Subscribe to our feed, or download the episode directly.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans. Check out Touring Plans to see a brand new site design and an update to the Crowd Calendar!
• Scott leads off the show by explaining how to start your Disney site: find your Disney passion.
• Scott then explains some different blogging platforms:
• Blogger
• WordPress
• Drupal
• Squarespace
• Katie explains the importance of being comfortable on the platform that you choose to blog on.
• The Panel then discusses overcoming the fears of duplicating subjects and “biting off more than you can choose.”
• Jeff discusses being consistent in blog posts and content production.
• Henry touches base on the importance of production value is to bloggers and also encourages the launch of the blog rather than waiting for perfection.
• Henry gives the tip of linking back to many other blogs in your own to build a network.
• Scott and Jeff talk about writing the first post and overcoming the nerves.
• Katie talks about committing to the blog but the importance of having fun with your posts.
• To end the show the Panel gives one last bit of advice for having a successful blog.
• Do you have a blog? Let us know about your ideas of starting it or starting one in our FriendFeed room!

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Check out the Carousel of Progress if you haven’t seen it live at Disney!

Carousel of Progress 1993 from Martins Videos on Vimeo.

Have your own idea? Leave a comment here or email show@betamouse.net!

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans! Visit the Touring Plans crowd calendar to save time in line at Disney!
• Jeff hosts and asks the Panel what tech they would update in the last scene of the Carousel of Progress.
• Henry wants to update the voice activation bits and the video game.
• Scott wants to see an update to the television in the scene.
• Nate and Katie talk about the importance of the kitchen in today’s modern family and touch base on how that needs to be updated.
• Nate and Jeff also mention updating the tree lighting segment.
• Jeff now wonders what the Panel would add to the last scene of the ride.
• Jeff wants video conferencing or live streaming video to added to the final scene and Scott and Katie agree.
• Henry wants to see the family involved in their own interests and sharing them with each other through technology and Katie agrees with the idea.
• Nate mentions how, ironically, technologies that Team Betamouse has mentioned could be found in older ride attractions like Horizons and Spaceship Earth.
• Henry demands robots in the updated Carousel of Progress.
• Nate talks about the idea of “automation” that is present in the current Carousel of Progress and how it shows the lack of connection to the current times.
• Jeff mentions not updating the last scene of the Carousel of Progress to the future but leaving it in its original state of the 60′s.
• Do you have an idea on updates for the last scene of Carousel of Progress? Does it need updating at all? Let Betamouse know on Twitter, Facebook or FriendFeed!

Subscribe to the betamouse feed or download this episode directly.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you so much to our sponsor Touring Plans. Visit Touring Plans to save time and money on your next Disney trip.
• To start the Twitter conversation, Henry asks the Panel which Twitter clients they use.
• Scott currently uses Hootsuite on his desktop and iPhone. (Similar to what the official Disney accounts use: CoTweet)
• Jeff uses Seesmic on his desktops and Twittelator Pro on his iPhone.
• Katie currently uses Osfoora on her iPhone.
• Nate uses Twitbird Pro on his iPod Touch and Swift on his Android.
• Henry uses Tweetie for desktop and on his iPhone.
• Henry asks the Panel what they think of the Official Disney Twitter accounts: DisneyParks, Disneyland, WaltDisneyWorld and DisneyD23
• Scott things they are doing okay.
• Jeff doesn’t follow any of the accounts because it is mostly advertisement of the blog articles.
• Katie would like to see them become more interactive and Nate and Henry agree.
• Henry asks about the unofficial Disney tweeps the Panel follows.
• Scott uses Twitter for the social Disney interaction.
• Jeff believes that it is good for up to the minute news as well as social interaction.
• Katie uses Twitter for news and to promote her blog as well as interacting with Disney fans. She mentions the use of Twitter lists for organizing followers with Lists on Twitter.
• Nate talks about how the Disney Twitter community has replaced Disney forums for him.
• Henry touches base on the Disneyland vs. Disney World Twitter community.
• Henry also mentions the Twitter Chirp conference and the Panel discusses Twitter acquiring Tweetie to make it native and also developing their own native applications for Blackberry and Android.
• The Panel finishes the show by touching base on Twitter announcing location services versus applications like Foursquare.
• Thank you again to our sponsor Touring Plans!

Subscribe to our feed or download directly here.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our wonderful sponsor Touring Plans! Touring Plans will give you everything you need to save time touring the Disney Parks!
• Scott has launched DizCollect! Check it out today!
• Henry asks the Panel how long they have been listening to podcasts.
• Scott started in 2005 with The Daily Source Code.
• Jeff started in 2006 with WDW Today.
• Katie started in 2006 as well and it may have been WDW Today.
• Nate started with a running podcast called Podrunner. And started his Disney kick with WDW Radio.
• Henry started his podcast love in 2005 with Inside the Magic.
• Henry wants to know what tech the Panel uses to get their podcasts. Every member uses a form of iTunes with an iPod or iPhone.
• The Panel varies when they listen to their podcasts from when Scott is writing code to when Katie is driving during long car trips. Listeners, when do you get your podcast listening in?
• Henry wants to know what podcasts the Panel listens to. They include but aren’t limited to (so you should check them out!):
• Above the Firehouse
• All About the Mouse
• Beyond Mainstreet
• Stack Overflow
• Bringing Disneyland Home
• Diggnation
• Be Our Guest Podcast
• Imagineering My Way
• Mice Cast
• Inside the Magic
• Mouse Lounge
• Mousetalgia
• The Official Disneyland Resorts Podcast
• The Week in Tech
• WDW Radio
• WDW Today
• Wedway Radio
• A Window to the Magic
• Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Pod
• The 3 Caballeros
• AppJudgment
• Dis-Unplugged
• MacBeak Weekly
• Mouseguest Weekly
• Mouse Station
• All Songs Considered
• Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me
• Progress City Radio Hour
• Remember the Magic
• The Season Pass
• Smodcast
• Lost Podcast
• iPhone Live
• Maccast
• Netcot
• Running to Disney
• Mouse Travel Tips
• Disney Brit Podcast
• Communicore Online
• The Laughing Place
• Coaster Radio
• Straight Talk & Magical Moments With The Disney B
• Those Darn Cats
• Henry then asks the Panel what makes a good podcast. They agree it needs passion, regular shows and good audio quality.
• The Panel then talks about the past 10 episodes and how they can improve. What do you think Team Betamouse?
• Thank you again to our sponsor Touring Plans!
• Remember: follow Betamouse on Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook!

Subscribe to our feed or download directly here.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our wonderful sponsor Touring Plans. Visit Touring Plans for all your Disney planning needs.
• Henry asks the panel if they have purchased the iPad and no one but Henry has.
• Some of the reasons they give include: not buying the first generation of a tech product, no camera was included, and lack of funds.
• Henry asks how this would change traveling to and at Disney.
• Scott talks about the need for a good case because of the delicate screen.
• Jeff mentions that it wouldn’t be able to replace traveling with his laptop so, in essence, he would have to lug another tech product down.
• Katie talks about traveling with the iPad to Disney and how convenient it would be.
• Nate states that the video and gaming ability the iPad has is great for entertaining a small child at Disney.
• Henry, the only one on the panel who has purchased one, talks about the beauty of the product and how it is unlike any tech device he has used.
• Henry also mentions the need to protect the iPad while traveling.
• A roundtable discussion begins on how Disney could use this tablet device.
• Scott talks about using the iPad as an interactive way to manipulate the rides at Disney live.
• Jeff talks about its ability to be an input device for cast members and as a tool in interactive queue lines.
• Henry explains how the iPad would be better than another tablet device for certain Disney projects because of its graphical capabilities.
• Jeff talks about the need for a camera to do augmented reality at Disney Parks.
• Katie argues the need for a camera for augmented reality but not a front facing camera.
• Henry thinks Disney should build an interactive map for the iPad.
• Henry talks about third party apps on the iPad.
• The Panel would like to see Lines on the iPad as well as some planning apps like Dining or a DVC Planning app.
• Note: Touring Plans is giving away a free five year subscription to the first person who submits a photo of Lines on the iPad at a Disney Park. Email: henry@touringplans.com for more details!
• Thank you again to our wonderful sponsor.
• Make sure to visit the Betamouse FriendFeed room Thursday, April 8th at 1pm EST for an iPhone chat and win some swag! Details.
• You can also find Betamouse on Twitter and Facebook.
• Thank you for helping get us to Episode 10. Keep listening!

Subscribe to our feed or download directly here.

Henry’s audio is low for this ep–but a new mic & setup are on the way for ep 10! Sorry folks!

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans! Visit Touring Plans to save time and money at Disney.
• Today the Panel will talk about Disney blogs and Henry starts off the show by asking how they digest all of the information on the internet.
• The Panel agrees that they all use Google Reader, a RSS reader. Katie also integrates Instapaper in her daily routine.
• Henry asks the Panel about their favorite news blogs.
• Scott likes the Pixar blog and Blue Sky Disney.
• Jeff frequents AllEars and Studios Central.
• Katie frequents: DVC News, The Disney Driven Life, The Disney Food Blog, Samland, Run to Disney.
• Nate enjoys good reads on Dateline Disneyland.
• Henry enjoys the Disney Parks Blog and AllEars.
• Henry asks about niche Disney blogs.
• Scott mentions Vintage Disney Tickets Blog and Nate agrees and also recommends Walt Dated World.
• Jeff likes Mouse Plant and It’s A Disney World Afterall.
• Katie recommends WDW Autism.
• Henry likes the Disney Report and Disney Shawn.
• Henry asks the Panel about their favorite Disney blog layouts.
• Scott likes the WDWRadio site.
• Katie mentions Zannaland.
• Henry notes the production value of DLRP Today.
• Want to chat with Team Betamouse about Disney blogs? Have an idea of what to do with the Betamouse blog? Tweet us. Find us on Facebook. And most importantly, chat with us on FriendFeed.

Or you can download it directly here.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans. Visit Touring Plans for everything you need to save time and money at the Disney Parks.
• Henry introduces the topic of tech and Disney meet ups and asks the panel when they started doing meet ups with other Disney fans.
• Scott did a meet up in San Francisco with Lou Mongello and met Henry there!
• Jeff has only been to WDW Today Reunion 2009 as far as Disney meets and confesses that he has been listening to WDW Today since episode 6.
• Katie started her meet ups in 2009 at Studios Central Star Wars Weekends and has since been to Reunion 2009 and Tentfest as well as marathon weekend with the Be Our Guest Podcast.
• Nate talks about Westfest, a Disneyland meet, and how he has been in the Disney community since the late ’90′s.
• Henry has been following the Disney community since 2004 and started doing meet ups as recently as last year.
• Scott talks about the “meet of the month” idea taken from Lou Mongello from WDW Radio.
• Henry asks the panel about tech influences on the meets.
• Scott hears about the meets on Twitter or Facebook events.
• Jeff talks about using social media and Katie’s influence on him to join Twitter at Reunion 2009.
• Katie talks about the need for planned events and quick updating social media like Twitter to keep up with all of the Disney meet ups.
• Katie describes what a “flash meet up” is.
• Nate touches base on the idea of giving away swag at meets.
• Henry asks about using technology to exchange contact information at Disney meets while keeping information semi private.
• Scott talks about the ease of giving away email and Twitter accounts.
• Jeff and Katie talk about the new app Lokast and how it could be used to share media at Disney meets.
• Henry talks about a way to aggregate photos and media into a group stream at these types of meets and Katie recommends a group Posterous account.
• Henry asks the panel what is one thing they would do at a Betamouse meet.
• Scott suggests a contest using mobile devices similar to a scavenger hunt.
• Henry talks about a group check in on FourSquare.
• Katie wants to have a group meet at an Apple store.
• Henry wants to have free WiFi at a Betamouse meet, a group photo with everyone on their smartphones and to make a Twitter list of the events.
• Thank you again to our sponsor Touring Plans for hosting the show.
• Come chat with the Betamouse crew on FriendFeed, Twitter, Facebook and Posterous.

You can also download the episode directly here.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans. Visit Touring Plans to save time and money at Disney.
• In honor of SXSW the team discusses location based apps.
• Henry asks the panel which apps they have loaded on their phone right now.
• The overwhelming and trended response is a mixture of: Foursquare, Gowalla, MyTown and Plancast.
• Henry asks the panel how they use the apps in life and if at Disney, where they would check in.
• Scott finds it hard to remember to check in and if in Disney would only check in to parks and attractions.
• Jeff loves “checking in” on the apps and finds it easy to remember to do so.
• Katie briefly explains the applications.
• Katie and Henry touch base on the fact that the user has full control over how your location is broadcasted to your friends.
• Nate compares Foursquare and Gowalla on Android and states that he likes the Gowalla interface better but the application is way too slow.
• Henry talks about Foursquare and how, because it became popular where he lives before any others, that is the application that he primarily uses.
• Henry asks the panel how they would use the applications at Disney.
• Scott would use the application to check in and family and friends could follow along with their trip.
• Jeff decides that checking into attractions would be useful with large groups at Disney because people could find each other based on check ins at Disney.
• Katie talks about adding Foursquare to her tweets and how Gowalla could be so great at Disney but sometimes its features are too advanced.
• Henry talks about how businesses can use Foursquare and Gowalla to promote themselves.
• Nate adds to this by talking about Social Media business ideas.
• Henry touches base on the privacy issues surrounding this applications.
• Scott talks about www.pleaserobme.com.
• Henry adds that if you are just starting to use these services don’t tweet or Facebook out your location until you feel comfortable.
• Jeff states that he does not feel unsafe broadcasting his location and will continue to do so.
• Nate talks about young kids who robbed celebrities because they knew they were not home from their Twitter accounts.
• Katie talks about controlling what information you release through these applications.
• Henry asks about the future of these applications.
• Scott talks about an app always locating you so that family and friends could see where he is without checking in and Jeff likes that idea.
• Katie touches base on using Plancast for group events and will go into detail on next week’s show so please check that out!
• Henry talks about check in practices and would like to see Foursquare implemented at the Disney Parks officially.
• Thank you again to our sponsor Touring Plans. Visit them for all your Disney touring plans, a fantastic blog and the official mobile application for Disney wait times: Lines!

Or you can download the episode directly.

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans! Visit Touring Plans for all your Disney touring plans needs!
• Henry & Katie would like to thank all those who mentioned Betamouse at the WDW Today TentFest.
• Henry asks the panel what laptops they own and how they travel with it.
• Scott owns a 17 inch Macbook Pro. Scott does not bring his laptop into the parks at all but does use it in the hotel room.
• Jeff has a 13 inch Macbook Pro. He also does not take it into the parks at all but uses it for general usage at night.
• Katie has a 13 inch Macbook and travels with it to Disney but does not bring it into the park.
• Nate has multiple laptops, including a Macbook and he has traveled with them to Disney.
• Henry owns a 15 inch Macbook Pro and travels with it to Disney but also does not take it into the park.
• Henry asks the panel how they travel with their laptops.
• Scott carries it in a standard laptop bag and travels with it under the seat of the airplane or packed safely in the car.
• Jeff carries his laptop in a Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Bag. A fantastic feature of this bag is that you do not have to take your laptop out of the bag when going through airport security!
• Katie asks the panel if they would be comfortable checking their laptop with bell services if needed and the panel is split on the idea.
• Nate travels with his laptop and shares a few of his travel secrets.
• Henry asks the panel how they keep their laptops secure in the hotel room.
• Scott  hides his-no safe is big enough!
• Jeff takes a picture to prove his laptop was in the room.
• Nate talks about hotel security overall.
• Henry has an Incase cover for his laptop for security.
• Henry asks the panel how they manage with Disney hotel wired and wireless internet and the discussion continues of bringing and setting up routers in the room.
• Jeff interjects that when staying offsite at an AllStar vacation home he saves money and gets WiFi!
• Henry asks if there will ever be a situation where the panel will bring a laptop type computer into the park and the conversation leads to the newly announced iPad.
• Scott doesn’t think there will be a situation where he needs a computer into the parks.
• Katie can’t see a situation where she would need an iPad in the Parks as she has an iPhone.
• Jeff wants to wait for version 2 as far as the iPad and won’t be taking a computer into the parks.
• Nate won’t be taking a laptop into the parks or will ever get an iPad.
• Reminder: Join the Team Betamouse FriendFeed room and come chat with the group!
• Again, email the show or any panelists any questions you may have!
• Thank you again to our sponsor Touring Plans!

Or you can download the episode directly.

• Henry introduces the panel.
• Thank you to our wonderful sponsor Touring Plans! Visit Touring Plans to save time touring the Disney Parks.
• Team Betamouse Henry and Katie will be at WDW Today’s TentFest. Come say Hi!
• Henry asks about the panel’s Twitter etiquette.
• Scott tweets pictures of his children for family.
• Jeff tweets the big events he comes across at Disney, including group meets and rides.
• Katie talks about the hardship between separating the Disney community and family and friends who “don’t get it”. Katie uses Twitter for her Disney community social network and sometimes keeps Facebook separate.
• Nate does separate his WedWay Radio “personality” from his regular Facebook.
• Katie tweets anything and everything from the parks. Personal moments as well as interesting happenings. Katie also tweets audio and video.
• Nate decides before a trip whether he will be tweeting or not. When it is a family trip he tends to not tweet as much.
• Henry tweets anything and everything and also keeps two separate Twitter accounts. Henry also talks about the best practices of Disney tweeting such as keeping it positive and not negative.
• Scott continues the Twitter best practices conversation by asking: how often should you Tweet?
• Nate says that the frequency of tweets does not bother him as long as the conversation is interesting and overall the panel agrees.
• Henry asks what the panel likes to see on Twitter.
• Scott likes to see tweets of special events at Disney.
• Jeff likes personal tweets.
• Katie wants to see what’s going on in the parks at any given time.
• Nate likes to see any tweets from the Disney Parks and points out that the 140 characters makes Twitter an easy and fun read.
• Jeff likes to see panoramic views of the various lands to see crowd perspective.
• Nate wishes people would announce UStream events in advance.
• Henry asks if the panel has done any streaming of video. And in a chorus of yes; they have.
• Katie likes UStream but comments that the battery drainage may not be worth it.
• Jeff has just signed up for an account but plans to do UStream at one point.
• Henry has streamed videos through Qik and one of his favorite times to stream is Rope Drop at a park.
• Henry asks the panel where they think Twitter will evolve.
• Scott and Jeff agree that video clips will take over.
• Nate would like to see more geotagging of pictures and video and websites that utilize that technology.
• Thank you again to Touring Plans for sponsoring the Betamouse Podcast.
• Remember Katie and Henry will be at TentFest, please come say hello!
• Katie and Henry will also be running the Princess 5k so look for them there to say hello.

Thank you for listening!

Or you can download the episode directly.

Please remember to join the Betamouse FriendFeed room for geeky chat any time!

• Henry introduces the panel.
• Thank you to the Betamouse sponsor, Touring Plans!
• Henry asks the panel what camera gear they bring into the Disney Parks.
• Scott brings a Sony HD Handycam, his iPhone and an Olympus DSLR.
• Jeff brings a Pentax DSLR and two lenses into the parks! He also brings his iPhone and a Sony point and shoot camera as well.
• Jeff tells the panel that sometimes picture taking at the parks is a job in itself!
• Katie simply brings her iPhone and a Panasonic TZ-5 point and shoot camera.
• Nate brings his Canon Powershot, a FlipCam, a Canon Vixia HandyCam and an Olympus point and shoot camera.
• Henry brings his iPhone into the parks and then proceeds to borrow point and shoot cameras from other vacation goers.
• Scott brings his camera and camera gear every day into the parks and shoots hundreds of shots a day in order to capture the perfect moments.
• Scott uses a Star Wars backpack to carry his camera gear after years of never finding a comfortable camera case.
• Nate states that his dilemma is actually carrying all the gear into the parks as it becomes so cumbersome.
• Jeff carries his camera and lens in an easy access case around his waist. If with the family, Jeff takes the camera to Epcot and Animal Kingdom the most as he likes the scenery there the best. If he is solo he will take the camera everywhere.
• Jeff states that the point and shoot camera is best to capture quick intimate moments of his children and the DLSR works well for a set up shot.
• Katie uses the point and shoot as her “fancy” camera and actually uses the iPhone more often.
• Like Nate, Katie wants to know how she will carry a DSLR into the parks without it being cumbersome.
• Nate shocks everyone with a twelve year photo project he has been working on which the panel quickly dubs “Shirley”.
• Henry asks the panel if they take pictures on the attractions.
• Scott does and asks for no flash photos on the attractions.
• Jeff does take some photos on the attractions but again, no flash!
• Katie prefers only to take photos that give a vantage point off the attractions.
• Nate prefers not to take photos on the attractions at all.
• Henry describes how he likes to take photos of himself on attractions while completing ultimate touring plans at the parks.
• Henry asks the panel what attractions and photo spots that they like taking photos of the most.
• Scott likes the outdoor attractions like TeaCups and Dumbo.
• Jeff likes shots on Dumbo and Aladdin’s Magic Carpets.
• Katie likes shooting in the Animal Kingdom, preferably at night.
• Nate tells the panel about a cool project of taking pictures of buildings at Hollywood Studios and then actually visiting the buildings in LA.
• Henry likes taking pictures of group meets in the parks.
• Henry imagines a day when a flying orb would take pictures of him and his family during his entire Disney vacation.
• Henry asks the panel about their preferred method of sharing photos while in the Disney Parks.
• Scott will share photos from his iPhone instantly through TwitPic.
• Jeff will only share from his iPhone as well from the Parks.
• Katie shares often through all the media outlets using Posterous. She also loads the days pictures she has taken every night back at the hotel room onto her laptop and uploads them to Flickr.
• Katie talks about her Owners Locker and how she is going to keep a wireless router in it.
• Nate does not share his photos.
• Henry uses Twitter photo clients to share his photos from the parks.
• Henry does not prefer to stream all of his pictures to different clients at once.
• Henry asks the panel for their quick tips regarding photography at the Disney Parks.
• Scott gives some advice about taking photos at night.
• Jeff says to have the PhotoPass photographer take pictures with your camera!
• Jeff and Scott do not use tripods in the parks but say that balancing the camera on a trashcan works fine.
• Katie’s favorite spot to take pictures of the castle is on the bridge leading to Frontierland.
• Nate talks about his traditional spots to take family photos and gives the advice to consider the time of day when taking photos in the Disney Parks.
• Henry talks about setting up a blog or social media site to share pictures with friends and family while on vacation.
• Thank you to our sponsor Touring Plans! Visit Touring Plans for all of your Disney wait times needs!
• Visit the Betamouse FriendFeed and chat with us all day every day!
• Note: Katie and Henry will be attending the WDW Today TentFest and want to know if you’ll be there too! Email show@betamouse.net and we would love to meet you and thank you for listening!

Or, you can download it directly here.

JOIN US IN OUR FRIENDFEED ROOM–ALL WELCOME (well, except Nate on his Android): http://friendfeed.com/betamouse.

Show Notes

• Henry introduces the Panel.
• Thank you to Touring Plans for sponsoring Betamouse!
• The Panel talks about what smartphones they own. The majority of the panel is enjoying the wonder of the iPhone. Nate provides the Android experience.
• Henry asks the panel how they keep their batteries going white touring the parks.
• Scott talks about the settings on his iPhone that he shuts off: wifi, bluetooth, brightness, location services and yes, even 3G.
• Henry declares he must have his iPhone screen of optimal brightness.
• Jeff jokes that the best way to keep your iPhone charged is to go to the parks with family that deems it unacceptable for the iPhone to always be in your hand. Jeff states that his anti-glare screen protector allows him to keep his brightness way down and still see the screen fine.
• Henry brings up the interesting point of: is bringing out your smartphone in public now socially more acceptable?
• Katie (resident Apple fangirl) talks about the settings she shuts off to keep her battery going: wifi, bluetooth, location services and low brightness. Katie also uses an external battery, the Major Mojo 3g Juice, to keep her phone going. She inquires about case batteries such as the Mophie Juice Pack and Henry lets the panel know the charging power of those is not that great.
• Nate turns off all the general settings to save battery as well and also states that he has battery issues much more often at Walt Disney World than at Disneyland because at Disneyland he returns to the hotel more often. Henry has the same issues only the exact opposite: he always returns to the hotel for a break at Disney World.
• Henry lets Disneyland fans know that there are power outlets available for charging at Billy Hill in Disneyland.
• Henry states that he will turn off all settings but he will not give up 3G. He also does not want to give up Twitter push notifications.
• Scott will not bring power cords to charge his iPhone to the parks. He will take a break and charge at the resorts.
• Jeff gives the ultimate pro tip: there is an outlet to charge your smartphone in the lower rose garden area at Magic Kingdom. He also lets the panel know that there are outlets at the Tutto Italia waiting area.
• Katie gives the advice of checking the counter service locations for outlets.
• Nate states that one of his favorite charging areas is the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian Resort.
• To save battery life, Henry informs the panel to turn on airplane mode when going into a long indoor ride such as Pirates or Soarin’.
• Henry’s favorite charging area is in Innoventions West at Epcot.
• Henry asks the panel how they keep their phones safe and dry.
• Scott’s biggest tip: never keep your phone on a belt clip! While he is on an attraction, his phone stays in his front pocket. For water rides, Scott uses a simple plastic ziplock bag.
• Jeff uses the Otterbox Defender case for his iPhone. There is nothing hurting his phone now!
• Katie throws her phone in her bag and although she likes her CaseCrown case she prefers her iPhone as naked as Steve Jobs intended. Katie had a Power Support anti-glare film as well and while she loved it, she states the screen is much more crisp without it.
• Nate states that he is not the one to give advice on keeping phones dry as he has ruined smartphones that way before! He just keeps his phone in his pocket for security. Nate compares holding his phone in a belt clip to holding his infant in a Baby Bjorn. One member of the panel was sure to compare their smartphone to an infant at one point!
• Henry does use the pouches on the attractions and only one time did he forget something in one! Henry lets us know that if it’s raining and you need to use your phone, just hold your phone under your poncho!
• Henry wants to know what applications the panel checks consistently at the Disney Parks.
• Scott checks Twitter, FourSquare and sometimes email.
• Jeff uses Twitter and email and plays DoodleJump in line.
• Katie uses Twitter and FourSquare and will often use iCal to keep her ADRs and schedule in line.
• Nate uses Posterous and the panel talks about what a great blogging service it is.
• Henry uses Twitter and his iPhone camera quite a bit while at the parks.
• Thank you the Betamouse sponsor Touring Plans. Use Touring Plans to tour the Disney Parks and save time and money. And speaking of smartphones, check out the mobile application Lines for all your Disney wait times needs!
• Henry announces the Betamouse FriendFeed room. Join the Betamouse crew for live geeky chat everyday!

NOTE: if you want to email the show, please send to show@betamouse.net. Do it!

Or, you can download it directly here.

Show Notes:

• Henry introduces the podcast panel.
• Scott gives the “newbie” perspective of planning on disneyworld.com and states that the site might provide information overload to novice planners and things may get over looked.
• Henry comments that using gateways like college websites might provide a better experience for different user categories: beginner planners, intermediate planners and advanced planners.
• Jeff states that the redundancy of entering data more than once can be annoying. The website itself should remember user information. This leads into the discussion- should Disney provide loyalty programs?
• Katie gives the Disney Vacation Club member perspective on the online experience and is a bit miffed that DVC members can still not book their vacations online.
• Henry asks opinions on the Disney online experience on mobile devices and shocks the panel by stating that there is a mobile Disneyworld site!
• Nate is looking for a better comparison tool on the Disney World resorts. Katie is also looking for a linear option to compare the resorts and Jeff interjects that this is present on the site.
• Henry comments on the slow loading speeds of the site in general and how the large pictures on every page are not needed and excessive. He also commends the Disney Parks Blog as a step in the right social media direction.
• Thank you to Touring Plans for sponsoring Betamouse! Visit Touring Plans for wait times, park touring plans and information on the new Disney World mobile wait times app Lines.