I talk with a lot of agents who are new to the technology world. They use words like "overwhelm" and "complicated" or "next big thing" when we chat. Okay, maybe that's a tad true but when we embrace technology there is a world to gain.
One great example is our simple web browsing. Do you think it's a pain to open up Explorer (I sure hope you're still not using that, by the way... more on that later) and have to open your favorite pages: Facebook, ESPN and ActiveRain. That's a lot of typing, but there is an EASIER and more EFFICIENT WAY!
Which Browser Is Best?
That's like asking which peanut butter is best. You have yours and I'll tell you mine. For sure the BOTTOM of the barrel is Microsoft's brow-beaten step-child of a browser: Internet Explorer. We use(d) it because it was pre-installed, it's there and some people don't give it much thought. Hackers love it because of all the back doors. It's clunky and has lost a TON of market share over the last two years to Firefox and now Google's Chrome.
I use a Mac, but also have a PC that I use on the rare occasion. Google Chrome is king. I use Google Calendar for my schedule and contacts and it syncs with my gmail nicely too. I'm OK with Google ruling the world... some things we just have to roll with.
A close second is Firefox. This is the guy who dethroned Explorer, so he has my respect. This is a work horse and a great choice.
Browsing Tips
Gone are the days of opening a window and surfing, then opening another and another until your taskbar at the bottom looks like a long line of train cars all smashed together. If you don't surf using TABS, then you're about to have your mind blown.
Tabbed Browsing
Think of it like this: the WINDOW of your browser is your Big Idea and the TABs within that are all of your thoughts. I have three browser WINDOWS open right now (see the nice graphic over there). The first window is my main area with all the sites I use every moment of the day: gmail, Facebook, Twitter, bit.ly, Pandora, etc.
When I have a NEW THOUGHT, such as searching for a property, I open up a new window and each tab revolves around that idea. It's an amazing way to keep track of complex browsing.
Another example is when a client was looking to compare PODS with traditional storage. I have many tabs associated with that as I searched for maps, businesses, comparison companies, etc. Very easy.
PLUS, when I'm done browsing for the day, all of those tabs will be there when I start up the program in the morning...
Remember My Windows
The best thing about Chrome (Firefox does this too) is a feature to open up all of the windows you were using last time you had the browser open. WOW! So what does that mean to you? A ton. Let me explain...
Time to start the business day. It's 7:30am and let's check email. OK, open the browser, click my bookmark or maybe even type it in. Good, done. Next, let's check the scores. Type, type, type, bang. Scores. (It's 7:40 now). Check the MLS... type, type, type. Twitter... and all of a sudden it's after 8am! Wouldn't it be easier to open the browser and EVERYTHING POPS UP RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT IT?? It's amazing and you can knock it all out super fast!
I hope this helps! By the way, I use Safari on my Mac sometimes and it's good. I know of all those other browsers and some are better than others. Do you have a gem that I missed?
Thanks for stopping by and happy TABBED browsing!
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