Are the days of Keyword Search numbered?

I used to sell web sites to mortgage brokers in the Pre-Google erra. At that time, being on page one was everything, and we knew how to do. One problem though, Google came along and changed the game. It's because of this experience that I've never been a proponent of SEO as the only, or even the most important way to market a blog.  

 

In article in Tech Crunch today reflects my opinion that while Google's search model dominates today, it's future is uncertain.  

What kind of software to you use to send email campains to your client base?

I speaking at the REALTOR Rally in Denver next week on Client Relationship Management and am curious as to how many of you currently use email to keep in touch with your client base. I really appreciate any feedback on services or software that you use as well.

Originators - are you signing up for Zillow Mortgages?

I wrote about Zillow Mortgages' initial entry into the mortgage industry last night. Is anyone going to sign up?

 

If so, I'd like to feature your experience on lenderama.  You'd be a part time contributor, reporting throughout the year as to how it's working out for you. If you're interested, visit this page for details.

Who's coming to RE Bar Camp?

Are you planning on attended Inman Real Estate Connect in San Francisco this summer? Come a day early. We're planning a free event for RE.net.

RE BarCamp 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 attendee. Plus, It's free! Visit our wiki and our blog for more information. I also set up a AR group for the event.

 

If you're planning to attend, please RSVP!

We need to have a pretty good idea as to how many people are going to show up. Please fill out this form if you think you might go. Here's a list of people who are already planning to attend. 

I'm looking for a title insurance blogger

Can someone help me out? I'm looking for a potential blogger to contribute to lenderama who works in the title industry. Know anyone? It's a unpaid position, but I can provide exposure to mortgage and real estate professionals, and some really great link love. I'm looking for someone who would like to talk to mortgage professionals about the title industry. I'm interested in someone who can post at least twice a month, but they'd be welcome to post more often then that.  Please email me, or comment below to nominate someone (including yourself).

What will Zillow Mortgage bring to the table?

I posted this on lenderama, but I want to get people's opinions here as well. What do you think Zillow Mortgage will bring to the table?

As I said in my post, I think the core plan for moving forward will include the following:

•     1. Informing the consumer - the obvious answer would be focused on rates, but I have a different idea.
•     2. Advertising - will it be traditional banner ads, sponsored territories, a competition platform like Lending Tree, or will they come up with something else?
•     3. Community - Zillow’s Discussions forum will likely play a part on the mortgage side, but how so? 

 

So what do your think? 

Do you play god with your blog's comments?

Well it happened today. I had one of my comments deleted here at Active Rain. Two and half years of leaving commens on other people's blogs, I guess it was bound to happen eventually. Don't get me wrong, I've deleted more posts on lenderama then you could ever imagine. But that's because they were comment spam, or contained innappropriate language, or simply had nothing to do with the conversation.

I think the reason why it's taken so long to have one of my comments deleted is that I always try to add to the conversation at hand. "Great Post" to me, is not adding to the conversation. "See my sweet deal on Costa Rican property" doesn't either. 

However, if someone comes along and disagrees with me, Yahoo! A lively discussion on a topic! This is the whole point of web 2.0 as far as I'm concerned. That's why I was surprised today to see my post deleted. All I did was respectfully disagree. The post's author has left a note in his comments section that many posts were deleted due to personal attacks. I'm not sure if that applies to my comment or not.

Anyway, the post in question is not important. It just made me wonder how much control you all take over the comments section of your blogs here on Active Rain, or on your real blogs. What's your opinion? 

Is anyone going to Blog World?

It's November 8th & 9th in Las Vegas. More info here.

This is an expo for all bloggers. Political, Business, Entertainment... It looks like they are offering some pretty good classes as well. I'm thinking about making the trip as it's the same week as NAMB West (for mortgage brokers). Anyone else planning to attend?

Do you DO BUSINESS on MySpace or Facebook?

I know there are plenty of RE professionals that are signed up with Facebook, and MySpace, but I'm wondering if anyone is actually doing any business through these social networking sites. I have a Facebook account, and it's great for it's intended purpose (connecting with friends online). But I keep reading that these platforms are the future for online marketing. Personally, I really don't see how.

So, is there anyone actually making money by being a part of these networks? If so, how are you doing it? 

What kind of music do you listen to while blogging?

When it comes to blogging, I usually listen to Jazz. Jane Monheit, Dianna Krall, and Madeleine Peyroux are all favorites. I also like Amy Winehouse, although it's not really jazz. I don't know what it is. I also listen to the Dave Mathews band quite a bit while I'm on the computer.

 Tonight, I had to get a bunch done, and needed a little more motivation. So it was The Ataris, Jay-Z & Linkin Park, Helmut, Korn, Social Distortion, Ministry, and The Crystal Method. I have my Sennheser Headphones on, and the volume was at eleven. That's right, my amp goes to eleven.

Now I'm just relaxing to some 10 Foot Ganja Plant, and thought it fun to learn about the listening habits of other bloggers.

 So, what do you listen to while you are blogging?