Hey You Facebook Fans

I know I have spoken about Social Networking in several of my posts. But I think I did not follow my own advice and I think I broke my own number 1 rule.  Promote, promote, promote.  To that end, did you know that RE/Advantage is also on Facebook.  Come on over and check us out.  We have been working hard to promote not only our tips and Internet Marketing information but we also spotlight client success stories now.  If you have a good story to tell on how you leveraged the Internet let us know and maybe we’ll Spotlight you.  We also tied our blog and Facebook pages together so the information is shared between the two.  This no only allows our blog articles to automatically post to our Facebook page but it also then in turn will Tweet the information. This ensures we get consistent information out to all our fans and followers.    Take a look at our first Spotlight on Ila Kasofsky.

Facebook Versus Google

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I recently read an interesting article by Alex Salkever and Sean Parker. I have added my commentary below their article.

When I read his article he discussed how Facebook could actually hurt Google. He and a tech entrepreneur by the name of Sean Parker believe, in short that businesses that connect people are worth more than businesses that collect data.  Facebook will effectively connect people whereas Google will not.

One of his supporting reasons about Facebook is that a search is increasingly a social act. When he and his wife and were searching for a new pediatrician, they did a Google search and a Facebook inquiry. Google brought up a bunch of links on sites of varying quality that purported to rank physicians. His Facebook query got him some excellent recommendations from people he knew. He was more comfortable with Facebook’s suggestions, because they came from people he knew. A Google search gave no guarantee of whether the information is current, nor of the motivations behind the strangers who provide it.

He believe for the first time, social media has made it convenient to tap the collective wisdom of your crowd, and people who know your crowd, to get recommendations for just about anything. Sure, you could blast friends with an email for advice in the past, but no one would dream of constantly bombarding lesser-known acquaintances for such information. By tapping into this new and powerful form of search, Facebook can also tear off a significant chunk of the value of the act of searching. Past wisdom was that people on Facebook weren’t receptive to ads. When he was looking for a pediatrician, he might’ve bitten on an ad for local practitioners. In searching both Google and Facebook, the latter became more relevant, so he spent less time conducting research on Google. He felt more comfortable that my own network would help me find the right information.

None of this means Google will completely suffer as Alex says.  He often disagrees with the answers he gets back from my social search. And the act of indexing the Internet is hugely valuable for providing a baseline of information. Google beats Facebook in many respects: Google (and other search engines) are insanely valuable for mapping and plotting directions among almost any locations.

And Google clearly gets the social web; Google Wave puts the company squarely into a form of social networking and, by extension, social search. Google is also quietly building up social tools to overlay on top of its search engine. Google has access to millions of desktops using its software toolbar: a potential Trojan horse for a broader social network play. So don’t write Google off.

Nevertheless, Parker’s presentation is compelling and seems to mirror key changes in how people are using and perceiving the Internet. If I go a day without using Google, it doesn’t bother me much. But I can’t go a day without Facebook: the social connections keep me tuned in.

With my eyeballs and my attention come opportunities to make money. Connection, not collection, is the value generator. I will keep using Google a lot to search for information — it’s a powerful and useful tool — but increasingly, it takes a backseat to social media and the wisdom of crowds.

I agree with the value of Social Networking applications such as Facebook as does the authors from the column above and it the importance to marketing. If I am looking for a real estate professional I have always been inclined to get the recommendations from friends versus a list on Google.

REALTOR® Triple Play – Mark the Date

RE/Advantage is pleased to announce that will have a booth at the Triple Play REALTOR® Convention & Trade Expo in Atlantic City, N.J.  The Convention runs from December 8th-10th and we will be at booth 627.  We will be showing off our latest products and website services for Brokers, Agents, MLS’s and Boards.  Stop by for a chance to win an Amercan Express Gift Cheque or a free website.

This years Keynote speaker is Ross Shafer.

Discover the keys to succeeding in a volatile and unpredictable economy with Ross Shafer’s “Are You Relevant?”
Wednesday, December 9, 12:15-1:45 pm

It’s not about customer service anymore – that’s transactional. Customer empathy is the real predictor of loyalty and repeat business. Shafer will show you how to keep your practices fresh with innovation and how to engage clients of all ages, including the youngest generation of homebuyers. You’ll learn how to become a trusted advisor, not just a vendor and how to recession-proof your business to assure your long-term career success. Ross Shafer, a six-time Emmy Award-winning comedian and writer who switched gears from comic to trainer, is now one of the nation’s most sought-after speakers on maintaining market prominence. He has written 14 human resource training films and authored Nobody Moved Your Cheese!, The Customer Shouts Back!, Customer Empathy and Are You Relevant?

The Triple Play REALTOR® Convention & Trade Expo, presented by the New Jersey Association of REALTORS®, New York State Association of REALTORS® and Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®, is the largest annual convention and trade show of its type in the U.S. – the premier event for the real estate industry in the tri-state area.

Text Messaging? $1300 please…

Text Messaging? $1300 please…

Today, cellular text messaging is more popular than it’s ever been. But what most people don’t realize is exactly how much they are paying for this convenience.

The maximum size of a text message is 160 characters. And the average cost to send a text message is 20 cents (unless you have an text messaging bundle option on your cellular plan). 160 characters equals 160 bytes. This means that text messaging equates to approximately $1300 per megabyte. Compare this to your $30 a month IPHONE data plan, or your $55 a month Blackberry data plan that each allow 5 GIGAbytes of data (5 gigabytes is 5,000 MEGAbytes). You can see why text messaging is a cash-cow for cellular companies.

But there are ways to control this cost. Almost all cellular carriers offer a text message bundle that you can add to your plan that gives you a select number of text messages (sent and received) per month for a flat price. This will lower your cost per text message considerably, provided you stay below your bundle limit. Some bundles also offer unlimited text messaging — just make sure that you actually NEED unlimited text messaging. Otherwise you are just wasting money. The word “unlimited” is often very enticing, and offers peace of mind. But if you only send and receive 100 text messages in a month, it is much more cost-effective to choose a 100-200 text message bundle rather than the unlimited bundle.

Another new option, if you have a Blackberry device with a data plan, is to use Google Voice. The Google Voice service (still in Beta) allows you, among other neat features, to send text messages to any other cellular phone by using your phone’s data plan, COMPLETELY BYPASSING your cellular text messaging service, and the outrageous 20 cent per message charge. You just need to have a Google Voice phone number (currently available by invite only), and the free Google Voice Blackberry Mobile app. You can read more about it, and request an invite here :

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-voice-mobile-app-for-blackberry.html

Should the cellular companies start worrying? Let’s hope so. Maybe they will start charging reasonable rates for text messaging.

Municipal WiFi – Coming to a city near you?

Municipal WiFi – Coming to a city near you?

More and more cities across the United States are deploying their own wireless networks to offer public safety personnel and public works employees remote access to their municipal data network. The added benefit is that there is often dual-band equipment installed that enables the town to set aside space for free wireless access to residents. Through the use of small access points mounted on top of light poles, traffic light arms, and other structures, cities have enabled their employees to save time and resources by remotely accessing the municipal network in real-time, instead of the employee having to travel back to his or her office to upload or work with their data. Some municipalities offer completely free wireless internet access to their residents and manage the infrastructure themselves. Others have opted to lease space on their wireless networks to ISPs, who will in turn charge a fee for access to the network.

Whether free or not, it is clear that the freedom of wireless internet access is in great demand, and the number of locations where public wireless internet access is available will continue to grow – maybe even to a city near you.

Home Sales Are UP!

The number of U.S. homebuyers who agreed to purchase a previously occupied home in April posted the largest monthly jump in nearly eight years, a sign that sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Tuesday its seasonally adjusted index of sales contracts signed in April surged 6.7 percent to 90.3, far exceeding analysts’ forecasts. It was the biggest monthly jump since October 2001, when pending sales rose 9.2 percent.

Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the index would edge up to 85 from a reading of 84.6 in March.

Typically there is a one- to two-month lag between a contract and a done deal, so the index is a barometer for future existing home sales.

I would think this big rally is due to the fact that President Barack Obama introduced the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. This was included in his economic stimulus bill signed back in February.

Since buyers need to finish their purchases by Nov. 30 to claim the credit one should expect more activity in the months ahead.

The national median sales price in April plunged more than 15 percent to $170,200, from $201,300 in the same month last year. That was the second largest yearly price drop on record, according to NAR.