Whether you've been using Twitter for a few days, or a few months, or a year, you know that it is important to strategize who you follow on Twitter. Why follow people that will offer you no benefit? Here are some folks that we follow on Twitter, and we've found them to be extremely helpful, influential, and inspiring in one way or another.

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@mashable: The hottest Twitter news, Twitter tips and Twitter help. Plus, the best social media links around!

This Twitterer is constantly sending out helpful blog posts about social media, networking, and the latest news with both. The posts are written by different experts in the social media field, and every post is helpful and informative in one way or another. You will get lots of great tips and tricks for using social media with @mashable.

@mizzle: Mom, Wife, Daughter, Friend, Blogger, Real Estate Agent, Trainer and Coach.

It is always refreshing to "listen" to the thoughts of a busy mom, real estate agent, and blogger. @mizzle is down to earth, honest, and real. She is, well, refreshing!

@SocialMediaComm: Social Media Tips and Tricks

Every day, @SocialMediaComm tweets about tips and tricks in the social media world. These are different tips and tricks than @mashable tweets, so follow both, and you'll get a wide variety of helpful ways to boost your social networking efforts!

@unmarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging.

Amazing, short and sweet, easy, to-the-point tweets about engaging people through social networking (specifically, Twitter), rather than marketing to your followers. Social networking is about building relationships, not the "hard sell." @unmarketing reminds us of how to engage every day.

@problogger: I blog about twitter and tweet about blogging. Sometimes I blog about tweeting about blogging and tweet about blogging about twitter.

If you are searching for great blogging tips, exceptional blog posts, and anything else that has to do with blogging (and tweeting), follow @problogger. You won't be disappointed!

@nik_nik: Sassy Real Estate Tech Blogger, aka Technowoman and that's not cause I fall at the disco!

Her bio says it all. She is sassy, she is a real estate tech blogger, and a technowoman who is a pro at social networking. Our team has attended some webinars hosted by @nik_nik and each one is full of helpful, new information about the social media world -- i.e. new ways to use Facebook, what to Tweet about, how to build relationships through social networkings, the list goes on.

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So there you have it. A short list of folks to follow. We find them wonderfully helpful, and you will too.

Whether you are a seasoned real estate agent or a newbie to this exciting field, you need great marketing ideas. Set yourself apart from the rest, market yourself in ways other agents are not, target your niche, and make sure you are "top of mind" for all of your contacts. This list of marketing blogs is very valuable, and we have gotten a lot of ideas from these professionals. Every agent will get something different out of these blogs, so read on, and get ready for some amazing marketing food!

Duct Tape Marketing: Simple, Effective, and Affordable Small Business Marketing

This blog provides a plethora of informative marketing solutions for small businesses. They focus a lot of attention on social networking, which is a major plus because most real estate agents don't have time to research all of that for themselves. It provides cutting edge marketing ideas and tools on a daily basis.

Cyberhomes: Real Estate Listings and Real Estate Advice

Cyberhomes is a real gem for real estate agents and consumers alike -- but mostly for agents. They also focus a lot on social media and provide a number of quality tools to use in your marketing research. They have a huge database full of national real estate information, including homes for sale, statistics on specific neighborhoods, and market watch reports. They've also recently started producing "green" tips. I appreciate this blog because they are focused on the real estate market, and have a great spin toward social media and networking. I can't get enough!

The Future of Real Estate Marketing

This blog is valuable because it provides a wealth of marketing tools and advice to real estate agents on a national level. If you want to stay in tune with what national real estate companies are doing, what new technologies are available for real estate marketing, and up-to-date information on real estate conferences, read this blog!

Real Estate Tomato: Juicy Blogging Advice for Realtors

You are a member of Active Rain, which means you probably blog on a regular basis. The Real Estate Tomato is a great resource for real estate bloggers. They provide advice on content, marketing, participation, do's and don'ts, lead generation, syndication, and more. Keep your blog alive and kicking! Read this blog!

Inman News: Where Real Estate and Technology Connect

If you want a quality updated resource for real estate news, this blog is for you. It focuses on news, but also incorporates some marketing ideas and social networking opportunities while keeping a focus on technology. I follow this blog on Twitter as well because they are constantly updating their site with news articles and commentary. A very valuable blog!

Twitter is the fastest growing social networking site on the web today. It is a great resource for real estate agents because there are certain to be users in your geographic area that are using Twitter religiously, plus you can gather ample amounts of news, marketing ideas, articles, tools, and general intelligence. If you aren't using Twitter yet, you best sign up today. You won't regret it. I'll even give you some tips on how to gain clients and referrals...

TWITTER SEARCH IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

Ah, the Twitter Search. An amazing tool. We are based in Harrisonburg, VA, so I'll use our city as an example. Once logged in to Twitter, agents can go to http://search.twitter.com and type in various search terms to see what other Twitterers are saying. You can use this to your advantage!

For example, we want to know when folks are talking about Harrisonburg. So, I type "Harrisonburg" into the search box. In 0.2 seconds, there is a list full of recent tweets with the word "Harrisonburg" in them. Sweet! Now what?

Use this list to your advantage! In the past, I've followed someone and replied to someone because they tweeted about moving to the Harrisonburg area, or mentioned a job interview in Harrisonburg. They'll likely need a real estate agent like myself when moving. If I can't help them with a home purchase, I can get them in contact with a property manager. I can make a new contact. I can put them on my mailing list and keep them informed of what I'm doing in the local real estate market.

With every connection you make on Twitter with a local resident, you'll make hundreds more. You'll be the friend-of-a-friend, the follower-of-a-follower, and with all of those connections, you'll have created a large network full of potential clients and referrals. Please one, and you'll likely get more.

Twitter isn't about following random people for the sake of following someone. You should have a strategy with each follow. As real estate professionals, we need to be constantly looking for new ways to market ourselves, and Twitter is a fantastic resource for gaining new clients.

Go. Tweet. Search. Success!

Social networking is all the rage these days, and in my opinion, it will never end. It will only get better. The more quality time you put into your social networking, the more you will get out of it, and the more relationships you will build. (Hint: more relationships means a larger sphere of influence!)

So, how do you build a strategy?

The first thing is to figure out your objective(s). What do you want to get out of your social networking? Our real estate team, for one, wants to build relationships with local folks so we can generate quality leads, and create a larger sphere of influence. I'm sure that is what most real estate agents want, right?

That is a good objective. Now what? Come up with a strategy for your networking.

Create profiles on several different sites and online directories, such as Google Profiles, Yahoo! Local, Facebook, LinkedIn, Trulia, Zillow, Twitter, and many more. This will get you found through search engine requests. The more folks are online searching for real estate or agents or businesses in your area, the more your name will pop up. The more your name pops up, ideally the more trust those people will have in you because you have taken the time to make your name and your brand known.

On Facebook, create groups and pages for yourself. Ask your existing Facebook friends to become fans of your page. This is an easy way to send messages to your local "fan-base." Feed your blog posts into your Facebook page, get involved in your Facebook group by asking questions, starting discussions, providing useful links, etc.

Fill in your profiles completely so people can get to know you before even speaking to you. The more they know, the more they trust you. Be real with your audience. And don't use social media as JUST a business source. You are a human being, who goes through ups and downs just like everyone else. Be tactful and respectful and diligent. Be professional, even in casual circumstances. People will notice!

Blog. A lot. Read lots of blogs, write lots of blog posts, and give people the information they are looking for. Market statistics, events going on in your area, changes in loan programs, information about your strategic partners, updates on your local market, news regarding real estate and mortgages, etc.

The important thing to remember in social networking is that you want to have a strategy, be professional and human at the same time, and really interact with those around you. Be smart in your networking, too, by automating your strategy. Feed your blogs to Twitter and Facebook and your LinkedIn profile, feed your Twitter status updates to Facebook, link to Trulia and Zillow and Twitter and Facebook from your blog. Everything is intertwined like a web. Show your fans, followers, and friends that you are a real estate expert with online presence who knows what he/she is doing.

Have you come up with a different strategy? I'd like to hear about it!

April is always one of the busiest months of the year for new residential real estate listings. (Which is why you haven't seen much of our team online for a few weeks!) Harrisonburg and Rockingham County -- including Massanutten Resort -- put 153 new residential listings on the market in April thus far. The Harrisonburg Homes Team alone had 9 new residential listings and 2 new land listings in April so far. Wow!

The next few months will also be busy with new listings, more buyers, and gorgeous weather, so we're not looking to let up. We love helping buyers and sellers with their real estate endeavors! With interest rates at record lows, tax credits, and other incentives for buyers, we are looking forward to a great Spring and Summer. April is just the beginning of a wonderful time of year, and 2009 is no exception.

While we have been busy with marketing our new listings, we have also been launching chat on our web site, video tours for each of our residential listings, and getting a fabulous mobile search function up and running this past month. Check out our outside blog for more details!

I've been using Gmail -- the email client by Google -- for quite some time now, and it never ceases to amaze me. Google is all over the place, in a good way. Maps, email, news, shopping (with checkouts you can personalize), calendar, blog reader, images, and so much more.

Gmail is the smartest email application I've ever used. Here's why:

• You can star specific messages that you would like quick access to, no matter where you file it away. Consider it a "favorite" function or a bookmark.
• Label each email and file it away in the archives. This creates streamlined organization, and you can find any message you've ever archived quickly and easily.
• If you did happen to file a message away and forgot where you put it, Gmail provides a fantastic search function that allows you to type any search terms and it will find the message you are looking for! For example, type "from Bob" in the search bar and it will find any email you've ever received from anyone named Bob. Or type "in sent from John" and Gmail will provide you with all messages in your sent mail that you received from John. Amazing!
• The spam function is intelligent. When I mark something as spam, it NEVER shows up in my inbox again.
• Create a checklist of tasks. It is an easy way to get things done, stay organized, and saves paper... plus you'll be less likely to lose those little post-it notes!
• Create contact groups. Once you designated specific contacts to a group, when you want to type a message to that group, just type the group name into the "To:" field and all the email addresses in that group will populate in that field.
• When you compose a new email, you can send a calendar event or appointment request to the recipient, just like in Outlook. The event will be added to your Google Calendar.

Now for a tip!

To insert a photo into a Gmail message, go to Google Documents and open a new document. Type up your message and format as you like, and insert the photo where you want it. You don't even have to resize it before you insert the photo because in the advanced options, you can have it automatically resized to a thumbnail size, which is perfect for email messages. Once your message is how you want it, copy the content, then head back over the Gmail and paste it directly into your message. Ta-da! Send.

Do you have anymore tips to share about Gmail? How much do you love it?

Twitter is a (free) social networking platform where users can post 140-character texts updates. You can follow others, others can follow you, and you see the updates from those who you are following. Insert links if you like, or simply write about what you are doing or how you are feeling at the moment. It's called micro-blogging, and it is brilliant! Here is why real estate agents should use Twitter, and use it often!

Send updates to your followers. Short and sweet messages about what you are doing will usually interest your followers. They choose to follow you, so they want to hear from you! A good example would be "Just got my 5th lead today through my web site. Yes!!" It shows that you are a top notch agent who is getting business. A bad example would be "On the toilet. Back in 5." Nobody cares (or really wants to know) if you are using the facilities

Feed your blog posts into your Twitter account. When you write a blog post, you can set it up through a service like TwitterFeed to automatically update your Twitter status with the title of your post and a link to it. Active Rain gives you that option as well. You can accomplish this on your profile page.

Stay updated on whats happening in your community and/or industry. When you follow others, especially those in your community (aka locals) or industry (aka real estate agents), you will stay abreast of current issues, events, news, places, developments, the list goes on. You'll even know what people think of those things. It's quite insightful!

Keep in touch with your clients. Many of your past and present (and even future) clients are probably already using Twitter. Follow them! They will give you insight into their lives and whats going on with them. When you follow them, perhaps they'll follow you back, and that is fantastic. Then they will stay updated on what you are doing as well. So keep tweeting about how you are upping your marketing efforts, working with buyers and sellers, and post market statistics... not to mention your blog entries!

Feed your tweets into your blog. There is a way to do this, but since I currently feed my blog posts into my Twitter status, I don't feed my tweets into my blog. It seems silly, but if anyone has a reason for me to starting feeding my tweets into my blog, do tell! I'd love to hear why it is brilliant as well.

If you are new to Twitter, or haven't started using it yet, go sign up for an account now, and then go here to download a free (and short) online book by @Nik_Nik called "Twitter for Real Estate Twits." It will help you get started, and goes through everything you need to know about Twitter, including the lingo.

So, to sum it all up. Twitter and Real Estate work together in a BRILLIANT way. Why would anyone NOT tweet?!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

**posted by List Oates, Marketing Director of The Harrisonburg Homes Team at Kline May Realty in Harrisonburg, VA**

Ah yes... blogging! I first started blogging a few years ago on a personal blog. I was convinced by some friends that I needed to blog, especially since I was pregnant at the time and needed to be able to post my feelings (and of course, photos) of my new experience as a mother. After having my daughter, I started my career in real estate. Then I got to go pro in my blogging, so to speak.

There is a change that occurs when you start blogging. You see things differently throughout each day. You notice the details. "Ooooh, I could blog about that!" you declare to yourself. That is a great thing! Keep your mind turned on for blog food. It isn't just about posting regularly, its about providing your readers with quality content, great headlines, news, community events, your opinions, and much more. Keep it interesting, and you will keep them coming.

Now when the seasons change, I make sure to take a photo, post it on my blog, and share it with the world (well, mostly my friends and family that live across the country). And for our professional blogs, I keep tabs on conversations I have with clients and friends about real estate. If they are interested in something regarding the real estate market, financing, or our economy, I write about it!

Oh, and once you start blogging, you'll never want to stop. In fact, you'll likely want to become more a part of the internet community and get involved in social networking on Facebook, Twitter, Trulia, and other sites. You'll get sucked in, but it is a great thing! It can only help your business. Trust me!

Our brokerage, Kline May Realty, created a short list of FAQ's regarding the new First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. We are passing these out to home buyers to educate them on this exciting new credit.

If I have owned a home in the past, but don't own one now, can I be considered a first time home buyer?

Yes, in some cases. If you have not owned your primary residence in the past three years, you will qualify for the credit as a first time home buyer.

What is the maximum credit I am eligible to receive?

The lesser of $8,000 or 10% of the sales price of the home.

What types of properties are eligible?

All types, including townhomes and condominiums, as long as the home is your primary residence.

How do I get the credit if I am eligible?

When you file your 2009 tax return, the credit will reduce your tax liability for the year, which will either reduce the amount you owe, or generate a refund check from the government.

If my tax liability for 2009 is less than $8,000, what happens to the rest of the credit?

If your tax liability for the year is less than $8,000, you will receive the difference in the form of a check!

Is this a loan?

No. You do not have to pay the $8,000 back unless you sell the home within three years of the purchase date.

When does the program end?

December 1, 2009.

If you have any questions regarding this tax credit, or about any part of purchasing a home, give The Harrisonburg Homes Team a call at 540-421-3179!

According to Inman News, mortgage rates are nearing record lows. A month ago, mortgage rates were in the 4%'s, and now they are nearing the 5% mark. This, of course, causes an increase in mortgage application rates (a jump of 45.7% just last week compared to the week before!). These low rates also spur folks to refinance.

Is this good for the economy? Bad? Neutral?

To read more on this issue, visit Inman News.