Kim Wood

Picnik your Photos

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:06:10 -0500

One of my favorite website applications ever has to be Picnik.com. I probably use it every single day at least once, and would be one of the sites I'd choose if asked, "Kim, if you only had five websites to take with your on a desert island, what would they be?"

Did I mention Picnik is free? (I have their upgraded/pro version - but they offer quite a bit with their free version as well.)

Sure, I have Adobe Photoshop and I also use that quite a bit when I need to. But for most of my jobs now - I'm a picnik gal.

Some quick and easy things you can do:

Resize photos
Crop photos
Add text, stickers on top of photos (lots of fun fonts)
Add frames
Add effects - like some blurring, neon, black and white, tinting, and more

Just upload your photo via computer file or Flickr and have some fun !!!

Some of my recent history.....

No... I don't get anything for talking about them - it's fun to share what makes your life easier day-to-day :)

Real Estate Bar Camp Philadelphia

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:25:31 -0500

Announcing to you Real Estate Bar Camp in Philadelphia !
Wednesday, May 27th

What the heck is Bar Camp you ask? Well, if you've been around ActiveRain for long enough - you probably have run across someone's post here and there - but to sum it up:

"RE Bar Camp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from attendees."

Daniel Rothamel of The Real Estate Zebra sums up Real Estate Bar Camp with a Video

At the time of this post - we are already half full. A fun time will be offered with lots of learning that you'll be able to select based on the sessions you chose to attend.

Yes, it's *FREE*. Yes, you'll even get a t-shirt ! Check out further information on The Official Philadelphia Real Estate Bar Camp website - which includes information on our select hotel, the Hyatt Regency Penn's Landing who offered an awesome lodging rate.

Beer with Bloggers on Tuesday night is open to all registrants/participants at Finnigan's Wake in Philly. Hope to see you there ! (If you aren't convinced yet - you can snoop at the list on the site - you'll recognize some names, I'm sure. We are lucky to have some of the most influencial national speakers attending REBCPHL - you should be there too! )

All you have to do is RSVP on the website to reserve your spot !

Sponsors needed ! $250.00 package price available - pass the word - it's a great opportunity for recognition among Real Estate industry professionals.

Downingtown is Turning 150 !

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:31:12 -0600

Downingtown, PA is Turning 150

I saw the sign on Pennsylvania Avenue near the gazebo, "Volunteers needed for Downingtown's Sesquicentennial Celebration. Call 610-269-0344." I'd seen it for a couple of days, and finally decided this was something I needed to be involved in.

I was born in West Chester, PA and lived in Downingtown until I was eight years old. Downingtown held many memories for me- and after living around the world (Air Force brat) - it was the only real place to call "home".What a great opportunity to give back to the community !

It has been fun to be a part of the planning - to come together with other people who care about the town and want to make the celebration event a hit with the community. The memories of the town have been so fun to learn - and I don't consider myself a real history buff.

If you'd like more information about the events including a parade and celebration day in May & a market day in October - you can visit the site I'm working on at Downingtown 150.

REBCVA | Good Times

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:06:01 -0600

I had the lucky pleasure of attending Real Estate Bar Camp in Fredericksburg, VA this week. It's not only because I liked spending 4 hours there and 4 hours back with John Lauber in the car.... but I respect so many of the people at the Virginia Association of Realtors (Ben! Jovan! ) and Real Estate friends that work in the general area (I know better than to start shout outs here - hugs y'all).

If you know me ... you know I usually have my camera in hand. I have sad news to report.... my camera broke on Day 1. So I don't have a whole lot of pictures, but there are about 35 in my Flickr REBCVA set.

Here is a good recap picture for you.....

If you don't know the first picture - find out - he's a sort of a big deal, Tina & Kim; Craig & Kim; Kim & Ann; Natalie & Marie; Jason Kim & Mike; Jay & Monika; Kim & Jeff; Sarah & Monika; Kim & Sarah; and the center... Kim, Drew & Sarah. (Not pictured.... so many!!!! Broken cameras really suck - jussayin. At least I have a friend who said I can stalk her pictures.)

Guess Who at REBCVA

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:41:33 -0600

Isn't it fun when you learn different "fun" things about people?

Here is a photo I'm using with permission from the self-photographer...... any guesses at who this might be ?

Here are some hints of what I learned about this friend ...... He is a determined running REALTOR(R) who didn't let the forgetfulness hold him back from getting his 5K run in. He was even awarded the "Emergency Runner Fashion Award". And of course............ who would take a picture, share with friends and be reminded for eternity about "those black shoes and black socks with shorts".

(If you were there - or saw the other revealing source - shhhhh let some others play.)

PS. I didn't get my run/walk in that day. *Pie in my Face*

Akoha - Play it Forward in Style !

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:43:27 -0600

Play it Forward with Akoha

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I enjoy connecting with people both IRL (in real life) and in the Social Media realm. Akoha Playing it Forward game is a way to connect "real life" connections (even quick ones) to an "online" one. Andy Kaufman, East Bay Foreclosure Agent in CA, played a card with my friend Sarah while we were in New York for a Real Estate conference. He explained the game and gave SarahWV a card along with a Chocolate Bar.. what could be better than that ?

The playing mission card gets logged on the Akoha website, with short notes that explain who gave the card to whom. The purpose is then that the card gets played again... so Sarah would buy someone chocolate and give them the card.... for the rest of the story visit WestofPhillyBurbs.com

Chester County Market Statistics

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:15:06 -0600

Compare the Market Statistics for Chester County Real Estate over the past 12 months. This information is taken from the information provided by TReND and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For a personalized report of the Real Estate Activity for your area, email Kim for a copy via email. Previously posted on WestofPhillyBurbs.com.

The number of Listings decreased by 282 units when you compare January 2008 to January 2009. This could be for a number of reasons - including that many sellers who are selling now want to sell their home. They are not testing the real estate market. The amount of homes that sold relative to the number listed did not vary too much from 2008-2009. Neither did the Days on Market (DOM).

Real Estate Report of Monthly Statistics

Date	Units Listed	Listed Volume	Listed Average	Pend- ed	Units Sold	Sold Volume	Sold Average	Avg DOM
Jan 2009	626	233,511,105	373,020	231	195	64,782,508	332,217	90
Dec 2008	361	137,723,577	381,505	222	262	89,386,664	341,170	85
Nov 2008	477	172,303,109	361,222	226	289	93,346,278	322,997	87
Oct 2008	649	243,373,774	374,998	276	318	106,135,079	333,758	77
Sep 2008	818	308,389,108	377,003	333	391	135,360,031	346,189	73
Aug 2008	654	245,224,358	374,960	352	493	181,688,600	368,536	76
July 2008	817	313,289,732	383,463	456	519	183,314,055	353,206	67
June 2008	856	320,197,725	374,062	433	543	204,059,610	375,800	64
May 2008	1037	403,217,620	388,830	487	436	149,931,673	343,879	77
Apr 2008	1092	431,469,363	395,118	518	420	145,161,433	345,622	78
Mar 2008	1051	406,125,135	386,417	454	336	113,063,114	336,497	95
Feb 2008	804	302,371,231	376,083	388	287	94,536,450	329,395	92
Jan 2008	908	359,781,352	396,234	368	253	86,749,218	342,882	83

Totals:	10150	3,876,977,189	381,968	4744	4742	1,647,514,713	347,430	78

Criteria searched was $100,000 - $1,000,000. All Residential Real Estate in Chester County Statistics.

Chester County PA includes the following areas: Atglen, Avondale, Birmingham, Caln, Charlestown, Coatesville, Downingtown, E Bradford, E Brandywine, E Caln, E Coventry, E Fallowfield, E Goshen, E Marlborough, E Nantmeal, E Nottingham, E Pikeland, E Vincent, E Whiteland, Easttown, Elk, Elverson, Franklin, Highland, Honeybrook, Kennett Square, L Oxford, London Britain, London Grove, Londonderry, Malvern, Modena, N Coventry, New Garden, New London, Newlin, Oxford, Parkesburg, Penn, Pennsbury, Phoenixville, Pocopson, S Coatesville, S Coventry, Sadsbury, Schuylkill, Spring City, Thornbury, Tredyffrin, U Oxford, U Uwchlan, Uwchlan, Valley, W Bradford, W Brandywine, W Caln, W Chester, W Fallowfield, W Goshen, W Grove, W Marlborough, W Nantmeal, W Nottingham, W Pikeland, W Sadsbury, W Vincent, W Whiteland, Wallace, Warwick, Westtown, and Willistown.

Click Here for a Delaware County Real Estate Market Report.

Chester County Schools

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:09:06 -0600

Chester County PA School Districts

Chester County, PA is compromised of 12 Public School Districts. They are spread out around Chester County and include many schools in each district. You can find the school calendars, school football schedules, school basketball schedules, school sports schedules, and other important information by visiting the district websites as listed below.

Avon Grove School District
Coatesville Area School District
Downingtown Area School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is Downingtown Area School District
Great Valley School District
Kennett Consolidated School District
Octorara Area School District
Owen J. Roberts School District
Oxford Area School District
Phoenixville Area School District
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is T/E School District
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District
West Chester Area School District Previously Featured on WestofPhillyBurbs.com is West Chester Area School District

You can check many places for information on school statistics... one of my favorite is http://GreatSchools.net (the only bad side is there are lots of ads).

Asbestos - A Bad Thing!

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:02:28 -0600

Guest post by Jesse Herman of the Mesothelioma Cancer Center

Asbestos Removal and Greener Alternatives

There are many things to consider when remodeling or purchasing an older home. Homes built before 1980 have the strong likelihood of containing asbestos. Due to a steady progression of technology and green sustainable methods, there are many ways to ensure your home or property is asbestos free. If you are interested in saving money, remodeling and improving your carbon footprint, here is some information to get you on the right track.

Used in millions of homes throughout the last quarter of the 20^th century, asbestos insulation can become a real dilemma for homeowners due to causing a variety of health problems, including Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma. These types of cancer take the lives of thousands each year.

Non-regulated asbestos material can be legally performed by homeowners, regular contractors, or licensed asbestos abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. Asbestos removal in public facilities, homes and workplaces must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: Cellulose, Cotton Fiber and Lcynene.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.

Inman NYC 2009

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:53:54 -0600

Sometimes.... it just takes words to bring you back to some fun memories:

When Harry Met Sally
Breakfast on the Roof?
Museums we pass
Flask
NYPD has words with someone in our party
Newlyweds at The Paramount
#A Group Tattoo
Glove Swapping
An extra subway stop
Penn Station Tears
Chocolate & Cards
Sugarcane
Broadway at 4am - all linked up
On the corner, "You're sexy"
Street Peddler walked side-by-side cause someone was "sweet to talk to everyone"
Black Bean Ice Cream
Daily Mug Shot Fan
Scavenger Hunting
Tastykakes
NYPD in action - cameras in hand - even possibly in a precarious spot
"My tongue is on FIRE"
Red Robe fashion
Pepsi bottle surprise
I want my $2.00 back!
Waking up with Pizza in her bed?
One stall = Three Girls
Jay's still thinking about it...
Tongue in cheek - I mean ear
#weirddesserts
Curly Hair in another pic? Where?
We didn't see Wall Street and we were right there?
Pool "Entertainment"
Girls in the Men's Room?

I'm sure I've missed a lot..... feel free to carry on.... :) THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Y'ALL !! For those friendships bonded closer, for those I got to hug for the first time, for those I just connected with ..... yay!

Fundraiser to benefit local food bank! West Goshen, PA

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:42:42 -0600

Thank you SUSAN for pointing this out to me ! I hope our town comes together and supports for this great cause :) I will be in a Leadership Training in St Davids so I won't make it. Good luck!

Via Susan Mangigian, West Chester PA Realtor RE/MAX Preferred, ABR (RE/MAX Preferred, West Chester, PA, RS152252A):

I sit on the board of the Chester County Women's Commission and I have arranged a fundraiser at the local Applebee's. Applebee's will donate 10% of the days sales to the Commission who in turn will send it to

Phoenixville Area Community Services (PACS)
257 Church Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460
610-933-1105
www.pacsphx.org

You're invited to a Dining to Donate special event at Applebee's, West Goshen restaurant, located on West Chester Pike, just east of 202!

Please come out and show your support!
Just PRINT OUT THIS INVITATION and present it to your server on
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
at Applebee's located at
1107 West Chester Pike ~ West Chester, PA

Applebee's will donate 10% of your food and beverage purchase* to:
CHESTER COUNTY WOMEN'S COMMISSION

Chester County Women's Commission Dine-out food drive. All proceeds to be donated to local food pantries.

Is your organization
interested in fundraising
activities?
Contact your local
Rose Group Applebee's for more details.

*Tax and tip not included. Not valid with any other discounts or promotions. Must present flyer at time of visit. Flyers are not to be distributed in the restaurant or within the perimeter of the parking lot. Dining to Donate nights are limited to Sunday through Wednesday, and subject to availability. Applebee's reserve the right to accept or reject organizations at its own discretion.

If you can make it, please click the link and print the flyer. Bring with you and we will be able to get 10% of the proceeds for the food drive.

http://www.rosegroupdining.com/community/DiningtoDonateView.asp?DiningtoDonateID=1359

The STORM in My Life (Days 5-7)

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:05:11 -0600

The Storm in my Life continued....

URG! It has NOT been a very good couple of days. As I said in my first post The STORM in my Life (Days 1-5), I was forgiving of "new" and decided that with the minor problems.... I was sticking with the STORM. I still know that I took a chance on a new products

Not sure I still feel the same way.

Here are the issues that I am finding in the last couple of days. They just might be the straw..... that breaks.... ya know.....

CALLER ID: So the last five phone calls I've received... says someone else is calling. Yep. The last person who called me, not the incoming call.

COPY/PASTE/SELECT: I'm still really not happy with this. It is difficult to copy, paste, and place the cursor in previous text to either correct or insert something else. Maybe I'm the only one that needs this - but it's frustrating.

BLACKBERRY DESKTOP MANAGER: What a crazy system! I don't like it. Why not? It has "sections" with descriptions for further information. What a pain - they aren't descriptive enough to know where to go. I liked the ability in Windows Mobile to actually go view each part of your device, each file and move it around from there. The synchronization process takes a long time! I only have it synching contacts & notes but it takes a long time!

UPGRADE: So.... I've now almost completed two blog posts, tweeted, picked up house, played with LittleOne5 - all while waiting for an upgrade, the first upgrade to complete. If I saw it correctly, it actually removes everything from the device then puts it back on it again. Interesting. Never had an upgrade take this long. Wonder how many more there will be?

Good points since last post...

I like Crackberry.com lots of useful information!

Transferring files from iTunes to Blackberry Device wasn't too difficult. Music quality is very good on phone.

AutoSureType has been interesting to learn, but I've kept with it, as people say.... and I think that with another few days - we'll be friends.

At this point..... Take it or leave it? Not sure. Still using it like crazy - hopefully this upgrade will improve some things. If I was made to decide today - - - I'd be at the store looking for something else.

The STORM in My Life (Days 1-5)

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:46:58 -0600

The Blackberry STORM review by me....

Poor @TwitterFriends keep hearing bits and pieces... here is a little more for ya...

When I ordered my Blackberry Storm online I was anxious about the 2 day wait for it to arrive.... only to learn it was on backorder and it would be about a week and a half wait.

My poor XV6700 was having such a hard time keeping up with me and reminded me frequently it was time for it to retire, so it was a long wait.

I ripped open the box - got it all set up very quickly ... and off I went to learn....

Keeping a very open mind... change is always hard.... and the reviews were 50/50.

KEYBOARD: Yes, the touch screen is tough to get used to. The screen almost does a whole 'push' of the phone - hard to describe, but I'm sure you've heard it from the real techies doing the reviews a little better. I was a speedy texter, I mean, like... really fast. My thumbs could roll ! So it was frustrating to go back to the elementary stages of typing again. But eventually I have gotten better with it.

My biggest complaint about the text entry is that you can not go back if you mess up very easily unless you use the "back-up-and-erase-arrow". You know what I mean? After you type your message and you need to change a word - it's VERY difficult to go back and select it.

MESSAGES: I do like that it keeps the messages (or can if you select it) in order of conversation with that recipient. So you can see your entire conversation back and forth if you want to - with just a glance.

CAMERA: I'm not a huge camera user other than fun personal ones to send to family & friends.... it works well for that. But it takes long for the picture to take after you've depressed the shutter button. That's irritating. (Picture on right taken with Storm)

OS: Kim? With a Blackberry? My friend Jason and I seem to be in a minority of our "ANTI-Blackberry, but can't explain it" attitudes. Other friends like John, Matt, Nick, and recently Candy Lynn - say, "Go Blackberry!" I was shocked I actually even considered it. And when Candy Lynn was helping me with my upgrade decision, some of the first words out of my mouth were, "No Blackberry!" But after she was telling me about the new Storm, I was a little interested - and the rest is history.

I'm not really sure how I feel about it now. I think Windows Mobile and Blackberry (sure, the others as well Palm, Apple, etc) all have their ups and downs. I have no complaints one way or another at this point.

PHONE CALLS: The reception with phone calls is very good compared to my XV6700 (that was horrible!). Both on the device and via Bluetooth.

Should I mention I had to visit Verizon's Tech Service Department already? Yes, they fixed it. I couldn't hear anything.
Should I mention that I've had to restart and remove battery a couple times a day?
Should I mention I've seen the Black or White Screen of Blackberry Death a couple of times?

My plan is to use this thing like CRAZY for the 30-day trial period.

At this point, how do I like it?
I like it. If I had to chose on Day 5 whether I keep or rid it.... I'd keep it. It has it's problems, but it's better good than bad.

(Stay tuned.... to learn if I still feel this way)

Posted: The Storm in my Life Days 5-7

Bookworm MEME

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:37:19 -0600

Thank you, SO VERY MUCH Jeannette for tagging me ::wink, wink:: Your MEME had a good nugget!

This also means that I have to tag 5 others, so keep a look out to see if you are on the list!

What is a Bookworm MEME ?

Here are six things you must do:

1. Grab the nearest book. * THE ONLY RULE, NOT TO USE THE BIBLE!
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next two to five sentences.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one. Pick the Closest.
6. Tag five people to do the same

I've been talking to a good friend of mine about one of my favorite books, so lucky me, it's right here! The Success Principles by Jack Canfield was a life changing book for me leading me to move onward and get to where you want to be. You do have to weed out some of the "name dropping", as my friend says, but pick it up sometime - you'll probably gain something!

"Some might say, 'Well you missed your goal by 200,000 copies.' Perhaps, but not by much... and he book went on to sell well over 8 million copies in over 30 languages around the world. Believe me.... I can live with that kind of "failure."

Yes, there is some pat-on-the-backs in there too, but he deserves it :)

I'm passing the joy of a book MEME to:

@JasonEllis @BeeRealty @SandyPA @TylerWagner @DezDaniels

Tune in Twitter Gone Wild Radio Show

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:46:28 -0600

ActiveBrad just called, KIM! Join the radio show today! When? Soon! Ok! When Brad speaks, I listen!!!

No time to go into great detail.... but TWITTER GONE WILD... here we come!

Today, Thursday, November 20th
2:00-2:30 pm Eastern Time

CLICK HERE FOR RADIO LINK You can call in or use the chat program.

Jeremy started a video discussion.... I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into.... SEESMIC VIDEO DISCUSSION

Join:

Paul Cheney

Brad Andersohn

Rich Jacobson

Jeremy Blanton

and myself (CRAP! ME and all those guys??? In a Twitter Gone WILD ??? I just noticed... help me!!!!)

Jeff Turner - @RESPRES - The Man - Mr. Turner - Real Estate Shows Guru

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:50:33 -0500

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RESPRES,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JEFF,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FRIEND,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Yah, I'm not the best poet out there..... but so many words come to mind when I think of Jeff.....

GENUINE
ADMIRABLE
RESPECTABLE
CONSIDERATE
APPRECIATIVE
GENEROUS
TRUSTWORTHY
HONORABLE
PROTECTOR
HUSBAND
FATHER
HUMBLE
FOXY (#FFFFF)
CREATIVE
GENIUS

I could go on and on and on.... but instead I welcome ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE JEFF comments below. Have fun..... Let's rack them up. Be true, only use words that you feel for him (I'm sure even if you haven't had the great pleasure of being around him, you still have a word!! :) ..... Let's give him a BANG of a birthday wish!!!

I overheard on Twitter last night someone admit he has a ManCrush on @respres.... think he'll fess up to it here?

Jeff.... you are amazing......... Happy, Happy Birthday! I'm so grateful I get to call you and your family FRIENDS..... Fun times shared.... Look what I made for ya..... :)

Highland Orchards

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:09:44 -0500

Highland Orchards, Inc.

1000 Marshallton-Thorndale Road

West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-269-3494

You can pick your own with over 200 acres of crops ! LittleOne5 has had two field trips here, and they are really good to the kids in the school groups. They have a learning station where they get to see inside a large refrigerator, have a treat of Apple Cider and the famous Apple Cider Donut, and get to press apples into cider themselves!

They also went on a hayride into the rows of Apple Trees and got to chose their very own three apples from the tree! "Find the right one. Hold it tight and twist three times until it comes off with a small pull."

I remember going here as a child with my grandmother, DeeDee who lived down the road. It was always a treat to come and pick out some penny candy.

Kim joined Agent Genius

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:50:57 -0500

"I would really love to be able to write with Agent Genius," I told my friend Missy of Ann Arbor, MI on her back deck in September.
"Kim! I would too," Missy answered.

(You remember who Missy is right? The Caulk Wood | Bonding for Success team with Makeover2Takeover on AR ?? That was us !!)

Just a few weeks after that conversation I received a SKYPE message asking if I would like to join the ranks of Geniusness and be a writer at Agent Genius, a national community of Real Estate Industry leaders. I was honored to be asked to join such a highly respectable group of people. Not only was I able to ::clink:: to myself, but Missy was also asked at the same time! Benn & Lani of A.G. had no clue of our conversation - so it was one of those "meant to be things".

Chester County, PA is now represented among the writers, readers, and fans of Agent Genius. If you have any interest in the real estate industry - or you wanna be a fan for other reasons - come read, we'd love to have you! And leave your comment now and then so we get some fuel to keep writing!

Original Post on West of Philly Burbs

Cancer Sucks!

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:03:30 -0500

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month - which I have renamed Cancer Awareness month. Many people have gone "pink" with their avatars to raise awareness and remind followers of the importance of the fight.

Join in here on ActiveRain !

My daughter, AChrome, got some of the gals in the family to join in and walk for the American Cancer Society 5-mile walk in Philadelphia this past weekend. She and her friend even made us all t-shirts to wear for the team, "Save the Ta-Tas". The walk was filled with different emotions - my thoughts heavy for two friends who lost their fathers last year, a friend who is a survivor, a friend fighting the fight - and also for so many that I don't personally know with stories.

Original Post on West of Philly Burbs

How to Twitter - Part Five

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:04:22 -0500

How to Twitter - Part One : Why Twitter? Get signed up
How to Twitter - Part Two : Setting up your Profile
How to Twitter - Part Three: Follow and Get Followed
How to Twitter - Part Four: Replies, Direct Messages

In this part we'll discuss a few of the other things you can do on Twitter Web.
Part Six - Third Party Twitter Applications

It's been so much fun seeing the people come from this ActiveRain tutorial to the wild world of Twitter... and jump right in! Makes me proud :) It gives me the fuel to keep the tutorial going, that's for sure.

FAVORITES:

You can favor a tweet by clicking on the star. It will be saved in your "favorite" tab/page. You can access your favorites directly by going to http://Twitter.com/favorites (after you are logged in).

Here are mine (I should use it more) -

(Yes, you can earn a twit designation from @LindaDavis, lol)

RETWEETING:

As you can see above, @FresYes thought @SarahWV said something good enough to be "retweeted" so he put "RT" (you can also spell out RETWEET) before sending it again.

LINKING:

First, a small soap-box chat, do not only link up your own stuff if you want people to read it. Chris Brogan, aka Mr. Social Media, suggests you link up other people 12 times more than your own stuff. Because you are only allowed 140 characters, it's helpful to use URL shortening services like Tiny URL, Snurl, is.gd etc.

BUTTONS:

Ok... you're ready for a couple shortcuts now that you know your way around the long way (sorry I think it's important to know the long way first :)
REPLY- When you are at the twitter home page, if you mouse over to the right of a tweet, you will notice the STAR and an ARROW. If you click on the arrow, twitter will fill in the @reply for you.
TRASH- If you go to your archive (click on your picture or name) - when you mouseover you will notice a TRASH CAN, I'm sure you can figure out what that's for.

Stay tuned for Part Six.

How to Twitter - Part Four

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:26:33 -0500

How to Twitter - Part One : Why Twitter? Get signed up
How to Twitter - Part Two : Setting up your Profile
How to Twitter - Part Three: Follow and Get Followed

Today... Part Four will address The Conversation.

After you have accumulated some people that you follow, you will see them talking. Time to join in!! Twitter is only a good thing if you use it!

I have some tips to share with you when you are thinking about what to write:

Be yourself.
Don't be a Salesy Real Estate Agent or other. Don't constantly ask, "Who wants to buy a home in Timbucktu?"
Don't be Link Happy with your own posts. Link up other posts that you have enjoyed reading - and most of the time, don't link at all.
You aren't limited to "What are you Doing?" You can use "What are you thinking?" "What's for lunch?" "Here is my question for you" etc. No rules!
Don't use it like a chat room. (I can be too chatty ::guilt face::) If you continue one-on-one conversation - take it outside of twitter to a chat program, email, or phone call!

Now onto The Conversation.

To send a general message just type 140 characters or less into the box and enter:

Trying to decide whether to work on Inbox Zero, convert paper to .pdf files, or Twitter some more!

To direct your conversation to someone:(keep in mind, others can see your conversation)

@KimWood Congrats on your news of the day!! You are going to write for Mothers Fighting for Others !!

I just heard that @KimWood is a new writer at Mothers Fighting for Others !!!
(The 1st suggestion is better, it is easier to view your replies if the name is at the beginning of the sentence)

To direct your conversation to more than one person:

@KimWood @HeadMutha @Respres Yay for the new Mothers Fighting for Others gig!

A new writer at Mother's Fighting for Others @KimWood @headmutha @respres yay!
or
@KimWood Congrats, that is great news!!! @SarahWV You write for Mothers Fighting for Others, don't you?
(see the above example - better to put @names at the beginning of a sentence)

To send a private, direct message: (the person you are sending the message to must follow you in order to DM them - but you can @reply)

d KimWood No wonder you were bursting at the seams to tell us.
D [SPACE] name then your message.

* What happens on the internet stays on the internet - just a quick reminder. Be careful with DMs. What happens if you forget the space - or twitter has a hiccup? (haha remembering VAR convo at breakfast and my DMs)

Most of all ... have fun!!! Remember it gets more and more difficult to keep up the conversation after you have more and more followers.

Part Five - Extras on Twitter Web

How to Twitter - Part One

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:52:09 -0500

So I've been talking about it for a while, and with the new option of feeds from ActiveRain (mostly I'm *yay* for this) - I want to share the right way to use Twitter.

You've heard about it if you've been listening to the national and local TV stations, politicians, bloggers, radio, newspapers, etc.

Here is why I continue to use Twitter, almost daily:

Friendships & Connections
Up-to-the-minute news that is happening where all of my twitbuds (people I follow) live
Links shared to articles people have read and enjoy (I like it when these come from others vs. writer)
Great place to ask questions and receive answers (after you have followers)
Connection with Locals - and last but not least -
Business !! (Yes, business. Closed sales)

The hard part about Twitter is that it is really hard to understand until you use it. But it's also hard to know exactly what to do once you are there.

Here kicks off my How to Twitter series...

Let's get you started...... Go get yourself a user name. I started with @RealtorKimWood, but I felt that was too long after I started using Twitter for a while. Now I'm just @KimWood. (I have my reasons :)

When choosing your name, do not put @before it - it's just "twittertalk" which you'll learn later. Just: KimWood is what I would select :)

You'll also see some other variations:

Realtor+Name= @RealtorToby
Real Estate Related=@RealEstateChick
Area Branding Related=@FresYes
Name+Area= @SandyPA
BrandName= @ActiveRich

Decide who you would like to be. You can change this later, but like most things, it is a whole lot easier if you think ahead then act.

Let's get to it!! Go to http://Twitter.com (You can click there -it will open in another window and you can still look at this if you need to).

Go ahead..... just do it now! It'll only take about 5 minutes to complete signing in.

We'll get you started in what to do after you have your user name in How to Twitter - Part Two. (If you are really anxious - go ahead and play around with your profile - add your picture, bio, etc.)

Questions are welcomed.......... I'll do my best to answer them all in a comment or in the series!

How to Twitter - Part Two Setting up your Profile

How to Twitter - Part Three

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:05:10 -0500

How to Twitter - Part One Why Twitter ? Get signed up.
How to Twitter - Part Two Setting up your Profile

Part Three is time to start getting some people to listen to (Following) and people who want to listen to you (Followers).

Just jump in here, ok? It's very hard to comprehend the madness until you just jump in. It'll all make a little more sense once you get going with it.

Sign into your Twitter account.

I'll be your Guinea Pig and hostess..... Go to my Twitter Webpage: http://Twitter.com/KimWood. Click FOLLOW. (I apologize in advance if I'm not quick to refollow, but I will, it's been madness lately).

In the sidebar, you'll see the Following box with a bunch of mugshots... look below my beautiful friends and click View All. That will take you to a list of the people I follow.

Look through the list and you'll be bound to find some familiar names that you know from the Real Estate Industry and/or ActiveRain. Be selective. It's not all about the numbers!!! (Although Bob Carney & Linda Davis came up with an e-twit certification for people with 100 followers and 1000 updates.) Don't follow everyone I follow (you don't want to - trust me :). Click on their username to be taken to their main page, you will see what types of things they talk about and you can read their bio. If you like what you see, click Follow. If not - keep looking :)

Some people if you follow them will shout out a "Hello and Welcome!" - some won't. There isn't a right or wrong way to that.

You can also click on the names in my conversation stream which is shown right below the "What are you Doing" box.

Another way to find people is to search for them. If you've seen them mention Twitter- go search for them on the Twitter website! Or randomly enter some names in the search box.

I recommend you chose 25 active follows to start with. (Active means they've said something in the last couple of days). Don't start with too many, it gets very overwhelming - trust me.

Once you have your list of about 25 people to follow - they'll start to look at your profile and quite possibly will start to follow you. They'll want to see some conversation - so guess what it's time for?

Use the "What are you Doing" box!!!

The only restriction is that it has to be 140 characters or less. That's it! Here are some samples:

I'm not sure what I'm doing, but trying to learn Twitter.
Time for lunch..... what to have?
What do you think of my new profile picture?
Hello, hello? Anyone out here?
Are there any other Real Estate Agents on Twitter?

See? You can say whatever..... the only tip I will give you is don't shout out a salesy pitch if you want to make connections, or throw out a URL address yet.

More about following/followers:
People will try to follow you that you do not want or care about what they have to say. If they are painless (no spam) I usually leave them. They can't hurt me by watching what I say. If they are spam, you'll see a "block" or "remove" when you look at their profile if you are signed in.
Most of us that are experienced on twitter will not follow someone if they have a gazillion more Follows then Followers. Why aren't people following them? Must be a reason.

Part Four - How to converse, reply, direct (private) message.

How to Twitter - Part Two

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:29:13 -0500

How to Twitter - Part One gave a brief overview of Twitter, why I use it, and how to get signed up.

In Part Two, we'll move onto setting up your profile. This is important as people look to see if they want to follow you. If you do not have a bio, picture, website etc. I hesitate - so do others. We need to know a little bit first.

So.... you have your username... if you are continuing from sign up, the next screen you will see looks like this:

I personally, never like to use these. I don't like my friends to have to get the notifications :) However, follow the directions if you chose to. It will search for people in your address book.

So moving right along....

What are you doing? If you are going to listen to me... you won't do anything yet. However, I know some of you will want to - so go ahead and type something in there if you want. (No one will really read it - cause you aren't following/followed yet - but go ahead if you have to).

Let's click on Settings. Most of the learning I have found on the computer is by "playing" so go ahead and play with all of those tabs in there. After completing each tab, be sure and click SAVE at the bottom.

At the least, set these up:

Account Tab: One line bio, location (you can be general), More info URL (if you have a blog - link it up! If not, use another website you have - even ActiveRain). Note: There is a box called "Protect my Updates" where you will be locked. I have been locked and unlocked. For the beginning, I recommend you are unlocked - people hesitate following people who are blocked because they can not see anything - and you have to approve them. Of course, when you are unlocked - you will have some people request to follow that you will follow up and block later (I'll address this).
Device Tab: I highly recommend you do not set this up at this time.
Notices Tab: While you are getting started, change the drop-down menu to "All @ replies"
Picture Tab: Duh! It does have to be 700K or less, and square is best. (Picnik is awesome for this). Some people use a picture of themself, others use logos, pets, etc.

You're all set up! How to Twitter - Part Three is up where you can start learning how to follow and get followed.

Social Media

Kim Wood (The Tech Byte) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:14:07 -0500

Yes, there is a lot to Social Media and exposure. No, you can not do it all and do it well. You must select the social media outlets you would like to be a part of - and work them.

Image Courtesy of Scobles Social Media Starfish by DBarefoot

Everyone will have different favorites. I have a friend, Beth Harte of The Harte of Marketing who loves PLURK! I keep trying it, and just favor Twitter so much more. But ya know what - Plurk has worked for her and she likes it, so that is where she should be and continue to connect with her potential clients.

Have you read Buzz Builderz yet? Bill Lublin and Hal Lublin have been helping direct us with some great ideas for breaking down the Social Media into practical and helpful solutions.

"The mission of BuzzBuilderz is to help businesses and indivduals create “ripple marketing” where each action creates continued sequences of events increasing the impact and recognition of the person or business involved." Buzz Builderz.

No, you can't do it all. But in my opinion, you must make yourself a presence in Social Media and the Web 2.0 way to connect with people. Pick your favorites... and put them to work for you!