Disqus - Latest Comments for Mike

Re: Thoughts on Social Media and Branding

Mike — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:58:48 -0000

I'll agree that the R.O.B. usually generates awesome content, this post is no different and I agree with it completely, My only complaint is that you didn't just start with the 3 bullet summary and save me some time :)

Re: Press Release: Texas REALTORS Get Marketing Boost from First American Title

Mike — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:32:05 -0000

Sam,
Its available everywhere. http://www.mlbroadcast.com. We have clients from Upstate NY to Southern CA.

Jay,
Thanks Bro!

Re: Ten People every Realtor should Follow on Twitter

Mike — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:49:48 -0000

My Dad always said I was a Twit. He just didn't know I'd actually be good at it one day. :) Thanks for including me amongst this group of awesome folks.
MP

Re: Hanging Up the Be-Right-Back Sign

Mike — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:12:39 -0000

Enjoy your trip Joel.

Re: Press Release: Texas REALTORS Get Marketing Boost from First American Title

Mike — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:32:05 -0000

Sam,
Its available everywhere. http://www.mlbroadcast.com. We have clients from Upstate NY to Southern CA.

Jay,
Thanks Bro!

Re: Bloggers Love New York

Mike — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:38:32 -0000

It was great to finally meet you guys in person. I had a great time.

MP

Re: What’s your “Tribe”? Do you lead, follow or get in the way?

Mike — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:38:58 -0000

KB,
I plan on doing one of my Book Reports on this and Guy Kawasaki's new book as well. I love following the progress of your blog. More and more people that need to read it are starting to show up in that side. You should be proud of your efforts.

Re: NAR Studies Buyer and Seller Behaviors and Choices - A Must Read For All Career Minded Realtors

Mike — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:08:13 -0000

<preaching to the choir rant>"Fewer buyers rely on a home book or magazine" (Well no shiznit sherlock :) ! Why are your agents continually pouring good money after bad in those home grown publications that people sometimes grab at the grocery store and end up letting them yellow in the trunk of their car. Full pages, Double Trucks so on and so forth. Why won't they take a cue from the rest of the world. If I were you, the next time best buy or circuit city does one of those new half sized fly ins in the sunday paper, show it to them and recommend the same, dont eliminate it, down size it and then hold it up against something new. . I promise you the other half of that coin went to a more "un-traditional" ad spend. it's a way for them to give you the same old BS line, "My seller expects to see it there" At least if they cut the ad size down and change the creative on it, they will have something left over to put into a new media channel of some sort. </preaching to the choir rant>

Re: RE BarCamp Revealed: A True Guerrilla Event

Mike — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:52:13 -0000

Mark,
Great to meet you and your wife. I hope to see you at many more events!
Mike

Re: Four years of social media. What has it gotten me?

Mike — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:31:05 -0000

I only have one question. Can I tell people I know you? :)
MP

Re: Hey - She’s Not 22!

Mike — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:21:40 -0000

We were presented with a similar situation a few years ago. I immediately notified the parents and they have since enlisted our help in monitoring the situation. Family is Family. You did the right thing Chris.

Re: Is the Stimulus Bill really going to help move homes?

Mike — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:07:30 -0000

Watching the morning Fox Business report it's apparent that with the tightened credit markets and other restrictions, the number of folks in a position to take advantage of this will likely not match its intended goal. I agree with Jeff that this is a great opportunity for the type of RE professional that can arm themselves with a cohesive strategy. 1. Unmatched Knowledge. Case in point: Jay Thompson has put his sanity on the line by actually watching every nuance of the new legislation as it was coming together. He is light years ahead of his competition when it comes to understanding how to implement it.
2. Relationships. Working with the right partners in the lending industry to add more knowledge to the base and find ways to jump hurdles and get people to the closing table.

I think the folks that win are the ones that are willing to work harder and smarter, from both sides of the table. To answer your question though. I guess I would say that the 787 billion stimulus package won't do much in the end to help the housing industry, which begs the next question, will the housing specific stimulus proposed yesterday do enough? At first blush the key provisions of the legislation actually seem to make sense, at least helluva lot more than the barrel full of pork that the POTUS signed off in Denver Tuesday. We can only hope. There are too many people that need help either staying in their homes, or having a shred of hope to ever be able to own one.

Re: Is your marketing exposed?

Mike — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:14:57 -0000

This is especially true of the real estate industry. Brokers and agents are resistant to anything outside of their traditional comfort zones and use the excuse that it takes too much time to learn anything new. Its those that are learning that using different distribution points for their marketing exposure and making it more about the property and less about themselves that are going to acquire the lion's market share of the future. Did a great podcast interview with @garyvee yesterday on this exact subject.

Re: Follow the Adventures of Chilton Treakle

Mike — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:34:27 -0000

I hope this guy really can lighten up an try to have a good time, otherwise his trip will just seem more like a bitchfest than anything else. The story of getting his hair lopped off was the best part. Seems to me like Karma caught up with the guy. Maybe if he starts thinking better of people, he'll have a better time.

Re: Why Your Answer to, “Are You on Facebook?” Will Determine the Fate of Your Business in 10 Years or Sooner

Mike — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 14:46:16 -0000

I really think its impossible to determine which interface, if any, will be the most prominent in the future. Facebook will evolve over time and shift it's value proposition along with the changes in the underlying manner in which we use the web. With the advent of AI and a semantic web (oft referred to as Web 3.0), the need to put everything in one place goes away. Everything becomes relational. When you make a query, you will receive not only exactly what you wanted, but just about every truly relevant piece of data and new media associated with it. It will truly the change the face of the real estate listing. Remember when radius searches first came out? IE: Show me all of the elementary schools within 10 miles of a property. Web 3.0 will be that, only on steroids. Just think what that will do to the social network component of things. as well.

Re: ZebraTalk is BACK– Live from Inman Real Estate Connect

Mike — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:03:06 -0000

Jeff Turner suggested a blogger's Texas Hold 'Em tournament, you could live blog that!

Re: Back from NYC, Much More To Come. . .

Mike — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:52:36 -0000

I had a great time hanging out with you and your wife, and Evan :)

Look forward to many more discussions!

Re: ZebraTalk– An Enlightening Conversation

Mike — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:27:19 -0000

It was my pleasure Daniel, great conversation! Look forward to many more.
Mike

Re: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. . .

Mike — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:39:01 -0000

How can everyone afford to license this kind of music. I don't get it.
MP

Re: 2009 will be YOUR year. . .

Mike — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:19:33 -0000

I am proud to be the first person to view and consume the cool fortune cookie. My first goal is to try to be half as enthusiastic as Daniel about goal setting.

Re: In which I respond to the Notorious R.O.B re: “Community” et al.

Mike — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:59:53 -0000

A follow up podcast with Gary V. for some more perspective on what he had to say at Inman along with some response to Notorious ROB. http://www.mlpodcast.com/blog/2009/01/gary-vayn...

Re: Real Estate Barcamp Theme Song and Music Video

Mike — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:44:34 -0000

Great job Chico!

Re: Guitar Heroes

Mike — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:37:24 -0000

A few others
lee ritenour
peter white
russ freeman
walter Becker
marc antoine

Re: Inman Posts the Top 25, We Post #26 - 50

Mike — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:07:51 -0000

Jay,
I echo the sentiments of others, you should have started this list with your own blog. Thanks for the inclusion, I am humbled.

MP

Re: Joining the Trulia Voices Picket Line

Mike — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:39:49 -0000

I just finished a 45 minute long interview with a reporter regarding Web 2.0 and it's impact on the profession / consumers. When asked, I had to tell her I thought the jury was still out on whether or not wide open social network consumer Q&A's like Trulia Voices held any promise for the future. I guess after reading this post the answer is still clear as mud.

That said, I think you'll see Trulia do something to improve the process. Pete Flint is a smart guy and I'm sure he recognizes that the effort is only as good as those that participate in the process.

Re: Experimental Business Card #1

Mike — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:40:54 -0000

It says all that it needed to, nothing that it did not. Where: Phoenix Arizona What/Why: Real Estate Who:You're the Guy to work with.

I love it. It's the kind of marketing I am drawn to. Think of it this way. People don't want bells, whistles and carnival barker approaches to important transactions. Keeping it simple from the beginning indicates a willingness to do the same in the transaction. People could care less if you have a dog or if "spouses sell houses". Tell them you're provide professional consultation and representation and then prove it in your actions. What a concept.

I would move the required licensing stuff to the back of the card and make it a permanent part of your marketing effort. I would even do the same with print stuff.

Did people think it was brilliant? My business partner has 30 years of experience in the real estate business, he made it a point to bring your card over to me and tell me how impressed he was with it. Nuff said.

Re: Young James Gets a Job

Mike — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:22:00 -0000

Go JT Jr.! Good Luck with the new Gig. If he's anything like his Dad people be impressed.

MP

Re: Dan Green, Mortgage Planner, Opines on Real Estate

Mike — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:19:36 -0000

I'll second that. Dan is a sharp/nice guy. MP

Re: Point2 Technologies Names Saul Klein CEO

Mike — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:17:40 -0000

Jay,
Trust me Saul remembered you. I had the chance to speak with him that evening as well. Over the years I've spent a little time in the RealTalk listserv and had the opportunity to have brief exchanges with Saul. Not only did he remember me, he shared something with me that blew my mind. I think he said there are over 13,000 agents on the listserv and to this day he and John still read each and every post every day. Amazing. I wonder what this does with regard to some of the offerings he has, it would seem to me that some of them overlap. Is there any word of merging his current efforts with Point2? Saul, any plans to put John Giamo to work on Point2? It would seem to me his Homeseekers experience would certainly lend itself well.

Re: Merry Christmas - Sharing My Two Favorite Christmas Songs

Mike — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:54:39 -0000

Jay,
Thanks for sharing. All the best to you and Francy. I'm looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. Merry Christmas.

Re: Happy New Year: Looking back at 2007 and Ahead to 2008

Mike — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:58:54 -0000

Jay,
If you pissed anybody off, they had it coming. You're definitely one of the nicest guys I've met in the RE.net and I'm a better person for being able to call you a pal o' mine.

See you bright and early tuesday morning at IAH. Lets hope we can talk someone into switching a seat. An analog conversation beats the MacBook any day!

Cheers to Francy too!

MP

Re: Open Letter to Homes.com

Mike — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:34:03 -0000

Shenanigans like this make it hard to be a real estate tech vendor. Jay, our telemarketing staff will be calling later today. We found your number on a bathroom wall in NYC. I checked, you have no protection from the DNC on that one. :)

Re: Happy 3rd Birthday Phoenix Real Estate Guy!

Mike — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:04:36 -0000

congrats jay!

Re: The 93rd Carnival of Real Estate: Chow Time!

Mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:07:51 -0000

Yes Jay, we are hosted at The Planet, and that is precisely the problem. Should be up soon.

MP

Re: Sorry IE6 Users…

Mike — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:03:10 -0000

in a perfect world all versions of Internet Exploder older than version 7 would disappear - I know there is a section in Hell with people trapped in a fiery cube farm forced repeatedly write lines of code that will never work :)

Re: Sometimes, it is best not to read the news…

Mike — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:47:07 -0000

Thank God I have so many memories and photos from our last trip. I even have one of you on the plane from Houston to NYC. I am going to miss you so much Jay! :)

JK! You'll be fine Jay, ( take some benadryl before the flight just in case, that way you'll just sleep through it.)

MP

Re: Win a Copy of Seth Godin’s “Tribes”

Mike — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:38:13 -0000

Toss me into the mix JT. :)
See Ya!

Re: Sarasota Association of Realtors Railroads One of their Own

Mike — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:18:52 -0000

I REALLY wish I could say I was surprised by this. Sadly, I am not.

Re: Our First Birthday! Thompson’s Realty is One Year Old Today

Mike — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:53:23 -0000

Jay,
It doesnt seem that long ago when we first talked about your decision. I was proud of you for going for it back then and even more proud to see you've reached a one year milestone. Laurie and I send our best to your whole team. Congrats.

Re: Searching for the Holy Grail of Real Estate Leads

Mike — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:08:20 -0000

Damon,
I would argue that how a lead is captured and where it comes from is CRITICAL to ANY self-respecting business with a goal of long term success.

I think anyone would recognize that capturing as much information and potential contacts is important. The point of my post was to draw attention to the fact that if you are blocking access to information that is readily available in dozens of other sites, you are putting yourself at a competitive disadvantage. Registration forms should be on ALL web sites. However, if I am early in the process of making a decision to list or buy a home, I may not want to be added to a drip campaign and I sure as heck do not want to be called within 1 hour of "registering" at a site unless I specifically instructed someone to do so.

Leads are different things to different people. The fact that I've "registered" on a web site does not necessarily qualify me as any kind of prospect at all.

Perhaps you missed something in my definition of a "Daffy Duck" lead. I'm having a real hard time wrapping my mind around how how anyone can feed a family from a form registration that has nothing but bogus information it.

There are several ways to build a business that thrives on leads just as there are several ways to define what a lead actually is. The approaches that different professionals take to building databases of information and selling into that database are just as varied. How hard those professionals choose to work to get to the same goal is entirely up to their selected strategy and what value they would like to place on their business and their databases in the future. Building a brand and adding value to a consumer's experience with your marketing message is critical to long term success.

In my opinion, concentrating solely on building a database for the sake of quantity over quality just seems to be a much harder way to put food on the table.

Re: Exploding Myths: Part 1. Web Traffic – “Hit” Me With Your Best Shot

Mike — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:56:28 -0000

Martin,
Yes, bots and crawlers, (automated tools that msn,google,yahoo etc. use to visit your site and harvest information ) do create "hits".

If you use a log file analysis tool, it is easy to filter these results out of your traffic counts.

Re: Controlling Your Life 2.0

Mike — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:47:45 -0000

Great topic. It's a fact that most people have really no idea what the true reach and impact of what they put into "cyberspace" is. Anonymity? In my opinion there is no such thing on the net.

The concept of keeping multiple personalities on the web seems like too much work to me. It could perceived as disingenuous even if it was done in an attempt to protect one's personal space.

If your persona is your brand, you should take great care in how you expose that brand on the web. Realtors are bound to a code of ethics and in some cases, laws. Taking care to stay within those confines should be a paramount consideration before engaging in communities on the web. It shouldn't be a deterrent to doing so, but brushing up on the rules before jumping head first into web 2.0 would probably be a wise decision.

Reputation management is an issue that has come up a few times in the RE.net. It's been suggested that using Google Alerts is a good way to track the conversations about yourself and your business online. You may not always like what you see, but at least you'll know its out there.

Re: Treo Video

Mike — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:20:59 -0000

Here's what ebay shows:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R...

There are many Treos for sale in Craigslist as well.

I still think the iPhone is practical for Realtors, the only drawback is the lack of Infrared to unlock the Supras. There are already discounted refurb iPhones available on Apple's site at a $100 discount as well.

Re: How the Industry Changed While I was in Iraq – Part 1/4

Mike — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:43:18 -0000

Brian,
Welcome aboard. You bring a unique perspective to the issues at hand in the RE.Net. Researching an Internet start up model while on a tour of duty is definitely interesting. I look forward to reading more.

Re: New iPods Released – Video, Wi-Fi and More!

Mike — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:11:53 -0000

Dee,
The YouTube application content when the iPhone first launched did not have a complete searchable database of YouTube videos. I just checked and they are now starting to include more content. Im not sure if that includes the entire YouTube database but I will check.

Re: BlogRush – Yet Another Widget. But Kinda Cool

Mike — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:12:39 -0000

I look at the referral widgets a little differently than some. I was one of the early adopters of the Criterio widget on my blog. After a few months I removed it for a couple of reasons. The sites being referred, in many cases, did not really fit with the content of my blog. The primary reason I removed it was due to the fact it was showing blogs that I would never recommend to my readers. You have to look at it as a digital form of networking and if you wouldn't feel good about having someone in your analog sphere of influence, the same has to hold true for your digital references. I didn't check to see if there is a way to block certain sites, but even if there were, I wouldn't have the time to continually manage the effort. I'd rather stick to managing the blog links on my site and leave it at that.

Re: Q & A With PropertyQube.Com

Mike — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:17:26 -0000

I guess you'll need to email them from the feedback link with the issue you're having. I did all of my testing in Firefox on a Mac and had no problems. To be fair, I only viewed, I did not try to use any of the forms or participate in the forums etc.

Re: Q & A With PropertyQube.Com

Mike — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:17:32 -0000

Article today in the San Jose Mercury News regarding RE 2.0 and Social Media. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6916296?source=mo...

Re: BlogRush – Yet Another Widget. But Kinda Cool

Mike — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:08:44 -0000

Pat Kitano sent me an invite for BlogRush and I went to check it out. Seems they have a filtering system so I can block sites that I do not want to appear in the widget, very cool indeed. I have added to my blog.

Re: Real Estate Bloggers Rally Around One of Their Own

Mike — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:33:57 -0000

Wow. I knew we would get a great response but I could have never guessed how fast it would come and the level of generosity. I am humbled beyond description.

Re: Smart Advertising – Interactive Ads

Mike — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:33:34 -0000

Does there exist any kind of useful data to show how much more effective this type of ad might be with regards to conversion rates?

Re: REALTOR.com Upgrades to “Web 2.0″

Mike — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 12:46:09 -0000

Dee, with all due respect, Realtor.Com (Move Inc.) is attempting to catch up to the innovations of the real estate technology industry, not "stay ahead" of them. That was conceded publicly by NAR's president last month.

I have some questions that I think agents will want to know the answers to.

How much does Move, Inc. charge to upload a video to a listing?

Are there restrictions as to whether or not the agent's contact information can be included in the video? If so, why?

Can any agent link a third party virtual tour not purchased from Move, Inc. or a Move, Inc. "Picture Path" provider?

Is there a charge for enhancing a listing by adding a simple hypertext link to an agent's virtual tour provider of choice?

What is your opinion of the new tag line for Realtor.Com "The Search Ends Here"?

Is there a matrix of Move Inc. services and pricing somewhere that an agent can find on the web?

Do you personally pay for any of the enhancement products on Realtor.Com? If so, does it generate a positive return on investment?

I hope you will follow up with a post that gives these answers and expands on your opinions regarding fees and policies regarding Move Inc.'s operation of the Realtor.Com portal.

It would be great to hear from other agents as well. Chime in and add your questions or comments.

Jay I know you must have a point view on this.

Re: 100 Reasons To Switch To A Smart Phone

Mike — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:11:05 -0000

Im pretty sure it isn't on the list due to the fact the phone was just announced 2 days ago. I would check with GE first but I would be really surprised if it didn't work. The operating system is the same operating system as the Treo devices in the list.

Re: List of Real Estate Website Technology Providers

Mike — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:26:47 -0000

Consumers visit real estate sites for 2 primary reasons.
1. To See Listings
2. To Find Out The Value Of Their Homes

If I were evaluating a web site platform, I would gauge it by those that did the best job of delivering these elements.

Of these providers, which provide the feature of a fully integrated IDX feed of listing data from individual MLS'? By fully integrated, I mean at least a once daily update of the MLS listings in my market that offer the ability for me to display the listings as if they are my own and generate leads directly from them. (framed mls listings do not qualify as a true idx feed)

Which providers have built in features either through API's or customizable forms to allow an agent to generate a listing lead from someone interested in a valuation of their property?

Re: I’m a Geek, too

Mike — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:37:44 -0000

Welcome aboard Colleen. I am looking forward to your insight!

Re: Exploding Myths: Part 2. Web Leads – Quality Vs. Quantity

Mike — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:26:51 -0000

Rebecca, I hear you, what a concept huh? Now how many sites do you know of that do not display the phone number prominently on every page? Too many to count.

Re: The fastest way to save yourself a few million dollars.

Mike — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:58:06 -0000

Are there companies that raise a great deal of money and then blow it in an irresponsible fashion? Sure. However, most companies that raise capital are building a business, not a web site. Marketing Directors, CFO's, salespeople, administrative staff etc. etc. etc. They need to get paid just like web developers do and that's where the bulk of the burn takes place. At some point even Galen is going to need to bring in the bodies to keep up with what he's doing. Great development is fine but nothing happens in a business until somebody sells something and 2 guys in a garage can't provide sales, accounting, customer service etc. Trust me, most investors these days know exactly where the burn should start and end and it doesn't all get spent in the room with the empty pizza boxes and red bull cans.

Re: The fastest way to save yourself a few million dollars.

Mike — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:23:31 -0000

Guys,
No doubt things have changed. Look at Guy Kawasaki, He had a Truemors built for 12 grand. Luckily enough for him he is Guy Kawasaki and that alone is all the PR he needs to get it off the ground. While it may not take as much to get a good Internet start up off the ground these days, one thing hasn't changed, revenue. Like I said before, nothing happens until somebody sells something :) I like your analogy Galen and think you're dead on when you identify the positioning required to succeed as in between 37 signals and the "business dudes". I disagree about the "exceedingly cheap" part though. It's not cheap to start any kind of business these days :) In any case, here's one Geeky Business Dude type that's rooting for you, I really like what you're doing.

Re: Addicted to (Real Estate) Podcasting!

Mike — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:08:42 -0000

Podcasting isn't limited to audio only. The power of video has clearly overtaken the audio podcast. In fact, all but one of the new iPod models now have the ability to view video podcasts.

http://www.mlbroadcast.com/directory :)

Cheers

Re: Addicted to (Real Estate) Podcasting!

Mike — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:11:41 -0000

One of the things that kind of drives me nuts about all of the new technology coming down the pike is how we as technologists assign so many different silly names to things. The real definitions and applications of things get lost in the shuffle. The word podcasting is a good example of that. For instance,with all due respect, the audio files you have on line right now I would not categorize as a podcast. They are audio files you can listen to online, but I can not subscribe to them as a true audio podcast feed, more simply put, if I can't find it in iTunes, I don't consider it a podcast. I also don't subscribe to the terminology of "Vodcast". Primarily because it just adds another layer that isn't necessary. The technology used for a podcast is the same for audio or video, the only difference is in the format of the enclosure (audio or video file - .mp4 or .m4v for video, or .mp3 or .m4a for audio). Keeping things simple and true to form is more important to me. We are firing stuff off to agents like water from a fire hose and we run the risk of confusing them to the point where they decide it's not worth the frustration. So, with regard to podcasting, we should be telling it like it is, It's either audio or video. Both have their value propositions as marketing tools. I understand where you are coming from, however, as technology providers if we try to foist what we view as "purist" opinions on our clients, it all ends up getting lost in translation. For instance, some do not think that combining still photos with transitions, music and voice overs and converting to .mp4 files constitutes a video. I happen to think it does, so does the film maker, Ken Burns, that originated the concept. Video "purists" vehemently disagree. So what? In the end it doesn't matter what we think, it's the end user that matters. If they value the content and feel like it meets their needs, it doesn't matter what it's called. It's done it's job. BTW, Welcome to the GeekEstate team!, it's good to have you aboard.

Re: Addicted to (Real Estate) Podcasting!

Mike — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:09:09 -0000

That certainly makes sense. I have a friend and client that uses one of the online phone interview systems to record audio podcasts. He sends them to our team to convert to an actual podcast feed. I love the idea of audio podcasting for general marketing and branding and most definitely as an adjunct to blogging. For promotion of listings, not so much.

As far as the term podcasting goes, we joined the ranks of a number of tech start ups that dropped the term from our branding. For a couple of reasons, primarily because the scope of our service goes beyond podcasting now. Also important to us was the fact that consumers are not adopting the terminology as readily as some in the industry as hoped.

Looking forward to your contributions, I think you'll bring a wealth of great info to GeekEstate.

Re: Real Estate Developers — Get Ready for iPhone Development in 2008

Mike — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:50:43 -0000

The announcement of the SDK (software development kit) is welcome news. The iPhone already comes preinstalled with the best real estate application, Video Podcasts via iTunes. :)

Re: Does Mobile Technology Matter in Real Estate?

Mike — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:33:04 -0000

As wi-fi data networks and better wireless telephony networks like 3G expand, so will the ability for RE professionals to finally start taking advantage of the benefits. There are the obvious advantages of digital docs and signatures. As far as listings are concerned, I think you'll see more and more efforts to provide mobile versions of the same content emerge over the next year. It will not be long before the need to create two different versions of the content won't be necessary. Web browsers are being ported to formats that allow for the display of standard content on hand helds, until then, agents that add mobile delivery of content to their listing distribution points will obviously have an advantage over their competitors,especially in listing presentations. We love hearing stories from our clients about how they have landed listings by demonstrating the mobile capabilities of their broadcasts. Unified communication is something that is becoming mainstream in any business, Microsoft has been pouring a great deal of effort in this area for a while now, just this week they made some new announcements with regard to their effort to develop platforms that tie together texting,instant messaging, email, voice mail and telephony. How long it will be before there is widespread consumer demand for mobile real estate content is anybody's guess. I think like all things tech, it will take a little longer than the pundits predict, but it's definitely coming and re professionals that ignore the potential significance do so at their own peril.

Re: Zolve Slashes Prices

Mike — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:53:28 -0000

This represents a major shift in the overall business model for Zolve. Overcoming the price objection was tough. Unfortunately I don't think it will be any easier to move to a mass adoption model. The only way to find out is to test the waters. The jury is still out on whether or not social media tools are important enough to r.e. professionals to subscribe to a pay-to-play model. In my opinion the site's success is going to require some more creative revenue streams and a strong consumer facing side.

Re: I Have a Dr3am

Mike — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:14:12 -0000

Yeah, the comment spammer was some tool griping about Zillow. He left footprints the size of Sasquatch.

Thankfully CSS has made life a bit easier, but it's only a band aid :)

Re: I Have a Dr3am

Mike — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:08:22 -0000

Kurtis with a K,
You opined..."This post is extremely biased." Huh?? Can you explain?

Re: CompUSA Closedown Coming in 2008

Mike — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:57:30 -0000

I think the writing has been on the wall for a long time now. I haven't had a chance to follow the issue. Will they keep an online presence?

Re: Geekin’ It Up With Everyone Else

Mike — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:29:54 -0000

Andrew,
Welcome aboard, we look forward to your contributions. I think your company has an outstanding product and since I've had the opportunity to get to know your biz dev guy, Robert Luna, I feel confident you're backing it up with good support and strong relationships. One of the issues we want to address as an ongoing topic at GEB is IDX (Internet Data Exchange), to that end we will be posting an interview with Robert about that in the near future.

(If you're an agent or broker with questions about IDX and it's implementation, leave them here as comments so we can address them in the post.)

Re: Basic IDX Questions, Answered

Mike — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:32:53 -0000

IDX,VOW,RSS,RETS......OMG! This is why technology must seem like water coming out of fire hose to most agents and brokers. Technology providers and the IT staff at MLS organizations really need to do what they can to simplify and demystify all of this. In the end it's really not complicated at all. We're just making that way.

It's commentary from tech vendors like this that I really admire. It's transparent and written with the intent of educating and informing.

Great job Andrew!

Re: Open Letter To Yahoo!, Google, Trulia, and Zillow, Encouraging Data Standards

Mike — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:11:11 -0000

“Adopting standards is the key for real estate agents, brokers, multiple listing services and service providers to take advantage of business-to-business opportunities on the Web,” he said. “If you wish to participate in Internet commerce, you must be XML-ready.”

That is a quote from 2000 Inman article (http://www.inman.com/inmannews.aspx?id=18123) by Doug Greenwood, one of the early architects of XML schemas for real estate data. I can remember working with Doug a year or two before that in an attempt to bring together enough participants to establish a listing standard. It seems so long ago. Matt Kelly might remember more than I do about it, he was there too. :)

I'm hopeful that the new efforts can finally show some progress toward an end that seems to be taking a painfully long time to reach. I'm not being a naysayer, I've just been away from the issue for a while. I am curious as to what the reasons are for the slow progress to this point and how they can be avoided going forward.

Re: Open Letter To Yahoo!, Google, Trulia, and Zillow, Encouraging Data Standards

Mike — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:38:17 -0000

Pete Flint of Trulia, David G of Zillow and Steve Shultz of Yahoo real estate have responded to the open letter over at Michael Wurzer's blog (FBS). http://www.flexmls.com/blog/?p=287

Glad to see the spirit of cooperation off to a good start.

MP

Re: REBarCamp San Francisco Announced

Mike — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:27:59 -0000

I am going to try to be there, I love SXSW. Can I crash on your couch? Just kiddin.

MP

Re: REBarCamp San Francisco Announced

Mike — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:37:20 -0000

:) No worries, theres always a couch in Austin somewhere for me!

Re: House Swapping?! Hmmm..

Mike — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:22:12 -0000

I wrote about an early entrant into this space last june. Domuswap.

http://www.mlpodcast.com/blog/labels/domuswap.html

Re: YouTube Outage Sheds Light On Global IP Security Issues

Mike — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:11:00 -0000

They already sell a fridge that will track when you get low on things like milk etc. and send you an email, eventually it will place direct grocery orders. I just need one that will do the same for beer :)

Re: YouTube Outage Sheds Light On Global IP Security Issues

Mike — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:19:51 -0000

http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/sDefi...

Re: Real Estate Photography Workshop- April 25

Mike — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:22:28 -0000

You might want to send a press release to the folks at IVRPA.org - There are a great deal of members from the Seattle area.

Re: Adobe Launches Photoshop Express

Mike — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:28:23 -0000

Flickr is great as far as sharing goes, but as you point out, it has no editing feature. My primary concern recently has been to find a very, very, simple way for agents to resize photos for use in web applications.

Re: Adobe Launches Photoshop Express

Mike — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:29:45 -0000

Just received my activation key and when I tried to activate it failed stating that It was already activated. Logging in failed. Not off to a good start. I had to create an entirely new account.

Re: Adobe Launches Photoshop Express

Mike — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:00:56 -0000

I saw that in a review I was reading a few minutes ago. I think before using the sharing feature people should wait for Adobe to come to their senses regarding their TOS. I will check out the features of Picnik and shrinkpictures.com. Thanks for the great input!

Re: Going “Viral” is a Real Estate Agents Dream Come True!

Mike — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:52:54 -0000

EB,
I love the Jim'ism. Thanks for the link love!
MP

Re: Facebook…….I get it….finally!

Mike — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:41:39 -0000

good insight MPK, thanks
MP

Re: Brad Andersohn from Active Rain Joins the Geeks

Mike — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:14:43 -0000

Welcome aboard Brad. ~MP

Re: iPhoneApalooza

Mike — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:38:17 -0000

I've also heard that a new version of iTunes will be released with an iPhone section for the download and purchase of applications. Should be a big day for the iPhone. It's always fun to wait for Jobs to say "One More Thing". It's like Forest Gump's box of chocolates, "You never know what you will get".

Re: An Adventure in Vimeo

Mike — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:07:03 -0000

Jeremy and Graeme,
Community tours are a tremendous way for a buyer's agent to create some Google Juice. We have clients that are creating and posting community content that have them coming up in coveted 1st page spots.

Aside from the obvious SEO benefit, web prospects are more likely to spend time on your site if you can demonstrate, in a unique way, your familiarity with the communities you farm. Just ping me if you want to see some more specific instances.

Cheers,
MP - MLBroadcast.Com

Re: iPhone 2.0 – It’s Official

Mike — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:36:21 -0000

I didn't know that. I would venture a guess that you will see additional colors real soon though.

Good to see you here James, I hear Zipvo.com will be a sponsor at Inman this year. We'll see you there!

Re: iPhone 2.0 – It’s Official

Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:19:56 -0000

It's my understanding the lock box works with the Infrared on the Palm. It's been quite a while now since the release of the 1st gen phone, so I would think they have some sort of a solution in the works. With the new price point I would guess that the pressure to come up with something will be pretty strong. I would be interested to hear what you find out from the folks at GE.

Re: Active Rain Launches “Outside Blogs”

Mike — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:49:40 -0000

Great overview Jay, you obviously took a great deal of time checking it out.
MP

Re: Hearing Real Estate Voices? New posting community for the Real Estate Industry

Mike — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:56:09 -0000

zipvo.com recently added this to their site as well.

Re: Cool Things I saw at Inman – But now I am Unemployed!

Mike — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:24:33 -0000

go get em Mpk

Re: Real Estate Tech Podcasts

Mike — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:49:44 -0000

Thanks for the mention. I have stepped up the podcasting effort a bit and will be having guests on a regular basis.

Cheers
MP

Re: Welcome Chad Huck, Interactive Marketing Manager for CENTURY 21 Hecht Realty

Mike — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:04:46 -0000

Welcome aboard Chad. ~MP

Re: iPhone 2.0 – It’s Official

Mike — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:48:44 -0000

If it's going to require a specialized hardware answer to make the iPhone compatible with the Supra, I doubt you will see anything in the near future. The potential sales probably wouldn't justify it. You never know, there may be a third party company that can use existing components and sees a big enough market.

Re: The First Google Phone To Hit Shelves Next Month

Mike — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:51:53 -0000

Im quite certain it will be expensive, early adopters often pay the price for new technology. There are options for smart phones out there that don't break the bank, just don't expect all the bells and whistles. If you're looking for a low priced alternative, check out the Palm Centro. $99. Are you aware that the iPhone dropped to $199 for the new 3G?

Re: A Shiny New Google Project: Chrome

Mike — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:55:51 -0000

Andrew,
Right you are, I actually wrote about that in another post a long time ago and must of had too much Google on the brain. I have not had a chance to try out Chrome yet because it's PC only right now. I'll get around to downloading on our Vista box eventually.

I've heard, that like in other instances, Google is re-evaluating the EULA. I was afraid that there would be some scary language in there, and now I hear that the browser is actually capturing and saving keystrokes. Not sure how true it is, but it warrants investigation. It's a brave new world.

Re: Google Chrome – Great news for Real Estate Agents

Mike — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:07:35 -0000

Matt, thanks for the kind words and referral. We appreciate it. It's funny, I have still yet to get the time to load up Chrome on our Vista box and look at it. I may just hold out for the OSX version at this rate. :)

Riverside,
I'm not sure that the whole Google world domination thing is something I am prepared to buy into, but you bring up a good point about Universal Search. Distribution platforms like ours are being created to allow people the ability to take full advantage of Universal Search. Syndicating content as many places as possible allows marketers such as our clients to place their content into that flow. I wouldn't call what Google does as scraping. It's merely indexing, but done at a much deeper level than it's been done before. Those that learn how to make sure they have content indexed via new media and documents have the ability to stay a step ahead. If someone has an opportunity to get Google Juice because they have content indexed in iTunes, does that mean they have done anything untoward to someone that hasn't? For that matter, does it make it Google's fault? I think not.

Google is nothing without content and they can not control its creation or location, so from that standpoint your theory is all wet. It's certainly thought provoking stuff but I relegate all of this kind of talk to the conspiracy theory bin. But like Dennis Miller used to say at the end of a rant, "That's just my opinion, I could be wrong"

Re: Social Media in Real Estate – Part 1: Twitter

Mike — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:41:30 -0000

Tony,
Twitter actually provides a number of ways to deliver value from a business perspective. Here's just one: each "tweet" you write is indexed in search engines like any other blog post. If you're tweeting information about something in your farm area, it has the potential to show up in an organic search. A prospect just might find and decide to "follow" you for more information. It may not be for you, but it's worth the time it would take to investigate it further.

Re: Your Listings Go To How Many Websites? Maximizing Your Online Advertising

Mike — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:32:29 -0000

Vincent,
Welcome to GEB. I wonder if you could share how you discuss this issue in a listing presentation to clients. Are your clients usually familiar with syndication standards, things like RSS or podcasting?

Re: Steve and Kris Berg Join the Broker Blogger Ranks

Mike — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:12:23 -0000

Kris & Steve,
Your big announcement came on a day where I was little preoccupied, so my congratulations are bit delayed. I'm happy for you and wish you the best in your new endeavors.
Cheers,
MP

Re: There Once was a Realtor from Nantucket…

Mike — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:43:12 -0000

Love this post. Well said Eric.

Re: AgentGenius.Com Makes Big Changes Today

Mike — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:36:32 -0000

Love the Alltop style "Sphered" feature. Very well done.

Re: Gary Vaynerchuk; web video marketing tips for Realtors

Mike — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:23:58 -0000

Tubemogul is great for distribution but it's only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to syndication and distribution of media content.

:)

MP

Re: Social Media in Real Estate – Part 2: Facebook

Mike — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:42:30 -0000

James,
You and Greg are doing an awesome job of spreading the word regarding social media. I'm very proud of you both. Keep up the good work.
MP

Re: Google Voice Recognition Search To Debut on iPhone Monday

Mike — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:19:04 -0000

Kent, I have no idea, I'm sure we will see when it shows up in the app store.
Drew,
Do you think it will understand if I ask it to Zestimate the value of my home? We'll see :)

Re: Google Voice Recognition Search To Debut on iPhone Monday

Mike — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:39:41 -0000

No idea on what it will be called, my last check, it wasnt in the app store yet.

Re: Google Voice Recognition Search To Debut on iPhone Monday

Mike — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:27:08 -0000

The voice search is extremely impressive. I used it while on the road yesterday to search my destination, it displayed the address and displayed a linked phone number, one click and I was connected. Sweet.

Re: Learning from the US RE.net in Central America

Mike — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:21:23 -0000

Claudia,
I'm really happy you're sharing some Int'l insight with the RE.Net. I'd love to hear more of what your counterparts in other markets across the world have to say as well. Your participation here will certainly help motivate them to do so. Looking forward to your next post!

Re: Geek Estate Hits 1,000…

Mike — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:57:03 -0000

Wow, that's a kick ass milestone and I'm proud to be a part of it.
MP

Re: iPhone 3.0 Announced At WWDC

Mike — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:16:52 -0000

:) I'm thinking you'll be waiting a while.

Re: Zillow Updates iPhone App For New 3.0 OS Update

Mike — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:56:38 -0000

You're absolutely right, I have returned to using Safari as my primary browser. It would seem while Apple works on improving the core performance and features that need to be addressed in a browser, the Mozilla folks are starting to miss the boat a bit with FireFox, the latest release of FF has been very disappointing, in fact there are sites I use that won't even render a page. I have a post in draft mode regarding HTML 5 and the improvements we can look forward to when all of the browsers support it and Apple is way out in front in that regard, on the desktop and support in the iPhone version of Safari.

Re: Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time?

Mike — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:28:18 -0000

There's no doubt that a well planned strategy for social media will have a positive impact on one's overall business but like so many things in real estate, Social Media is being pimped as something it's not and never will be and lately it's been getting deep out there. I've seen session topics at Real Estate conferences that say you can "Be Linked In For Dollars" etc. , etc., that make promises to create social media gurus that can enjoy more income immediately through a 45 minute conference track. That's why I recommend going to RE Barcamps that are not affiliated with anyone that has an agenda (a true "unconference") and ask the real "feet on the street" professionals the truth about what works and what doesn't. Want to know the unvarnished truth? Listen to someone like Kris Berg or Tim Moncrief talk about what and how much time they spend on the things that work.

Done correctly, a business professional can count social media as one of the more important arrows in an overall marketing,branding and identity quiver. Sadly, most real estate professionals do not plan marketing strategies that take into consideration long term prospects, branding and the ROI that can be put to the bottom line. Jay Thompson didn't start getting leads the day he wrote his first blog post. The dynamics of reaching prospects and developing sales relationships are changing but that doesn't mean that spending a dollar on the effort today is going to generate two dollars immediately afterward.

Blogging and Social Media are time consuming efforts and may not be right for everyone, that's what makes it so easy for people to sell a pig in a poke to unsuspecting people who think you can throw a miniscule investment at it and have it work on auto pilot.

Social media has been invaluable to me as I have been able to build a brand and get recognition that would have heretofore cost a fortune in marketing and PR. When it comes to me being able to say it has resulted in direct sales, not so much.

Re: Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time?

Mike — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:02:43 -0000

Spencer I speak to many of those same RE professionals that attribute a great deal of what goes to the bottom line on their social media and blogging initiatives - they ALL had to put an extraordinary amount of work,trial and error to fill that pipeline and start that flow. You're observation is dead on but I would hasten to say you've made an assumption that all agents even understand that B2B & B2C stand for business to business and business to consumer. I've been at this for a long time and I have to be constantly reminded by my partners to keep the vernacular - technical or otherwise - more fundamental.

Re: Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time?

Mike — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:44:05 -0000

"Are the rockstars of the re.net to blame for the way too many of use social media?"

Depends on who you refer to as an RE.net Rockstar. I know a few :), some are vendors, some are bleeding edge re professionals, most all of them are very insightful and honest business people who share what they believe to be the unvarnished truth of what works and what doesn't and realize that much of this is still uncharted territory. To say that social media is "overused" is probably a misnomer - abused, misused, unglued, yes. (sound like Vince the slap chop dude) If you're "overusing" these kind of tools, you have entirely too much time on your hands.

"Many of the social media darlings of the re.net are vendors (and I am a fan of many of you)."

There are many vendors in the RE.net that have devoted resources, cash and a great deal of transparent time in an effort to advance web 2.0 in the real estate vertical - the return on investment for this effort is abysmal at best. It's an awesome branding opportunity, but as far as direct marketing goes, it's not a business generator, at least that's been our experience. Granted, we have not made an attempt to sell directly in most of these venues. I've been doing some evaluation of the efforts of the past couple of years and I am implementing some changes to our social media strategy, including revamping our blogging efforts and cutting out some of the channels that overlap too much.

"Their consumers are Realtors not home buyers or home sellers. If we are going to play in the social media pool we need to remember who OUR consumers are and spend as much time as we can connecting to them."

As the uncharted territory I referred to early becomes more familiar, best practices will emerge.

Re: Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time?

Mike — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:15:59 -0000

Rebecca,
Sounds like you have a cohesive strategy. Here's where the rubber meets the road:
"every day, if you do it smartly"

Keep up the good work!

Re: Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time?

Mike — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:08:34 -0000

I referenced Kris Berg in an earlier comment, if you get a chance go read this post by her today in Inman News. "Our 20 percent investment in Internet-related advertising accounted for the biggest component of our production -- 36 percent of our business came from social media-related activities including our blog, our Web site",http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/krisberg/forging-real-estate-relationships-online?page=0%2C1