James Shiner's Blog - Real Estate Technology, Tips, Tricks, News & Social Media

Help Get a Real Estate World Approved!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:38:36 -0500

My new company, Zaang, launched a new site today that allows users to request a beta membership as well as suggest topics for our initial "worlds". A world is like a group, but so much more! It allows users to upload videos, photos, articles, links, audio, and comments on a central topic.

I was able to get Real Estate on the initial suggestion list so head on over to www.Zaang.com and let us know you want the World of Real Estate on Zaang!

Hope to see you on there!

A Big Announcement!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:08:40 -0500

It's a bitter sweet moment for me on this 3rd birthday of Zipvo, as today I am announcing my resignation as Lead Developer here. It has been a wild ride, and in the three years here some awesome things have been created. I met some great people at some great events, and I will miss it all dearly. To all my readers out there of my various blogs, those will also be coming to an end, and I thank you for reading!

This decision was a tough one. I love video and I love real estate, and I know Zipvo will continue to revolutionize the way video is used in real estate. However, I felt it was time for me to move onto the next thing. I have no doubt that Zipvo will continue to do great without me.

As for what I will do next, that brings up some exciting news! I have joined Zaang.com, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, as Lead Developer. Zaang is a micro collaboration site with a great team and a great idea. Check out Zaang.com to learn more about it.

As for me and Zipvo, I will remain on the team in an advisory role, and may make an appearance at a conference here and there to say hello to everyone. I will most definitely be at the next RE BarCamp Boston and look forward to it!

Best of luck to everyone, I hope to see you around!

James

My Poor, Neglected Blog and Readers! I'm Sorry!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:19:05 -0500

Hello everyone! Have you missed me? I've been neglecting my blogs lately, and for that I apologize.

I have been crazy busy lately preparing for RE BarCamp Boston, launching my new technology blog On Top Of Tech, and working on the all new Zipvo that's launching at the Zipvo party after RE BarCamp Boston.

My crazyness is scheduled to end on June 12 so I will be back then! In the meantime catch up with me at RE BarCamp Philly, check out On Top Of Tech or come on out to RE BarCamp Boston to come see everything I've been working on!

Help Me Welcome Jason Craig To Zipvo and ActiveRain!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:56:49 -0500

I like to surround myself with the most talented, knowledgable and energetic people that I can find. The same goes for the talent we bring to Zipvo. We're always looking for the best of the best to join our team.

So without further ado, I'd like you to help me welcome Jason Craig to both the Zipvo team and ActiveRain!

Jason is a very talented graphic designer, marketer, and website developer. He has joined Zipvo as Marketing Director / Lead Desiger and is going to help make your experience on Zipvo the best that it can be. When you see us at tradeshows, conferences, RE BarCamps, or anywhere else, the marketing collateral, shirts, etc that we're toting around are all thanks to Jason!

Jason's Official Bio:

Jason has more than 15 years experience in marketing, advertising, and communications making him the excellent choice for our Marketing Director. Jason is responsible for determining the group marketing agenda, setting the strategic marketing priorities, and continuing to enhance the marketing capability of the business at ZIPVO Corporation.

Earning his degree in Graphic Arts, Jason is an accomplished/award winning designer, with a unique balance of creative and technical expertise, coupled with a strong background in print, and web design. Throughout his career he has gained an understanding in the importance of knowing the long-term vision of a company and how to accurately and consistently reflect and strengthen that message in all visual and written communications.

Jason also has a great website with samples of his work. Jason Craig Boston is an awesome portfolio showcasing some of Jason's best work. Check out some of his website work, marketing collateral, vehicle wraps, and anything in-between.

Not only will Jason be joining Zipvo, he will also be sharing his marketing knowledge with you here on ActiveRain! You can read Jason's Blog to learn all about marketing, website tips and tricks, and much more!

So shoot Jason a message on ActiveRain, check out his website, and be sure to follow him on Twitter!

Vertical Photos Are Dead! Why Square Photos Are A Necessity.

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:35:13 -0500

We all used to have them, and they used to be the standard. Vertical photos like the one of me on the right were what used to rule the Internet. However, with social networks switching over to square photos, it's important that you optimize your photo for social networking sites such as Twitter, ActiveRain, Facebook, etc.

Some sites like Facebook allow you to crop your profile image to pick a square section of it to show up as your avatar. (Your avatar is that square photo of you that you see on sites like Twitter.) But having to select a section sometimes cuts out other parts that you would have rather left in there. Sites like Twitter just take a square section of your photo and makes that your avatar, as does ActiveRain. This is not the sites fault. Having the same shape photo, in this case square, makes the site look much cleaner and does not break designs.

The fix to this, and way to ensure your photo looks great on all sites, is uploading a square photo to all of these sites instead of your outdated vertical photo. By doing this you don't leave the cropping up to the site. You control exactly how you want your photo to look.

With a site like Picnik this is very easy to do:

Simply go to www.Picnik.com and upload your photo.
Make sure it's the largest one you can find, as this will allow for better quality of your photo. Some sites scale it down, but others store it in various sizes for use around the site.
Once uploaded go to "Crop"
You'll see a drop down at the top that says "No Constraints" - Select this and choose "Square"
Drag and scale that square to whatever portion of the photo you would like to use.
Then on the top right click "Ok"
Then click the tap up top that says "Create"
If you'd like you can now add effects to the photo such as black and white.
When done click "Save & Share" in the top right corner.
This will allow you to enter a file name. Keep the dimensions and format the same. Change the quality to 10.
When done click "Save Photo"
Select somewhere on your computer to save it. Remember where it is so you can upload this on every site1

That's it! You now have a square photo that will optimize the appearance of your profile, posts, comments, etc on social networking sites.

URGENT: Is Your PC Infected With the Conficker Worm? How To Check!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:40:50 -0500

Some believe a virus called the "Conficker Worm" may wreak havoc tomorrow on April Fools Day. Conficker runs on stealth mode and spies on everything you do to obtain your financial information and your passwords.

On April 1st it's going back to it's servers to get new instructions and may launch a new attack on PC's.

Here are some signs you might be infected:

Cannot access Microsoft.com (Check now)
Cannot access security websites like Symantec, McAfee, etc.
Cannot power down computer.

If you're experiencing any of the above symptoms unplug your computer or turn of your wireless connection now! Also change all of your online passwords from a computer that is not infected. Then call in the experts to help you rid your computer of this virus.

This may also be a good time to update all of your virus software.

Here's some information from Microsoft.com - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007

Are You a Mac or a PC?

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:44:47 -0500

Hi, I'm a Mac, and I'm sure this isn't the first Mac vs. PC debate you've read, and I'm sure it wont be the last. However, unlike other debates, I'm not going to sit here and tell you how awesome Mac's are. Well, maybe I will a little. But, I'm going to go beyond that and tell you why making the switch shouldn't be a concern. Why cost shouldn't be a concern. Why and how your life will become easier and more productive because of a Mac.

Mac's do everything better.
Whether it's video editing, music, word processing, presentations, checking your mail, or just browsing the web, Mac's do it faster, safer, and more reliably. With Mac Mail organizing your emails is a breeze. Never lose an email again with their powerful search feature. Organize all your listing photos with iPhoto. Video chat with clients, associates, friends and family.

Ok, so Mac's are great. We know this. But I know you're thinking to your self I can't switch because... (fill in the blank). Well here are some common concerns and the reasons why they shouldn't be.

Common concerns (and why they shouldn't be)

I need all my files transferred.
When you buy your new Mac a Mac Genius will transfer all of your files from your old PC to your new Mac free of charge! Simply bring the old computer with you when you buy the new one. All of your old files will work on the new Mac. Word documents, excel files, photos, emails, etc. You won't lose a thing!

I can't use a Mac, it will take too long to learn.
Apple offers great training on their products. They have "One to One" training where you can go in once a week for an hour and sit down with an expert and learn anything you want about your Mac. It's only $99 for a years worth or One to One training!

From the Apple website:

"As a One to One member, enjoy a year’s worth of personal training sessions for just $99. Sit down for in-depth, face-to-face sessions with your very own personal trainer. Experts in all things Apple, our Trainers help you get the most out of your Apple products. Just tell them what you want to be able to do, and they’ll teach you how."

I can't afford a Mac.
A common misconception is that all Mac's are $3,000. Sure, there are some Mac Pro's that are $3,000+, but for the average user your can get into a MacBook laptop for only $999! This isn't a stripped down system either. It has all the tools you need to run your life. Whether it's video, music, word processing, email, this has it all! If you're more of the desktop type you can get into a Mac Mini for only $599!

I need Windows for...
I know many of you need Windows, and in some cases even Internet Explorer, for your MLS, and until they upgrade and get with the times this will be a common problem. But a little known fact is you can run Windows on a Mac!

Parallels is a program that allows Windows to run while the Mac operating system is running. It can be downloaded at the Parallels website.

My wireless Internet will need to be re-configured.
Mac's hook up with ease to your wireless network and in most cases easier than your PC would. They also remember your location so if different settings are needed for the office and the house it will remember those settings when you switch from place to place. Like everything else on a Mac, connecting to the internet is just easier.

My computer is fine, I don't need a new one.
This may be true, but why wouldn't you want the most powerful technology out there to help you? It's all about the tools you have, and adding a Mac to your arsenal will help tremendously. Also, your computer may be fine today, but why wait for a catastrophic fail to realize you need a new one?

Are you convinced yet?

I hope this post can help you make the decision to switch to a Mac. They really are the perfect computer for a real estate agent and will make your life so much easier, productive, and fun.

If you're ready to enter the Mac world check out the Apple Store, pick out your new system, and enjoy!

I missed any of your concerns please let me know and I will tell you why they shouldn't be one!

New Twitter Title Tags Increase Google Juice

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:35:35 -0500

If you're been on Twitter.com lately checking out a users profile you may have noticed the new title tags. They used to be "Twitter / ZipvoJames" but in a change that went live yesterday they are now "James Shiner (ZipvoJames) on Twitter"

Anyone who knows about search engine optimization knows that this is huge! This move will help get your Twitter profile to the top of the search results when someone searches your name.

If my past posts, the recent press, or your friends haven't convinced you to get on Twitter yet, hopefully this does. Not only will Twitter help you connect with friends, family, associates and customers, it will also add to your Google Juice!

Join the Conversation!

Tune Into The "Twitter Tuesday Show" Tomorrow at 12 Noon EST (I'll Be On There!)

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:25:39 -0500

Join hosts Jason Crouch and Ken Cook for an hour as we explore various social media topics in a fun, laidback, freeform, sound-effect-laden format. It's pretty much a "morning zoo" atmosphere, but cleaner.

Topics include blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and pretty much whatever we are in the mood to talk about that day.

This week, we are very excited to welcome James Shiner, founder and CEO of Zipvo.com and the new Twitter resource site TweeplePages.com. Zipvo is the video driven media site for real estate related content. They just announced their 13,000th user! TweeplePages is a directory of Twitter users organized by their interests.

Simply log in here: http://blogtalkradio.com/jckc

(Make sure you also get into the chat room, which is generally very active)

IMPORTANT: The time on the invitation (11am) is Central time. The show is broadcast live at noon Eastern, 10am Mountain time, and 9am Pacific.

If you aren't in front of your computer at that time, you can also listen via our call-in number, which is (347) 215-7478. Just press "1" if you have a question or want to talk to us - it raises your virtual hand on the switchboard.

Hope you can make it this time around. We averaged 262 listeners per show in February!

Be sure to also check out the event page on Facebook!

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade - My Day At The Airport.

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:21:41 -0500

So we've all heard the expression "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" and try to do that as much as we can. But sometimes it's hard when you get lemon after lemon and get sick of lemonade! Well I am a big believer of all sayings like this. There's also "turn negatives into positives" and "everything happens for a reason" and one of my favorites "when one door closes, another door opens".

Comforting someone with one of the above sayings is easy. But living your life by them is much more difficult. Sometimes you wonder "why me!?" or simply just give up. I am the type of person who lives my life by these. I really started understanding them in high school. I remember one day my mom said to me "when one door closes, another door opens" and from that moment on it made complete sense to me. From then on I never let negatives get to me and I was always looking to the positives.

I have most recently learned to take these negatives, which in my life usually end up being interesting to others, and using them to engage with people through social media. When you talk about your negative situation, chances are others can relate. We all have bad things happen to us, and hearing that story from someone else creates engagement. It also helps to get rid of that "why me" feeling since you know someone else is going through that exact same thing.

Here's a few examples of how I turned my negatives into positives:

My hand is cut wide open... I can see my bone! (12:00 AM - 45 Minutes From Nearest Hospital)

My first experiment with this was when I sliced my hand open working on my snowmobile (I have a picture but I'm almost positive you don't want to see it!) and immedietely tweeted it out. I was with my friend in New Hampshire so he was driving me to the emergency room, and I decided to let my tweeps know about my experience. I mean Twitter does ask "What are you doing?" - well, I was on my way to the emergency room, with a sliced hand, could see my bone and tendon, but I had a left hand so I figured I'd use it! (Check out the actual tweet!)

Well, this little tweet was quite popular. I engaged with a number of my followers I talk to often, ones I don't talk to that much, and even some new one's I've never really engaged with before. Some had their own stories of bones sticking out, some said I was crazy to be tweeting, and all said they hope I'm ok!

This little experiement worked out pretty well. My hand is almost fully healed, and I have a great story to tell. But this story can't hold a candle to my next one.

Ok sir, sorry you missed your flight. The next flight to Boston is at 5:18 PM. (9:45 AM - Atlanta Airport)

I was on my way to the airport from REtechSouth in Atlanta, GA. Our flight was at 9:45 AM and we left the hotel on the shuttle at 7:30 AM. I was with my business partner Greg and we can usually get through the airport in less than an hour (we travel a lot) so we figured this would be plenty of time.

Well, the shuttle didn't end up getting to the airport until 9:20 AM. Driver got a bit lost trying to follow the confusing airport signs. So there we were, at curbside check-in being told it was too late to check our bags - not a good sign! So off we went, sprinting through the airport, running down escalators with our bags, trying to get through security as fast as we could (had to carry my belt the rest of the way - almost lost my pants) only to be told we were too late.

We got to the gate, saw the plane sitting there, figured we had made it. Oh how wrong we were. We got the counter (along with 14 others) and were told it was too late to board the plane. This makes no sense to me. Plane is right there, we're right there, what's keeping that 15 ft walk from happening? These 12 others were from a connecting flight, so they got prefferential treatment, sort of. They got a 10:17 flight to Orlando then from there a flight back to Boston. Greg and I were not so lucky. When I heard the words "Ok sir, sorry you missed your flight. The next flight to Boston is at 5:18 PM" I almost fainted.

So we walked over to the seats, sat down, and tried to figure out what to do for the next 7 hours at the airport. Of course I immedietely tweeted out my unfortunate situation for the world to laugh at. I then started going through the positives of this situation.

First thing that came to mind was live streaming our adventure. Greg is a big Qik user so we decided to update people with live video of our adventures. My next realization was that everyone from the conference would eventually be coming through the airport. So I tweeted out requests for lunch, drinks, quick hellos, etc. By the time we finally left we had talked to over 10 people from the conference! It was great. Our entire day was basically filled with great conversations and great people. Of course the twitter conversations were flowing as well.

When we finally did board we realized we had gotten nice exit row seats with ample leg room. Apparently the airline felt bad for us because we missed our flight. Perfect ending!

This day at the airport created a number of conversations both in real life, on Twitter and on Facebook. It made the 7 hours at the airport fly by! In all honesty now, looking back, I am glad we missed our flight. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing.

Check out the videos from our adventure!

Stay positive - always!

So what's the moral of these stories? It's the code I live by - STAY POSITIVE - ALWAYS! I never let things get to me. I don't worry. I don't stress. I just stay positive and positive things happen to me. So next time something unfortunate happens to you, turn that into a positive! Tweet it out, blog about it, tell your friends. The conversations it creates will make you feel much better.

Do you have any stories?

If you have any stories about turning your negatives into a positive please leave them in the comments! I'd love to see what you're doing to make your life a more positive one!

RE BarCamp Boston is June 12!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:50:48 -0500

If you've been to a RE BarCamp before then you know what they're all about and know all of the useful information you can take away from them and the great people you can meet. They're starting to gain popularity and it seems like for the next couple of months there's one taking place every week!

I've been a huge supporter of RE BarCamp since the first one at Inman Connect in San Francisco this past July. For the the first event of its kind in real estate the turn out was great and the attendees even better.

If you haven't been to one before you may be asking what exactly a BarCamp is? From the BarCamp website:

"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 participants who are the main actors of the event."

So basically RE BarCamp is a FREE all day event where you will learn everything there is about blogging, video, social media, search engine optimization, and much more! Here's a list of what's been covered at past BarCamps and will more than likely be covered at RE BarCamp Boston:

Strategies of Blogging for Business in Real Estate
Preferred Blogging Platforms
Online Tools to Boost Your Blog (and ultimately your biz)
Twitter Strategies
Marketing on Facebook
LinkedIn Networking Tips
Vlogging Tips
Leveraging Social Networks like Active Rain
Driving Traffic to Your Site
Lead Generation Strategies
Search Engine Optimizations Tips

…and much, much more!

So if you're looking to learn more about real estate technology, blogging, social media, video, search engine optimization, and want to meet some great local real estate professionals as well as professionals from all over the country, come on out to RE BarCamp Boston!

For more information, to register, sponsor, volunteer, etc visit www.REBarCampBoston.com

Also, check out this video! Be sure to register for RE BarCamp Boston if you're going to come out!

Social Media -- Numbers Dont Lie!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:53:27 -0500

I am a huge supporter of social media in real estate, and the numbers in this post back it up and then some.

Great post by Clint Miller. Give this a read and if you haven't yet, start using social media!

Via Clint Miller - www.recr.com (Real Estate Client Referrals LLC):

The world needs another blog about how important it is for agents to build and maintain a positive social media presence like Eskimos need ice.

But, I'm a big fan of technology. I figure anything that is out there that can help me do my job better, more efficiently, and with less effort on my behalf has to be a good thing. Plus, I'm a numbers junkie. Numbers and statistics to me are undeniable proof that certain truths exist.

And, I guess I'm not the only one that feels that way.

The 2008 Use of Technology Survey tracks the current trends in technology. The survey is conducted in the 3^rd quarter annually and is sponsored by the California Association of Realtors. For the purpose of the survey, agents are asked about everything from computers to phone and internet usage.

Some of the statistics that I read don't really surprise me. For example, according to the survey, 93% of Realtors use email, 90% use the internet to check online listings, 89% use the net to check the local MLS, 59% use it to access brokerage websites, and 55% of users access the WINForms electronic forms online. But, aside from those, here is a stack of statistics that I read that stood out....

On average, 48% of a Realtor's business originated on the internet in 2008! That is up from 44% last year. This is expected to increase to as high as 60% in the next 3 years! (If you ever needed a reason to start working in social media and getting your name out there for clients to see...Here it is!)

On average, 33% of agents use a laptop or tablet computer in the field. Again, that is up from 27% from last year further proving that agents are taking advantage of the technological advances to help in both presentations and closings. 70% of those that use a laptop in the field use it for listing presentations. That alone is up from 2007 by roughly 13%.

As a sign of the struggling economic issues associated with housing currently, only 13% of agents bought a new computer in 2008. That is down from 20% the year before. (This does not surprise me in the least...everyone has had to cinch the belt down a bit...)

58% say that keeping up with emails is the greatest technological challenge. (I spend probably 3 hours of my day just responding to or generating emails. So, I would have to agree with this.)

11% say that they send their clients an electronic newsletter via email. (I'm surprised that this is as low as it is...maybe that is because I work for an internet company and literally everything we do is online. Maybe I'm desensitized...)

45% honestly believe that the technology that they use gives them a competitive advantage over other agents in the field. (That would explain increase in people using it. If you weren't using it before and were getting clobbered in the field, you would want to use it now. Makes perfect sense...)

And, the kicker ---- ONLY 7% of agents that responded to the survey say that they participate in an online group/forum or post blogs!! (Are you kidding me?? I don't know why I'm surprised at this statistic...but only 7%?? That means I'm ahead of the curve by 93%!!)

Now, I don't know about you, but some of these statistics are just incredible to me.

But, even more incredible to me are the statistics that were quoted in the 2009 Social Media Marketing & PR Benchmark Guide published by the Marketing Sherpa. This marketing survey is taken annually to measure the power of social media with reference to companies big and small across the country and globally.

76% of the companies surveyed agree that social media is dramatically changing the way that companies communicate with potential and existing customers. (The practice of marketing and communicating with customers isn't dead...but, it is changing!)

48% of companies that were surveyed all plan on INCREASING budgets with regard to online marketing and social media.

By the same token, the same businesses in this survey are all planning a decrease in spending in "traditional" forms of marketing

22% are decreasing spending on telemarketing

52% are decreasing on direct mailings

57% are decreasing on events such as trade shows

60% are spending less money on print media

83% are decreasing spending on radio or TV ads

And, the most impressive statistics of all...

94% of the companies agreed that social media can directly influence the reputation of a company's brand in the eyes of it's potential customers.

91% agreed that it is effective in ensuring brand awareness.

87% agreed that social media has improved their specific search engine rankings and can increase website traffic.

When asked what factors were stopping companies from setting up a social media presence, 46% of the companies surveyed claim that there isn't enough knowledgeable staff in place to help support the effort. (Considering the massive number of consultants and "social media gurus" that are out there, I find this number to be a bit off...But, hey, what do I know?)

Now, having said all of that...I fully realize that writing a blog about how important social media is in this market is a lot like giving a firearms demonstration to the NRA...somewhat futile since 99% of the people that will see it believe in it already.

But, as far as I'm concerned, these statistics are convincing enough to make anyone with any form of connective brain tissue realize that having a social media presence isn't optional any longer. It's needed. Not only is it needed, it's mandatory if you plan on keeping up with those around you.

So, start blogging. Join social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, ActiveRain, and Twitter. Get your name and your face out there as much as humanly possible.

Times change; markets change. And, with those changes, adaptations must be made by those that intend to survive. In this internet-ruled world, social media is now king. You can either adapt to that change...or be overcome by those that do -- Your choice.

If you would like information on www.recr.com, please feel free to contact Clint Miller at 800-977-7058. Or, follow me on Twitter on www.twitter.com/recr.

By TwitterButtons.com

New Tool for Twitter Users - Tweeple Pages!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:23:18 -0600

I've been busy lately building a new tool for Twitter. I'm very excited about this and felt like I had to share it with my ActiveRainers. I'm sorry if this seems self-promotional, but this is a FREE tool for Twitter users and can be really powerful for real estate agents. If you're not on Twitter yet head on over to my post Social Media in Real Estate - Part 1: Twitter to find out why you should be on there, signup real quick, then head back here to read about the newest tool for Twitter.

It all started with a simple tweet. I asked if there was a site where you could find other Twitter users based on your interests. After a few responses and a search for said site, I realized I needed to develop it myself.

So that day Tweeple Pages was born. Tweeple Pages is a directory of Twitter users organized by their interests. Simply login using your Twitter username and password and start discovering other users with similar interests as you. You can enter your interests in the search bar or use the "Most Popular Interests" cloud to see what the most popular interests out there are.

So, why would you need this for real estate you might ask?

Well, real estate is about connecting. Whether you're connecting with other agents, buyers, sellers, home inspectors, attorneys, etc. Tweeple Pages lets you easily connect with other real estate professionals, or people who share personal interests, like football.

It doesn't stop at interests either. Let's say your interests include real estate, and your location is "Boston, MA" - well, now someone on the site looking for a real estate agent in Boston, MA will see your profile and follow you! Now a real connection has been made. Maybe they're a fellow real estate agent, or a buyer/seller looking for an agent, either way it's a powerful connection.

So head on over to Tweeple Pages and check it out! Let me know what you think!

Also, I have a challenge for you. The "Most Popular Interest" cloud on the homepage is a real time display of the most popular interests on the site. I'd love to see "ActiveRain" as a top interest, so be sure to put "ActiveRain" as one of your interests! This will also allow all of us ActiveRainers to follow eachother on Twitter!

Easily Add Photos To Your Blog Posts

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:25:21 -0600

In a previous post I talked about using Picnik as a way to create a custom header and background for your ActiveRain blog. This is a great use for Picnik, and really makes your blog stand out. However, there are many other uses for the site.

Adding images and photos to your blog posts makes them easier to read, more appealing to the reader, and can even help to illustrate a point or give an example of something.

If you're currently using images in your blog posts you may be finding them online or taking them from your computer, then putting them into a photo editing program such as Adobe Photoshop. If you're not using images in your blog posts it may be because you're not sure how to, don't have a good program to edit images, or just haven't thought about it.

Well, Picnik makes it easy to take a photo you found or have and add rounded corners, a drop shadow, border, make it black and white, and much more! It's all FREE and very easy to use.

For an easy to follow video tutorial on using Picnik check out my previous post on it.

What that other post does not cover though is the Firefox plugin that allows you to instantly take a photo you're viewing on a website and import it into Picnik with a single click.

Once you install the plugin you can simply right click any image on a website and select "Edit in Picnik".

Not only does this plugin allow you to edit images on a website, you can also take a screenshot of that website! So if you're writing about a website, blog, etc, you can now have a screenshot of that site instantly created using Picnik. You can then take that screenshot and crop it to the exact part of the site you wanted to add to your blog post.

Here's a quick screenshot I did in less than a minute of the plugin page for the Picnik plugin:

Adding screenshots when you're talking about a site or product really adds to your blog posts. It helps illustrate a point, give an example, or simply show what a site looks like without your readers having to click a link.

Oh, and if you're on the fence about switching to Firefox, check out this post by Brad Andersohn: Internet Explorer vs Mozilla Firefox The Mythunderstanding

* All of the above images and screenshots were created using Picnik and the Picnik plugin on Firefox.

How-To: Embed a Video in Your Blog

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:23:14 -0600

Video, video, video. It's the hot topic in real estate these days, and it's popularity and applications will only increase in 2009. Whether you're shooting a video tour of a property, a community video, or doing a vlog (video blog), video can help you get your message across in ways text can't.

A future post will cover all the uses for video in real estate, tips for viral video, etc, but todays post is a simple how-to for embedding videos to your blog. Whether you're posting videos on YouTube, Viddler, WellcomeMat, ZIPVO, or any other popular video site, this video tutorial will show you how to add them to your blog posts.

Here are some screenshots to show you where to find the embed code on some of the popular video sharing websites:

This video tutorial will show you how to take that embed code and add it to your blog post:

And that's it! It only takes a minute to add video to your posts so start using video today!

Really Make Your ActiveRain Blog Stand Out With A Custom Header and Background!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:15:32 -0600

I'm sure many of you have seen the blogs here on ActiveRain with custom headers and backgrounds and wondered how you could get your own. Brad Andersohn put together a great tutorial on how to use the ActiveRain Blog Customizer - The "NEW" ActiveRain Blog Customizer - Version 2.0 - and in it he mentioned a great site, Picnik.

Many people have asked me "James, how do I get a COOL ActiveRain blog like you?" and before Picnik existed I would have had to say use a program like Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, or any other image editing program. Well I am thankful to say that is not the case and today I am going to give you a video tutorial on how to use Picnik to crop your own photos, add text, effects, and upload them to your ActiveRain Blog.

So sit back and enjoy. If after the video you have any questions please let me know!

Really Make Your ActiveRain Profile and Blog Stand Out With Widgets, Badges, Photos and More!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:46:05 -0600

The other night I was searching the ActiveRain site for information on how to populate my right column with widgets, links, buttons, photos, etc. I couldn't find the information anywhere, and as you can see from my photo to the left here, my column was plain. It was boring.

There is so much you can put between "Email Me" and the Tags drop down. This post is going to tell you how.

As some of you may know, you can put HTML in that side column to make it really stand out and offer people ways to get in contact with you, follow you on Twitter, etc. It can really turn your profile on socially.

Since I couldn't seem to find a way I threw a tweet out there and quickly got a response.

I found out you simply go to your "My Home" then "Settings" on the left menu. You'll see a box "Blog Description" - this is where you get started.

Now you may be saying great, now I know where to put it, but HOW do I put it there? I don't know HTML, I can't build a widget. If you've known about this area for a while but have not used it because you didn't know how, this post will answer those questions. If you're like me and know HTML but didn't know where to put it, now you know.

So let's get started with some simple HTML.

I'm not going to cover links because there is a links section below this that you can use to list all of your links. I suggest doing this as it allows your readers to visit you on all of your other sites that you appear on.

If you're going to start out your column with a description of your blog, or any other body of text, there are a few tags you can use to make your text really stand out:

(Please note that I have spaces between tags - this is simply so you can view them. Do not use spaces when you use these tags.)

 Text will make your text bold
 Text will make your text italic
 Text will make your text bold italic
 Text will start a new paragraph.

There are a number of other HTML tags and you can find a full list here: http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_primary.asp

Now that we've gotten that little tutorial out of the way, let's move onto something that doesn't take any learning. Let's show you some widgets you can just copy and paste into your blog.

Recent Visitors

One of my favorites is the "Recent Visitors" widget from MyBlogLog. This keeps track of who has visited your blog and allows your readers to connect with each other. You can see it in my right column. It's black and has photos of people who have read my blog.

To get your own simply create a free MyBlogLog account and then visit http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/widget_grab.php to get a widget for yourself.

Twitter Widget

If you have a Twitter account you can display your updates and a link to your Twitter page using a free widget from Widgetbox. If you don't have a Twitter account you should go sign up for one now and read my other post on Twitter: Social Media in Real Estate - Part 1: Twitter

It's easy to get your own Twitter Widget and it's free!

Badges

All of the popular social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) have badges that you can use. They're located in a different area on each site but generally in your "My Account" or "Settings" area. Some are just buttons, but others have information about you, your photo, etc. All link back to your profile on that site. You can see my LinkedIn and Facebook badges in my right column.

Trulia and Zillow also have badges that you can use. Go to your account and you will find badges you can simply copy and paste into your ActiveRain profile.

And much more!

These are only a couple of examples of how you can populate your ActiveRain profile with widgets and badges. There are a number of other sites out there and chances are if you're a member they have something you can put in your profile.

If you have any cool examples of how you filled your right column please leave them in the comments so others can see!

Test Out Your Blog or Website In 50+ Different Browsers!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:55:03 -0600

Anyone who has designed a website or blog knows how tedious it can be to make sure it is cross browser compatible. You have to test in Internet Explorer 6, 7 and now 8. You have to test in Firefox, Safari, and the list goes on. It can be a daunting task and I know I dread it every time I'm done with the CSS for a site.

Well, instead of pulling up Parallels every time I needed to test in Internet Explorer on Windows XP, then Vista, then Safari, Chrome, etc, I decided to find an alternative solution.

That's when I came across Browsershots.

Browsershots is a free website where you can test out your website or blog on 50+ different browsers. They have everything from Internet Explorer to Chrome to browsers you've never heard of before.

Simply enter your URL, select which browsers you'd like to test it on, and hit Submit.

After you hit submit the process takes place automatically. Simply sit back and hit refresh every so often to see your new screenshots start to appear.

Once your processing is done you can roll over each to see a larger view. If something looks off you can click that view and see more details.

These details include the browser name, the engine it's based off of, as well as many other important details including whether or not Java is enabled, what version of Flash it's running, the operating system it was on, and what the screen dimensions were.

These are all very important details when trying to troubleshoot problems you may see on your screenshot.

When you're done, go back to the results screen to take a look at another screenshot.

You can also download all of these screenshots in a ZIP file which contains PNG files of each screenshot.

Once you've looked at your screenshots, determined, and fixed any problems that you saw, you can then hit "Request new screenshots?" to refresh them and try again.

This certainly saves a great deal of time and ensures that your site looks great in all browsers.

Keep in mind before you spend hours fixing your site for a certain browser you check your site analytics to make sure a decent percentage of your users are using that browser, if any.

A Fun Twitter Success Story! Gary Vaynerchuk Comes to Boston.

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:02:10 -0600

As you may or may not know I am a big fan of Twitter and think it's a very powerful tool to connect with people online. (For more on Twitter read my previous post - Social Media in Real Estate - Part 1: Twitter)

Last week I was looking through some tweets and noticed the following tweet from Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) of WineLibraryTV.com

I live in the Boston area and I have a really nice 40" flat screen TV that we use at trade shows. I shot Gary an @reply and a few minutes later got one back.

After a few DM's back and forth I was offered two free tickets to the Boston Wine Expo in exchange for bringing the TV into them. I had wanted to go to the expo anyways so $350 in free tickets worked out great. It was good for Gary because I know the cost of renting a TV at a trade show is astronomical. I've seen 40" TV's like this rent for $1,500, so I was glad to help out.

Saturday morning I went into the expo, delivered the TV, and then walked around the expo trying out the 1,800 different wines it had to offer. Great wine, great food, got to hang out with Gary and his cool team of people he had there. Overall a very enjoyable weekend.

This just goes to show the power of Twitter and how it goes beyond people seeing that you're currently eating a cheeseburger. The true power of Twitter has yet to be uncovered. I mean in this case I got $350 in free passes and Gary saved $1,500. This all started with one simple tweet.

This raises the question of what else Twitter can be used for. We know it can be used for breaking news as seen with the plane that crashed in the Hudson. It's also now being used for global charity events (more here).

The uses for Twitter seem endless, and I'm throwing this out there to you guys:

What other uses can you see Twitter being helpful for? Either real estate related or not. Leave them in the comments!

Also if you arent already be sure to follow me on Twitter! @ZipvoJames

Does Your Technology Suck?

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:53:59 -0600

Those of you who know me know that I am an avid Apple fan. Those of you who didn't know that, well now you do. I love everything Apple, and truly believe that their products make peoples lives easier and more efficient. But I also see the value in Blackberry's and some other laptops (as long as they're not running Vista, of course.) The bottom line is you can't be running around with technology that sucks. If your phone and/or laptop aren't reliable then you may be missing out on important business calls, emails, tweets, etc. At the very least it's taking you much longer to do something than it should.

I was recently in New York City attending Inman Connect and my iPhone had been on the fritz the past few weeks leading up to the conference. I've been through seven of them, and I'm not going to lie, I do give them a beating. This time around my phone would not work in the town where I lived. Lucky for me I'm never home and always seem to be working or traveling so it wasn't a big deal. However, I soon noticed upon entering the city that my problems had followed me to the Big Apple. My service was going in and out, I'd randomly see "No Service" across the top, and I couldn't send emails, texts, or browse the internet. I was lost. I was pissed.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to go to the Apple Store since I was busy at the conference, and it would cost me money in New York to swap it out because of the sales tax (although looking back I would have paid anything to have a working phone.) So I dealt with the phone, when I noticed it said "No Service" I would switch airplane mode On/Off then if that didn't work I would restart the phone... a real pain!

It was all going fine until I was in the green room waiting to be called up for my panel session. It was set for 11 am and I had been in the session prior and left early to go to the green room. Apparently since the moderator was doing the session before as well he didn't request people go to the green room. It was no big deal really, I knew him well, and my business partner was in the session before, so it would have been easy for them to call me or shoot me a text. Well, of course my phone wasn't working at the time. So 11:10 rolls around in the green room and I decide head up to the session. When I arrived I saw my partner doing the panel, filling in for me since I was late. It was no big deal, he killed it, and it was a great panel. But what if he wasn't there? What if that was something more important? That would have sucked. I would have thrown my phone off the 36th floor balcony, possibly injuring an innocent bystander below. Not a good situation.

Now you may be saying to yourself "James, I thought you said you love Apple?" - well, I do, and this just illustrates an important point. I have what many call the best phone on the market, with the most features, easiest to use. I would have to say I agree, it is the best, hands down. My situation was a rare one, and if I had a second to go to the Apple store before the conference I would have been fine (I went after and they replaced it no questions asked) and probably would have told another technology FAIL story.

Fact of the matter is some people deal with the problems I did that week on a daily basis. I truly believe for the parts of the day I did have service I was more productive overall than the person with the old flip phone with no texting, email, or internet. Not having a qwerty keyboard and email is a death wish these days. Consumers expect instant response to their requests, and if you are only able to check your email once a day, you're not giving them the service they demand. Now I'm not saying you should check your email every five minutes like I do (I'll admit, I'm an addict) but you should check it multiple times per day at the very least.

The cost of technology is coming down considerably by the day. You can no longer use the excuse that it's too expensive. $150 for a phone that is probably more powerful than your first computer is a small price to pay for constant connectivity to your email and internet.

It's 2009, and as we all know most new years resolutions never work, so make one that you can stick to! Head to your local Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (whatever you have) and go get a smart phone. You'll be glad you did, trust me!

Social Media in Real Estate – Part 3: ActiveRain

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:20 -0600

Are you a part of the largest real estate network? If you’re not, you should be. It’s FREE to join! What are you waiting for!? Join Now!

If you are, then you’re already taking the right steps towards success. I am of course talking about ActiveRain. From the site: “Our goal is to ‘Empower the real estate professional‘ and as an extension empower the consumer.” So what does this mean for you, the real estate agent, you might ask? Well let me tell you.

ActiveRain is a social network for real estate professionals. Whether you’re a real estate agent, attorney, mortgage broker, appraiser, etc (for a full list and to sign up go here) you can use ActiveRain to connect with local professionals as well as professionals nationwide.

Now instead of telling you why ActiveRain is so powerful, and how it can increase your business, connections, etc, I’m going to share with you some real life success stories I have collected via various conferences, tweets, emails, etc.

Termite Questions to a Listing - While at the NAR conference in Orlando, FL I was speaking with a gentleman from Hawaii who is an avid ActiveRain user. His story starts with blogging about home inspections and termites, which then lead to the questions “what do you think my house is worth?” which then lead to “can you list my property?” So by simply talking about what he knows, and engaging in conversation with consumers, he got a listing off of ActiveRain.

Closed a referral… got my landscaper… got 3 listings - This is what another ActiveRainer shared with me. What more needs to be said about this success story. He uses ActiveRain, is an active member, and has many success stories to show for it.

Closing on Friday… I was teaching a course on social media here in the Boston area and asked the question “Does anyone here use ActiveRain?” and a woman raised her hand and said “I am closing on Friday from buyers who found me coming up here from Virginia Beach.” This right here shows the power of not only connecting on a local level, but on a national level. Fact is people relocate. If you use ActiveRain to show consumers you are THE expect in your area, they will choose you to find them the perfect home.

And if those success stories don’t cause you to immediately join ActiveRain, then you may want to get your head examied! However, maybe this quote from Brad Andersohn, Community Builder at ActiveRain, will put you over the edge: “Just go for it. Always my best words of advice! :-)” and that’s the truth. You’re not going to break anything by jumping into social media. If anything you’ll meet some new people, learn new things, and increase your online presence. Furthermore, you’ll increase your business. Start 2009 the right way, get involved!

As Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) of WineLibrary.com says “In 2009 it’s not an option to be involved in social media; it’s a necessity.”

If you have any ActiveRain success stories to share please do so in the comments. I’d love to hear how ActiveRain is working for you!

Also, be sure to add me as an associate! - http://activerain.com/zipvo

Social Media in Real Estate – Part 2: Facebook

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:37:04 -0600

Facebook is a phenomenon used by hundreds of millions of users worldwide. According to Facebook.com / comScore — Facebook has over 110 million active users, is the 4th most-trafficked website in the world, and is the most-trafficked social media site in the world. These are staggering numbers for a website that was started by a student at Harvard University and saw most of its early growth from college students.

The latter is what turns most people off from using Facebook to market themselves and their listings online: college students. Many believe that their customers are not on Facebook, or that Facebook is just a place for college kids to share party photos; it is the largest photo-sharing site on the web after all.

However, the following statistics will help put that belief to rest: more than half of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is those 25 years old and older. This makes Facebook the ideal place to build and maintain your network of customers and associates.

I was having a discussion with a friend and he told me his girlfriend’s grandmother uses Facebook to share photos of the grandchildren with family members. This says something about Facebook users: they’re not just college kids anymore.

Facebook is a great platform to connect with current friends, old friends, and new friends. Adding someone as a friend means they get updates when you post something. Whether it be a new listing, blog post, website, or anything else you want to let your group of friends know about. Below is an example of how I promoted my last blog post on social media:

When I posted that, my hundreds of friends saw it (and hopefully clicked on it). Now, that post wasn’t for everyone, since not all of my friends are in the real estate industry. However, they may know someone who would be interested in it and pass it along. The same goes for a new listing. Post your new listings and hundreds of people will see, comment on it, and pass it along to others. It takes only minutes and will add hundreds if not thousands of otherwise nonexistent views.

Groups and fan pages are another powerful tool on Facebook. I belong to a number of groups and fan pages related to real estate. Whether it be my local Massachusetts Association of REALTORS fan page or the Inman News page, joining groups connects you with hundreds other people in your industry and keeps you up to date with what’s going on. Group administrators can send out updates to group members keeping them informed and engaged. You or your office can form a group or fan page in minutes and invite everyone you know to join. Also, look for local groups to stay up to date with what’s going on in the community.

Events are another great way to let people know what’s going on. If you have an upcoming open house you can create an event for it and invite others to attend. This spreads awareness of the open house because when people RSVP and say they’re attending all of their friends also see that they plan to attend.

If you’re using your Facebook profile for both personal and business be sure to check out the privacy settings to make sure only the people you want to see your content are seeing it. You can create different groups such as Friends, Business, Family, etc. This way if you don’t want your business associates seeing your personal family photographs you can specify in the privacy settings.

If you’ve been hesitant to join Facebook, I hope this post has put your worries at ease. If you’re already on Facebook, I hope this post has taught you a few tips and tricks on how to use this powerful platform to promote yourself and your listings online.

Be sure to add me as a friend and let me know your thoughts and success stories!

Social Media in Real Estate – Part 1: Twitter

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:33:33 -0600

There are a number of free tools out there that can help you market yourself and your listings through the use of social media. Whether it’s posting an item on Facebook, blogging on Active Rain, uploading a video to ZIPVO (my employer), or posting a tweet on Twitter, these tools can help you get connected and stay connected with your buyers and associates.

If you haven’t heard some or any of the above sites, do not panic. In this series of posts I’m going to teach you how to use each of them to enhance your online presence free and easily.

Today we’re going to cover Twitter – www.twitter.com - a unique site that allows you to let the world and your connections know what’s going on in your life. Twitter allows you to stay connected through 140 characters or less. 140 characters is the maximum amount of characters you can have in a tweet. Much like an AIM away message or Facebook status, a tweet simply updates your followers about what you’re posting.

A follower is similar to a friend on Facebook or associate on LinkedIn. You can search Twitter for people to follow and chances are they will follow you back. You can also tell people to follow you on Twitter to build up your base of followers. The great thing about Twitter is everyone is on the same level. Regardless of how powerful, intelligent, tech savvy, or non-tech savvy, everyone on Twitter has only 140 characters to get a message across. This makes thoughts clearer, and conversations quicker and more to the point.

After you build a good base of followers, you can really start to harness the power of Twitter. Let’s say you have 100 followers. When you get a new listing, blog post, or anything else you want the world to know about, you can simply tweet it and those 100 people will see it. Those 100 people might then tell a person each about a new listing, or tell a friend who is looking for a home, and your tweet instantly becomes viral and reaches hundreds, maybe thousands of people.

I’ve spoken to a number of people about social media and their major reservation is that it’s a lot of work. The truth is, keeping a good social presence does take some work, but the ROI is certainly well worth it. Much like anything else; you get out of social media what you put into it. Just like the gym, you can sign up and say you’re going to go every day. If you do go every day you’ll be in great shape and feel great. In the same respect if you spend some time every day with social media the results will be great. Just sending out a quick tweet is a great way to stay in front of your customers and associates, and it only takes a minute.

Below is a quick and plain English intro about the micro-blogging service Twitter.

Now that you know what Twitter is and how to use it head on over to Twitter.com and create your free account, then follow me, zipvojames, and say hello.

If you’re already using Twitter leave a comment and let everyone know how you’re using it.

My First ActiveRain Blog Post!

James Shiner (ZIPVO - Real Estate Media Network) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:28:09 -0600

Hello fellow ActiveRainers! I have FINALLY gotten around to posting my first blog post on ActiveRain. This is the official ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome you to my new blog on real estate: news, technology, video, social media and events.

For those of you that don't know me, my name is James Shiner and I am founder / lead developer at ZIPVO, the leading real estae media network. I have a passion for anything to do with the internet, especially in real estate. I have been developing websites for over 10 years and prior to ZIPVO I ran a marketing and advertising firm that specialized in website development, marketing collateral, speciality advertising, and graphic design.

My blog will cover anything related to real estate so be sure to subscribe so you can stay up to date with the latest and greatest in real estate. I am also a writer for Geek Estate Blog so my posts from there will be showing up here as well.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more!