Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

Do you know many websites are built on a WordPress (blog) theme?  Oh yes.  People are very likely reading blogs when they browse contents on the internet, and blogging can be very effective in marketing communications and making sales.  Yet, how does blogging different from Facebook or Twitter updates?  What can we expected from a good blog post? Blog is definitely different from Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites.  Blogging is more than just an update.  There is no set limit on how many characters a blog post can have, allowing people to publish longer and more in-depth discussion.  Plus, bloggers can embed other social media contents in a post (e.g., pictures and videos). I started blogging about four years ago.  When I first started, I did more “sharing” than “creating.”  I shared the news articles that I found interesting and relevant to my target audience.  My blog posts read more like summaries of relevant ne...

Today, 52% of the population have smartphones, of whom over 94% are expected to use smartphones in searching for local business, according to a recent newsletter I received from the California Lodging Industry Association.  Many OTAs (online travel agents such as Expedia.com and Priceline.com) and entrepreneurs are getting into the “app business,” and they are doing very well (as suggested in the Bloomberg video ).  Hotels and restaurants for sure would also like to have a piece of the pie.  Indeed, many hotels follow the SoLoMo (Social, Local, and Mobile) movement and have introduced many mobile apps.  The big hotel groups, for example, all have mobile apps, allowing customers to search and make reservations using mobile devices; but at the same time, there are also other apps for different hotel brands within the same hotel group and even apps for individual properties.  Moreover, there are concierge (service) apps for luxury and u...

In August 2009, I graduated from Texas Tech University and moved from Lubbock, TX to Syracuse, NY for a tenure track position at Syracuse University (SU).  Six months later, in January 2010, I signed up in all major social media websites.   I called that “ I am entering a new era .”   Thanks to social media, I am connected to the “real world,” and because I embrace and understand social media, I can teach classes and do research in social media. Coincidentally, I also made big changes in 2013.   I accepted a new position in The Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona and moved from Upstate NY to Southern California in the summer.   In addition, I graduated with an iMBA degree from SU .    When I decided to pursue the iMBA degree at SU in 2010, my friends asked me not to do it.   Many of my unofficial mentors also advised me to put more thoughts to the decision.   Their concerns make perfect sense (even a...

I was my pleasure teaching in the “smart classroom” during my first quarter in The Collins College of Hospitality Management   at Cal Poly Pomona .   The classroom installs four Apple TVs, which enable professors and students to stream the same (or different) content on four different screens.   And yes, if you wonder, there is an app for this “smart classroom.” Teaching in the Smart Classroom +Cal Poly Pomona   I think this is a very “cool” classroom.   It definitely provides more flexibility for professors and students.   To name a few examples, I was able to stream class lectures using the SlideShark app on my iPad, making it easier for me to walk around to engage with different groups of students or answer students’ questions.   When we were having a guest lecture session via Skype, I was able to keep one or two screens for the guest speaker (Skype) and at the same time, showed students relevant content on other screens.   The “sma...

Traditionally, companies promote sales by initiating one-way, and often persuasive messages to influence buyers’ purchasing decisions, but social media has destroyed the “one-to-many-communication” model. And because of that, if one wants to work in the field of sales and marketing, s/he must know how to communicate effectively on social media. Well, many people have already been active on Facebook and Instagram. Isn’t it enough? Probably, at least they know how to “talk” as a customer. The challenge is B2C (business-to-consumer) communications are very different from C2B (consumer-to-business) and C2C (consumer-to-consumer) communications because everything posted on a company’s Facebook page or Instagram profile must reflect a brand’s or a company’s core value. Do you notice any differences between the Facebook messages posted on McDonald’s page and the ones on Chick-fil-A’s page? A good sales/marketing manager must also know how to measure and document the ROI (return on investm...

Using smartphones in class?  Don’t students have enough distractions?  Doesn’t tweeting or texting make students disrespectful to the professor in class? As a professor myself, I certainly understand how distracting a smartphone can be to a student in class, but at the same time, I also believe using smartphones and tablet computers can enhance students’ learning experience if they are used appropriately.  Here is my experience.    When I taught at Texas Tech, I had a strict policy that prohibits students from using laptops and cellphones in class.  I adopted the same policy when I first moved to Syracuse University (SU).  It made sense at that time because I wanted students to engage with me in face-to-face and verbal discussion.  Time has changed, however.  When I developed and taught the social media class at SU and RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology).  I turned to the opposite direction.  I requested to teac...

LinkedIn announced two updates, according to The Wall Street Journal .  First, LinkedIn introduced verified university pages, providing new cyber space for applicants, current students, alumni, faculty, and staff to engage with one another.  Second, LinkedIn dropped the minimum age for the website to 13 (14 in the U.S.).  Facing these new changes, some people are concerned about whether teenagers should be allowed to access an additional social networking site.  They ask: will it be early? I completely understand where the criticism comes from.  Many teenagers are already allowed to use a variety of social networking sites.  Recently, Twitter even completely removed the restriction on age limit (used to be 13 or older).  LinkedIn was established as the social networking site for professionals.  What is good for teenagers to spend additional time on another network?  Also, will it be too early for teenagers to get engaged in the profes...