I'm excited to announce that I will be presenting at the upcoming Virtual Real Estate BarCamp on November 17.  My presentation is called "The Best Free (And Nearly Free) Online Tools for Your Real Estate Business"

Now I've got a whole bunch of my favorites in my $1,000,000 Rolodex, but I'd like to ask your help in sharing with me what you think are the best of the best!

Go ahead! Leave me a comment with your favorite tools and software. 

P.S.  Don't Miss Me at the Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp November 17 at 3:15PM EST.

Social Media "Expert" (He loves it when I call him that!) Mike Mueller talks about the "Red Headed Step Child"... LinkedIn.

Mike works closely with real estate professionals and other businesses and teaches them efficient social media strategies to improve their business. If you've never heard Mike speak before, you'll want to listen to "brass tacks" interview.

If you have heard Mike before... then you know you are in for a treat! The preview call is for registered guests only of Social Media Do's and Don'ts. 

Don't Miss the Virtual Real Estate BarCamp. 27 Social Media Real Estate Experts – LIVE - ONE DAY ONLY!!!

This Spring, Jay Thompson's PhoenixRealEstateGuy took home Inman's Most Innovative Blog Award. It turns out that Inman is not Thompson's only fan... so is Google!

The web is amuck with "SEO Experts" touting ways to manipulate the system to improve your search engine rankings. Thompson proves theres no trickery needed. The best way to consistently come out on top for important search terms is to provide good, timely, relevant content and become the trusted authority in your field.

Here's an incredible example of how powerful and quickly good blogging can get you top search engine results.

On July 28, 2009, Horizon Realty in Chicago caused a buzz in the social media world when they announced that they were suing one of their tenants for making a negative tweet to her 22 followers. [caption id="attachment_200" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Click to Enlarge"][/caption]

This caused an immediate backlash. Thousands of people blogged, tweeted and retweeted lethal attacks on Horizon ranging from the humorous to the rediculous.

Amazingly, the search term "Horizon Realty" skyrocketed from next to nothing to Number 66 on the Google Hot Trends... That's right 66 on all of Google!

PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com did what it does best. It reported on important relevant news that effected it's industry, as it happened.

And Google LOVED IT! [caption id="attachment_206" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Click to Enlarge"][/caption]

So much so, that Google rewarded PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com with the number 3 blog post return and high ranking on it's regular search.

Think about that.

In the course of a few hours an event happened that causes a search term to become one of the hottest on the web, and Jay Thompson, because of the trust and authority he had built up, was able to capture those eyeballs and bring them to his site.

How valuable is that?

News events happen all the time. You need to earn Google's trust over time by being a consistent and reputable reporter. When you do, Google will reward you for your efforts.

Congrats to you Jay, and thank you for being a leader in the social media movement.

Hey, let's have some fun, while we learn more about social media! Join me Friday, September 25, 2009 at the Williamson County Association of Realtors for my Free presentation:

"How Do These Crazy Little Tweets, Facebook Friends, & Blog Posts Help Me Find More Clients, Sell More Real Estate and Make More Money?"

The world is abuzz with social media fever. Millions of people spend several hours each day “tweeting”, “texting”, “blogging” and posting pictures and videos. Is this a colossal waste of time… or is there really a strategy to harness the power of this marketing and communication paradigm shift?

We're live right now on ESPN Austin. You can be a part of America's first radio show dedicated to helping homeowners make their homes more comfortable and more energy efficient.

Tune in now to ESPN Austin (there will be a brief delay for the audio to start streaming)

Welcome to Get Rated Now... the official fan page for the Home Energy Solutions Radio show!

Welcome to Get Rated Now... the official fan page for the Home Energy Solutions Radio show!

Listen live to the Home Energy Solutions Radio on 1530 ESPN Austin, or listen to the archives on the Get Rated Now blog.

Home Energy Solutions is committed to helping you learn about the latest technology to make your home more comfortable and energy efficient. We present the facts and debunk the myths. Best of all, we give you, the homeowner, a place to ask your questions and speak to the experts.

Be a part of Home Energy Solutions. Become a fan today. Subscribe to our blog and follow us on twitter.

Most of all, please tell your friends and family about us.

Craig Bushon and Steve Rosenbaum are your hosts of the Home Energy Solutions Radio Show.

Tune in now to ESPN Austin (there will be a brief delay for the audio to start streaming)

My grandfather is a rock. This man has seen so much in his 94 years. Years ago, I found a copy of the ship's passenger log bearing his signature, from when he came here in 1934. He was 19 years old and didn't like what was happening in Germany, so he had the foresight to come to America with very little money or family.

And he's seen it all since then. He's seen 18 US Presidents. He's seen the discovery of penicillin and countless medical breakthroughs. He's seen unbelievable advances in communication including the development of radio, television, movies, and now the cell phone, computer and the internet. He's seen the construction of a national highway system and transportation break-throughs that make his long journey by ship a short jaunt by airplane. And he's seen us build buildings that stretch to the sky.

But there's still one thing Grandpa Heinz has never seen... A Chicago Cubs championship.

Yes, Grandpa is a die-hard Cubs fan. He can tell you what Ryan Theriot had for breakfast. Or he'll complain about Lou Piniella going to Kevin Gregg again, after several blown saves. He'll let you know that Geovany Soto has a tough time hitting with men in scoring positions on Wednesday day games after a travel day.

Grandpa will even reminisce about past Cubs, like Jerry Morales making "hot dog" basket catches in center field, or Dave Kingman hitting the ball on the porch of the house "3 houses down Kenmore!"

It's been a rough few years for Grandpa, especially with the White Sox winning their championship and Boston ending their mild drought. And Grandpa is not too happy.

But I'm pretty good with it. Because, despite an amazing 14,800 odd games since their last championship (and grandpa has seen most of them), the Chicago Cubs have squandered another chance to break all the curses, and have assured themselves that 2009, like the previous 101 years, will not be their year.

And of course that means just one thing: I can thank the Chicago Cubs for keeping Grandpa around for another year!

Just go word from my brother, Paul. You will recall that he went on a JDRF bike ride in VT to raise money to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes.

Well, Paul made it! He completed the trekdespite having to ride through rain, cold weather and high winds. He even got some more donations the past few days and ended up collecting over $6,000!

I want to thank everybody for your well-wishes and support. I know he saw all the comments here and on my blog, facebook and twitter pages.

Thank you again everybody.