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Where are the Experts or the New Users ?

By
Real Estate Technology with Carmody and Associates LLC

I think we should all agree that photography for our listings is most important to attract potential buyers.  The increase in those who search the internet before they get a Real Estate Agent to represent them has been commented upon in these pages many times.  All of us can improve our photos by editing in post-production using one of many programs.  

Photoshop Elements is up to version 13 now and the simplicity of basic editing continues to improve along with new bells and whistles.  And there are a multitude of other programs and websites that provide editing services at low cost.  But there are no articles presented on these pages asking how to use the programs or telling us about a new program that we should be looking at.  

Florida HomeAm I to assume all photos submitted to MLS are artistic triumphs these days ? I do not think so.  I look at MLS listings too.  What happened to the authors whose works would look good in Architectual Digest? 

I turn to the Photoshop Elements for Real Estate user group every day to moderate the conversation and to highlight the really useful posts with a feature designation.  Yawn!  I am somewhat under-employed lately.   But where are the consumers of the product or the providers of interesting content.  Active Rain has walked away from the user group method of navigation.  So the groups no longer have the audience that they used to have. (currently 8,671 groups)

The photography groups used to be the leading groups in AR for technology because we all need the information.  We all need to improve our MLS presentations with digital photography.  There is a constant flood of new hardware and bright shiny things to make our images stand out.  The absence of contributors or readers in this user group is an indication that Active Rain no longer feeds the imagination of its readers that way it did.  Pity.  

Thanks to Kevin Vitali who has almost single handedly supported this group in the recent past. Thanks, Kevin, but it seems like too little, too late.  

 

Comments(3)

Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Hi Ted, though I don't do much with photoshop, I am a fan of the various groups in AR.

With the new herding techniques being employed by the people in charge I think that the non-sheep in the crowd will be seeking out blog  posts in the groups more often in the future rather than letting the people who take the time to manipulate the "likes" to direct their reading.

Feb 11, 2015 02:15 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Hi Ted, I agree with you that navigation on AR has shifted away from groups more to blog roll or whatever.  It actually has decreased the circle of contributors we are exposed to in my opinion.

Jul 29, 2015 11:15 AM
Ted Baker
Carmody and Associates LLC - Winter Haven, FL
MidFloridaMediation.com

Thanks for stopping by, Silvia.  I agree.  It seems that there is less traffic coming to the topics that we, the contributing authors, thought were important.  

Jul 29, 2015 06:41 PM