It’s hard to look for news about timeshare on the internet and not find Bluegreen timeshare—they are everywhere. Whether it’s Twitter, blogging, video, or online media releases, Bluegreen timeshare creates and maintains a steady flow of outbound information.

But why is what Bluegreen timeshare is doing, so important?

Social media is a two-way street. Everything you publish to the World Wide Web instantly becomes subject matter up for discussion. Tweet and the world tweets back. Publish a YouTube video and prepare for your message to be praised, critiqued, and shared. Unlike print and television advertising, social media enables and even encourages viewers to stop being viewers and become responders. And as risky as it feels, especially in an industry that has borne the brunt of much criticism and negativity, opening your business up for two-way communication makes the bold public statement that you are truly listening and genuinely care what your market thinks about your services and products. The platforms of social media chip away at feelings of “industry” vs. “consumers” and empower consumers and would-be consumers with the confidence that their voice is being heard.

Social media is marketing wildfire (with trace amounts of swamp gas). Short of buying air time during the Super Bowl, there is virtually nothing you can do to spread your message as fast and as far as social media will spread it for you. Ironically, even Super Bowl advertising quickly makes the leap from prime time to web, sometimes doing so even before ads are revealed on TV.

The ‘spreads-like-wildfire’ quality of social media not only reaches the marketplace, it permeates the infrastructure of search engines themselves. Twitter, YouTube, online media releases, and similar platforms all afford excellent ways to increase your online presence and perhaps improve your standing in search results. And in the spirit of fighting fire with fire, nothing displaces negative messaging (if it happens) faster and more effectively than producing positive news and information to take its place. A strong social media machine upstages unfavorable  messaging, driving it further and further from the front-page news of search engine results while replacing it with vibrant, engaging, quality content.

Bluegreen Timeshares Shine

Much of what Bluegreen is doing stands as a blueprint to others in the timeshare industry for using the power of social media to reach and communicate with timeshare owners, timeshare renters, and prospective owners. While Bluegreen is not the only vacation ownership company to utilize the tools of social media, they are doing it very consistently and effectively; they clearly understand that business is no longer about talking to your customers but instead, talking with them.

In upcoming posts, we’ll be looking at other timeshare companies who are utilizing social media platforms well, including commentary from them about the tools they are using and how (and why) they are making them work.

If you aren’t already familiar with Bluegreen on the web, you’ll want to explore what they are doing. Look for Bluegreentweets  and their nearly 7000 followers  on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bluegreentweets . On Facebook, you’ll find them at https://www.facebook.com/bluegreenresort with more than 20,000 “Likes”.

You’ll find Bluegreen blogging on ALL of the following sites:

• Bluegreen at Atlantic Palace
• Bluegreen Carolina Grande™
• Bluegreen Casa del Mar Beach Resort
• Bluegreen Christmas Mountain Village™
• Bluegreen Cibola Vista Resort and Spa
• Bluegreen Club 36™
• Bluegreen Daytona Seabreeze™
• Bluegreen Grande Villas at World Golf Village®
• Bluegreen Harbour Lights™
• Bluegreen Laurel Crest™
• Bluegreen MountainLoft™
• Bluegreen Paradise Point
• Bluegreen Patrick Henry Square™
• Bluegreen Resort Sixty-Six
• Bluegreen Shenandoah Crossing™
• Bluegreen Solara Surfside™
• Bluegreen The Fountains
• Bluegreen The Cliffs at Long Creek
• Bluegren The Falls Village™
• Bluegreen The Hammocks at Marathon™
• Bluegreen The Suites at Hershey
• Bluegreen Parkside Williamsburg Resort
• Bluegreen Mountain Run at Boyne™
• Bluegreen Orlando’s Sunshine Resort™

And don’t overlook Bluegreen Timeshare’s YouTube channel, where you can catch a glimpse of many of their beautiful, family-friendly resorts. http://www.youtube.com/user/BluegreenResortsTV And Flickr, where you will find hundreds of photos and floor plans from Bluegreen properties http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluegreenresorts/

(The Crescent Resort on South Beach in Miami, Island One Resorts)

Island One Resorts timeshare, an Orlando, Florida-based resort developer, has selected Orange Enterprise Suite from SPI Software.

Island One Resorts CEO Sterling Stoudenmire says, “We selected SPI as best-in-class to handle all aspects of existing operations including sales and marketing, central reservations, PMS, resort operations, and web-based access to reservations and account management for our owners. We believe SPI Orange is the platform to support our forthcoming products and services, as it has the flexibility and full range of functionality required to enable our strategy. It was very important to us to purchase enterprise-wide software designed specifically for timeshare resorts, but with the flexibility necessary to drive continuing innovation.”

Island One Resorts operates Club Navigo and manages eight Florida timeshare resorts including:

Miami Timeshare

The Crescent Resort on South Beach

Orlando Timeshare

Barefoot’n Resort

Bryan’s Spanish Cove

Liki Tiki Village

Orbit One Vacation Villas

Parkway International Resort

Ormond Beach Timeshare

The Cove on Ormond Beach

Naples Timeshare

Charter Club Resort of Naples Bay

Matt Brosious, SPI VP of Sales, says, “Island One includes eight resorts throughout Florida, plus relationships with a number of other developments outside the area. SPI’s enterprise suite of software was the clear choice in that it is capable of handling multiple demands and is highly extensible.”

Congratulations to Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership, winner of the Best Technology Award presented as part of the GNEX  timeshare industry conference in Cancun.

Mike Pnematicatos, Merlin’s chief architect says, “We are just delighted to win this award. We had some stiff competition but I believe Merlin’s use of cutting edge cloud computing technology, the cost savings our software can offer resorts and the functionality we include really set us apart. This is a great start to the year for Merlin.”

Merlin Software provides computer software solutions for the timeshare industry that target timeshares sales, marketing, timeshare resort management and accounting needs. Merlin offers the only software that is 100% web-based. Utilizing secure-access technologies, timeshare companies can log into their Merlin accounts from any computer, benefiting greatly from the global accessibility and data capacity that cloud computing affords. The technology platform for Merlin consists of a Microsoft SQL Server database back end with the front end built using Active Server Pages (Browser Front End).

For more information on Merlin Software for Vacation Ownership and timeshare, contact Mike Ashton (mikea@quickmerlin.com) or call +44 (0) 7753 910788. You’ll also find friends and fans of Merlin Software on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MerlinSoftware.

Here at Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services, we feel like we’re having our own version of Super Bowl advertising excitement. We’ve launched our second new ad this week, which appears in print in The Resort Trades magazine, (page 37) in the February issue.

As you see in the ad, our message is simple and transparent.

“WHEN THE SOLUTION TO RESALES IS CRYSTAL CLEAR.

Transparency, reliability, and a proven track record of sales.”

Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services

(877) 815-4227 and (877) 884 9577

jaybade@sellmytimesharenow.com

We want to make it crystal clear where we stand on timeshare resale and rental services. As Vacation Hotdeal Companies, Inc, we offer services that target the many different types of timeshare needs.

SellMyTimeshareNOW.com is the recognized industry leader in by-owner timeshare resale and timeshare rental advertising and brokerage sales. Timeshare Broker Services is one of the most respected names in the business, providing brokerage services for buying or renting timeshare. And Vacation Property Solutions offers customized resale and rental solutions for timeshare developers, HOAs, and management companies.

…all delivered with our fullest commitment to quality service our clients can rely on.

Please look for this ad in The Resort Trades and other timeshare and vacation ownership publications.

Last week Florida’s Timeshare Resale Accountability Act passed the Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Tuesday with a 14-0 vote. On Thursday, the bill’s Senate counterpart, SB 1408, received unanimous approval from the Regulated Industries Committee.

Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, sponsors HB 1001. SB 1408 is sponsored by Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.

The bill has the support of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as well as that of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

Among other requisites, the proposed bill would prohibit a timeshare sales company from telling timeshare owners it has a buyer lined up unless the reseller provides the current timeshare owner with the name, address and telephone number of the potential buyer. The bill also provides for an “unwaivable right to cancel” within 10 days of a timeshare sale.

Uniform guidelines for timeshare resale services are much needed, and if structured fairly, should enhance the industry and strengthen consumer confidence in the product.

Previous news on The Timeshare Authority related to the proposed new Florida timeshare laws:

Timeshare resales: History will keep repeating itself until we finally get it right

Today in Timeshare from The Resort Trades

ARDA Supports the Proposed Florida Timeshare Resale Accountability Act

Author Christopher Elliott had a blog post recently, titled: 12 Things You Shouldn’t Do in 2012. Everything he recommends is a well-placed word to the wise. You might think, here on The Timeshare Authority blog, we wouldn’t be quoting Elliott, who as a consumer advocate has been known to warn his readers about timeshare sales.

But frankly, we agree with many of the points Elliott raises in general and also in his new book, Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. To his credit, he doesn’t echo the often-said, never-correct message that all timeshares are bad, or that consumers are less than smart for buying them. Instead, he tells consumers not to buy timeshares (or anything else) under pressure. He goes so far as to say that in his opinion, buying timeshare can lead to regrets, but he points out there are reasons for these regrets:

• Timeshares come with fees. If you understand before you buy that your timeshare will be subject to an annual fee that will increase over time, and that other, additional fees can be placed on your timeshare over the years you own it, then you are going into your purchase as an educated buyer.
• Timeshares depreciate. You should understand this before you buy your timeshare. Depreciation doesn’t stop you from buying automobiles, electronics, or jewelry, but you won’t be happy if you buy timeshare expecting it to increase in value.
• Timeshares have rules. While Elliott calls these unreasonable rules, these rules probably fall more into the category of many other “unreasonable rules” such as those issued by airlines, hotels, restaurants, and other service industries. The rules are in place to enhance the way the product works for the greatest number of people using it. They won’t always work for everyone. There may be rules you don’t like or rules that don’t work for you. And if you buy timeshare expecting there to be no rules at all, you will be disappointed.

It’s this simple: when you buy a product that you haven’t researched, that you buy under pressure, and without fully understanding what you are buying, you can wind up with regrets. And this is true whether you are purchasing a timeshare, a television, or a toaster; it’s just that in most cases, your expenditure for the timeshare is much greater than it is for a TV and unlike a toaster, if you are truly dissatisfied, you can’t just walk to the trash and throw away your timeshare.

There is no one size fits all. It doesn’t exist in clothing, real estate, or consumer services and it certainly doesn’t apply when it comes to vacations and vacation ownership. When it comes to the truth about timeshares, don’t believe sales hype that isn’t logical and don’t believe negative criticisms that are the result of critics piling on a topic they don’t understand.

As Groucho Marx said, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?” … Do your own research before you buy timeshare. Understand the rules, investigate the fees, ask current and past owners, and take a timeshare rental vacation at the property where you are considering becoming an owner.

Over 80 percent of timeshare owners say they are satisfied with their purchase; many are so happy with one timeshare that they go on to purchase two, three, or more timeshares or timeshare resales. When it comes to timeshares, there really aren’t 12 things you shouldn’t do; there is only one. Don’t be an uneducated, impulsive buyer.

Vacationing can be an important part of your healthier new routine says VacationBetter.org and the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), and the timeshare industry is working hard to make it easier to do.

A media release yesterday by VacationBetter.org points out that your resolve to live a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to dwindle as the New Year transitions into a daily routine. A yearlong—or better still, lifelong—commitment to live a healthier life includes both downtime away from your daily grind and pressures and the opportunity to enjoy more healthful experiences during that vacation time.

David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing Americas for timeshare exchange company, Interval International, says, “Many of our clients’ properties in the Americas and the Caribbean have fitness centers and full-service spas, and those with restaurants are presenting healthier menu options.  This increased consciousness of wellness is reflected in Interval’s most recent U.S. member profile.  Reporting on their preferred vacation activities, nearly half of those surveyed include working out and exercising while close to 40 percent cite spa services.”

As Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA, explains, “Health and wellness amenities are growing in popularity among timeshare owners and resorts are now using these programs to attract new timeshare consumers unfamiliar that such vacation products exist.”

Read: TIMESHARE INDUSTRY SAYS WELLNESS TREND IS HERE TO STAY IN 2012

The following article appears in this month’s issue of The Resort Trades and is republished here with their permission.  We hope you will also read it online or in their print publication.

Timeshare: 2012 means the need for more cowbell

By Jason Tremblay

Presuming that the prognostications for a year 2012 doomsday are in error, there is still much about the upcoming year that promises to be remarkable, even watershed in its impact on all our lives.

Here in the U.S., in 2012, we will elect (or re-elect) a president and for a while, we will discuss it daily – hourly. Other changes will happen that we will pay much less attention to because change has become so normal that we only notice if the changing stops. The IRS, the USGA, and the NCAA will all tinker with their rules and regulations, Apple will introduce yet another version of the iPhone, and Facebook will change a little or a lot, and most likely will change both a little AND a lot.

But what will the year 2012 mean to the timeshare industry? What will change in timeshare and vacation ownership sales, resales, and rentals?

The truth is, these are the wrong questions to ask. The better, more insightful questions are:

• What will 2012 bring for current timeshare owners that will make buying, owning, renting, and selling timeshare an easier, more flexible and more trustworthy process?

• And the far tougher question to answer; how do we get there from here, creating an owner-centric product and industry?

Timeshares: we are already behind

Much of the timeshare industry is just getting used to the idea that consumers buy and rent timeshare online. In 2011, online response to retail promotions (for all types of retail sales, not exclusively timeshare and vacation accommodations) increased by 33 percent over 2010. Consumer spending for online purchases in the first three quarters of 2011 was up 13 percent over the same period in the previous year. This translates to nearly $125 billion and that number does not include the seasonally strong sales of November and December 2011.

Just as many timeshare developers and others have finally come to grasp that search engines define user experience, 2012 will hit with the revelation that timeshare consumers, as Internet users, now define the search engine experience.

For a nanosecond in the timeline of Internet experience, businesses realized that content was king and were able to go for it. And just as we’ve all become vaguely comfortable with blogging, videoing, and otherwise creating Internet content, we are being presented with the reality that content creation has become secondary to content curation. We have become what Steven Rosenbaum, founder and CEO of magnify.net, describes as a “curation nation” where those who can quantify, parse, and categorize the surging data stream of content are fast becoming the definers of what succeeds and what fails in business today.

Pursued by data

Where once we went in search of data, data now searches for us. Social media brings a stream – a torrent – of information that follows us from our computers to our tablets to our phones, television sets, and automobiles. If you haven’t recently been through the appliance section at your local big box store, you may be surprised to learn that today’s refrigerators not only deliver ice and water to the door, but a touch screen data center with Internet access as well. Information now pursues us and remarkably, we like it that way.

In the past year, mobile Internet searches have quadrupled, and for many items, one in seven searches is now made from a mobile device. Users of smart phones have now downloaded apps nearly 11 billion times and the demand for mobile apps is not expected to peak until sometime in 2013 – that is unless nuances unfold to create even more demand for even more apps, which is of course entirely likely.

Set fire to the rulebook

The timeshare industry can be like other groups that strive to write and incessantly refine rulebooks by which to guide, govern and control their members/users and marketplaces. If we stick with that path, we will become annoying, misunderstood, and outdated. And if you troll around in public perception, listening to how often and how brutally timeshares and timeshare sales are the butt of some pretty pathetic jokes, then you may even come to the conclusion that the industry, as it stands, is already annoying, misunderstood, and outdated in the minds of many.

We have to step down as conductors. The world is changing almost faster than we can process the change. Timeshares are a truly great product, challenged only by questionable marketing and sales models.
Consumers are going to define how vacation ownership is used and enjoyed. Current owners and future buyers and renters will dictate the product, its terms, how we market it to them and even how it is bought, rented or sold.

We have to stop orchestrating. The bell is already tolling; this is the reality of business in the year 2012. Let’s embrace and respond to a new tune. Timeshares need more cowbell and the marketplace is playing our song.

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” Thomas Jefferson

High-energy people often say, “You make your own luck.” As it turns out, researchers are proving that statement may be overwhelmingly accurate. Here’s how it works:

Expectation drives results. If you woke up this morning thinking, “oh no, it’s Friday the 13^th” then you may have set yourself up for bad luck and negative experiences. But if, on the other hand, you bounded out of bed this morning saying, “Thank goodness it’s Friday the 13^th, my lucky day!” then you very likely laid the groundwork for good luck and positive experiences.

Research proves that people who expect good results are more likely to receive them than are people who expect poor results. But this is less about your capability to control the universe and more about your beliefs driving your own self confidence, actions, and ultimately your success. As Professor Ben Fletcher, PhD, and  a specialist in the study of how behavioral changes improve your lot in life, explains, “It’s not that there’s some magic to any of this. Expectancy is a real driver of behavior.”

Lucky People Keep Getting Luckier

Lucky people expect positive results therefore they act in ways that set themselves up to experience these and other positive outcomes. When opportunities avail themselves, lucky people are open to seeing them. “Unlucky” people are often so focused on avoiding or dealing with misfortune they anticipate experiencing that they miss the open door of possibilities.

Dr. Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, tested the theory that unlucky people are essentially blinded to opportunity. He asked a group of test subjects to identify whether they were lucky or unlucky. Then he gave all of the subjects a copy of the same newspaper and asked them to count the photos in the paper. Published in the paper was also a large ad that said, “Tell the experimenter that you have seen this and win $250.”

The majority of the self-identified lucky people saw the ad; the majority of those who had identified themselves as unlucky, missed it.

How to be Lucky in Timeshares

With all the bad press about timeshare fraud, you could easily be deterred from taking advantage of the great deals in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. In the process, you would miss some of the most affordable vacation options out there. You would wind up continuing to take your holidays in a crowded hotel room or on the pullout couch at Aunt Louise and Uncle Henry’s house. But isn’t it time you stop letting other people have all the good luck?

Get lucky by first doing your self-analysis of what really matters most to you in a vacation. Decide if you want luxury, entertainment, or a quiet retreat. Consider when you can be available to holiday… can you go any time of the year or are you restricted by work or school holidays? Decide whether you want to be able to leave your vacation ownership property to your heirs or whether you are just fine to use it and enjoy it now, without planning it as a bequest to your children. Lastly, think about how you like to vacation now and how those preferences will change over time. For instance, will your kids always love a theme park vacation or one day will they prefer to hit the ski slopes instead?

Now do your research. There are thousands of timeshare resorts available, of all sizes, locations, terms of ownership, and level of amenities. There are great deals in new timeshare and even better deals in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals.

Be lucky. Claim your own good fortune in the form of easy vacation planning, great experiences, wonderful memories, and time you spend relaxing, recharging, and reenergizing your life. Approach timeshares with your eyes wide open to all the opportunities.

After all, with 2012 being a year we hit the max number of Friday the 13ths, wouldn’t it be excellent is that just happened to be your lucky day?

Contact us at Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services. We will help you plan a fortuitous vacation experience for Friday, April 13, 2012; Friday July 13, 2012; or any other “lucky” day of the year.

More on the subject:

How To Make Your Own Luck a Fast Company Interview with Dr. Richard Wiseman on the topic of Luck.