Kevin Hawkins's Blog

The Economist torches U.S. residential real estate industry model, calls commissions "ripoff"

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:47:09 -0700

Don't miss UK's "Economist" May 5th article:

American property

The great realtor rip-off

Why is it so expensive to buy or sell a house in America?

http://www.economist.com/node/21554204

Likely to cause a visceral reaction.

Comments?

NewsChews: Great Reads for Monday. Nov. 28, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:16:23 -0800

BUSINESS

Big Bazooka Talk Keeps Investors on Edge
http://www.cnbc.com/id/45459599

Why Instagram Is So Popular: Quality, Audience, & Constraints
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/27/why-instagram-is-so-popular/

TECHNOLOGY

Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 gains fans
http://gigaom.com/mobile/galaxy-nexus-android-4-0-coming-soon/

Disruptions: Fliers Must Turn Off Devices, but It's Not Clear Why
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/disruptions-fliers-must-turn-off-devices-but-its-not-clear-why/

SOCIAL MEDIA

Most kids graduate to mainstream social networks at 11
http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/11/28/most-kids-graduate-to-mainstream-social-networks-at-11/

Could a Facebook smartphone threaten Apple, Google and Amazon?
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/11561.html

Paperlit brings print publications to a Facebook audience
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/11/27/paperlit-brings-print-publications-to-a-facebook-audience/?awesm=tnw.to_1C0gd

MARKETING
We're watching: malls track shopper's cell phone signals to gather marketing data
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/11/were-watching-malls-track-shoppers-cell-phone-signals-to-gather-marketing-data.ars

Marketing, Journalism, and Truth as Competitive Advantage
http://www.businessesgrow.com/2011/11/27/marketing-journalism-and-truth-as-competitive-advantage/

Slogans that Stick: Why “Three. Words. Rule.”
http://soshable.com/best-3-word-slogans/

SALES

Warning: Your Sales Techniques May Be Under Fire
http://rismedia.com/2011-11-27/warning-your-sales-techniques-may-be-under-fire/

CARTOONS

http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/2011/11/1.jpg

NewsChews: Great Reads for Wednesday. Nov. 23, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:12:49 -0800

BUSINESS

German 10-year bond auction a "disaster"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/us-markets-bonds-bunds-idUSTRE7AM0Y920111123?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&dlvrit=56943

China Becomes World's Biggest Smartphone Buyer
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204630904577055542190335680.html

TECHNOLOGY

Siri follows in Kinect's tinkering footsteps. Will Apple?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57330051-248/siri-follows-in-kinects-tinkering-footsteps-will-apple/

SOCIAL MEDIA

YouTube now serving up 3.5 billion videos a day
http://gigaom.com/video/youtube-35bn-videos-a-day/

Qantas marketing campaign on Twitter backfires
http://www.digitaltrends.com/international/qantas-marketing-campaign-on-twitter-backfires/

MARKETING
Copyright Fair Use and How it Works for Online Images
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/copyright-fair-use-and-how-it-works-for-online-images/

7 Ways to Use Social Media to Drive Marketing Campaigns
http://blog.sysomos.com/2011/11/23/marketing-compass/

VIDEO

New Android TV spot mocks the iPhone's customer base
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/11/23/mocking-the-iphone-queue/

SALES

What I Learned Building the Apple Store - Ron Johnson - Harvard Business Review
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/11/what_i_learned_building_the_ap.html

50% Of Ecommerce Site Visitors Are Logged In To Facebook
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/22/ecommerce-logged-in/

CARTOONS

The beast must be fed
http://www.robcottingham.ca/cartoon/archive/the-beast-must-be-fed/

NewsChews- Great Reads for Monday. Nov. 21, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:59:37 -0800

BUSINESS

Microsoft, Intel Hit by Government Tech Cuts
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-21/microsoft-intel-inside-suffer-as-governments-cut-spending-tech.html

Start-Up New York?
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2011/11/start-new-york/536/

TECHNOLOGY

3-D Projection Tech Makes Images Hover in Mid-Air, No Screen Necessary
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-11/3-d-projection-tech-makes-images-hover-mid-air-no-screen-necessary

One in Three Online Consumers to Use a Tablet by 2014
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008701&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

SOCIAL MEDIA

You Don’t Have to Tweet to Twitter
http://abovethecrowd.com/2011/11/15/you-dont-have-to-tweet-to-twitter/

Social media has evolved into the art of storytelling, and we must all become masters of it.
http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/social-media-has-evolved-into-the-art-of-storytelling-and-we-must-all-become-masters-of-it/

MARKETING
How to Design a Killer Keyword Strategy for Paid Search
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/28941/How-to-Design-a-Killer-Keyword-Strategy-for-Paid-Search.aspx

Behavioral Targeting: A Guide To Remarketing Strategy
http://www.getelastic.com/behavioral-targeting-a-guide-to-remarketing-strategy/

SALES

When Selling Is The Worst Way To Win Customers
http://www.businessinsider.com/when-selling-is-the-worst-way-to-win-customers-2011-11

Designing a Business Card that Converts into Sales
http://learnaboutus.com/designing-business-card-converts-sales.html

CARTOONS

Saved By the Facebook Timeline
http://mashable.com/2011/11/19/facebook-timeline-cartoon/

NewsChews- Great Reads for Friday. Nov. 18, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:01:43 -0800

BUSINESS

Angie’s List Surges After Pricing Shares at Top of Range
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-18/angie-s-list-surges-after-pricing-shares-at-top-of-range.html

How Apple's Siri Could Destroy Local SEO
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220756

GE begins foray into data software
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/4647a796-1096-11e1-8298-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss

TECHNOLOGY

Google and Microsoft Talk Artificial Intelligence - Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39156/page1/

Flipboard for iPhone is "Forthcoming," Personal Accounts in Today's Update
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/flipboard_for_iphone_is_forthcoming_personal_accou.php

E-Reader Display Shows Vibrant Color Video - Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39135/

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media Early Adopter, Majority Adopter, Late Adopter or Laggard?
http://socialmediatoday.com/suecockburn/385963/social-media-early-adopter-majority-adopter-late-adopter-or-laggard

The Best Blog Growth Strategy is to Say Thank You … a Lot!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/11/15/the-best-blog-growth-strategy-is-to-say-thank-you-%E2%80%A6-a-lot

MARKETING

How Apple's Siri Could Destroy Local SEO
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220756

SALES

Selling In The Age Of Facebook
http://www.openforum.com/articles/selling-in-the-age-of-facebook

CARTOONS

Cartoon by Cham
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story_attachment.asp?c=1&storycode=418149&seq=1&sectioncode=26&hastext=0&type=P

NewsChews: Great Reads on Tech, Business, Social Media, Sales and Marketing for Wednesday. Nov. 16, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:07:09 -0800

BUSINESS

Postal Service Logs $5.1 Billion Loss
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190504577040350312660374.html

Early LinkedIn investor dumping $275 million stake
http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/15/technology/linkedin_second_offering/index.htm

Warren Buffett's 6 New Investments
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11310580/1/warren-buffetts-6-new-investments.html?CM_VEN=AD%7CTWR%7CJC

TECHNOLOGY

Start-Ups are Weakening as Job Creators
http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/start-ups-weakening-as-job-creators.html

HTML5 for publishers: Drawing on the screen
http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/11/html5-for-publishers-canvas.html

Amazon's cloud is the world's 42nd fastest supercomputer
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/11/amazons-cloud-is-the-worlds-42nd-fastest-supercomputer.ars

SOCIAL MEDIA

10 Words That Will Increase (or Decrease) Your Twitter CTR
http://danzarrella.com/10-words-that-will-increase-or-decrease-your-twitter-ctr.html

Bank Of America Just Had The Ultimate Social Media Fail
http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-google-plus-page-2011-11

Best Ways to Engage Your Customers on Facebook
http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/best-ways-engage-customers-facebook.html

MARKETING

Infographic: Millennials Are An Entrepreneurial Generation
http://under30ceo.com/infographic-millennials-are-an-entrepreneurial-generation/

The 5 Deadly Sins of Email Marketing
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/28766/The-5-Deadly-Sins-of-Email-Marketing.aspx

12 Marketing Predictions for 2012
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2011/6359/12-marketing-predictions-for-2012

SALES

Can Paid Customer Acquisition Work With Freemium?
http://www.softwarebyrob.com/2011/11/15/can-paid-customer-acquisition-work-with-freemium/

7 ideas to turn PowerPoint slides into social media marketing gold
http://www.businessesgrow.com/2011/11/15/7-ideas-to-turn-powerpoint-slides-into-social-media-marketing-gold/

Apple's iPad sales: Time for 'pricing stimulus'?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apples-ipad-sales-time-for-pricing-stimulus/63449

CARTOONS
Cartoon of the day

http://jeffesposito.com/2011/11/16/cartoon-of-day/

NewsChews: Great Reads - Your Daily Digital Digest - Tues. Nov 15, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:43:51 -0800

NewsChews for Tuesday. Nov. 15, 2011

BUSINESS

Android Success Surges, Smartphone Sales Rise

http://247wallst.com/2011/11/15/android-success-surges-smartphone-sales-rise/

Start-ups aim to change how you bank
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/start-ups-aim-to-change-how-you-bank-2011-11-14

TECHNOLOGY

5% of U.S. Adults Use QR Codes, Up From 1% Last Year [study]
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_of_us_adults_use_qr_codes_up_from_1_last_year_st.php

Siri sibling Trapit launches as intelligent discovery engine for the web’s content

http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/trapit/

Heavenly Music in The Clouds: iTunes Match, Amazon Cloud Drive & Google Music

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/heavenly_music_in_the_clouds.php

SOCIAL MEDIA

“Social media influence might be less important than we think”

http://www.eyefortravel.com/news/europe/%E2%80%9Csocial-media-influence-might-be-less-important-we-think%E2%80%9D

Five Social Media Trends for 2012

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-trends/

MARKETING
The Secrets to Stellar Marketing Automation
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/28659/The-Secrets-to-Stellar-Marketing-Automation.aspx

Siri, What Can You Teach Search Marketers?
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2124902/Siri-What-Can-You-Teach-Search-Marketers

Links Posted By Big Facebook Pages Have A 0.14% CTR, 1 Click Per 1000 Fans
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/14/page-post-ctr/

SALES

The state of iPad sales: Think disruptive
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57324887-37/the-state-of-ipad-sales-think-disruptive/

The One Sales Question You Should Never Ask
http://www.openforum.com/articles/the-one-sales-question-you-should-never-ask?extlink=sm-openforum-tw

How cold calling (properly) works better than AdWords
http://blog.asmartbear.com/cold-calling.html

CARTOONS
http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/2011/10/51.jpg

NewsChews: Great Reads for Tuesday. Nov. 8, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:03:04 -0800

NewsChews for Tuesday. Nov. 8, 2011

BUSINESS

Wall St. Pay Is Expected to Fall 20% to 30%

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/wall-st-pay-is-expected-to-drop-20-to-30/?seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimesdealbook

EuroCrisis Spotlight Moves From Greece to Italy
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/11/eurocrisis-spotlight-moves-from-greece-to-italy.html

IPOs: Back on
http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2011/11/technology-ipos?fsrc=scn%2Ftw%2Fte%2Fbl%2Fbackon

TECHNOLOGY
Republic Wireless Officially Unveils $19/Month Service: Unlimited Everything, No Contracts
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/07/republic-wireless-officially-unveils-19month-service-unlimited-everything-no-contracts/

With $1.5 million investment Google Ventures thinks Milk will make a splash
http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/07/google-ventures-milk/

7 Things to Know About Google+ Pages for Brands
http://wp.me/p15Eep-Br

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twice as many get their news via Facebook compared to Twitter
http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/11/08/twice-as-many-get-their-news-via-facebook-compared-to-twitter/

56% Of Young Professionals Won’t Work At A Company That Bans Twitter And Facebook

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-at-work_b15549

What Encourages Facebook Engagement?
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008677

SALES and MARKETING
How To Make Freemium Work: Niccolo de Masi, CEO of Glu Mobile
http://www.sramanamitra.com/2011/11/08/how-to-make-freemium-work-niccolo-de-masi-ceo-of-glu-mobile-part-6/

50% of social media fans will purchase from a brand they follow. Is that all?
http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/50-of-social-media-fans-will-purchase-from-a-brand-they-follow-is-that-all/

Know When Your Customer Will Say "Yes!"
http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-know-when-your-customer-will-say-yes.html

INNOVATION

3 Key Business Lessons From Steve Jobs: Intuition, Reinvention, Focus
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/3_key_business_lessons_from_steve_jobs.php

CARTOONS
Calvin and Hobbes on the creative process....
http://curiositycounts.com/post/12501860687/calvin-and-hobbes-on-the-creative-process

Compiled daily by Kevin Hawkins, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Imprev., Inc., a Bellevue, WA based marketing technologies firm serving more than 200,000 real estate agents and brokers worldwide.

NewsChews - Great Clicks for Fri Nov 4 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:36:29 -0700

King Tut Day - 308 days down, 57 to go

BUSINESS

Real Estate as a Longer Term Investment
http://www.kcmblog.com/2011/11/04/real-estate-as-a-longer-term-investment/

Bank of America Changes it's Mind: No Debit Card Fee
http://freefrombroke.com/bank-of-america-changes-its-mind-no-debit-card-fee/

Groupon Raises 30% More Than Sought, Prices IPO Above Range
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-04/groupon-raises-30-more-than-sought-prices-ipo-above-range.html

TECHNOLOGY
Android hardware fails more than iPhone, BlackBerry; repairs cost carriers $2 billion
http://www.bgr.com/2011/11/03/android-hardware-fails-more-than-iphone-blackberry-repairs-cost-carriers-2-billion/

Apple Releasing Two New iPads Next Year: iPad 2S And iPad 3 [REPORT]
http://www.redmondpie.com/apple-releasing-two-new-ipads-next-year-ipad-2s-and-ipad-3-report/

Amazon Kindle Owner’s Lending Library offers 5,000 borrowable books
http://www.slashgear.com/amazon-kindle-owners-lending-library-offers-5000-borrowable-books-03192673/

TRENDS

Why Your "TQ" May Matter More Than Your "IQ"
http://blogs.hbr.org/schrage/2011/11/why-your-tq-may-matter-more-th.html

NetSuite: The new SAP as ERP goes cloud?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/netsuite-the-new-sap-as-erp-goes-cloud/62649

SALES & MARKETING
Exclusive: Majority of YouTube views from Non-English audience
http://gigaom.com/video/youtube-global-language-stats/

Why Twitter could win the online identity race
http://gigaom.com/2011/11/02/why-twitter-could-win-the-online-identity-race/

Apple’s First Freebie IPhone Pits Once-Premium Brand Against Bargain Fare
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-04/apple-s-freebie-iphone-pits-premium-brand-against-bargain-fare.html

How LinkedIn Brought $72,000 in Sales for PostcardMania
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-linkedin-brought-72000-in-sales-for-postcardmania/

WEBSITES
Google’s New Algorithm Update Impacts 35% Of Searches
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/03/googles-new-algorithm-update-impacts-35-of-searches/

7 Content Marketing Tactics To Rank Higher In Google’s New Fresh Results
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2011/11/7-content-marketing-tactics-to-rank-higher-in-googles-new-fresh-results.html

REALLY?

Weaponized UAV Drones in the Hands of Local Police
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/11/weaponized_uav.html

FUN
'Call of Duty' to let gamers compete across platforms
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/04/tech/gaming-gadgets/call-of-duty

Cartoon of the Day:
An amazing social network
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1612.html

NewsChews - Great Clicks for Thurs Nov 3 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:11:56 -0700

NewsChews for Thurs. Nov. 3, 2011

Today is National Sandwich Day

http://tinyurl.com/3hhv59d

BUSINESS

Four Destructive Myths Most Companies Still Live By
http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/11/four-destructive-myths-most-co.html

How to Fix the Housing Mess
http://www.businessweek.com/finance/how-to-fix-the-housing-mess-11022011.html

Yes, There Will Be A Student Loan Bailout
http://www.businessweek.com/finance/occupy-wall-street/archives/2011/11/when_will_the_student_loan.html

TECHNOLOGY
Build Your Own Mobile App With Appsbar
http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/build-your-own-mobile-app-with-appsbar.html

A Watched Inbox Never Fills: 5 Tips To Get Those Emails Answered
http://womengrowbusiness.com/2011/11/a-watched-inbox-never-fills-5-tips-to-get-those-emails-answered/

Hands-on: the new, keyboard-free Kindle gets out of the way of the book
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2011/11/cant-touch-this-the-new-keyboard-free-kindle.ars

SOCIAL MEDIA
Five Social Media Mistakes Your Startup Must Avoid
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220640

Study: Fortune 500 Social Media Usage Leveling Off
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2011/11/study-fortune-500-social-media-usage-leveling-off.html

SALES/MARKETING
Facebook, Social Networks Get Greater Share of Online Ad Spend
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008669

Facebook, Social Networks Get Greater Share of Online Ad Spend
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008669

Social commerce : we’re all talking but is anyone buying?
http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/social-commerce-were-all-talking-but-is-anyone-buying/

WEBSITES

Convert Website Visitors to Buyers With Landing Pages
http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/convert-website-visitors-to-buyers-with-landing-pages.html

HUMOR
Underwear with pockets keeps your wallet and passport safe
http://www.redferret.net/?p=29632

Cartoon of the Day
http://www.invisiblecompany.com/public%20images/fun/techcartoon03.jpg

NewsChews: Great Reads - Your Daily Digital Digest - Wed. Nov. 2, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:51:22 -0700

NewsChews for Wed., Nov. 2, 2011

BUSINESS

ADP Jobs Report Beats Expectations At 110K
http://www.businessinsider.com/adp-report-for-october-2011-11

Here's What Groupon Is NOT Telling IPO Investors: It's Core Business Is Shrinking...
http://www.businessinsider.com/groupon-core-business-is-shrinking-2011-11

How Apple Has Changed Under its New CEO Tim Cook
http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/11/02/how-apple-has-changed/

Is It Really Time to Buy a Home?
http://www.kcmblog.com/2011/11/02/is-it-really-time-to-buy-a-home/

TECHNOLOGY

Tablets to Outnumber Desktop Computers in Schools Within 5 Years
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/tablets_to_outnumber_desktop_computers_in_schools.php

"Siri, how much data do you gobble up in a month?" Ars investigates
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/11/how-data-heavy-is-siri-on-an-iphone-4s-ars-investigates.ars

Video: inPulse thinks it's time for wearable displays
http://gigaom.com/mobile/inpulse-smartwatch-wearable-display-review-video/

SOCIAL MEDIA

Positioning v Niche: Which Blogs Gets The Best Returns?
http://bloggertone.com/sales/2011/11/02/positioning-v-niche-which-blogs-gets-the-best-returns/

Are you listening? Twitter users want complaints read, addressed
http://www.maritzresearch.com/shared-content/Press-Releases/2011/Are-you-listening-Twitter-users-want-complaints-read-addressed.aspx

SALES/MARKETING

Facebook's Uphill Battle for Big-Brand Advertisers
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204294504576613232804554362.html

Four Methods Of Strategic Brand Building
http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2011/11/four-methods-of-strategic-brand-building.html

CHART OF THE DAY: These Five Companies Control 64% Of All Online Ad Spending
http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-these-five-companies-control-64-of-all-online-ad-spending-2011-10

COOL FACTOR

World’s largest glasses-free 3D display shown in Japan -200 inches
http://www.slashgear.com/worlds-largest-glasses-free-3d-display-shown-in-japan-01192433/

Cartoon of the Day

http://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/aba0678l2.jpg

Compiled by Kevin Hawkins, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Imprev., Inc., a Bellevue, WA based marketing technologies firm serving more than 200,000 real estate agents and brokers worldwide.

NewsChews: Great Reads - Your Daily Digital Digest -Tues. Nov. 1, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:46:27 -0700

BUSINESS

Groupon IPO a Must as Cash Needs Climb With Investor Tally: Tech
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-31/groupon-ipo-a-must-as-cash-needs-climb-with-investor-tally-tech.html

10 Things She Learned After 10 years in Business

http://womengrowbusiness.com/2011/10/10-things-she-learned-after-10-years-in-business/

The Way I Work: David Sacks, Yammer
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201111/the-way-i-work-david-sacks-yammer.html

TECHNOLOGY

Google Docs begins to get Google Drive integration. Here’s how enable the hidden option.
http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/11/01/google-docs-begins-to-get-google-drive-integration-heres-how-enable-the-hidden-option/?awesm=tnw.to_1Bdvo

11 Kick-A Free Live Web Analytics Tools
http://www.cssreflex.com/2011/10/free-live-web-analytics-tools.html/

Central London to get free Wi-Fi
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15536482

SOCIAL MEDIA

15 Ways to Use Twitter for Business
http://socialfresh.com/15-ways-to-use-twitter-for-business/

9 Impressive Social Media Campaigns Using Video

http://www.simplyzesty.com/technology/uncategorized/9-impressive-social-media-campaigns-using-video/

SALES/MARKETING

Establishing the Brand of YOU
http://socialmediatoday.com/convonation/382770/establishing-brand-you

Your Luxury Retail Brand Is Memorable; Why Not Your Sales Professionals?
http://www.retaildoc.com/blog/your-luxury-retail-brand-is-memorable-why-not-your-sales-professionals/

Ten quick sales and marketing wins for SMEs
http://www.smartcompany.com.au/sales/20111031-ten-quick-sales-and-marketing-wins-for-smes.html

3 Simple Steps to Marketing Even If You Hate Marketing
http://www.michelepw.com/blog/2011/10/3-simple-steps-to-marketing-even-if-you-hate-marketing-2/

Inbound marketing Vs Outbound marketing

http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/digital-marketing-strategy/inbound-marketing-vs-outbound-marketing/

HUMOR

Cartoon: A Thicker Skin
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/cartoon_a_thicker_skin.php

NewsChews: Great Reads - Your Daily Digital Digest - Mon. Oct. 31, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:41:46 -0700

BUSINESS

At best places to work, trust, pride and camaraderie overshadow pay

http://usat.ly/sY06h1

Corporations Must Become Socially Conscious Citizens

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/corporations_must_become_socia.html

Apple acquired mind-blowing 3D mapping company C3 Technologies, looking to take iOS Maps to the next level
http://9to5mac.com/2011/10/29/apple-acquired-mind-blowing-3d-mapping-company-c3-technologies-looking-to-take-ios-maps-to-the-next-level/’

TECHNOLOGY

Google Image Ripper lets you download images without visiting the sites they came from

http://www.redferret.net/?p=29572

Six ways to combine mobile marketing with social media
http://memeburn.com/2011/10/six-ways-to-combine-mobile-marketing-with-social-media/

B2C Facebook Results Are 30% Above Average on Sundays

http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-research-2/b2c-facebook-results-are-30-above-average-on-sundays/?%2BConvert%3A%2BHype-Free%2BSocial%2BMedia%2BStrategy%29=

'Batterygate': Apple's latest iPhone controversy?

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/batterygate-apples-latest-iphone-controversy/62165

Moglue Lets Anyone Make A Children’s Book For Tablets
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/31/moglue-lets-anyone-make-a-childrens-book-for-tablets/

SCIENCE

Your Kindle becomes a little heavier when you load it up with ebooks. Seriously!

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/10/31/your-kindle-becomes-a-little-heavier-when-you-load-it-up-with-ebooks-seriously/?awesm=tnw.to_1BcDO

SALES/MARKETING

The 5 Words That Kill Potential Sales
http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/the-5-words-that-kill-potential-sales/4999

Social media and search – how do they influence each other?

http://www.nmk.co.uk/article/2011/10/31/social-media-and-search-%e2%80%93-how-do-they-influence-each-other

Custom Reporting using Google Analytics and Google Docs - The Ultimate Analytics Mashup

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/custom-reporting-using-google-analytics-and-google-docs

More Than Facebook: The Time Is Right For Social Business
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/More-Than-Facebook-The-Time-xfoftp-178145560.html

SOCIETY

"We Are All Greeks" - SocGen Presents The New World Order

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/we-are-all-greeks-socgen-presents-new-world-order

Steve Jobs' sister shares his final moments, last words
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/30/steve_jobs_sister_shares_his_final_moments_last_words.html

Introverts vs. Extroverts: Who Benefits More from Social Media?
http://wildhairmedia.com/2011/10/30/introverts-vs-extroverts-who-benefits-more-from-social-media/

HUMOR and FUN

Why Do We Get Goosebumps and Chills When We're Scared?
POPULAR SCIENCE - NEW TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE NEWS, THE FUTURE NOW | OCTOBER 28, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/2CzLk

Candy Corn Cocktail Recipe
http://www.bourbonblog.com/blog/2011/10/31/candy-corn-cocktail-recipe/

UPI: Survey Says Homeowners Hit "Highest Level" of Pessimism

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:20:56 -0700

UPI Story and link below:

"Homeowners are growing even more pessimistic about the potential short- and long-term values of their homes.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 40 percent of U.S. homeowners now expect their home's value to go down over the next year, the highest level of pessimism to date. Prior to the latest finding, this number ranged from a low of 19 percent to a high of 37 percent since April 2009.

Just 13 percent expect the value of their home to go up over the next year. While that shows no change from last month, it's up just two points from the all-time low reached in July. Forty-five percent (45 percent) think their house will be worth about the same amount in one year's time.

When it comes to the longer term, 36 percent believe their home's value will go up during the next five years, down from 40 percent last month and just one point above the lowest level measured in over two years. This finding was over 50 percent for much of 2009 and 2010.

Twenty-four percent (24 percent) think housing values will decrease over the next five years, up slightly from the past two months. Thirty percent (30 percent) predict that their home's value will be about the same in five years. Homeowners who make $20,000 or less annually are more likely than those who earn higher incomes to believe the value of their home will go down in one and five years.

The Rasmussen survey echoes a HomeGain National Home Values Survey released last week. HomeGain found that 47 percent of surveyed real estate professionals nationwide expect home values to decrease over the next six months;

HomeGain also found that real estate professionals believe 75 percent of homeowners believe their homes are worth more than the recommended agent listing price. In contrast, 68 percent of home buyers believe homes are overpriced."

Source: UPI

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Real-Estate/2011/09/19/Homeowners-Sour-on-2012/8471316447442/#ixzz1YRIrTSSO

MBA Says Mortgage Applications Decline Despite "Second Lowest" Mortgage Rates Ever Recorded

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:21:16 -0700

Interesting news today (Sept. 7, 2011) from the Mortgage Bankers trade group: applications are 35% below where they were last year despite hitting the "second lowest" 30 Year fixed mortgage rates the MBA has recorded.

Here is their news release from today:

Mortgage applications decreased 4.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending September 2, 2011.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 4.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 5.3 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 6.3 percent from the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 0.2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 2.1 percent compared with the previous week and was 13.5 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

“Heading into the Labor Day weekend, the 30-year rate was at its second lowest level in the history of our survey (the low point was reached last October), and the 15-year rate marked a new low in our survey,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Vice President of Research and Economics. “Despite these rates however, refinance application volume fell for the third straight week, and is more than 35 percent below levels at this time last year. Purchase application volume remains relatively flat at extremely low levels, close to lows last seen in 1996.”

The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is down 3.2 percent. The four week moving average is down 3.7 percent for the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index, while this average is down 3.1 percent for the Refinance Index.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 77.1 percent of total applications from 77.8 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained unchanged at 7.1 percent of total applications from the previous week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 4.23 percent from 4.32 percent, with points decreasing to 1.04 from 1.29 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans. This is the second lowest 30-year rate recorded in the survey. The effective rate also decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 3.41 percent from 3.49 percent, with points decreasing to 0.94 from 1.00 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. This is the lowest 15-year rate recorded in the history of the survey since the beginning of January 1990. The effective rate also decreased from last week.

The survey covers over 50 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, and has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. Base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100.

Link for the data:

http://www.mbaa.org/ResearchandForecasts/ProductsandSurveys/WeeklyApplicationSurvey

Conference Board Says Employment Trends Down From Last Month, But Up from Last August

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:00:26 -0700

The Conference Board issued it's Employment Trend Index and while it was down slightly from July's number, it is up 4.1% from a year ago August.

Here is a news release from the Conference Board and some key links to the data:

"Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) decreased again in August to 100.8, down from July’s revised figure of 101. The August figure is up 4.1 percent from a year ago.

Says Gad Levanon, Associate Director of Macroeconomic Research at The Conference Board: “While the Employment Trends Index has been on a slightly declining trend in recent months, the decline in the index is still not as strong as it was in the months leading to previous recessions. We still expect the economy to moderately add jobs in the next several months, but not fast enough to lower the unemployment rate.”

This month’s decrease in the ETI was driven by negative contributions from six out of the eight components. The weakening indicators include The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Survey^®“Jobs Hard to Get,” Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance, Part-Time Workers for Economic Reasons, Job Openings, Industrial Production and Real Manufacturing and Trade Sales.

The Employment Trends Index aggregates eight labor-market indicators, each of which has proven accurate in its own area. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called “noise” to show underlying trends more clearly.

The eight labor-market indicators aggregated into the Employment Trends Index include:

Percentage of Respondents Who Say They Find “Jobs Hard to Get” (The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Survey^®)
Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance (U.S. Department of Labor)
Percentage of Firms With Positions Not Able to Fill Right Now (© National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation)
Number of Employees Hired by the Temporary-Help Industry (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Part-Time Workers for Economic Reasons (BLS)
Job Openings (BLS)
Industrial Production (Federal Reserve Board)
Real Manufacturing and Trade Sales (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)

The Conference Board publishes the Employment Trends Index monthly, at 10 a.m. ET on the Monday that follows each Friday release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation report.

Technical notes for the survey are here: https://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/economics/ETITechNotes032011.pdf

Link to the original release is here, with great daily summary data of key economic indicators and trends:

https://www.conference-board.org/press/pressdetail.cfm?pressid=4280

Zillow Mortgage Survey Pegs 30-Year Fixed Rate Home Loans Under 4%

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:49:43 -0700

Zillow issued the following press release. It is interesting to note that their rates are well below the weekly rates that BankRate or Freddie Mac (due tomorrow, on Thursday) issues, but they should be more timely as rates can change not only daily, but with real-time pricing in Fannie Mae MBS, rates can change several times in a single day.

FROM ZILLOW:

"The 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow(R) Mortgage Marketplace is currently 3.92 percent, down 15 basis points from 4.07 percent at this same time last week. This represents the second time the rate has dropped below 4 percent and is a return to the lowest rate recorded since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008. That rate was recorded on Aug. 10, 2011. After rising to 4.07 percent on Thursday, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered between 3.98 percent and 4.05 percent before diving to the current rate early this morning.

Zillow's real-time mortgage rates are based on thousands of custom mortgage quotes submitted daily to anonymous borrowers through the site, and reflect the most recent changes in the market. These are not marketing rates, or a weekly survey.

The rate for a 15-year fixed home loan is currently 3.17 percent, while the rate for a 5-1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is 2.57 percent.

Below are current rates for 30-year fixed mortgages by state. Additional states' rates are available at: www.zillow.com/Mortgage_Rates/ ."

European Crisis is Heating Up Again

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:27:56 -0700

Watch for a new round of news headlines on the economic debt crisis still brewing in Europe. Despite claims that the problems are being addressed, the Greek 2 year yield is at 50% -- that is correct fifty-percent yield -- as noted by a recent post in Calculated Risk.

The link for the Greek yield is at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GGGB2YR:IND&n=y#

The Portuguese 2 year yield is up to 13.7%: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GSPT2YR:IND&n=y#

The Irish 2 year yield is at 8.89%: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GIGB2YR:IND&n=y#

Even a German court is about to rule whether or not the Greek bailout was legal on September 7, 2011. Even though experts say the court won't rule against the government, their PM is losing political support.

Despite the Fed saying it won't raise rates for the next two years, one has to wonder how the US 2 year yield can remain at .20% when France is at .94% even Germany's 2 year yield is more than double the US at .43% (see http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GDBR2:IND&n=y#)

The pressure on US rates in the months ahead just have to end up beyond the control of even the Fed when you see where the rest of the world is.

Bottom line: what is happening in Europe is going to impact our equity markets and soon.

Any Silver Linings Out there? Try Falling Mortgage Rates

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:59:15 -0700

Last week's silver lining for housing came in the form of mortgage rates, pushed lower by the cloud of financial market turmoil. The average 30-year fixed rate stayed near historic lows, while the average 15-year fixed rate hit a new low for records back to 1991.

The average rate for 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) also made a new low for records since 2005. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported purchase loan applications UP 5.1% over the week before and UP 5.9% over a year ago.

But buyers shouldn't be complacent. The latest MBA forecast says rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages could rise the last three months of this year and continue to go up next year.

Freddie Mac's Chief Economist sees the housing market "firming," citing CoreLogic's National House Price Index, up three months in a row. Another study showed the number of homes listed for sale in Q2 at its lowest level since 2007. Home values also fell at a slower pace in Q2 and 19 markets showed quarterly gains!

From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of Aug. 8, 2011

This Weeks Forecast: Fed Meets but Will it Promise QE3?

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:57:33 -0700

With the tepid economy, no one expects the Fed to touch the Funds Rate. But everyone will be carefully analyzing the policy statement coming out of the August 9 FOMC meeting for any indication if new quantitative easing (QE3) might be in the offing -- another massive multi-billion dollar bond buying effort to kick-start the economy.

Observers do expect some positive economic news this week. Increased exports should shrink the June Trade Balance. On the consumer front, July Retail Sales are forecast stronger than a month ago, with and without auto sales.

From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of Aug. 8, 2011

Bonds reach to Italy, other European Concerns: Week in Review (ending. Aug. 5, 2011)

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:55:42 -0700

Italian debt probs helped bonds all week, though prices retreated on Friday after Italy said it would speed up fiscal reform if the European Central Bank bought its bonds.

The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended the week up .98, at $102.16.

Despite the worry that bond markets would see a spike in yields, the opposite happened: national average mortgage rates headed south for the week, hitting new lows in some cases, in Freddie Mac's weekly survey.

From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of Aug. 8, 2011

Stock Market Drops Like A Stone: Week in Review (ending Aug. 5, 2011)

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:53:33 -0700

You can't sugar coat last week's stock market performance, the worst drop in over two years. You also can't come up with a consistent explanation for why investors were so intent on selling. Congress and the President reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and it did have something for everyone.

Government spending will still rise this year and continue for the next 10. Yet government size will also shrink, as federal spending is slated to drop by about 2% of GDP in the next 10 years. Some worried the U.S. would lose its AAA credit rating, which finally happened Friday night, but others think that will actually help Washington get fiscally serious.

Bearish Wall Streeters fretted about recession, with lower than expected ISM Manufacturing and Services readings. But these were still both above 50, indicating expansion, 24 months in a row for manufacturing. Personal Income also grew less than expected in June and Personal Consumption dipped a smidge. But in the past year income is UP 5% and spending UP 4.4%.

The recessionistas were silenced by Friday's July Employment report -- 117,000 new jobs, plus May/June revisions adding 56,000, for a net gain of 173,000. The one bummer is still Europe. Italy says it's not about to default but investors acted like it might.

For the week, the Dow ended down 5.8%, to 11445; the S&P 500 was down 7.2%, to 1199; and the Nasdaq was down 8.1%, to 2532.

Federal Reserve Watch: Fed Frozen on Rate Move Experts Say

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:51:19 -0700

There's a Fed meeting on Tuesday but no one sees a rise in the Funds Rate coming out of it. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.

Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%–0.25%

After FOMC meeting on:	Consensus
Aug 9	0%–0.25%
Sep 20	0%–0.25%
Nov 2	0%–0.25%

Probability of change from current policy:

After FOMC meeting on:	Consensus
Aug 9	<1%
Sep 20	<1%
Nov 2	<1%

From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of Aug. 8, 2011

Economic News Calendar for the Week of Aug 8 – Aug 12, 2011

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:49:24 -0700

From my weekly enewsletter for real estate pros, INSIDE LENDING, for the week of Aug. 8, 2011:

Date	Time (ET)	Release	For	Consensus	Prior	Impact
Tu Aug 9	08:30	Productivity-Prelim.	Q2	-0.6%%	1.8%	Moderate
Tu Aug 9	14:15	FOMC Rate Decision	8/9	0-0.25%	0-0.25%	HIGH
W Aug 10	10:30	Crude Inventories	8/6	NA	0.950M	Moderate
Th Aug 11	08:30	Initial Unemployment Claims	8/6	409K	400K	Moderate
Th Aug 11	08:30	Continuing Unemployment Claims	7/30	3.700M	4.730M	Moderate
Th Aug 11	08:30	Trade Balance	Jun	-$48.0B	-$50.2B	Moderate
F Aug 12	08:30	Retail Sales	Jul	0.5%	0.1%	HIGH
F Aug 12	08:30	Retail Sales ex-auto	Jul	0.2%	0.0%	HIGH
F Aug 12	09:55	Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment	Aug	62.5	63.7	Moderate
F Aug 12	10:00	Business Inventories	Jun	0.5%	1.0%	Moderate

Weekly Forecast: Tough News Week with New Home Sales, Pending Home Sales & GDP News Ahead

Kevin Hawkins (IMPREV, Inc.) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:08:28 -0700

Tuesday's June New Home Sales are forecast a tick up from the prior month, but Thursday's June Pending Home Sales are predicted down.

Also on Tuesday, July Consumer Confidence should be slightly down, while Friday's Michigan Consumer Sentiment will come in flat.

The less than upbeat consumer mindset is no doubt caused by the slowing recovery, expected to be confirmed by Friday's Advanced Q2 GDP reading.

From my weekly enewsletter INSIDE LENDING, for real estate pros, July 25, 2011