William's Life in San Diego Musings
Transitioning from the Digital Decade to the Connected Culture
March 21st, 2010 categories: Local San Diego News You Can Use, San Diego Real Estate, Social Media, William's Life in San Diego Musings
As we began our first efforts to absorb what the term social media was, we learned in simple terms that it is about having a conversation with others. Engaging them if you will, one on one. (Understanding that others are always welcome to join in the conversation) We were warned early on that this is also about being personal and not about advertising, at least in the sense that it requires each of use to put ourselves out there and exchange our lives and experiences in hopes of attracting others with similar experiences or at least that would have common interests.
ActiveRain as a network helped us recognize through various tutorials from Brad Andersohn, Jeremy Blantan and Bob Stewart and many others associates in the network on how to log in , set ourselves up with accounts and then invite others to join in. I expect knowing how to do this and actually doing it, there is sometimes a gap or least a couple big questions that pop into our minds.
For some they may see this effort as a frivolous waste of time, as surely no one ever listed their home or bought one because when they were kids they collected stamps and you happened to do that as well. Don’t try and draw any early conclusions just yet as I begin to explore with you, some easy, friendly and very social ways to get started and stay connected.
So let’s assume you already signed up and connected your self to Facebook. Now what? The system in place takes over and voila, you have 3 or 4 friends in the first couple hours. Is that it? No, but it is a beginning of what you already know to be a form of Viral Marketing- which is nothing more complicated than having many others spreading the word. In this case you do a little and others each do a little and before long, lots of people are spreading the word. Your word. The problem is that the 3 new friends are also in Real Estate and the chances of them Buying or selling anything with you is about as remote as winning the lottery. Since you don’t play the lottery either, guessing that analogy doesn’t mean much, right? Stay with me.
So do you get the bigger group of networked friends and actually connect with others that you don’t know but would likley accept as a friend if someone referred them? You can log off Facebook for a bit because you have some thinking and writing to do. Maybe a bit more work than that but try this much smaller effort.
Talk to anyone of your clients you are presently working with and ask them if they have ever heard of Facebook. If they aren’t in advanced senior living, they will likely say yes that they have heard of it or even have a profile there. Ask them about what their experience is and 1. ask if they have already or would add their own profile to Facebook. 2. tell them you will help them get started if they haven’t already. ( 2 newbies and some acquaintances can be a good start).
But how do build somehing meaningful that might help you gain business in the longer run.
Set a goal for yourself to make lists. A list of important business connections you already have. A list of friends, past clients, church members, members of clubs or professional organizations you belong to. Lists of everyone you know, and even lists of those you would like to know. Keep that list for last. So lets identify a few and see what that looks like.
If you have been in real estate for more than an aftrernoon, you will know a real estate attorney, you will know a building contractor, you will know a plumber, you will know an electrician, you will know a doctor, you know lots of people actually that usually escape you when you are thinking of your business sphere of influence . ( meaning that if you paid them or referred them for a product or service, they consider you either their client or a business friend). And all these people know lots of other people.
After you have made up your list and have an e-mail address or phone number beside each name, log back into Facebook and see how many are already there. Searching is quite easy. When you find them, set them up as a friend. For the ones you don’t find, send them an e-mail and ask them if they have a profile on Facebook or call them. If they do have a profile, add them as friends. If they don’t have a profile set up, invite them to join Facebook. You can offer to help them get started in the network.
And you will notice as each of these people begin to add friends, there will be others that you might have known, have met in the past or just sound interesting and you could also make them to be a friend. They will see you immediately with the automated “Friend” request when they log in, you will pop-up in the friends in common.
So even with out building more friends from more lists , it is time to contribute to your new connected culture. Write something on the walls of your friends. Or send them a note to say hello. It should be personal and the goal is seek a common interest. So reading around about what they are saying to others might give you a clue of their interests. Furthering that goal, remember that it is “not about you” , it is about them and what you can easily and comforatably share with them. So find ways of recognizing them even if it is just a Birthday or Anniversary wish. Try this and so you will see how easy it is to find that common denominator for a comment thread.
This is about conversation. An easy way to strike up a conversation if you can’t think of anything beside the weather ( boring), is to ask them a personal or engaging question. Ask to meet them for coffee some time, just keep the connection about personal and not about how good real estate is or how bad it is. There is plenty enough time for that should the need arise.
If someone shares a personal moment, don’t try to be the One -Uppsman. It doesn’t inspire conversation, it usually shuts it down.
Learn about your new friends and the interests they have that drives them. What inspires them, what do they like to respond to. Learn what you have in common. You will build new friendships and revitalize old ones. It is easy. And there are wonderful ways to build your friendship lists up. It is not how many friends you have on the list. It is about how many of those friends you take the time to engage with.
Facebook like all the other networks has many features and even subcultures that at first might seem daunting. Don’t worry about them or cram them into your learning curve. Much of the best part of Facebook is that you can learn easily by doing. It so much more important to participate than to learn it all and not use it. Join in , it’s fun and so easy. Remember , “you can learn most easily by participating”.
Friends would much rather have business relationships with the friends they know and trust then the plethora of people that mean nothing to them. Our Digital decade has evolved and as we transition to our new connected environment, it will one day be as natural as answering the phone. You can optimize your friendships further by sharing links to all your real estate advise and counsel as it is a friendly way to say, “Hey, if you have questions about real estate, you know I’m here”. Not a bad comment in itself, feel free to use it.
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REALTORS and Real Estate Technology Professionals Gather in San Diego
November 14th, 2009 categories: San Diego Real Estate News, William's Life in San Diego Musings
REBarCamp San Diego was a Huge Success!
Well over 400 participants converged at the downtown San Diego location of the world famous Stingaree NightClub, hosted by Jim Marks, NAR, Zillow and countless others, the REBarCampSD kicked off yesterday morning at 8:30Am and ended with a party like reception outside on the rooftop under the stars of the Stingareee Nightclub. This Venue I am told may be one of the most outstanding ever to host the BARCamp events.
What an extraordinary experience!
“Attendees don’t just watch a set list of speakers. They give their own talks. Podcasting. Web standards. Microformats. Gum stick computers. Physical security. Robotics. Evolutionary algorithms. It can be anything. One of the best barcamp presentations ever given was about sandwiches. BarCamp is what you make of it.” a quote taken from the REBar Camp site.
Topics today included the “Importance of and increasing SEO for your website” presented by Drew Meyers ( Zillow ) through topics on “Blogging” , by Jay Thompson and Kris Berg ( PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com and SanDiegoCastles.com) “Marketing properties with Photos “,” Syndication of the WordPress platform, Social Networks and guidelines for maximizing your experience,” Introducing Posterous.com”, presented by Eric Stegemann. All the social network gurus were there to help each us learn the many ways to interact and build and establish relationships. Social Networks are about Relationship Building. There were experienced “REO Specialists” conducting discussions on the “future and explosion of REO’s”, “ShortSale Specialist Experiences”, and “How to convert Online Consumer Leads” by Bob Wilson. There are too many topics to name all of them but certainly all of the many remarkable topics had presenters giving of their time to help each of us participating to always have the best online experience.
There were 3 levels of areas at the venue ( 12 specific and named areas ) used throughout the venue creating 12 simultaneous classrooms, that changed topics every 30 minutes. The sessions involved a presenter that guided the full participation of each and every attendee. As they say, “ This is not a spectator sport”. To maximize your shared knowledge and experiences, everyone was encouraged not to just attend but to actively participate.
Some of us knew each other well on line and today many of us from ActiveRain, Facebook,Twitter, Linked In, met in person for the first time. I guess you can just imagine how incredible that was.
What an amazing event and I was overwhelmed with the outpouring for friendship and sharing at this most amazing experience.
I am re-posting this post that I originally published on another blog for Real Estate Professionals.. The reason is simple really, I feel it will help you the consumer to know our passion and dedication to learn all that we can that will ultimately help you the most in your real estate decisions. To know that we care to be the very best we can be in providing you state of the art services for any transaction that will assure you the best result.
If you are Buying, Selling or Relocating to San Diego and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my San Diego Real Estate website and sign up for Listing alerts for your favorite San Diego Home and Condominium Property Searches.
I specialize in Single Family Homes and Condominiums throughout the coast and inland areas of San Diego. Some of those communities are La Jolla, University Town Center, Bay Park, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Scripts Ranch, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho
Penasquitos,Carmel Valley and Solona Beach. If I didn’t mention a city or community that you are interested in, just let me know and i will find you an expert for that community as well.
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San Diego Real Estate …. WOW!…Wireless Discount Coupons with new iPhone App…. YOWZA!!
September 3rd, 2009 categories: Buying San Diego Real Estate, Local San Diego News You Can Use, William's Life in San Diego Musings
San Diego Real Estate …. WOW!…Wireless Discount Coupons with new iPhone App…. YOWZA!!
Wireless is in, paper is out. Even for those that like to clip coupons to their favorite restaurants or department stores. With competition heating up, having access to coupons on your cell phone will make it really easy. Remember to take your phone with you and forget the paper coupon.
Well,that is how it is for some businesses already and there will be growing encouragement on retailers to be sure to add their coupons online as well as running those coupons in newspapers and mailers and making them available to access right on your phone.
The software app was developed by Yowsa and can be downloaded now for iPhone users. Perhaps there will be other platforms in the near future but for now, iPhone is the place. When I have asked people what kind of phone they have and they answer other than the iPhone, I always chuckle and say , “Gee that’s too bad”. The truth is though that I am sure all phones with data plans will eventually have these type of apps. When you think about it, clipping coupons is not always convenient and most often, even when you have a coupon, you forget to take it, at least I do. Read the rest of this entry »
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San Diego Real Estate- What’s The Future Of Our Technology and Our Mother Earth
July 31st, 2009 categories: Local San Diego News You Can Use, Selling San Diego Real Estate, William's Life in San Diego Musings
San Diego Real Estate- What’s The Future Of Our Technology and Our Mother Earth
We are still in the infancy stage of developing the technology that will become common place in our world. Technology has been developing since the dawn of civilization in one form or another. In recent decades, we are bombarded with so many different manifestations of it in our daily lives. But more recently as different ways of utilizing it come out in the market, we as consumers anxiously try to obtain as many of these latest and greatest gadgets as our budgets allow. We are filling our homes and cars with them everyday.
There is however a bigger price to pay than what we can easily afford. We are beginning to see what all these machines and the gadgets look like as they pile up in our homes, older models not being used and relegated to the garage or anyplace else we find to store them. This includes old printers, monitors, computers, PDA’s, cell phones, scanners, copiers, analog TV’s, first and 2nd generation digital cameras. If you can name it we each probably have several. Now think of all the people that must have some of these old antiquated things and you begin to see what the landfills will be looking like when theses items are incorrectly disposed of.
One day soon, we will need to strike the ultimate balance when everything we want and even create the need for, somehow integrates itself seamlessly into our homes. I imagine a day when we will have one great master system and everything we have, technology wise, will be a part of the master system. Read the rest of this entry »
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San Diego Real Estate – Big Bay Boom July 4th Celebration
July 4th, 2009 categories: San Diego Real Estate, William's Life in San Diego Musings
San Diego Real Estate – Big Bay Boom July 4th Celebration
San Diegoans stare in awe at the night sky of the amazing specular pyrotechnics on display tonight throughout 16 areas of San Diego. And yes, yours truly will be at one of them, hopefully to get some new outstanding pictures for next years post.
The Big Bay Boom as it is called on the Bay in Downtown San Diego has a budget of over $100,000 and is best seem from Seaport Village. One of the best ways to get is there is park at one of the satellite trolley stations near downtown and take the trolley. You can avoid much of the traffic associated with this annual event and simply walk from the trolley station to Seaport Village. Read the rest of this entry »
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