tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239526822024-03-07T09:59:01.996-08:00Alchemy<b>Alchemy</b>
1 : a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to<br> [among other things] discover a means of indefinitely prolonging life
<b>2 : a <br>power or process of transforming something common into something <br>special</b>
3 : an inexplicable or mysterious transmutingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-68722113376952379132013-10-18T08:15:00.000-07:002013-10-18T08:24:56.745-07:00Self-made<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
I dusted off this very old thing because I can't long form post from Linkedin!<br />
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I was reading an article in Forbes on the RIM Cofounders' potential bid to buy back the company. Names are hyperlinked for profile information. The profiles on Forbes contain net worth and source of wealth. For Mike, it <span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">stated: "<span style="color: #3c3c3c;">Source of Wealth: </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #3c3c3c; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Research in Motion, self-made." </span></span>It made me reflect on the term self-made because I've heard numerous people referred to lately as 'self-made'. In my experience, there is no such thing.</div>
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I believe the words of one of my former employers who had read something to the effect, "success happens when preparedness meets opportunity." Becoming prepared in that sense certainly takes a lot of hard work. I also believe that opportunities can be manufactured through smarts and learning from the best. But more than anything, I believe the events that shape our lives and the people we meet that influence us, have a lot to do with luck, chance and good fortune. A myriad of people have taught me, inspired me, and have afforded me opportunities that have lead me to where I am. Today and each and every day, there are a ton of people with whom my ongoing success depends on and thus we are truly interdependent. So I don't believe that anyone is self-made and I really think the term is almost an affront.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-5471773798736713372010-02-26T11:25:00.000-08:002010-02-26T12:45:30.628-08:00It's About AuthenticitySport Illustrated writer Luke Winn just wrote one of my favorite articles of the Winter Olympics titled "<a href="http://winterolympics.si.com/2010/02/26/aint-no-party-like-a-gold-medal-party/?eref=sihp&hpt=T2">Ain't not party like a gold medal party</a>" about the celebration of the Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Team. In light of the controversy created by what Winn called the "<a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/behavior.hko.ap/index.html?eref=sihp">latest moronic piece of news</a>," he writes an article about the "most authentically cool celebration [he's] seen at the games".<div><br /></div><div>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IOC</span> falls into a bucket of people that do not understand the forces behind the progressive maturation of our culture. Social technologies have made us all more transparent and honest in the way we communicate and act. We see more and more <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/24/social-media-trust/">salutes</a> to people in positions of power who lighten up and communicate openly and honestly rather than behind the veil of scripted, well rehearsed, politically correct rhetoric (as with Arnold's video tweet).</div><div><br /></div><div>This isn't surprising to those of us that actively follow trends and research in today's communications. We try and help businesses understand research showing us:</div><div><ul><li>75% of people don't believe that companies tell the truth in advertisements (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Yankelovich</span>)</li></ul><ul><li>Consumers trust friends above experts when it comes to product recommendations (65% trust friends, 27% trust experts, 8% trust celebrities). (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yankelovich</span>)</li></ul><ul><li>90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know (EConsultancy);</li></ul></div><div><div><div>These trends are telling people that there is low trust in traditional communications, the way we've scripted and shaped and delivered messaging. This is not just related to advertising, but to media and communications in general. People report their own news on blogs now and turn to each other for product and service recommendations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maggie Hendricks from Yahoo reported on Jon Montgomery's "<a href="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Gold-medalist-needlessly-apologizes-for-celebrat?urn=oly,221011">needless apology</a>", telling Jon and the rest of us that we don't always have to listen to our PR people. Luckily, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWgZkUcC9hM">Jon showed us</a> all including the Olympic women's team that people want to see us be ourselves because we relate. Until I saw the girls celebrate, Jon's victory walk was my favorite moment of the games.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>For those out there that remind us that this issue is about under age drinking and smoking bylaws, I'll submit that last week's story about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/18/new.york.doodle.arrest/index.html?iref=allsearch">Alexa Gonzalez</a> showed us that 'zero tolerance means zero intelligence'. As Winn reminds us of how much we appreciate authenticity, perhaps the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IOC</span> can show us that they recognize the spirit of our athletes and the work they have put into their victory.</div><div><br /></div><div>But as a more general theme about our changing communication, we feel that people want truth not spin. We want positive, not negative. We want to celebrate achievement rather then harp on disappointment. We want understanding, not judgement. And most of all, we want authenticity. Way to go girls - luv ya!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-42017177874781145522010-02-24T13:34:00.000-08:002010-02-24T14:22:32.565-08:00How can you build trust and why is it importantThe following is a good bit of content that Michael Charles wrote for our 'about' page on <a href="http://mashedin.com/">Mashedin.com</a>. I'm publishing it here because I think it does a good job of explaining why trust is important. For more on this topic, see this <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/02/24/social-media-trust/">post</a> by Greg Ferenstein.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 17px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(124, 63, 22); text-transform: lowercase; ">so, what exactly is this mashedin thing all about?</h1><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">It's about creating a <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">sense of trust</strong> among people who've never met.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">In the offline world, when we're introduced to someone, we quickly discover mutual connections that allow us to make judgments about the trustworthiness of the new acquaintance. <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">So you used to work at WidgetCorp? Do you know Jane Schlumpford?</em></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">We've created a way to replicate that experience online. Whether you're displaying the MashedIn widget on your website or blog, or just linking to your MashedIn profile on outgoing emails, now you can show strangers how they're connected to you through the social networks you already use. <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">Maybe they're not strangers after all.</strong></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(124, 63, 22); text-transform: lowercase; ">how will this help me build my online reputation?</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">MashedIn really becomes potent when you add the ability for visitors to leave <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">recommendations that can be viewed by other visitors.</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">People no longer trust testimonials published by website owners rather than by fellow users. Why should we believe that "Bob from Arizona" is a real person? Wouldn't you rather be endorsed by someone whose authenticity can be confirmed by checking their Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn profile?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">MashedIn makes it easy to gather recommendations from your existing customers and contacts - simply by sending them a link to your widget and asking for their kind words. Your MashedIn widget can be placed on multiple sites so recommendations can be gathered wherever you have a presence. All of your recommendations will be displayed everywhere your widget appears.</p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(124, 63, 22); text-transform: lowercase; ">is this really the best way to build trust online?</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">We've got some evidence to back us up:</p><ul class="quotes" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 24px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 24px; "><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"90% of consumers online trust <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">recommendations from people they know</strong>; 70% trust opinions of unknown users." <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(Econsultancy, July 2009)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"<strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">Recommendations from family and friends</strong> trump all other consumer touchpoints when it comes to influencing purchases, according to ZenithOptimedia." <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(AdAge, April 2008)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"Consumers <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">trust friends above experts</strong> when it comes to product recommendations (65% trust friends, 27% trust experts, 8% trust celebrities)." <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(Yankelovich)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"67% of shoppers <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">spend more online</strong> after recommendations from online community of friends."<em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(Internet Retailer, September 2009)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"<strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">Customer reviews</strong> are the most effective social tactic for driving sales, followed by question-and-answer features and a Facebook fan page where companies post information." <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(Etailing survey of 117 companies, September 2009)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"Some 70% of Americans say they <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">consult product reviews or consumer ratings</strong> before making a purchase, according to an October 2008 survey by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, a research and consulting firm." <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(Business Week, October 2009)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"The Trust in Advertising survey of 26,000+ found that Consumer Recommendations are <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">the most credible form of advertising.</strong>" <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">("Social Media Marketing: The Right Strategy for Tough Economic Times", Awareness, 2008)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"56% of UK website owners say that <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">user-generated content lifts conversion levels</strong>; 77% say it increases traffic; and 42% say it increases the average spend on site. <em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(eConsultancy survey of 360 website owners across all sectors, November 2008)</em></li><li style="margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; ">"84% of marketers agree that <strong style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; ">building customer</strong> trust will become marketing's primary objective."<em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; ">(1to1 Media survey of the 1to1 Xchange panel, April 2008)</em></li></ul></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-80907285493848805962010-02-01T08:13:00.000-08:002010-02-01T08:21:48.907-08:00What are the odds we're connected?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULHEmyzbTPkWsFRuDrxslszTKjRejv_vtNmExFRLPNUexHuoulT2Q_XCR0hqJqPjGK7voNknBN8yCnaJdW16TDqX4xUIWlfhY0j9RQGJBq2kpR454UNs0q_aZlwHXXJ8iG6FX/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 362px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULHEmyzbTPkWsFRuDrxslszTKjRejv_vtNmExFRLPNUexHuoulT2Q_XCR0hqJqPjGK7voNknBN8yCnaJdW16TDqX4xUIWlfhY0j9RQGJBq2kpR454UNs0q_aZlwHXXJ8iG6FX/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433310347811354354" /></a><br /><div> I've had a lot of people trying out MashedIn after our official release last Thursday. Most of them fill have a ton of common connections because I know them so the shared connections box fills up. But one assumption we are going on right now is that if a local small business, a business professional or a local contractor finds one or 2 common connections with a new visitor to their website or profile, it's a huge success. Is that a good assumption? How many connections is it necessary to show?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-13680853706714147202010-01-21T14:18:00.000-08:002010-01-25T14:41:00.844-08:00A New Way to See Common ConnectionsAny of our current <a href="http://mashedin.com/">MashedIn</a> beta users will notice that we have now included Linkedin as a widget option. This means that widget owners will be able to add Facebook, Twitter and now Linkedin to let visitors to see common connections. If you are already using a widget, the linkedin option will now be visible to your visitors. Give it a whirl and let us know of any bugs you see happening.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-66641114250719189402009-12-22T12:33:00.000-08:002009-12-22T14:14:24.837-08:00One Great Way 'Friending' More People Can Help Your BusinessToday more and more businesses are listening to the popular advice that they must use social media to market their business. Over 700,000 small and medium businesses have created fan pages. While following the trend to jump on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and join the blogging world, many business owners struggle to see concrete results that these activities bring.<br /><br />Many small business owners are consumed with running their business operations and so time spent on other activities is precious. To actively build community online and engage social media, the appropriate time must be put in. As a small business owner, have you ever felt that it's a bother to reach out and connect to everyone you know on this social network and that social network? If you are a business owner who has yet to really dive into social networking because the returns are unclear, here's a reason to do so now.<br /><br />It's common sales knowledge that if you have a mutual acquaintance or contact, that connection increases that chance you'll be able to generate a transaction. Traditionally, it's been hard to explore common interests or connections with traffic or leads that you source online. Well follow along: The average Facebook user has 130 connections according to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics">Facebook statistics</a>. Imagine that you're a go getter however and you go out there and hook up 200 people on your account (this isn't unrealistic at all). That creates a 26,000 possibles ways that you could share a connection with someone you don't know.<br /><br />Now imagine that you also join LinkedIn. The average Linkedin user is estimated to have about 61 connections. Say you go out there and hook up with an above average 100 business professionals. <a href="http://altitudebranding.com/2009/02/the-social-media-starter-kit-linkedin/">Some</a> experts find that there is about a 30% overlap in Linkedin and Facebook connections. Let's take 30% off both numbers so that you have 42.7 connections for the average user that do not overlap with Facebook; and we'll assume you connect with 70 people that do not overlap with your Facebook conections. You have 2989 possible chances of being connected to another Linkedin user.<br /><br />Combine Facebook and Linkedin and you have 28,989 ways you could be connected to someone that's on linkedin and Facebook. I don't have Twitter stats handy so let's use the number we have for our purposes here but you can imagine how Twitter starts to add to this.<br /><br /><a href="http://mashedin.com/">MashedIn.com</a> has created a simple tool that you can mount on your website, blog or link to in email communications. It allows visitors to your website or people reading your email to see if they are connected to you in Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. On average, we see there could be 28,989 ways that someone could be connected to you. The chances that someone is connected to you increases as you add Facebook friends, Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections. What you have is like a warm introduction to someone who is otherwise anonymous or rather, they have a warm introduction to you.<br /><br />The Web2.0 movement brought transparency to the web. People who used to just read content now contribute content. Consumers of media have become publishers of media and as more people publish their experiences - conversations, organizations, businesses are all more transparent. Social connections provide context. The more transparency, context and information people have, the more trust we can build with them. <a href="http://mashedin.com/">MashedIn</a> is one small tool that can help you build a little piece of trust with people that do not yet know you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-86377012957205557672009-12-08T12:22:00.000-08:002009-12-15T09:25:28.991-08:00MashedIn: The Super Nutshell VersionHave you ever been to a party or business 'networking' function and been standing around not knowing how to connect with anyone. You sit and say to yourself "how much longer do I have to be here?". Then, someone start a short conversation with you. It's a little strained but you both are trying to make an effort. Then, all the sudden, that someone mentions the name of a person you know and you think "holy crap, you know so and so, and OMG I can talk about so and so..." and then you have a totally engaging conversation. You've connected because you share a common connection. Well that's what <a href="http://jtomlin.blogspot.com/">MashedIn</a> does.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjIfA_JyxUWCf2C3zA0aNpbz3iEslOnrDmL1T7k-qyrHekBoa30s7wKB3cocgnpUBb0AfDb2Mlq4NCliVNMac1zlOuRMDIDbUiahIosJSGXL8TvoxT78Drt4NwLOXXhq3RbsL/s1600-h/Picture+17.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjIfA_JyxUWCf2C3zA0aNpbz3iEslOnrDmL1T7k-qyrHekBoa30s7wKB3cocgnpUBb0AfDb2Mlq4NCliVNMac1zlOuRMDIDbUiahIosJSGXL8TvoxT78Drt4NwLOXXhq3RbsL/s400/Picture+17.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412965064094988866" border="0" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-52000801917424184722009-02-06T08:53:00.000-08:002009-02-06T09:33:52.901-08:00StepRep Update: Reputation Management One Account at a TimeThis morning I published a post called <a href="http://steprepblog.com/2009/02/06/strengthen-your-online-search-reputation/">Strengthen Your Online Search Reputation</a> on the StepRep blog. This post is a continuation of the previous 2 posts on linking. Your linking can greatly affect your search profile - the results that someone sees when they search for you or your company. Hopefully these 3 posts are helpful for people that are looking for a high level plan to start improving their online reputation.<br /><br />Yesterday the VendAsta team attended the CSSS career fair at the University of Saskatchewan Computer Science Department. It was great to get out and talk to students that will be coming out of the program. We've already received applications for summer students and from graduating students. Hopefully we find some good matches.<br /><br />By way of an update on our 2 initiatives:<br /><br />Today, the HomeBook team wrapped up a sprint and started in on the planning of our last 30 day sprint before our public beta launch of HomeBook. We're super pumped to get it out to the world for a first look!<br /><br />The StepRep team is winding down their StepRep improvement sprint. We're doing a few things in this milestone. We have some improvements and general styling to finish and we're also doing some architecture work for functionality that will be released in the next sprint (30 day milestone). We'll be wrapping this one up next week.<br /><br />StepRep will officially be 1 month old on Sunday. Today, I'm gathering up a lot of feedback that we've generated from our first group of users and I'll post a bunch of them on the StepRep blog at the beginning of the week. I'll do this just to let everyone know that we are listening, we appreciate the feedback and we are acting on the feedback.<br /><br />Lastly, I wanted to say a big thanks to <a href="http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/5-ways-to-monitor-your-online-reputation">Joel Burslem</a> and <a href="http://www.inman.com/opinion/guest-perspective/2009/02/5/5-ways-monitor-your-online-reputation">Inman News</a> for mentioning StepRep. Also wanted to thanks Missy Caulk, our favorite <a href="http://www.annarborrealestatetalk.com/">Ann Arbor Real Estate </a>blogger (there's a little link love for you Missy!), for her <a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/917654/StepRep-Monitor-Your-Oline-Reputation">post</a> about us on ActiveRain. Of course, I was notified of these posts right away by StepRep! Whether a comment is good or bad, you have to be responsive. Luckily, we're seeing a lot of positive feedback...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-63183779979056395312009-02-03T08:17:00.000-08:002009-02-03T08:47:27.109-08:00Fusing the Age of Social Media with Marketing PrinciplesI bookmarked a good article on how to <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/digital-alchemy-gold-from-fusion-digital-marketing-elements-talavera.asp?adref=znnpbsc4129">evolve marketing</a> by fusing web 2.0 with sound marketing principles. Besides the very obvious plug for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SilverPop</span>, the article is has some good suggestions. Some of the better ones I have some comments on:<br /><br />1. Speak from a place of service - Rather than blatant self promotion. Sounds obvious, but too many people don't get it. If you are using your blog or twitter account to spam thousands of people while trying to build awareness, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Especially on twitter, the best way to build your followers is to publish frequent, valuable content. People find you through feeds and if your tweets have value, you'll get followed. Further, using <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">twitter's</span> content search, people will find you through relevant information you publish on topics they are interested in. You can't splatter your name or your brand all over social media without adding value.<br /><br />2. Cross-link all of your profiles and social groups. Common sense and I discussed it in my last two blog posts on <a href="http://steprepblog.com/2009/01/30/the-link-between-links-and-orm/">linking</a> and <a href="http://steprepblog.com/2009/02/02/building-a-search-profile-with-linking/">building a search profile</a> on our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">StepRep</span> blog. Don't forget to list these profiles, blogs and don't forget about your email footers and other marketing materials.<br /><br />3. While I noted the obvious plug for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SilverPop</span>, I don't think this is a bad product. A more important point here is to clarify what viral should mean. Viral marketing is not trying to produce a video that is soo crazy millions of people are going to share it. A viral product is one that naturally spreads when it is used. Rather, the use of the product spreads it. While SP makes it easier for email messages to spread, an overall focus should be on trying to create something that is spread through it's practical use.<br /><br />4. Lastly, the point on exclusivity is a good one. If you have several profiles that you are actively trying to promote and build, you have to make the content on them somewhat unique. Sounds simple but it multiplies the workload.<br /><br />(Oh, and I had to comment - I liked the title of the article ;-) Catchy)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-59952124640436275432009-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:002009-01-30T13:11:27.369-08:00Are Old School Linking Strategies Still Relevant?The short answer is yes. Typically, websites have used linking to build page rank and compete for search terms. Over the past number of years, those search terms (across the board) have become more and more competitive. Linking to build site traffic is harder and harder. But one area of linking that is very effective and relatively easy is the area of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ORM</span> or reputation management. <br /><br />Not a lot of people take <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ORM</span> seriously and thus competing in search for your name is easier, in general, than competing for broad search terms. Obviously <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ORM</span> for search is harder, the more common your name is, but using links properly can catapult rankings for even very common names. <br /><br />I wrote a basic background on linking over the our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">StepRep</span> <a href="http://steprepblog.com/2009/01/30/the-link-between-links-and-orm/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ORM</span></a> blog this afternoon. Next week, I'll be supplying some concrete strategies for building a personal search profile.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-21134648276262957522009-01-21T18:29:00.000-08:002009-01-22T06:49:24.065-08:00Traditional Models and New Media<div>I was reading Seth Godin's latest post called <a href="http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b31569e2010536d37172970c">That's a Special Case</a> and it got me thinking about traditional businesses and online models. He says that everything is online because there is a different experience, different expectations and different rules. </div><div> </div><br /><div>I don't think there is such a clear line in the sand. Traditional businesses are being affected by online models because user expectations are changing. The problem is that the 'online user' defines almost everyone. Search created a greater expectation and desire for instant gratification (instant results). I think that social media played a big part in the US election. I think you can say that social media is creating a larger desire to participate and be heard. Social media is creating a greater expectation around openness,transparency and truth.</div><div> </div><br /><div>The mobile world is creating a more connected individuals. People are now always connected to their online tools. </div><div> </div><br /><div>The game is changing now for <em>all</em> businesses because the mobile Internet and social media are changing they way people do things and what they expect. It's no longer a matter of companies 'needing' to get online or have a website because other businesses do. They need to recognize how technology is changing expectations and behavior.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-80007778192721995682009-01-21T13:20:00.000-08:002009-01-21T13:35:03.102-08:00Advertising and Promotion in 2009 and BeyondI tossed up a <a href="http://steprepblog.com/2009/01/21/what-kind-of-advertising-do-you-trust/">post</a> on our StepRep blog about Belkin paying people to write positive reviews. I really hate the practice - it's just generally bad form, but it had me thinking how it's really different from other forms of advertising. How do you think advertising is going to change in the future. Love to hear some thoughts from others. Join the conversation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-43018580625636670312009-01-02T08:44:00.000-08:002009-01-02T12:09:57.485-08:00Yahoo Real Estate Getting it Right... But Could Be BetterA couple weeks ago, <a href="http://realestate.yahoo.com/">Yahoo! Real Estate</a> launched and new and improved real estate section. I've spent a lot of my time in the past few years thinking about real estate search so I'm going to fire away some of my likes and dislikes.<br /><br />1. First, it has a nice homey look and feel on the front landing page. This is the way a real estate site should look:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYRI7V86npP5lC8LtvkvH44_e_xEep_1bQXd47Nklho620razdEXqhGSJuFCyNMs0rkl8CJdtQnYVkW2wQsElxs5y2Vaip6K8VMnBhuVFOzBMHR6o7gMSegr93SniQbLYi_Px/s1600-h/YRE+HomePage.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYRI7V86npP5lC8LtvkvH44_e_xEep_1bQXd47Nklho620razdEXqhGSJuFCyNMs0rkl8CJdtQnYVkW2wQsElxs5y2Vaip6K8VMnBhuVFOzBMHR6o7gMSegr93SniQbLYi_Px/s400/YRE+HomePage.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286746699487944098" border="0" /></a><br />2. The slider bars for narrowing search criteria are really the best way I've seen for effectively <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">narrrowing</span> search criteria (<a href="http://www.roost.com/">Roost</a> does a nice job using these too).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMG3YNLMRPhqqzH3CP2eJFf17bmiB-a08t4kMCv4ZrYGWlfWFvlsD5YVBzuKS02NTfYjrjH3qPofP9cIWTVz_Am3M6jkpA6FK6CsrqREiCDL-Lb_FODQ0ASpT0Mr3eU10_17h/s1600-h/Picture+3.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMG3YNLMRPhqqzH3CP2eJFf17bmiB-a08t4kMCv4ZrYGWlfWFvlsD5YVBzuKS02NTfYjrjH3qPofP9cIWTVz_Am3M6jkpA6FK6CsrqREiCDL-Lb_FODQ0ASpT0Mr3eU10_17h/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286747069939145698" border="0" /></a><br />3. The Map Search on the other hand is in sufficient IMHO. My best experience with a map is when I can select an area either with cross hairs ( or draw a polygon !) and then use advanced search options like the sliders to refine the home price and size criteria for that area. To be perfectly honest, the vast majority of map implementations just make my life more frustrating. They are too <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">clucky</span> and slow.<br /><br />4. When I search down into an area, such as Denver, when I click on the top menu to find foreclosures, or REALTORS®, I'm taken back to a landing page for that section, rather than foreclosures and REALTORS® in Denver. You have to maintain the user's context.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6S7OWi3pC68QFyIxatuZjIiPmX5fpZDNF7fqfqJUkeXh8wY9xma7Oc5R4I_79MEJzVeM6QoPYaLdbdaLwYqPHaAYiH2dJbtH98J_msH3DFd8zlohg2EFhVuLqxh1vqkUz7bG/s1600-h/Picture+14.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6S7OWi3pC68QFyIxatuZjIiPmX5fpZDNF7fqfqJUkeXh8wY9xma7Oc5R4I_79MEJzVeM6QoPYaLdbdaLwYqPHaAYiH2dJbtH98J_msH3DFd8zlohg2EFhVuLqxh1vqkUz7bG/s400/Picture+14.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286743367434269218" border="0" /></a><br />5. I love the image overlay telling you how many photos a listing has. The most important content for people searching real estate is photo and video content. So part b) to this point is that I don't think Yahoo! should be displaying listings without photos. They are useless to home hunters. Moreover, a listing with no photos certainly should NOT be a featured listing. It's the Prudential agent's fault here, but it makes Yahoo! look bad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8cEkB8k4V-WQryituVjexnx385v7Ave1rhyxFQPVrHP6ePz7vJSH5yaqvcvOkH6mvCpzLwXvKRWZNcoN2-7wcPSjmx7KeGWIGbqmdyNd2-smNyyBG85wKzrid5OGGIlC_pFj/s1600-h/Picture+9.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8cEkB8k4V-WQryituVjexnx385v7Ave1rhyxFQPVrHP6ePz7vJSH5yaqvcvOkH6mvCpzLwXvKRWZNcoN2-7wcPSjmx7KeGWIGbqmdyNd2-smNyyBG85wKzrid5OGGIlC_pFj/s400/Picture+9.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286748792700777250" border="0" /></a><br />6. This could start a huge never ending debate, but if Yahoo wanted to fully support it's content, it's search engine should return results from Yahoo first. Why wouldn't they? I don't mean to get into the whole natural, organic, unfiltered, and egalitarian virtues of search results. Yahoo! search should return content on their portal first if available.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngc8KjfRsRd90VgCtcCp6aMZ4Ub2QyNbIai3ad0gy34MOaHKPmvYjuLv-lX7ZOehvjIrd-CL8nfwXybDciMvtW2nlgjvHktXu_iBVjZvZAQb-jb7WMTZPYZkImFntLsCYitED/s1600-h/Picture+8.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngc8KjfRsRd90VgCtcCp6aMZ4Ub2QyNbIai3ad0gy34MOaHKPmvYjuLv-lX7ZOehvjIrd-CL8nfwXybDciMvtW2nlgjvHktXu_iBVjZvZAQb-jb7WMTZPYZkImFntLsCYitED/s400/Picture+8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286767044028210018" border="0" /></a><br />7. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">YRE</span> should filter out duplicate listings better. This one in particular doesn't even come from different sources. They both link back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">metrolist</span>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnyzklnhhgF2mR5Vv8ZsZZRp4cMUacpQVHpSkLmdm4J3XTQBpqGGAf28wkxnzwvWSMeUn8IcgMXE9nWa5ua89YtiXMtUFZyoKy1suXoN75zw-2xBDHAPa4m47pr-rpwq5omDo/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnyzklnhhgF2mR5Vv8ZsZZRp4cMUacpQVHpSkLmdm4J3XTQBpqGGAf28wkxnzwvWSMeUn8IcgMXE9nWa5ua89YtiXMtUFZyoKy1suXoN75zw-2xBDHAPa4m47pr-rpwq5omDo/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286771121714777458" border="0" /></a><br />8. Spare me the click through! As a user, I can't figure out if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">YRE</span> is part of a search engine or a portal. It integrates a lot of information in one place like a portal would but then sends me off to the broker portals for more info. In the complicated real estate business, this seems like a reasonable compromise to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">YRE</span> and real estate brokers, but as a user, it frustrates the hell out of me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6DK4xVcScnCq2XZZZIW7Kc0gc5_iaAx1JEQV3odEzprBPhG96yVMRT7zdVk2RcFQ41iQUD_NlIg302rYdklPvh5Q0CigECkNh4kBwyGl4hid60eEyezEt_rswaxNEURUs7Q-/s1600-h/Picture+11.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6DK4xVcScnCq2XZZZIW7Kc0gc5_iaAx1JEQV3odEzprBPhG96yVMRT7zdVk2RcFQ41iQUD_NlIg302rYdklPvh5Q0CigECkNh4kBwyGl4hid60eEyezEt_rswaxNEURUs7Q-/s400/Picture+11.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286773619766165394" border="0" /></a> So if the appropriate phone number and email address show up, why is it necessary to send me on a mad user experience nightmare to view listings and see all the info for each listing on hundreds of different sites? Furthermore, if the agents or brokers <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">recieve</span> the phone calls and emails and also get analytics to show their clients, it seems like it shouldn't matter where the view is ...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCPADkLSvqvaljlPf-SLj3CTUlUSLCC3Pw9i7Xz9zjJ-tub_Rk0ZPa_0jzvy9wQHbzJ929cbkt3IeGHRiTV4Nb93vH1aa3prcsXmCLlzXVLukr0g3BnhxhQzzfbypAgzD4OHR/s1600-h/Picture+17.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCPADkLSvqvaljlPf-SLj3CTUlUSLCC3Pw9i7Xz9zjJ-tub_Rk0ZPa_0jzvy9wQHbzJ929cbkt3IeGHRiTV4Nb93vH1aa3prcsXmCLlzXVLukr0g3BnhxhQzzfbypAgzD4OHR/s400/Picture+17.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286784134864530866" border="0" /></a>You see the problem it creates for the user in the image above. If you have any doubts whether you can create a comprehensive portal with all the listing information available, one only needs to look to Realtor.ca.<br /><br />... So just a quick look from my perspective. Some things can be fixed easily here, others are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">symptomatic</span> of larger issues.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-81455116389014261382008-12-22T08:48:00.000-08:002008-12-22T09:05:05.615-08:00Some Small Business Looking to Increase Ad Spending in 09<a href="http://www.newbusinesshunter.net/archives/485">Ad-ology</a> has released results from a Small Business Marketing Outlook survey it conducted. Perhaps surprising to some, it found that in 2009, a quarter of small business owners plan to spend more on advertising while another 60% plan to spend about the same as they did this year.<br /><br />When broken down by media type, over half of small business advertisers plan to spend the same or more on the following:<br /><ul><li>Online advertising (69%)</li><li>Yellow Pages (54%)</li><li>Newspapers (51%)</li><li>Direct mail (51%)</li></ul>Other key findings include:<br /><br />• “Knows my company/line of business” is the top attribute small business owners look for in a media advertising sales rep. “Delivers what they promise” is the second most desirable attribute.<br />• 52% of small business owners surveyed agree with the statement “you can gain market share by marketing while your competitors are cutting back.”<br />• 74% believe their company “must be one of the first 2-3 that come to a customer’s mind” when they need what the small business owner is selling.<br />• More than half of respondents plan to spend the same or more time and money on their Web sites and email marketing in 2009.<br />• The majority of small businesses are not using other emerging media: 77% do not use online video, 83% do not podcast, and 82% do not use mobile advertising.<br /><br />While many small businesses appear to be budgeting more for online advertising in, some <a href="http://www.clickfornick.com/2008/10/google-ad-spending-lower-adsense-earnings-decrease.html">Adsense users</a> are reporting decreases in revenue in late 08. I'm curious to if the trend in 2009 will be to seek more innovative online promotion methods.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-38262075707046709792008-12-11T06:46:00.000-08:002008-12-11T07:28:04.193-08:00Why people don't trust your blogI'm always returning to a state of trying to figure out how to reinvent my blog. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Why's</span> that? Well I think the biggest problem is that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">I'm</span> a lazy blogger. After a lull in the action, I let weeks, even months go by with no posts and I start thinking how I can get into the groove of blogging more.<br /><br />Here are some of my thoughts from this morning: I just read a really good article on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WebProNews</span> titled <a href="http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/12/10/people-dont-trust-your-blog">People Don't Trust Your Blog</a>. First off, it has a nice graph on the types of information sources and the level that people trust them. Emails from friends are at the top while corporate blogs are at the bottom. It's wicked information for anyone in marketing. Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MacManus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">dissects</span> the report a bit, but here is where it takes my thinking:<br /><br />- This is no wonder when I see an ads telling me that Ford is now the same quality as Honda and Toyota. You can't keep promoting on a blog or you are just trying to sell me. Consider a conversation with a friend who just got into the insurance industry and he/she keeps hounding you to sit down and look at insurance packages... that's an annoying friend.<br /><br />- Have you ever had a know it all friend. A friend that just spews out useless facts about stuff you don't care about? Come on, we all have. They are annoying too. I think a good blog has to have useful information that I can rely on. From the real estate space, <a href="http://www.teamfisher.com/blogs/norm_fisher/default.aspx">Norm</a> write a great blog. I don't read it regularly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">because</span> I'm not always thinking about real estate. But whenever I want information or stats, I always start with Norm. It helps me that the blog is always focused and on topic<br /><br />- Ever had a friend that isn't genuine? You grow tired of them don't you? A blogger needs to care. Respond to comments and be real. When people voice a concern, listen to them. Nothing worse than someone that doesn't really care.<br /><br />- Ever had a good friend that doesn't keep in touch. They don't work hard enough or at all on your friendship. This goes hand in hand with the point above. A good blogger needs to post regularly and cross post. They need to stay in touch one way or another. (I need to embrace the micro post).<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Ok</span>, I need counseling now. But that was cathartic. I go through this like people trying to quit smoking or lose a few pounds. I'm like a yo-yo. <br /><br />I have to say how surprised I was to see corporate blogs at the bottom of the pile. The whole idea that made corporate blogging more popular was for companies to be more transparent and engage the customers in a genuine fashion. So the thought today - can you be more like a friend and less like a company with your business blog?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-27947528491518088132008-11-23T17:24:00.000-08:002008-11-24T19:49:58.070-08:00More on the Death of Search RankingThere was a lot of talk at the recent Pubcon about changes in search. Bruce Clay did an interview describing why <a href="http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/11/17/seo-about-to-get-turned-on-its-ear">ranking is dead</a>. While it's arguable whether or not you can say ranking is dead, search engine changes have changed the search marketing game. Recent changes in personalization will have a dramatic affect.<br /><br />You can see some of the search personalization changes in Google's search results now allowing users to delete results they see and promote ones they like. An example below:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovVpfRuJFY5fcIPfd-k-r1ZROs9hOOdbkphAvtJFUbb7z8TxZl-jpRsE5rAElb_ZJJaeiPXlTw9ToGjtx-oWTXYt5k1PZVD3ENuHelun_7R-O4rimjX0252vyVIELzEdwqyMG/s1600-h/Picture+5.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 555px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovVpfRuJFY5fcIPfd-k-r1ZROs9hOOdbkphAvtJFUbb7z8TxZl-jpRsE5rAElb_ZJJaeiPXlTw9ToGjtx-oWTXYt5k1PZVD3ENuHelun_7R-O4rimjX0252vyVIELzEdwqyMG/s400/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272041069630998210" border="0" /></a>I expect the tool will affect the results that user flags themselves, but Google's entire community of searchers will also have an impact on the search results based on overall blocking and promoting.<br /><br />How does this affect you? As a search marketer your web presence(s) have to add value. The content needs to be clear and valuable. Moreover, your overall reputation matters more and more. This tool directly affects your search reputation but reputation is many things. It's how people rank your site, it's how they vote on comments you make in communities, it's what you say about yourself and what others say about you. Not only do you need to manage your online reputation now, but you have to pro-actively build it and promote it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-56906790190785896782008-05-05T15:44:00.000-07:002008-05-05T23:49:23.409-07:00Trulia Critics - Right or Wrong?Today <a href="http://www.inman.com/about/contact/glenn-roberts-jr">Glen Roberts</a> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Inman</span> News <a href="http://www.inman.com/news/2008/05/5/trulias-web-ranking-strategies-catch-heat">reported </a>on a <a href="http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=2983">debate that was stirred</a> up by Galen Ward of <a href="http://www.estately.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Estately</span></a> (there's some link juice Galen...). Galen asked why does <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Trulia</span> show up in search results above the original source. His answer:<br /><br /><em>"In this case, two reasons: the original source </em><a href="http://idx.rtgstudio.com/IDXv4/PropDetail.asp?pd=OP&mls=ARMLS&compid=34&office=&agent=SS087&mlsnum=2892806&mlstbl=ARMLSRES"><em><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">doesn</span>’t even display the address on the page</em></a><em> (dude - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">MLS</span> rules are stupid, but they usually let you display your own property’s address at least - you gotta fix that!). But the much more common reason is that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Trulia</span> blocks Google from following their links."</em><br /><br />So I agree the first reason is brutal. The real estate industry needs to help themselves. Some brokers and agent use solutions such as the Point2 where property listing have their own search engine friendly URL that can be indexed (such as <a href="http://www.thompsonsrealty.com/Gilbert/Arizona/Homes/511_-__V41__Gilbert/Seville/Agent/Listing_1626481.html">this </a>example from Jay Thompson's site).<br /><br />But the second reason I neither find offensive nor accurate. As Galen explains, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Trulia</span> uses 302 redirects that prevents the flow of link juice to the source site. It helps their pages maintain authority. I don't find it offensive because these sort of things are common with any general online advertising arrangement. If you complete a link exchange with another site, you purchase a follow or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">nofollow</span> link. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Nofollows</span> are designed to send traffic, not search authority. Realtor.com has been doing this sort of thing forever, they rank way higher than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Trulia</span>, so why the stink now? (see the link to <a href="http://www.npreco.com/">http://www.npreco.com/</a> from this listing on <a href="http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=1129&typ=7&lid=1098176774&fhv=1#Photo">Realtor.com</a>) So secondly, I don't find the evaluation completely accurate because I don't think it's the main reason <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Trulia</span> ranks higher. I have a couple of points here:<br /><br /><strong>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">NoFollow</span> Reason</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.truliablog.com/?p=388">Rudy</a> seems to admit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">SEO</span> is reason for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">nofollows</span>. It's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">debatable</span> in my mind whether or not it would be detrimental for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Trulia</span> to link out in their search results. Linking out to relevant sites can help a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">website's</span> trust. Rudy also states, "Let’s be honest, most broker or agent websites would not rank better than they do currently if we removed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">nofollow</span> in the outbound links (99.9% of listings pages have no page rank or page rank 1)". That's true for the most part, but links from main search result pages like <a href="http://www.trulia.com/CO/Denver/">Denver</a> (PR 4), would see value - I just couldn't let that one go. But while Galen suggests the redirects are an designed to block PR from flowing to other sites, the specific intent of the method. Rather than a practice to prevent other sites from receiving value, it's design is to help large sites flow page rank to deeper levels in their site <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">hierarchy</span>. By controlling this flow of link juice, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Trulia's</span> primary motivation I suggest is to push page rank deeper through their site. <br /><br /><strong>Real Reason's for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Truila's</span> Search Success </strong><br /><br />More importantly, these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">nofollows</span> (or 302 redirects) are not the main reason for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Trulia's</span> search dominance. There's a few big ones in my opinion:<br /><br />1. First they've done some great marketing and promotion now that's resulted in a PR 7. That's and achievement and not many local sites can top that. Even RE/MAX.com is only a PR 6. This has nothing to do with redirects or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">nofollows</span>, and everything to do with a lot of buzz and exposure.<br /><br />2. Secondly, they have great site architecture for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">SEO</span>. The page titles, content and heading tags all have the right keyword terms. It's consistent whether you are looking for Colorado, Denver or <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4SKPB_enCA256CA257&q=bear+valley+denver+real+estate&meta=">Bear Valley Denver real estate</a>. VERY few real estate <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">practitioners</span> do a good job of this.<br /><br />3. While there are other reasons, the third and last one I'll mention is that they have a widget strategy - a much more brilliant and interesting thing to talk about than the 302 redirects. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Trulia</span> has built several useful widgets that relevant real estate sites like <a href="http://key2denverhomes.com/">Jay's</a> can use. You'll see at the bottom of the widget there are 2 built in links. One link goes to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Trulia</span> home page, helping out that PR 7. The second link is a deep link into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Trulia</span>. Since Jay's site is a Denver real estate site, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Trulia</span> link goes to their Denver page. <br /><br />So now <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Trulia</span> has thousands of relevant links form real estate websites linking to their home page and deep linking into their site. <strong>Note that there isn't a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">nofollow</span> on those widget links (of course)! </strong>Good for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Trulia</span>! It's a brilliant strategy. They have to build tools that add a lot of value (or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">perceived</span> value) to execute on such a strategy. Also note that they've done some solid business development work and have authoritative sites like <a href="http://rismedia.com/localnews/denver-colorado/2007/09/14/new-home-colorado-aurora-and-other-cities-going-green/colorado-homes-built-green/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">RIS</span> Media </a>using their widget's and linking back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Trulia</span>.<br /><br />If I was a real estate agent or broker, I probably wouldn't use the widget's and give <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Trulia</span> that link. And if you consider their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">nofollow</span> policy on their listings and result pages, it's not really a fair link exchange if you're using a widget :-) But my bottom line is - it's all negotiable! If brokers care about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">SEO</span> for their own site, they can negotiate a removal of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">nofollow</span>. If it's not negotiable, a broker doesn't have to send their listings.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-30028470059864020192008-04-16T08:40:00.000-07:002008-04-16T08:42:39.636-07:00Real Estate SEO - Franchises Missing the BoatWell isn’t this blog neglected! To tell you the truth, over the past couple of months, I’ve been writing business plans, grant proposals, research documents, project and technical requirements and I have to say that I haven’t had a lot of gas in tank to write for this blog. I think I have to learn the art of micro posting!<br /><br />So what has awakened me from my slumber? I was reading an RIS article by <a href="http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-04-15/cover-all-4-seo-bases-to-hit-an-seo-homerun/">Glenn Houck</a> this morning on SEO. After leading the Homegain charge for many years, Glenn certain knows a lot about SEO but he keeps things pretty simply in this article. SEO in real estate really gets me going because so many companies are completely missing the boat. This short article reminded me of a post Joel Burslem made listing his <a href="http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/10-kick-ass-real-estate-search-sites">10 favorite real estate search sites</a>. The new <a href="http://www.century21.ca/">Century 21 Canada</a> site was one of them. I have to admit that I like the look and I like the map search implementation but this site missed the SEO boat totally. Let’s back up a bit because really, why does this matter...<br /><br />Search engines (google) are like today’s phone books. In the old days, you picked up a phone book, flipped to the yellow pages, found the appropriate category (real estate) and searched through the listed ads. The differences are the following. In a search engine there are too many pages to produce a book. Flipping virtual pages just wouldn’t be practical either so you search by topic rather than flipping to a yellow page topic. So the first important point to make here is that websites need to ‘tell’ a search engine what their topic is. What Century21.ca has done is the equivalent to telling the yellow pages to make a topic called “Century 21” rather than ‘real estate’. In fact, it’s like they’re also trying to say, “we transcend real estate so don’t put us in that category at all.” (it’s the only logical conclusion I can make)<br /><br />Ok, so on to the second point. With a search engine, it’s like having one big phone book rather than many small local phone books. So for large businesses that have many offerings or many local business offices, they can have an ad or listing for each relevant one. I’ll clarify using Century21.ca again. Not only should they be listed under the term ‘real estate’, but they should have relevant listings for terms like ‘Ontario real estate’ and ‘Toronto real estate’ and ‘Scarborough real estate’. It’s like having many yellow page ads. So building on point 1 – not only do you have to identify the category you should be listed in, but you need to identify other sub categories and make all of your yellow page ads (in this case, web pages) discoverable so they make it into the phone book.<br /><br />The 3rd point in our comparison is that content in search engines is sorted differently than phone books. Because searching is fundamentally different than flipping through pages AND there is simply too much content out there (or yellow page ads in our metaphor), you can’t sort stuff in a search engine in alphabetical order. So the way a search engine sorts content is by relevance and popularity. If people talk about your business offline, you get word of mouth advertising. If they talk about it online, they link to it. A link is considered a popularity vote as Glenn notes. <br /><br />A copyright notice at the bottom of Century 21 Canada shows WheretoLive.com Inc. so I assume they were contracted to build the site. If it was 1999 or 2001 I can understand a large corporation missing the SEO opportunity, but in 2008, this stuff should just be common knowledge and standard practice. There’s certainly enough information about SEO published online! Search is the way people find information today and unless a website is generating traffic, it’s a billboard in the middle of nowhere. SEO is not something that some geeky kid jumps in and performs on website. SEO is a philosophy for technical design architecture. Beyond that, SEO principles should permeate a company’s marketing so offline and online efforts all help more people find those yellow page ads.<br /><br />Search engine optimization may be old news to some people and some may think that it’s a web 1.0 way of thinking. But, it still sits at the core of how we define ourselves in the online world. Because content is organized by the popularity of the documents, it is the most fundamental way we manage our reputation online. When I search for real estate in Canada, not only will I never find the content on Century21.ca, if I was actually looking for their site to show up, I would conclude that they don’t have a high enough reputation (and thus quality of content) for me to bother.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-32657155342618239282008-02-13T14:54:00.000-08:002008-02-13T15:04:17.854-08:00Tag, I got meme'dI don't know what this is really all about, but Brendan <a href="http://brendanking.ca/2008/01/24/tag-i%e2%80%99m-it%e2%80%a6-meme%e2%80%99d-again/">meme'd</a> me a while ago. I was reminded about this while <a href="http://blog.nomoredoorknocking.com/2008/02/13/identity20/">thinking about identity today</a>.<br /><br />Here is how they work according to Jay Thompson “ someone with too much time on their hands thinks up some question (typically personal) and starts a post, “tagging” others to do the same, and it flies across the Internet. Before you know it, you’ve found out more about some people than you probably want to know…” Then Jay tagged me!<br /><br />Here are the rules for this one:<br />(1) list 7 things about yourself, (2) tag 7 people to do the meme on themselves including a link to their site.<br /><br />1. I'm 35 years old and I'm 6 years YOUNGER than Brendan King, not OLDER. I'm married to Violet with a brand new son Jackson.<br /><br />2. I was born in Chilliwack, B.c. and grew up in in Moose Jaw, SK.<br /><br />3. I went to the U of S where I finished my Economics Degree. I was successful because I ONLY lived in Rez for 1 year! When I graduated the only thing I knew for certain about my career path is that I was NEVER going to be an economist!<br /><br />4. One of my coolest trips was a backpacking adventure in 1997 to Bonavista NF for the 500th anniversary of the founding of Canada by John Cabot. The town of 6000 had 30,000 people there that week. The Queen arrived and a group sailed an exact replica of the Matthew from England to arrive exactly on June 24. The trip ended up in Ottawa for Canada Day. I met my wife to be on that trip!<br /><br />5. Best trip Violet and I have been on was a 2 week voyage to Costa Rica in 2004.<br /><br />6. I play almost any sport, but my favorite is golf. My first job was at a golf course where I spent my entire summer's earnings on a new set of clubs!<br /><br />7. I used to have a whack of hair!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-11797186163956632502008-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:002008-02-08T13:50:07.869-08:00MasterMinds and Snow AngelsWell, we've been busy lately with our heads down grinding out all things "startup''. Brendan wrote about how nice it is to have a <a href="http://brendanking.ca/2008/02/07/a-real-team-is-a-lot-of-fun/">great team</a>. I share his feelings. One of the most influential books I've read is Napolean Hill's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_and_Grow_Rich"><span style="font-style: italic;">Think and Grow Rich</span></a>. Hill describe what he called the Mastermind principle as the “coordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” There are 2 characteristics of the Mastermind. One is a economic advantage that arises from sharing and cooperation with others utilizing the Philosophy of Achievement. Hill also believed that the human mind is a form of energy, part of it spiritual in nature. He states that when the minds of two people are coordinated in a spirit of harmony, the spiritual units of energy of each mind form an affinity, which constitutes the "psychic" phase of the Master Mind. Hill states: "No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind." This force, Hill reasoned, was tremendously valuable and ultimately the source of true wealth.<br /><br />To me, Hill means that while there are economic advantages of combining 2 or more talents, true success is in the journey taken with others as you work together in harmony.<br /><br />One of my favorite expressions from Hill is: "Whatever the mind of man [woman] can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Back in Hill''s day, no one used gender inclusive language so we excuse him for that. A great team is required to assemble that mastermind to conceptualize, believe and create that plan for achievement.<br /><br />You know, it's amazing what you can do - I mean really do...<br /><br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5_4ymY-q4Lc&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5_4ymY-q4Lc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-3320639882669228112008-01-22T12:37:00.000-08:002008-01-22T12:56:20.402-08:00Settling In at the ConcourseSo we have a few days under our belt at VendAsta! We've been settling into our new office space in the <a href="http://innovationplace.ca/innovation-place.php">Innovation Place</a> research park. Our new surroundings have brought a bright warm spot to the middle of a cold dark Saskatoon winter. Our office is just to the right of the photo below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTwUU9wkU3Fg8AOXTFnT6geEK1-FJYac7LQg7oLPcgbqQOTRUgMSZJtzLmAiLvyWJAu6nnwMK2aRN68ttMovhrIrt787RIloqjdRzGO2hjLmu_rRQuyc2zlMkLpLl-BAm21eE/s1600-h/Concourse.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158403107643271666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTwUU9wkU3Fg8AOXTFnT6geEK1-FJYac7LQg7oLPcgbqQOTRUgMSZJtzLmAiLvyWJAu6nnwMK2aRN68ttMovhrIrt787RIloqjdRzGO2hjLmu_rRQuyc2zlMkLpLl-BAm21eE/s400/Concourse.jpg" border="0" /></a>There's a ton of logistics behind getting a business going from the ground up but I have to say it's such exciting work. I was just as excited sitting down and putting my chair together as I was getting on to the first day of white board work. We'll have some website updates coming down the pipe shortly. As we prepare to get stuff live for the world to see, we'll try to let people see what's going on inside our walls.<br /><br />JeffAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-31199795967581087482008-01-17T14:26:00.000-08:002008-10-23T07:52:13.227-07:00My Departure from Point2 and all Things NewAs most people know now, I left <a href="http://www.inman.com/news/2007/09/4/point2-ceo-steps-down-amid-sexual-exploitation-charges">Point2</a> at the beginning of December along with a number of my colleagues. Together we are embarking on a new venture which has me so excited I can’t sleep. In fact, I have no hope of sleeping with the new addition of my son Jackson! Jack was born on December 8 and he’s our first child. It’s also the reason why I’ve been quiet on the recent news of my departure from <a href="http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/third_page/story.html?id=33b83de3-562c-4936-bfb0-ed5174eb4acd">Point2</a> – too darn tired to blog!<br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156577454484695522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoESyuhXrSzrbUQ8l-dfeQ95SSGlIvw5R98nK9j0kqgpORLWaBtmQROInWYjxYVKIL08nKb8KbaoATGeaiCx-8UwdDWAluQTMQuCyPqlb_GgJ_MYumCQb-2gEs2r8tZmnWBHRf/s400/IMG_0212.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>To start, I’d like to clarify some parts of the story around my departure which first broke on <a href="http://www.inman.com/InmanNews.aspx?ID=65482">Inman News</a> on Dec 11. I’ve fielded a few questions on how I left lately because of a <a href="http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20071220_saulklein.htm">Blanche Evans</a> story where she commented:<br /><br />“the five investors at Point2 cleaned house of about 10 percent of its workforce, including upper management …”<br /><br />That comment is inaccurate on a couple of levels and so first I would like to clarify that I did indeed resign as <a href="http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/point2-execs-quit-or-fired/623">Brendan King</a> noted, and as Point2 noted to <a href="http://www.inman.com/InmanNews.aspx?ID=65482">Inman news</a> and in their own <a href="http://newsdesk.point2.com/blogs/newsroom/archive/2007/12/11/point2-technologies-announces-executive-resignations-and-new-leadership-roles.aspx">official release</a>.<br /><br /><strong>A Look Back</strong><br /><br />I’m proud of a lot of things that were accomplished at Point2. I filled a lot of roles since my start in 2002. When I arrived, there were just over 30 people working at Point2, most of them solely focused on heavy equipment software. I was the first person officially hired on to the real estate project by Brendan King.<br /><br />Prior to my addition to the team, Point2’s real estate endeavors began when John Fothergill, manager of web development at the time, received permission to ‘fiddle’ with Point2’s heavy equipment inventory management system. He was building a solution for <a href="http://www.woutersrealty.com/">Mark Wouters</a>, a local real estate broker. After some adjustments were made and the opportunity began to take shape, Brendan received permission to work full time on a real estate launch. Jason Collins and Eron Wright were working on the initial product while Brendan conducted research. When I started, several dozen local REALTORS were testing a very early platform.<br /><br />Just prior to Point2, I was working at a real estate management and development company. I also had my own website that sold document templates that I launched in 1998. I was introduced to Point2 by Jason Collins and although I didn’t apply for a specific well defined position, my background in real estate and online marketing seemed a good fit. I started out as manager of market research helping Brendan identify and understand the opportunities in front of us. I helped organize our initial marketing strategies and product launch. There was an exciting atmosphere at Point2, especially for those of us working from a blank slate in real estate.<br /><br /><strong>Shaping a Product</strong></div><br /><div>Transforming a heavy equipment product to a real estate product made a lot of sense for a number of reasons. First, the industries were similar in that they were both fragmented and the Internet was proving itself to be a great tool to connect buyers and sellers. In both cases the commodities are large complex capital assets and to leverage the Internet as a power marketing medium, owners and sales representatives need to publish rich content. Point2’s software was very good at that. Lastly, both industries involved complex transactions so it’s likely that there will be a sales professional involved to facilitate the transaction and Point2’s inventory management software was geared toward the sales professionals.<br /><br />While the core software was the backend inventory management component, our initial research was telling us that it would be impossible to get REALTORS® to enter listing data rather than import data from the MLS. The problem was that MLS data was not rich enough. We knew from our heavy equipment experience we had to provide many valuable reasons to do the data entry. One very compelling reason was to publish it to their public facing website, instantly, and display it in a manner that was superior to typical MLS data display. The development of personal REALTOR® websites not only represented a method to encourage the data entry, but actually represented a large opportunity in its own right. In 2002, few REALTORS® had personal, easy to use, self maintainable websites. Building out that product quickly became our core focus.<br /><br />One of my first projects alongside industry research was to build a public facing website for our product. Here are the first 2 websites that I wrote:<br /><br /><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/*/http:/agent.point2.com">http://web.archive.org/web/*/http:/agent.point2.com</a><br /><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021127001905/http:/agent.point2.com/">http://web.archive.org/web/20021127001905/http:/agent.point2.com/</a><br />(don’t be too critical, it was 2002!)<br /><br />I wrote the content for some of the first sites we developed with the design talent of <a href="http://www.daffodildesign.com/">Sarah Milne</a> making everything work, flow and look pretty. Sarah moved away to the warmer Arizona climate in in 2004 (I think…?) and I have to say I missed her. She’s such a talented web developer and designer. At the same time, we developed a smart tutorial system that triggered messages based on the user’s progress.<br /><br /><strong>Some Milestones</strong><br /><br /><em>The “Free Idea”</em> - By late November 2002 we had a self-registration built and officially launched Point2 Agent in January of 2003. I think our first bold move was to release our software for free. Back in 2002 and 2003, websites were things that you paid for and most often, you paid a significant price for a good one. Here we wanted to take software with millions of dollars invested into its development and provide it for free while continually investing in its improvement. It was wildly successful and in fact our biggest challenge was trying to convince our target audience that there wasn’t a catch.<br /><br />We didn’t even have a pay product for the first year. Marketing Point2 Agent was very fun back in those days. I remember going to our first trade show conference for Century 21 in Toronto with Brendan in January of 2003. Our booth simply said “Free Websites”. Out of the 20 or so booths there, ours was flooded. In fact, a local website provide that was across from us packed his booth up half way through and just went home – especially when he saw all of the things our FREE websites could do!<br /><br />The websites were so success that our core marketing focus revolved around them. Our core benefit became, “<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20040521011325/http:/agent.point2.com/">The easiest way to create and completely control an astonishingly professional website.</a>” That’s what differentiated us from everyone else.<br /><br /><em>Handshake and Shared Listings</em> - In the fall of 2003 we released what we called listing sharing where our members could login and see all the listings from all the other local users. Additionally, public facing home search notification forms would send listing results to leads from all local listings entered into Point2, not just that agent’s own inventory. By early 2004 we introduced the extension of listing sharing – Agent Handshake™. It gave our members control to share listings with whom they wanted and allowed them to publicly display listings. I think the idea was a little ahead of its time. The DOJ threat, combined with an industry opening data up and brokers needing better control, we saw Handshake™ starting to gain appeal throughout the past couple of years.<br /><br /><em>Neighborhoods</em> - In 2005, we saw in that Handshake could truly become a national IDX solution. One obstacle was our reliance on using existing MLS selling areas. These created a couple of challenges. First, we saw that many IDX providers spent so many resources maintaining MLS selling area mapping, that it detracted resources from core product development. National IDX vendors have and still have a burden to maintain these areas for the over 900 existing MLSs in the United States. Secondly, there were so many areas that have overlapping MLSs that compete with one another. One only needed to look at the listing search on Realtor.com to see the mess that it made in many areas. Lastly, many MLS selling areas did not map onto the colloquial neighborhood names that people were familiar with. This meant that both the consumer search experience and SEO could be improved.<br /><br />We began working on solutions to this problem. It was soon obvious that there was no existing database of all the colloquial neighborhood names. Even if there were, neighborhoods are constantly evolving, amalgamating and in some areas, the concept of neighborhood doesn’t really even apply.<br /><br />The solution is to build a community based platform where local people can define areas that make sense. In our case, we leveraged our community of 1000’s of local real estate professionals to help get it right.<br /><br />Even now, this platform at Point2 needs to improve. Looking back, I wish we had done things differently. The biggest regret is that we confused the important aspect of community involvement to build an accurate nomenclature, with our sale of advertising sponsorships on Point2 Homes. With that said, I was proud of the initial work that was done on this front and I’m glad we pushed our development in that direction. I still believe community involvement is the way to manage local problems on a national scale platform.<br /><br /><em>Data Syndication</em> - In January of 2006 I officially began working as the platform product manager for our listings engine. The focus at the time was to build out a data syndication platform that would allow our users to automatically send their listings to online search sites with complete control and choice. This represented an opportunity for our members to be able to automatically generate free traffic and exposure online. For Point2, it represented the opportunity to create an even more compelling reason for our members to enter their listings.<br /><br />The concept is simple enough but building a reliable platform is far from simple. Some of the search sites that I’ll call data end points accept different sets of listings types including rentals, residential sales, condos, and commercial listings. This means that one fixed list of data end points will not suffice for all listings. Some data end points show complete listing details while others simply show a search result and then click through to the listing source. This means that different analytics are collected across the spectrum of data end points. Additionally, not all of these end points provide coverage in all geographic areas. Lastly, data feed communication between the data provider and the end points will sometimes fail for various reasons. That means that publishing reports are necessary to understand if listings are being properly published. If there are errors, an error report is necessary so that the user can try and correct the feed.<br /><br />Together, this all means that the solution requires a sophisticated user interface, requires complete analytics and must provide publishing reports to verify the successful data transfer and publishing.<br /><br />I was proud that we developed the most sophisticated feed system in the industry. I believe it remains the best one available to real estate professionals. An enormous amount of development work has been put into it with Kevin Baribeau and Hemant Naidu building the core guts of the system and Todd Sturgeon tying it into the backend software UI.<br /><br /><em>Predictive Marketing</em> - Point2 Agent was so far ahead of its time in 2003 with the ability to capture and track leads. It evolved into the Predictive Marketing solution by 2007 with Brendan and John championing the innovation in that area. It was such a critical part of the overall solution because it strengthened the advertising platform by maximizing the conversion of leads generated.<br /><br />There is a lot of further innovation that can happen with this platform and I expect that future development efforts will be lead by James Townley and Jesse Redl. These 2 guys worked closely with John Fothergill at Point2 and proved their skills as brilliant business analysts.<br /><br />NAR Expo 2006 “NLS” Turning Point - When we returned from a successful showing at the NAR Expo in New Orleans, Greg Miller and I were discussing the challenge we had getting our message out to a huge industry with so many service providers. Some of the frustrations surfaced after working the trade show floor which was a sea of 600 booths. Standing out was a challenge. That is, standing out as an idea was a challenge. We had no problem wowing people when they saw Point2 Agent and Point2 Broker, but getting their attention and time to explain the product was more than a challenge. The product was incredible but we needed to have a purple cow.<br /><br />In an off-site strategy meeting in the week following New Orleans, we decided to amalgamate all of our products and make a bold statement. Our core group rallied around the idea a Point2 Agent, Point2 Broker, Point2 Builder and Point2 Prop Man all became the Point2 NLS or National Listing Service.<br /><br />Since 2003, we had been working toward a platform that could replace some of the roles MLSs play in data policing; a national platform without overlapping boundaries and where the real estate professional had complete control over the advertising of their listings. Of course, it was an advertising platform that provided analytics over the aggregate marketing effort of the REALTOR® including the cooperative advertising effort of members within a multiple listing service.<br /><br />The Point2NLS change has created strong and sustained momentum .<br /><br /><strong>VendAsta!</strong><br /><br />My new company name is <a href="http://vendasta.com/">VendAsta</a>! The origin of the name comes from 2 Italian words for marketing and auction. Tune in to our site for updates on our plans!<br /><br />Brendan King, President – Former COO, Point2 Realty Solutions<br />Ches Hagen, CEO – Former COO Point2 Heavy Equipment<br />Jason Collins, CTO – Former CTO, Point2<br />John Fothergill, EVP Product Development – Former Director Product Development, Point2,<br />Jonathan Levesque, EVP Partner Relations – Former Director of IT, Point2<br />Allan Wolinski, EVP Usability Engineering – Former Director of Client Support, Point2<br />Jeff Tomlin [Me!], EVP Business Development – Former VP Strategy and Business Development, Point2<br /><br />More to follow…</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-17236520898082620202007-10-09T12:58:00.000-07:002007-10-09T15:28:42.374-07:00The Power of the Long TailThis Post is mainly to respond to some questions Point2 users have about long tail search in the real estate vertical, and about a particular stat we've quoted: "60% of local homes searches have a neighborhood component to them." The comment came from a Google official in a slide show presentation on Search and the Real Estate Vertical.<br /><br />The context is that of all the search conducted for real estate, homes for sale, or property (i.e. the real estate vertical), 60% of the search terms contained a neighborhood component. This is also called the longtail of search, which constitues more narrowly defined search terms. While "San Francisco real estate" represents a broad search, an example of a longtail search with a neighborhood component would be: "Nob Hill San Francisco real estate". I don't have the specific Powerpoint or research that were presented,nor do I want to misrepresent what they discussed. But I can demonstrate what this means, leveraging research we conducted at Point2.<br /><p>If you are not Google and you want to measure the amount of search volume, you need to have a site that generates a lot of long tail traffic. Plus, you need to rank at the top for the broad terms, because they drive the most traffic. This way you are likely to have a good representation of the relative size of long tail traffic vs. broad search traffic.</p><p>We used Point2 Homes and chose the city of Ottawa Canada because Point2 Homes ranks well for top search terms used by consumers, like "Ottawa real estate" and "Ottawa homes for sale." Of course Point2 Homes represents a good platform for this test because it is optimized to generate a large set of long search traffic.</p><p>Over a 2 day period, Point2 Homes generated 547 visits to Ottawa and it's neighborhood level pages. Of those 547 searches, 259 or 47% contained an Ottawa neighborhood name, proving that consumers use neighborhood terms when searching for real estate in this area. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119429675765268786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7jWaFx8XuNwoFUYLRqc6es5wiuOHaPZN8NOq3Ea2qNWKXvOUkgPloH0QHpn6WIkD9wChxSnfBS9IcrEyguK-VGDLbHhTXjfLHBfdYJc92CkrRE22TE-mSG8Sx9_eAC2G3lZ8/s400/Neighborhood+Searches.jpg" border="0" /> <p>The ugly screen shot above shows you a piece of the working spreadsheet. Where the first column lists the keyword term, the second column is simply identifying ones with a neighborhood name. The 3rd column shows the search volume for the keyword term.</p><p>We have tested several other Canadian cities and the results are very similar with longtail traffic, generating between 45% and 50% of the visits. </p><p>You can see from that screen shot that the first neighborhood searches that we identified include: "homes for rockliffe ottawa," "house for sale ottawa west," "houses for sale glebe ottawa," "condos in the riveria + ottawa" and, "country club village ottawa."</p><p>Real estate is very local and while not all areas are the same, the patterns we see across the US are very similar. For this research, we did not use US cities because we do not yet have a good set of cities on Point2 Homes that rank at the top for broad terms.</p><p>It's clear that there is a lot of traffic out there in the long tail and thus it's clear that we need to take advantage of that traffic and describe content accurately to match what search engine users type into their search bars.<br /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-21012057630253186902007-10-03T07:36:00.000-07:002007-10-03T07:45:03.569-07:00Yahoo Real Estate Confusion<p>Yahoo is a common source of confusion for all Realtors. They have 2 sections for real estate content. First, they have a nationwide agreement with Prudential to display their IDX feeds. All listing inquiries in Yahoo Real Estate go to Prudential affiliates. Listings from Point2 and other systems have fed into Yahoo's Classified system where your listing will link back to you and have your contact information. It causes a lot of support for us because a listing shows up twice - once in the Prudential IDX feed and once in the Yahoo Classified system.</p><p>You can see this if you navigate to the main real estate page: <a href="http://realestate.yahoo.com/">http://realestate.yahoo.com/</a>, there are 5 options of which 2 of them are "Homes for Sale (MLS)" and "Real Estate Classifieds". The MLS search will display the Prudential IDX feed and the Real Estate Classified listings are from the Classified system.</p><p>Now, a while ago, I believe when the home page changed, the Yahoo Classified listings were changed from:</p><p>classifieds.yahoo.com.... to realestate.yahoo.com...</p><p>That change added to some confusion but it's important to note that the data in the 2 systems is completely separate. </p><p>The good news however is that this confusion is going to change. You may have seen an agreement that <a href="http://rismedia.com/wp/2007-08-02/realogy-to-post-nationwide-properties-on-yahoo-real-estate/">Realogy inked </a>with Yahoo to feed listings to the Yahoo Classified system. That annoucement marks a huge change in the Yahoo strategy. With a critical mass of listings you can expect the Prudential IDX feed to be a thing of the past and Yahoo to move to a pure classified feed strategy.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23952682.post-28011316584355733612007-07-25T08:55:00.000-07:002007-07-25T09:09:16.067-07:00A Real Estate 2.0 Vision<a href="http://blog.inman.com/inmanblog/2007/07/an-online-web-2.html">Brad Inman asked</a> for thoughts on the real estate 2.0 vistion. I wrote some of my response on Sunday but could bring myself to finish. It's simply not an easy thing to speal out. Anyway, here are my initial thoughts.<br /><br />Change that will help define a vision will center around online listings, the way organized real estate cooperates and how that affects business models and compensation. With web 2.0 and the evolution of online advertising, the consumer is more empowered. Consumers have more access to information and the ability to generate exposure themselves. A savvier consumer with the ability to advertise will increasingly bring a REALTORS value into question. <br /><br />Apart from all of the professional services a real estate professional brings to the table for marketing and transaction management, the ability to maximize market exposure through a network of cooperating real estate professionals is the single biggest value proposition. To maintain that value proposition, the real estate industry needs to evolve to ensure cooperative real estate maintains its edge. The changes that need to occur will help map out a vision for real estate.<br /><br />Thus far, web 2.0 represents a couple of things to me. Software platforms have become more interoperable and passive viewers have become contributors transforming content from static to dynamic and conversational. These technologies and their paradigms have created a foundation for change that can help a real estate 2.0 come to fruition. I agree with Brad Inman that a real vision for the real estate in 2.0 style has yet to be articulated. Where we have the foundation, we can begin to make sense of more things and its the new knowledge that we gain that will shape a new vision.<br /><br />There are a few things I see in the real estate 2.0 vision:<br /><br /><strong>Identity Will Evolve<br /></strong><br />Identity is going to play a big role. There are more and more software solutions that enter the real estate space and that creates account management issues. Currently, there is an enormous amount of duplication of effort. Real estate professionals have to have membership in multiple MLSs and enter data into multiple MLS systems to cover all of their selling areas. MLS consolidation only solves part of the problems. Identity needs to evolve. This is a brilliant <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RrpajcAgR1E">presentation</a> that explains the problem and possible solutions that arise from interoperable software. Also consider how convergent social networking plays a role here.<br /><br />So what exactly comes out of identity? Accounts become recognized cross platform to so that user updates are updated in many places at one time. Trust evolves so that legal responsibilities that brokers carry are more easily managed. Misrepresentation becomes more difficult. When trust is better established, brokers can provide more control to agents especially when it comes to online advertising. This can and probably will affect brokerage models.<br /><br /><strong>Data Control will Evolve<br /></strong><br />Data control will evolve in real estate thanks to web 2.0 and will have wide ranging impacts. In a recent article in Canada’s <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070716.wgtfacebook16/BNStory/Technology/home/">Globe and Mail</a> newspaper, it was suggested that Facebook’s future would hinge on how it handles privacy. Chris Kelly, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer commented “Privacy, as anonymity, is declining, but privacy, as control, is on the rise.” Where control of privacy is key to Facebook and other social networks, control of data is key in real estate.<br /><br />The current way listing data is managed and controlled throughout the industry is problematic in many ways.<br /><br />The DOJ Threat - The current way that listing data is managed and distributed online by MLS organizations creates and anti-competitive environment according to the US Department of Justice. This is the premise of the lawsuit the DOJ has brought against the NAR. The way the industry needs to eliminate this threat is to put the online control of listing data in the hands of the brokers and their agents, rather than have that data managed and policies created by MLS organizations. <br /><br />The Discount Dilemma - MLS were originally formed to facilitate cooperation and compensation. While the MLSs control data through existing broker reciprocity, brokers are either forced to cooperate with any members or are unable to cooperatively advertise with anyone. This means that many full service brokers are forced to provide their listings (which many regard as marketing assets) with limited service brokerages that could be undermining their business model. <br /><br />There are many different business models in the real estate industry and the only way to accommodate all of them and maintain cooperation in organized real estate is to provide control and choice.<br /><br />Advertising ROI – Real estate professionals will need more control over their listing data to maximize their ROI from online advertising. Too often MLS data is the data used to distribute online listings. As marketing assets, they not only serve the seller but they provide exposure for the real estate agent or broker. <br /><br />It is clear that better data generated <a href="http://www.realtown.com/articles/marketing/why-95-of-realtors-are-leaving-big-money-on-the-table-">better response</a>. When listings are distributed to other websites, the agent or broker must have control to provide whatever data that needs to be published to maximize the response.<br /><br />Analytics – The way that a real estate professional obtains the maximum price for seller is by exposing the home to the largest audience possible. Real estate professionals deal with more savvy consumers today that question the value propositions justifying commissions. Any consumer can advertise their own home on classified sites like Craigslist, but the one thing they can not do is advertising on hundreds or thousands of local real estate websites. Today, few real estate professionals can track all of the exposure that they generate on consumer search sites and cooperatively on other real estate agent and brokerage sites. <br /><br />Through open platforms and interoperability, real estate agents and brokers will be able to track online exposure generated through advertising and organized real estate cooperation.<br /><br />IDX represents cooperative advertising and that needs to happen on a peer to peer basis to address the problems above. The DOJ threat is best addressed by allowing brokers to make individual business decisions on who can advertise their listings. Similarly, the discount dilemma is addressed by providing the peer to peer choice. ROI is maximized when brokers and their agents have control of all of the data that is used in online advertising, whether that is on consumer search sites or on cooperating agency sites. Lastly and ultimately, when real estate professionals have control of their listings, and advertising platforms are more interoperable, we can see how exposure is can better be tracked across many different domains and platforms.<br /><br /><strong>Geo Location Information Will Evolve<br /></strong><br />Interoperable systems and communities will allow real estate professionals and consumers better define local geographic areas for local home buyers and sellers and relocating home owners. Neighborhoods and communities are constantly developing and amalgamating. Only a larger user base and an open technology framework can help manage and market real estate described in local areas that all professionals and consumers relate to. Further, it’s the only way that we can provide relevant complimentary information to better understand listings and the areas they are in.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03741113311793825473noreply@blogger.com2