New GPS iPhone application to guide self-drive tourists in Outback Australia

A guided tour through the ancient landscape of Outback Australia is now possible through modern technology with a new iPhone application, which triggers precise GPS points and a map without the need for mobile phone or internet coverage.

Launched today in Alice Springs by DIY Tourguide, the first iPhone application for the Northern Territory offers detailed, location aware audio commentary over a distance of more than 100km and will give self-drive tourists a new appreciation of the region as they travel.

The West MacDonnell Ranges Self-drive Audio Tour departs from Alice Springs and travels through the West MacDonnell National Park, bringing to life stories of early pioneers, Aboriginal culture, flora, fauna, history, geology and more, in areas where there is no mobile or internet access.

DIY Tourguide, who already offer CD and MP3 audio guides between Alice Springs and Uluru, and the West MacDonnell Ranges, have developed the GPS triggered tour and technology to reach the tech-savvy tourist.

Laurelle Halford, Director of DIY Tourguide says that lack of mobile phone and internet coverage in regional Australia no longer needs to be a barrier to accessing latest technology.

“Many tech-savvy tourists are already using GPS guided iPhone applications in cities and towns around the world, but over a smaller area.”

“We wanted to better entertain self-drive tourists and help them to interpret the landscape in precise locations, where they might otherwise see an empty, barren place.”

The app plays audio commentary at predetermined GPS points with the driver’s current position moving along on a map, and is packed with 80 minutes of fascinating information, travel suggestions, and an image gallery.

“The technology is not just unique in its ability to work without mobile or internet access coverage, but it is designed to optimise sample GPS locations to maximise better life of the iPhone over long distances.”

The app, also available for iPad, allows the tour audio to be played anywhere in the world, meaning tourists can re-live and enjoy their trip when they return home.
DIY Tourguide is also developing new tour routes in Outback Australia, and are translating tours into French, German and Italian to give international self-drive tourists a fresh experience of Outback Australia.

Both the iPhone and iPad applications are now available through Apple’s iTunes store. For more information visit http://www.diytourguide.com.au/

Theodore Recovery Appeal tops $50,000

The appeal to raise money for the people of Theodore impacted by recent floods has now topped $50,000.

Supported by Creative Territory and our friends at Merit Partners in Darwin, the appeal is providing a double bonus for residents and businesses in the small community west of Rockhampton.

All cash is being converted into vouchers that can only be redeemed at local businesses. This means all the money raised will stay in Theodore.

Creative Territory managing director Tracy Jones said while there were thousands of people in need across Australia from these devastating floods, supporting the people of Theodore is a way of making a tangible connection with a single community.

"It's great to read the posts on the Facebook site from Theodore residents who are starting to put their lives back together and to see their strength and humour come through in their photos and stories," Tracy said.

You can support the people of Theodore through their Facebook page or by visiting their Theodore Rebuilds website.

Creative Territory urges support for flooded Theodore

The small town of Theodore is just one of many Queensland communities devastated by floods, and Creative Territory has joined the push to help this community recover.

Creative Territory is providing support to the Theodore Flood Recovery Appeal and is urging its colleagues and friends to do the same.

Managing Director Tracy Jones said there were dozens of towns that needed support, but Theodore is the former home town of business associated Rosemary Campbell from Merit Partners.

“Rosemary asked if we could help out her old home town, where some of her family still lives,” Tracy said.

“There are so many tragic stories of people who have lost everything and we thought this was one way we could help some of those people more directly.

“I know there are a lot of appeals out there at the moment, but putting our focus on one town really makes it personal for our team.”

To date, the appeal has raised over $11,000 in cash as well as dozens of offers of in-kind help including donations of clothing, school books, toys, furniture and even help to clean up.

Creative Territory has established a Facebook site for the appeal and you can access it at this address: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/pages/Theodore-Recovery-Appeal/172433992794714

Is spin really a bad thing - or does it just have a bad reputation?

By Tracy Jones

As a public relations professional, I’m often accused of being a “spin doctor”. Many of those who use the term do so in a disparaging way, coming from a view that all spin is “bad” and designed to mislead the audience.

But is that right? Is spin in itself a bad thing?

Consider this example:

• From one point of view: You work as a licensing inspector at the motor vehicle registry. You implement rules that make it harder for me to get a license and register my car. Your work costs me time and money.

• And from another: I work as a licensing inspector at the motor vehicle registry. I implement rules that ensure drivers and vehicles on our roads are safe. My work saves lives.

So which is spin and which is the truth?

The fact is, they’re both. Both these points of view tell the facts as they are. But they are overlaid with context that gives meaning to those facts. In the case of a licensed driver, the additional context is that rules and regulations do make it harder to get yourself and your car on the road. As an inspector, you know the job you do contributes to safer roads.

So spin is simply the telling of the truth from the context of your own position. You add meaning to the bare facts by putting them into context. And let’s face it, each of us tells the truth from our own viewpoint.

So why has “spin” attained such a bad reputation? And when is spin wrong?

• When it is designed to hurt or defame
• When it deliberately misleads or omits important parts of the truth
• When it is a lie.

There are ways to ensure your public relations consultant does not take you down the path of unethical spin doctoring.

Choose a professional who is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia or related world-wide professional body. They are bound by a Code of Ethics that prohibits them from such behaviour. And the Code is enforceable through the institute.

When choosing a consultancy, check they are a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s Registered Consultancies Group. Not only are these consultancies bound by an additional Code of Conduct, their Managers are also required to ensure all employees act in an ethical manner.

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Tracy Jones is the principal of Creative Territory, a Registered Consultancy Group member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia. She is a Fellow of the institute, a former National President and currently serves on the national board.

Taking Crisis Communication training to a new level with iPad

What do you do when the media is hammering at your door for a comment and all you want to do is hide? How will blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media networks make your job harder? And is it possible to talk yourself out of trouble?


These are questions Darwin based public relations agency Creative Territory is helping local companies answer through its new crisis communication workshops using iPads.

Recovery was developed by Creative Territory to help organisations work through the steps of a crisis without actually getting their fingers burned.

Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones says the new training module is like a create your own adventure for crisis communication.

“We put participants through a simulated crisis with the iPad, allowing them to make choices about how to deal with the communication challenges that come along,” she said.

Recovery uses expert facilitators and iPad-based consoles to provide a safe environment in which participants can learn about how a crisis develops, grows and can be managed.

Drawing on Creative Territory’s extensive experience in dealing with major issues and crises here in the Territory, Recovery is the only crisis communication simulation that takes the special needs of the Territory into account.

It is an Australian first, using an iPad interface to take you through a crisis scenario, the end of which is determined by the decisions you make along the way.

For more information on Recovery contact Tracy at Creative Territory on 8941 9169.

Tracy Jones honored with President's Award

Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones was honoured with the President's Award at the annual Public Relations Institute of Australia Golden Target awards last night.

The awards were announced in conjunction with the National Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) annual conference, which is being held in Darwin for the first time this week.

The President's Award recognises outstanding service to the PRIA and its President.

Tracy has been a member of the National Board of the PRIA since 2004 and is the current National Treasurer. She served for two years as National President until 2009.

For more information about the Golden Target Awards winners, see
http://www.pria.com.au/blog/id/996

Creative Territory's Jeannette Button honoured by PRIA

Creative Territory’s Jeannette Button will be inducted as a fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia tonight.


Fellowship is one of the highest honours bestowed on a member of the institute.

The induction ceremony comes just days after Jeannette was elected President of the NT Division of the PRIA.

Creative Territory’s managing director Tracy Jones said the team was proud of Jeannette’s achievements and wish her well as she now carries out duties at a national level.

“Jeannette is one of the Territory’s most senior and experienced public relations professionals and a role model for others,” Tracy said.

“She has chaired the National Conference Committee that arranged this week’s PRIA national conference, which is being held in Darwin for the first time."

Solar campaigns win PR awards

Campaigns to encourage Alice Springs residents to sign up to solar power have been honoured with State Awards for Excellence by the Public Relations Institute of Australia presented in Darwin last night.

The campaigns for Alice Solar City were planned and implemented by Creative Territory.

“Alice Solar City is changing the way central Australian residents live and work by harnessing the power of the sun,” Creative Territory Managing Director Tracy Jones said.

“It’s a great initiative and we’re proud to have been part of its success.”

Tracy and Laurelle Halford won a Gold award for the overall Energy Champions campaign. Laurelle also won a Highly Commended award for 100 Days of Solar, a campaign to convince 100 Alice Springs residents to install hot water systems in 100 days.

“Alice Solar City was Creative Territory’s very first client when we started four-and-half years ago, so these awards are special to us,” Tracy said.

Tracy also congratulated other Northern Territory award winners, the Michels Warren Munday team for the campaign Support NT Caught on behalf of the NT Seafood Council and Eleanor Sheppard from the Department of Education and Training for Recruiting Quality Teachers to Deliver Quality Education.

All NT award winners go into the national Golden Target Awards to be announced in Darwin next week.

GRIND Youth Website Wins Internet Best Practice Award

Darwin City Council’s youth website GRIND has won the 2010 Australia and New Zealand Internet Best Practice Awards in the Best Youth Initiative category. GRIND was also a finalist in the Best Access Initiative Category.


GRIND has many purposes. It aims to be a positive website that is genuinely "by youth for youth". It provides a supported vehicle for a youth voice, promotes the positive contribution that young people make in our community, provides an outlet for youth culture and expression and debunks the negative stereotypes so often portrayed in mainstream media of young people.

GRIND, one of Council’s key projects, presents and coordinates diverse activities such as large scale music gigs, skills workshops and youth community consultations.

The entire production of GRIND from running team meetings, design of the site, editing, interviewing and administration is undertaken by the GRIND youth team with support from Council's Youth Services. All decisions relating to the running and production of the website are made by the GRIND youth team. Visit the site: http://www.grindonline.com.au/

“I would like to congratulate those involved in the GRIND website, one of Council’s key youth projects. Too often these days, young people receive bad press – GRIND is an excellent way to showcase and demonstrate to the Darwin community and on a national level just how vibrant, creative and active these young people are,” Lord Mayor Graeme Saywer.

This recognition continues to showcase Council's excellence in providing high quality websites. In August Darwin City Council’s website scored the highest rating in an independent website usability study by 600 people of Australia’s capital city council websites.

Why every retail and hospitality business needs to get on to Foursquare

By Tracy Jones

There’s a revolution going on in the social media world that will change the way retail and hospitality businesses interact with the public – Foursquare.

And anyone who thinks they can ignore this platform like all other social media networks should think again – your business is probably already on it.

Foursquare is essentially a tool that allows people to mark places on an electronic map and post comments about them. Using mobile phones, users can “check in” to these places and share their views with the world.

The places people tend to mark are shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and entertainment and tourist venues.

What makes Foursquare different from other social networks is its ability to locate nearby places and tell you in full detail what other people think of them – good and bad.

Here’s how it works. If you stand in the middle of Smith Street Mall and log into Foursquare using your mobile phone, the application brings up a list of places nearby including cafes, apartments, hotels and bars.

Now click on the “Tips” and you’ll get a list of what people think about these places. Here are a couple of real examples (without the names of the venues):

• “The banana spring rolls are tremendous.”
• “Not a fan of the prices here.”
• “One of the best restaurants in Darwin.”
• “Try the rice noodle soup with crispy chicken … delish.”
• “Girl at the front desk is rude.”
• “Avoid this place like it’s on fire.”

My bet is that 90 per cent of the Darwin businesses listed on Foursquare now have no idea they are there, let alone what people are saying about them.

If you’re not convinced about the value of being on Foursquare yet, here are four good reasons you should reconsider:

1. Go viral: If one person checks in to your business, they share the news with 50 or more friends on Facebook and Twitter. If 10 people check in, that’s 500. You can do the maths…

2. Get honest customer feedback: If someone checks in and loves your steak burger, you’ll find out straight away, along with all their friends. Conversely, if someone hates your schnitzel, everyone will find out. But at least you can do something about it.

3. Offer special discounts to people nearby: You can check out Foursquare places that are close to you and see if they have any special offers for anyone who checks in. Curve Café at Darwin Waterfront offers a “buy a drink and get a drink for a friend” for every second check-in. Worth a visit.

4. Reward your loyal customers: Get a loyalty program without the expensive set-up costs. Offer a free meal for every 10th check-in to your business. It’s easier to keep existing customers than to find new ones.