First off, I hate SEO, (search engine optimization)…I hate it because, for one, nobody really knows what the search engine bases their searches on, and secondly, there are sooooo many companies out there that will charge you thousands of dollars for good search placement. With that being said, I am now going to become a SEO Guru and then charge tell you guys what I do and if it works. We are going to start with a simple title modification using tags, and some Wordpress plugins

Another reason why I have never focus on SEO, is because things are different in San Francisco (my location) compared to  small towns around the country. Good luck getting good search placement for "Real Estate San Francisco".

A little side note, Kevin Boer of 3 Oceans blog comes up on page 2 from the above search, and is the first real estate agent website you come across, as compared to brokerages and online real estate searches. That is a pretty good job.

Now search for "Real Estate Fallbrook" (Fallbrook, CA is my hometown) not the smallest town in America, but pretty small. You get Allen Shall as the second result on the first page, and 5 real estate agent websites on the first 3 pages. Which, IMO is still not a lot when you think about all the agents in that area.

so let's think about it…should you use SEO? On one hand, if you do it right, you can get top placement, but is this even possible? what are the chances of you getting top placement in google. I'm pretty sure there are thousands of real estate websites that have been designed around good SEO, and they are not top on Google. what will make your website different?

on the other hand, should you forget about SEO and focus on pro-active activities to promote your websites. Over the last couple years I have been more pro-active, and I've had good results, but none of my sites are high on Google. Maybe if I focus on SEO, I would have high ranking sites and I could just relax now…I doubt it, but maybe.

Whether SEO works or not can be argued forever, but we all know Google loves keywords, so let's make sure our Wordpress blogs are keyword heavy.

Go get this tool: web developer extension for firefox
This is a firefox extension that can display many cool things about webpages as you see them in firefox. It does not work in IE, so you need Firefox.

once you install the extension, you will see it as one of your toolbars. This toolbar is really for developers to see how their webpages act in different sized browsers, and how the form information is passed, etc…but we are going to use it to get our metatag information.

Metatags are used by search engine robots to get information about your site. This is another argument amongst SEO experts whether it is used anymore or not. 

My opinion; I think they are used, but in a combination with the content of your webpages. So if your meta description and keywords are different from the actual content in your webpage…they don't work. Bottom line, don't rely on meta keywords, make sure your main content is keyword rich also, with the same keywords as your metatags.

Back to metatags…once you have installed the WDE, go to your website and click on the information button.

At the bottom of the menu, you will see meta information. When you click on that you will be able to see all the meta information. In my case, there was none. No keywords, no description, just generator, which is useless.

there are 2 Wordpress plugins you will need to make some good keywords.

SEO Title plugin – this rearranges your blog title to emphasize your keywords (tags)
Ultimate Tag Warrior – This plugin creates tags and allows you to place then is strategic places on your blog

in the options section of you admin, you will now notice a page for tags. There is a lot of configuration for your tags, we just want to focus on Meta for now…so make sure you check Meta Keywords "When enabled, meta keywords will be included in the header of tag pages, and single post pages. These keywords are sometimes used by search engines.Include meta keywords"

you do not have an tags yet though…another cool thing tag warrior (UTW) will do is create tags from your categories, but you will have to edit each post you have and just click save, to add the categories as tags. Make sure you have "Automatically add categories as tags" checked in the Tag admin section.

Now, when you look at individual posts you will see that UTW has added meta keywords. Your main blog page will still not have them, we will add them later because this post is getting way too long, and it will require little php examples.

I'm going to stop here…because I have to run…Later tonight I will continue with this topic and go over the SEO Title Tag plugin and give some code to update your title and meta info on your main page. 

View Part 2 – making your tags work for you.

Popularity: 13% [?]

my buddy Paul Javier gave me a good tip to make your online photos look great. Crank up the exposure levels on your camera or use an image editing tool to make the photo look brighter.

Before

After

which one looks better? I definitely think the raised exposure makes a world of difference. The kitchen cabinets just pop, and everything just looks more appealing and inviting. I have a typical point and shoot personal camera, so for ease of use, I normally leave it on automatic. I raised the exposure levels in this photo with Photoshop CS2. Of course most people don't have Photoshop, but most image editors have an exposure adjustment.

To make the image pop in Photoshop, open the image, then look on the menu bar:
Images->Adjustments->Exposure

In this example I just raised the exposure +1 

Popularity: 6% [?]

We have the platform, you have the ideas, let's work together.

If you would like to grow your own real estate community, now's your chance. We will give you our blogging software which is based on Wordpress MU. You will be the administrator and have the ability to control every aspect of your site, including themes, plugins, widgets, users, etc…it's is your site. 

If you can understand the benefits of starting a community, then we want to talk to you… NOW!

We received so much praise for our real estate plugins that we made for the real estate community, we decided to unleash our entire blogging platform. The phone has started ringing, we are amazed by the calls we get. I think real estate professionals are starting to catch on to the technology that is available and getting the community bug. Right away we started to receive calls from people that wanted to use our blogging platform and start a local community blog in there area. This is a great idea and exactly what we are developing propblogs to do. So if you want to start your own community, here is your chance!

what we need from you

1. A domain name, and an overview of your community. The reason we need an overview of the community is because we are not setting up communities based on city, state or zips…we are setting them up as, well communities, so if you want to start a community that loves Green homes, you got it. If you want a community based on high rise apartment rentals, you got it…simple right, basically you are the boss. We also do not want to flood the market, so if you start a community based on Green homes, we do not want more green home communities sprouting up, ruining your community. So basically it is first come first serve…

2. well thats it, you don't need anything else. This is completely free, and if you thought blogging on a single blog was fun, just wait until your community takes off! It's very exciting, and a great way to get business.

Even if you already have a blog…this will only make it better

I've read enough I want to start now!
Contact Us: info@realivent.com

What you get from us.
Lets just start by saying a whole lot!

1. You become an admin of your community, you get ftp access to you site, and you can control pretty much every aspect of the community you run, including themes, plugins, widgets, etc…

2. You get access to all our real estate tools. You can brand our listing designer to your community, you can brand our virtual tours to your community, you can provide print material for your community…You become part of the next big movement in real estate.
3. You get our support. We love Wordpress Multi-User, we love bloggers, and we love real estate. Your community will always have access to the cutting edge plugins, widgets, and tools to keep it popular.Your community becomes part of a larger community, a global community of weblogs that help raise the popularity of the sites you host.
4. Much Much More…a purpose in life, a being, an understanding (maybe I'm pushing it, but you get the picture)

Sounds Interesting, but what are some community options?
I'm Glad you asked…

This platform extends far beyond simple blogs sites, this platform handles e-commerce, forums, interactions, etc.

Do you want to start a FSBO site where people can post homes for sale?
you can do it, we even have the payment software so you can sell the websites that are created on your site. Image having a site that allows people to add their FSBO's to your site in minutes, put it on a google map, syndicate it, etc…this is powerful stuff, and it's all yours.

Do you want to start a blog for your Brokerage?
This is a great idea. image bringing a software platform into your brokerage that allows agents to blog about their listings, create single property websites, post to Craigslist, syndicate to major websites, etc…Your agents will have access to our tools, they enter their listing once and all their marketing material is created automatically in seconds, including webpages, print, virtual tours. It's Powerful stuff.

Do you want to create a huge referral network?
We already have networking and referral plugins available for your new community. This is a very powerful idea, competing with Homegain.com, and other real estate referral monsters, you can start your own.

FAQ

How long does it take to set up?
The process is simple, we get a domain name from you, and set up the community. You change your domain nameservers to Realivent (we can do this for you, if it is over your head). Once the nameservers transfer, you are up and running…could take a couple hours to transfer, or a couple days depending on your domain registrar.

How do I administer the site?
You will see a "site admin" section of your community. Only you will see this. In this section you can choose what themes are available, access to plugins, control user accounts, etc…It's very easy.

Is it really free?
Yes, it is. If you need our help we can provide additional support at a price, such as graphic design and layout, custom themes, branding, etc…

Can I sell advertising on my site?
Yes, absolutely. It is your community, your site, you can run it anyway you like. If you have a major idea, but unsure how to do it, let us know.

Feel free to email us any other questions you might have.
Contact Us: info@realivent.com

Popularity: 19% [?]

looking to try a different browser then the default Blazer browser? Try Opera Mini…I'm trying it just to see the RSS news reader feature. If you are installing Opera Mini for the first time on your Treo, you might run into some trouble…

First lets get all the software.

1. If you do not have the Java Virtual Machine for your palm, start by downloading that here
2. Download the Opera Browser

Before you can run the opera browser, you have to make sure your JVM is set up properly. If it is not set up properly, the Opera Mini browser will crash during initial setup.

To Configure the IBM JVM, go to Prefs->IBM Java VM (it is located at the bottom in "Other").

Double Buffering: on (default is OFF)
High-res coords: on (default is OFF)
Memory Max: 1Mb (Default is 1MB)
Stack Size: 32Kb (Default is 2KB)

once you have entered the settings, you are ready to browse. I really just use it for feeds, which it handles really well. I'm going to try other feed readers soon, but until then, this should do the trick. 

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photos are the most important thing when it comes to marketing your property online. So, you need a good camera. The best cameras to get are SLR's. SLR stands for single-lens reflex. These cameras can get pretty expensive, but in recent years have come down in price. One major benefit of using the SLR is the ability to change lenses. For real estate a good wide angle lens is very helpful. The wide angle lens really opens up rooms, and makes the space look large.

Here is a good site with example pictures using wide angle lens 

A new cool way to find a camera is to check out photos on flickr.com based on user reviews and photos.
This D40 is an Digital SLR for $499.00

I own a Canon Powershot S2 IS. When I bought it, I had no idea what an SLR was. When I looked at real estate images online I noticed some were better then others, and upon doing research, I found that the SLR was the product of choice for professional photographers. Of course, I immediately wanted to sell my camera and get an SLR, but I figure my camera is still very good for your typical point and shoot camera. Maybe I'll get an SLR for Christmas. 

I thought no lenses fit my camera, but I was wrong…they do make adapters for wide-angle and telephoto lenses for my camera. So maybe I don't need to get an SLR. Here are some examples of lens adapters for the S2 IS. I think I just need to get an extended mount and the lenses screw on…I'm excited. I find photography a lot of fun, and usually use photostitch to make wide shots. I looked on Ebay for a S2 IS wide angle lens, but there were none. There were telephoto and fisheye lenses. I’m going to check out Wolf Camera to see if I can get more info, and possibly pick one up.

Here is another creative way to take a wide angle shot using a home made lens

Popularity: 5% [?]

Ebay announce a new Title, CDO, Chief Disruptive Officer. The first postition holder is Max Mancini, and his true role is Senior Director of Disruptive Innovation, which means there are probably smaller disrupters under him.
Videos: Max discussing the future of Ebay

What is Ebay up to? Sounds like they are planning to destroy all other e-commerce platforms, but they are not…CDO is a good thing. Looks like "disruptive" is a new flashy keyword for innovation. Max's job is to take the previous models set forth by years and years of user interface design and create new more functional UI's. Largely based around (You guessed it) communities, relationships, and trust.

Sounds familiar? it should, it is exactly a role that Realtors MUST take to grow their business…build relationships, and communities on trust. But, in real estate "disruptive" does not always mean nice things to agents. To agents "disruptive" means new models that challenge the commission structures, and new companies that will do the job better and for less money. So how can a Realtor be disruptive…Easy, they get honest.

I think the face painted onto a Realtor is one of "Happy-go-lucky", especially on the internet. Realtors are portrayed as never seeing a bad market, never telling bad news, always pushing to buy…Remember this is on the internet…IMO things are completely different face to face with a Realtor. Why? because usually when you are face to face with a realtor, it's business time. It is time to run the credit, it's time to make decisions, it's time for stress and excitement (at the same time). disruptive companies give more then enough data to consumers, but this can be overwhelming to the consumer, and in most cases the consumer still needs to get a Realtor to decipher the data.

So, in essence, the consumer is spending more time looking at data, searching for homes (unguided), and ultimately grabbing a Realtor to complete a transaction…sounds like disruptive is costing the consumer time and money? After all technology in general is making us all work more hours, it's not getting easier as new technologies come out.

My point, the faster a consumer sits down with an agent, the better. Build a game plan to search for homes, and then unleash the terabytes of data onto them. Teach them how to search for homes. Basically be a consultant.

So new terms:

I'm leaning towards changing my title from CTO to CDO, BUT, I also really like KB
Kaptain Badass (I know, the "K" give a hip hop vibe, very popular). "Hi, My name is Matt Dunlap, KB of Realivent"

MOP – Master of puppets. I like it because I grew up listening to Metallica, but maybe MOTU would be better. Master of the Universe…or is that too much He-Man for you?

Maybe I should play by the rules and take the title CTO2.0-Beta

Popularity: 6% [?]

As I cruise around the internet I have noticed a lot of people using some funky email addresses. For example, me (at) domain (dot) com. This just doesn't cut it...When you do this the spammers have won, and we can't have that.

My buddy Alain showed me a good way to hide your email using javascript. This formats your email address behind the scenes but still provide a maito link that allows the public to click on it, and send you an email.

Here is the javascript:

If you don't know anything about javascript... what this code does is rearrange the beginning of your email, and ending of your email. If you use this code and view the source from a webpage you will see that the spam harvesters can't find any valid email address. Just cut and paste the code into you webpages. Of course change the username and domain to your proper email.

If you do not want to add code your website, and you use wordpress, you can install a little sidebar widget I made that adds your contact info. Download Spam Widget Here

Popularity: 4% [?]

A few days ago, Trulia announced they inked a deal with Realogy.

That’s because today we announced a strategic marketing agreement with Realogy Corporation, the largest real estate franchisor and owner and operator of residential real estate brokers in the U.S, to put more than 500,000 of their affiliate real estate listings on Trulia.com.
Source: Truli-a Real Estate Milestone

That same day, Realogy announce that they putting listing on Google base, and Trulia 

Parsippany, N.J.-based Realogy has added about half a million listings from the three brokerages to Google Base and to Trulia.com, a real estate search engine started in 2005 that makes money through advertising.
Source: Businessweek.com

So who wins the battle of the listings? We all do!

This is a major breakthrough for all real estate tech developers, access to 500,000 listings using google base API's.

Is this bad news for Trulia? of course not...they are way ahead of the curve and one of the top real estate search websites. If the not the best. so the rest of the developers will have to catch up. The questions is will they?

One downside is there are going to be a lot of junk sites using homes to generate traffic for their adsense revenue. We have no problem with sites spidering our listings, but the links better all go to us. If I search for one of our listings and I find it on a scraper site, with I link going to some other brokerage, I get spun up. 

Is there a way to stop scraping? I don't know

Can agents get more control over their listings and stop it? I think so, but maybe not?

Popularity: 10% [?]

I have a Treo 650, and let me say, it is the best... When it comes to cell phones people can get really personal, so I'm expecting a few flames about this, but it's true. Yeah, it's heavier then the blackjack, and not as easy to use as the blackberry, but it has by far the most software available...much for free.

Trang, has a Blackjack and loves it. She use to have a Treo 650 but it broke and she now recommends the Blackjack to all her friends, but me and my tech friends all think she's a noob, and has no idea what she it talking about. Actually my brother-in-law got a blackjack, and he is pretty techy, but I don't think he ever had a smartphone before so to him the Blackjack must be futuristic.

Here are few quick appz for your palm to amaze your peers

1. Iphoney - Useless, but it looks like an iphone on your palm. I got mine the day after Apple announced the iphone. This is a hard to find app because Apple had all the download links removed from pretty much all blogs. So if this one doesn't work, then you might be out of luck. Iphoney is an app launcher for your palm: Iphone Download

2. The Core Pocket Media Player - This little wonder lets you play video on your  palm. I love it. Make sure you get at least a 1gig media card to hold the videos. I like showing Trang's video tours on the phone. It does not stream video, yet, and I don't think the company that developed the free version will support this version anymore, but it is open source, so there might be someone out there working on a stream feature. Download here

   There was discussion at FOREM about home searching from the cellphone, which got me wondering if there was a video streamer for the palm. This looks like a nice video stream package from Kinoma, but it's not free, so I will probably not try it, unless they want me to test it and review *(hint, hint). Back to FOREM discussion. The scenario I was thinking about is like this. I'm driving in my car, I see a for sale sign, with a link to the video tour. I whip out my treo and watch the video tour of the property while still in the driveway.

   Seems simple, but currently it is pretty hard to do. I found a website called tinytube.com that allows searching for video on your palm. You can't just go to youtube and search for videos...soon you will, but not now. Tinytube interface is made for mobile searching, basically it is just a search box. I typed in Real Estate and found a few video tours to download. You can download 2 versions from the site, High and low. The low is so bad you can't view it, but the high quality video is nice. Download to the palm was pretty quick, I downloaded a 1meg move in 2-3 minutes, then watched it. It works, and I can see this being useful, but with streaming right around the corner...might want to wait.

   I downloaded the same video to Trang's Blackjack, and it downloaded really fast. Less then a minute to get the video, but when I played it, the video was only about 1 inch x 1 inch?

3. u*blog - blogging from your Treo. Handles multiple blogs, and you can add/edit/update your blogs with too. I give credit for a really solid app, but you have to be hard pressed and completely addicted to blogging to use this. I tried to use it a couple times when I thought I had a couple hours to spare and nothing else to do (shoe shopping with Trang). It is just too hard to make a nice entry with the tiny Treo buttons. Download u*blog here

So there are a few appz to get you going on your Treo. I'm going to start giving more love to the Treo crowd, since it's such a good phone.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Just added the meebo widget to Propblogs.com. The meebo widget allows you to add meebo to your sidebar, quickly and easily.

What is Meebo?

Meebo is a web based IM that lets you log into your IM networks from any computer with a browser and internet connection with no firewall issues. It employs technologies (like AJAX) to make it act more like a desktop application, which dramatically improves usability. Many users enjoy the benefits of a native DHTML application, as it does not consume as many system resources as a Java applet (such as ICQ2Go or Yahoo Web Messenger).

What is the Meebo widget?

This is another sidebar widgets to embed Meebo Widgets on your wordpress blog.
Source: Patrick Chia (author of the widget)

Good job, Patrick, you probably have no idea how much this will help the real estate community!

This is a really good plugin, because you can now make unlimited single property websites, and people can contact you immediately from any of them, how cool is that!! This is what I call a spider web of lead capture sites.

How to use the meebo widget

1. login to your admin section
2. go to plugins and activate the WP-Meebo Widgets
3. go to meebo.com and get the code to make the Meebo IM tool
4. In the admin section, go to Presentation->Sidebar wigets, and drag the meebo widget to yor sidebar. Enter your code in the widget and your done. (don't forget to save settings)

Awesome, this is nice...I'm looking for more plugins that help agents comunicate to put on propblogs, so if you know of one, please tell.

Popularity: 8% [?]