jeff turner: What Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla Can Teach Us About SEO and YEO - 04/18/07 04:11 PM
I can  find "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla", but I can't find "he, him, or his."
It hit me as I was actively singing along to my kid's Schoolhouse Rock CD, that I unconsciously use pronouns for exactly the reasons that my favorite Schoolhouse Rock song describes. My favorite is called "Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla." I loved it when I was a kid and I love it now. My kids get a kick out of me belting it out at the top of my lungs.
Here's the best part of the song:
Now I could tell you Rafaella Gabriela and Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla and Albert Andreas Armadillo … (71 comments)

jeff turner: Promoting Community Events: A Video Chat With Julie - 04/16/07 12:43 PM
Since Julie Ferenzi is a couple thousand miles away, we use a variety of methods to communicate. 
Of course there's the old school telephone conversation. There's email and instant messaging as well. But my favorite is Video Chat. I'm on a Mac, so I'm using iChat and Julie is logging on via AIM on the PC. Today I recorded one of our sessions. I thought I'd record one of our sessions for a couple of reasons.
First, I wanted you to get to know Julie a little bit better. She's a Mother of four, so dealing with the pressures of starting out in … (33 comments)

jeff turner: Pimp My Blog: Give Your Blog A New Paint Job - 04/16/07 09:21 AM
Popular Wordpress blog themes are popular for a reason. They're good and they work. They're well written and come with the most features. But it also means lots of blogs will have the potential to look just like yours.
Julie Ferenzi's blog, Living In Plainfield, uses the Misty Look Theme by Sadish Bala. It is one of the top ten most downloaded themes for Wordpress. We chose this Wordpress theme for its clean look, wide post window and customizable header. But even after we changed the header, I would see other blogs using the same theme with the same basic color … (27 comments)

jeff turner: Project Blogger Has Me Screaming "Wufoo!" - 04/14/07 02:14 AM
Just so I make this perfectly clear... I did not set out to be the "gadget guy," Ines!
Or the "Wizard of Widgets" or the "Potentate of Plugins." Project Blogger is making me do this. I swear. Julie Ferenzi needs things for her Living In Plainfield, Illinois blog. One of my jobs as her coach is to teach her how to find and use really great tools. So I search until I find something I think will work for her.
Julie needed a contact form. 
Julie wanted a form to capture specific information. Julie wanted to be notified when someone filled out … (51 comments)

jeff turner: It's Not About SEO. It's About YEO. - 04/09/07 12:23 PM
The focus on search engine optimization in blogging is a distraction.
For the Project Blogger competition, I've actually told Julie Ferenzi to stop thinking about it. She was becoming a little fixated on the search engines finding her and was spending a lot of time reading about how to get good search engine placement. It didn't surprise me.
SEO tends to dominate discussions about the benefits of blogging and it shouldn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm a geek. (Did I say that out loud?) I like the "science" of SEO. I read as much as I can on the topic. … (145 comments)

jeff turner: Sharing Your Books, Sharing Yourself - 04/04/07 12:05 PM
I'm a firm believer that you can tell a great deal about a person by browsing through their library.
Unless you get invited to someone's home, your opportunity to do this is somewhat limited. When I commented on Sarah Cooper's review of Naked Conversations, she commented back that she'd like to know what I was reading and what books I might recommend. That made me pause a bit. I love sharing, but I'm also looking for the best and simplest way to do anything. So I went searching for a way to allow people to see into my library, and by … (53 comments)

jeff turner: Sellsius Lets The Cat Out Of The Bag - 04/03/07 07:36 AM
Well... we did give them a heads up. :) 
New features will be launched tonight at RealEstateShows.com.  Chief among them is the ability to embed a YouTube video in your Shows, so they can be included where ever your Shows go... including Realtor.com, and our new Panoramic Player for panoramic photos. Here is a complete list of the upgrades taking place:
YouTube Video: You can place a YouTube video inside your Show and retain your branding and all of the other information related to the Show.Panorama Player: A new way to view wide, panoramic shots.RealPing Integration: RealPing customers will be able to … (29 comments)

jeff turner: A Chewy Caramel $ Milk Chocolate $ Crispy Crunchies Feeling - 03/30/07 01:17 AM
It's after 3 AM... how incredibly fitting
I guess it's the way it should be. Ever since joining ActiveRain on November 28, 2006, my sleep time has taken a nose dive. It's like I've been on a constant sugar high.
Tonight, per my routine, I checked email one last time before heading to bed.  I've been working on three other blogs most of the evening, so I hadn't bee paying attention to email. I saw there were some comments on a post and logged in to respond.
I never got to that post. A number - 100,074 - stopped me. … (71 comments)

jeff turner: Project Blogger Coaches Of A Feather Flock Together... - 03/21/07 12:25 PM
If this is a slow Project Blogger news day, then perhaps you'll read this. :)
Today, I had the very distinct pleasure of having lunch with Joseph Ferrara and Rudy Bachraty from Sellsius, Dustin Luther from Move.com and Rain City Guide, and Pat Kitano from Transparent Real Estate.
It was a true pleasure to spend time with a group of guys as jazzed about real estate blogging as I am. The energy at the table was great and the food was amazing as well. Pat Kitano suggest we all meet in downtown Los Angeles at his favorite Korean Restaurant, Sa Rit Gol, on … (26 comments)

jeff turner: Show Me What You Jott, Baby! - 03/20/07 07:50 PM
Two days ago I posted about Jott.com, a new service that transcribes voices messages into text.
I told you my head was spinning with ideas.
Well, in our little world here, we (in this case, Steve Zehngut And I) like to run with ideas until they die on their own. So, in that spirit we set out to test whether or not Jott.com could effectively be used to write a new kind of blog content delivery system that would allow blog posts to be "written" in real time. The notion of "in the moment" blog posts intrigued me. 
Well, it worked.  
Every … (102 comments)

jeff turner: Jott: My Head Is Spinning With Ideas - 03/18/07 04:40 PM
Jott to self on Sunday, March 18, 2007 8:13 PMI was just reading Robert Scoble's blog tonight, and yesterday he wrote a post about a killer app for cellphones called Jott and I thought that I would write a post about it for ActiveRain by using it. I am actually right now just leaving a message on my cellphone at the Jott number and its gonna transcribe it and send it to me in an e-mail. I am just gonna copy and paste it right into the post so you can see how it works.       Listen to audio
Follow up post … (44 comments)

jeff turner: Video Proof: ActiveRain Has Some Juice - 03/16/07 07:41 AM
You want the proof? You can't handle the proof!
Less than 2 weeks ago I wrote a restaurant review post about Romano's Italian Restaurant in Essington, PA. I did it for several reasons. First, because the original stromboli they serve there is truly a taste bud treat. Saliva is filling my mouth as I type. Second, I wanted to illustrate to Julie Ferenzi how to use RealEstateShows.com to add value in local content. And third, I wanted to illustrate how this can help build solid relationships. I didn't do it to prove the SEO benefit of a blog post.
I sent the … (80 comments)

jeff turner: Solar Energy Heating Up? - 03/15/07 06:28 AM
I can't help but wonder what role the real estate community should play in supporting solar energy initiatives. 
c|net News.com had a great photo essay this morning on a new power plant opening it's doors in Boulder City, Nevada. Nevade Solar One is a 300 acre field of mirrors that collects thermal energy from the Sun and heats tubes filled with oil to 400 degrees. The oil is then used to create steam, which turn a turbine to create electricity.
How much electricity? Nevada Solar One will produce enough juice for 15,000 homes or 25,000 hotel rooms. It goes live on the grid … (37 comments)

jeff turner: Project Blogger: Let's Get This Party Started - 03/15/07 06:09 AM
"Never give a party if you'll be the most interesting person there." - Mickey Friedman
Even if I'm not giving a party, I still don't want to go if I'm going to be the most interesting person there. That's why I accepted the Project Blogger invitation. Look around at the other invited guests. I may just be the wall flower of the group! Yeah, that's my kind of party. That's why I'm here.
I'm here because I like a challenge. I'm here because I have some ideas that I'd like to try. I'm here because having a guinea pig to try these … (23 comments)

jeff turner: Romano's Stromboli - Thank Goodness For Airplane Delays! - 03/11/07 03:14 AM
I love it when I find something I wasn't even looking for.In this case, I wasn't looking for the birthplace of Stromboli, but I found it. And I have to thank Rochell Heininger. Actually, I should thank Southwest Airlines for making her flight into Philadelphia 90 minutes late. Without that 90 minute delay, I would never have left the airport. Thankfully, I did leave the airport. And if you get the chance, you'll want to as well. Because just 3 minutes south of Philadelphia International Airport, is Romano's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant. 
Finding a good restaurant is nice. Finding a truly … (38 comments)

jeff turner: Take Action. Inspiration Will Follow. - 03/08/07 03:18 AM
Sometimes the problems of the world seem so large and overwhelming that it's hard to wrap my head around where to begin.
Stopping the destruction of our ecological systems is one of them. Where do you begin to solve a global problem. One of my favorite quotes is by a man named Frank Tibolt: "We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."
Anyone who has ever worked with me will tell you that I've always had a fire - ready - aim philosophy. It's not something I learned, it's … (44 comments)

jeff turner: USA Today Goes Web 2.0 - 03/05/07 11:18 AM
In case you've missed it, USA Today launched a complete redesign to their website. And it's not just cosmetic.
I few days ago, I saw a preview of the redesign in a screen grab.  Initially I thought it might just be a graphic redesign. I've gotten used to that. But it's much more than that. It's a new vision. "Our website has a new look. But the real change is in the approach, not the appearance."
"Engage our site in a whole new way," the editors exclaimed. So, I did. And I saw something on a major news site that I've … (50 comments)

jeff turner: The "Big Fish" - 03/03/07 05:34 PM
This falls into the category of "be careful what you wish for."
 
 
Online Videos by Veoh.com 
This reminds me of my first truly "big" client, back when I was 26 years old. I worked hard to "land" them and they almost ate me alive! Not long after we started working with them, they filed for bankruptcy. I had borrowed money to get the equipment and supplies necessary to handle their volume and within 60 days, they were history. They almost took us with them. I know this story isn't funny, but the video is. :)
… (6 comments)

jeff turner: A Video On How To Embed A YouTube Video - 03/01/07 06:29 AM
Several people (and one of my favorites) have questions about just HOW to add a YouTube video to their posts. Not everyone is familiar with HTML or embed code, so I thought the best way to help is to actually create and embed a video to demonstrate. I'm using Veoh.com for this, because their quality is better for viewing the text. [ the process for embedding from Veoh.com is exactly the same, by the way, but see my warning below ] Edit: If you can't see this top video, keep reading. It was uploaded at 9:05am PST.
For most uses, YouTube … (130 comments)

jeff turner: YouTube Alternatives - 02/28/07 08:20 AM
I'm a YouTube fan just like the rest of the world, but there are times when the quality doesn't quite live up to expectations. One of my favorite sites is BrightCove, but I've tested it here and their embed code is not working on ActiveRain. But Veoh.com does. See Below. You'll notice how crisp the text looks in this video. The downside of Veoh is the length of time it takes to render the video. 
Online Videos by Veoh.comBelow is what it looks like when you try to embed BrigthCove content. A direct link for comparison is here.
… (24 comments)