paralympic gold medalist and proud Aussie Kurt Fearnley talks about what Australia Day means to him, his experience on the Kokoda Track and the importance of a fighting spirit.  

I’m a proud country boy from Carcoar, New South Wales. When I was born I was missing half my spine and I wasn’t expected to live out the month. My family was encouraged to leave me behind at the hospital to facilities created to cater for people like me. Fortunately, my family only ever saw me growing up as their youngest boy and rather than leave me behind, they took me home and I took up my place as the shortest member of the Fearnley family.

Telework – it’s time to let Dracula run the bloodbank

As our lives move online and become increasingly mobile, Tim Fawcett explains the benefits of telework and moving away from the traditional bricks-and-mortar approach.

The greatest success of Australian National Telework Week 2012 (12-16 November) was to put the idea of working from anywhere in the uppermost minds of employees who are increasingly looking to use their mobile devices in more and more aspects of their lives.

Each day reveals media coverage of a new report outlining how Australians are voting with their feet and demanding more services they can use on their mobile devices whether that be banking and finance, shopping, news and media, books, music, games, social media or simply booking a flight, restaurant or tickets to the movies.

Exploring life after work

Retiree and self-confessed NINKER Julie-Ann Crossley, tells of how she swapped her suites for sarongs to discover the nomadic benefits of life after work.  

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be free as a bird? With endless opportunities to travel and do things you have always dreamt of?  Is this sort of freedom meant only for the young? Or should those of us who feel young at heart take the time to travel and explore?

I remember the exact moment my husband and I decided it was our time – we were celebrating his 55th birthday in the Plaka, Athens, drinking wine, basking under the sun, and smiling more and more as we ate our way through the entire gamut of Greek cuisine. We had just completed a Holy Land Cruise and as the last days of paradise were looming large and the dread of returning to work came over us, we asked ourselves, “What are we doing?”

Why space is no longer the final frontier

As recreational space travel becomes a reality and quickly infiltrates the commodity market, Dr Jason Held talks space tourism and its implications for planet Earth.

Business aircraft use takes to the sky

With the economy on the rise, aviation veteran and President of Embraer Executive Jets Ernie Edwards, explains why more and more businesses are utilising private air travel to boost productivity.

For many Australians the idea of owning their own jet is a dream, but in-fact it is becoming a reality. There are almost 200 jets based locally which accounts for 90 per cent of the business aircraft in Oceania. Australia has the second largest fleet of business aircraft in the region, second only to China.

We expect that the number of jets based in Australia will continue to rise in 2013 as corporations realise the increased efficiency they get from business aircraft and the direct impact on the bottom line.

Tourism Australia embraces digital marketing

Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy explains how the rise of the internet, social media and mobile technology is changing the way Australia is marketed as a holiday destination.  

Nowhere is the transition in tourism more visible than in marketing, where technology is changing how we promote our country to the world.

Our industry is witnessing a seismic shift from traditional to digital marketing – something Tourism Australia is positively embracing.

Globally more than 50 per cent of consumers use digital channels to research and plan holidays. A similar number of Australian consumers visit travel sites on a monthly basis.

Here at Tourism Australia, we’re harnessing the power of social media and continue to enhance our presence in the digital space.

An American in Europe

American Matt Dysart explored Europe as part of a university exchange program. He shares his wide range of experiences from Amsterdam to Berlin and his unique approach to travel.

In the spring of 2011, I left Texas and spent three months in a study abroad program. My parents never thought this was something their middle child would ever consider doing, because being a middle child I am supposed to be an introvert who believes the rest of the world is my enemy, or something like that. But, after I convinced them that seeing and recording the wonders of the world beyond the four walls of my bedroom was my true calling – and after I further convinced them that a semester abroad was the same price as one at home – they let me go to the Center of European Studies at Maastricht University in The Netherlands.

The Cruise – my favourite kind of holiday

With the summer in full swing Danielle McAnn shares her love of cruise holidays and explains what makes them the best way to enjoy your much valued time off.

What kind of images spring to mind when someone says you ‘I’m going on a cruise!’? Wealthy retirees? Families bursting at the seams with rambunctious children? Singles or couples looking for an island escape?

Last summer my husband and I went on a cruise around New Zealand and Fiji courtesy of Cruise Offers which were fantastic in making our stay as welcome as ever.

I think that holidays are about getting active. I found that the cruise fare covered all of our dining requirements, accommodation, and a plethora of activities and entertainment. Beauty and hair salons, pools, miniature golf, spas. I was in heaven.

Proportional representation will bring voters back

With a federal election looming in 2013 and the release of a discussion paper in Queensland reviewing its voting system, Dr Klaas Woldring suggests proportional representation as the way forward for Australia.  

The crisis in Australia’s national Parliament is now obvious. In 2010, 22 per cent avoided voting. This situation cries out for a solution. A similar situation prevailed in New Zealand in the mid 1980s when a Royal Commission was established to recommend alternative electoral systems. Its recommendations were only acted upon in 1992/3 when referenda were held and a system of proportional system (Mixed Member Proportional) introduced – with good results.

What are the principal reasons in Australia, even apart from the wasteful, nasty adversarial fault finding parliamentary culture, why the nation should embark on proportional representation (PR)?

Year in review 2012

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Open Forum community for your support throughout 2012. You, our readers and bloggers play a major role in shaping the content of this website.

I think it is important to highlight some of the most successful blogs of 2012 and I encourage you to spend the festive season exploring the wealth of content we have featured over the year.

We started 2012 with the continuation of the strata laws consultation, which was supported by the NSW Department of Fair Trading. It was an amazing success and ultimately feed into the white paper produced by the government. The strata area and its related blogs were the most read content this year.

Made to measure holidays

Too often there is a one size fits all approach to travel. Peter Fritz explains his vision for made to measure holidays.

I believe in a world which is ruled by mass production for individual taste where you have the ability to be able to choose to customise your experience to suit your life.

I think travel is lagging behind in this area. You board a plane often akin to herded cattle and are given little choice or variety throughout your flight.  

I am proposing to establish a new kind of experience, an internet service which allows individuals to tailor make their own trips. Would you like to go on a three day adventure to the Pyrenees, climbing the mountains and staying in small hotels? Through our service, a guide would be available to lead as few as a party of one, a family or a small group of friends.