Real Estate Social Media Blog

ActiveRain University - How To Maximize Your ActiveRain Blogs with Zillow

Join us for a FREE Webinar on March 29

Hey Everyone, just wanted to let you all know that Sara Bonert (Director of Broker Services from Zillow) will be coming to ARU and sharing some tools you can use to bring greater value to your ActiveRain Blogs and readers.  

She'll be sharing things like how to use Zestimates, Zillow Advice, Advertising, Widgets, Free stuff and more on your ActiveRain Blogs.  Sara travels all over the Country for Zillow teaching industry professionals how to get the most out of their online time and social media efforts.

If you've never heard or seen Sara speak or present, she's really good and she knows her stuff.  I'd encourage everyone to try and come to this class. Reserve your seat for Monday's class (March 29, 2010 - 9:00am - 10:00am PDT) by pre-registering early.   

Sara is an expert and is coming to share her knowledge and expertise with us, so come support her and learn at the same time.  She's a long-time ActiveRain member who provides some great content on her Blog. Don't miss the class, there will be a Q&A session at the end that I'm sure will be educational and beneficial to many of you, your business, and your Blogs.

Sprint announced a few days ago that this summer it will be releasing what some would consider it’s first powerhouse contender with the iPhone,  the HTC EVO 4G.  That’s right people, this is the first phone with new WiMax technology that will boast screaming internet broadband speeds that will rival DSL and Cable.

Imagine being able to watch streaming HD movies from a 4.3 inch screen?  And that’s not all.  This phone is one of the first to have a HDMI out so you can project that streaming video in crystal clear 720p HD picture to your LCD TV at home.  That is just the tip of the ice berg on what this bad boy can do.

In addition to the impressive video features, this phone has built in wi-fi hotspot capability, turning it into a instant internet gateway for up to 8 Wi-Fi devices at a time.  In a business meeting and want to have internet for your clients to browse on their laptops?  No problem, my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G has a solution for that.

Built in voice-to-text messaging will give the user the ability to compose texts simply by speaking.  All of these cool tools are based around the new Android 2.1 operating system, the same OS that the HTC Hero through sprint runs on, but of course on steroids.  It’s called HTC Sense, a variation of the Android 2.1 OS that was released sometime last year.

Not only does this phone bring in impressive internet, and video capability, but it is equipped with not one but TWO cameras, a 8.0 MP flash camera on the back and a 1.3 MP forward facing camera for video conferencing and messaging.

This phone is based largely on the new Clearwire Clear WiMax network, which Sprint is a majority owner in, and with this gives Sprint a clear edge in mobile internet technology and distribution.  Sprint may lease rights to the Verizon network, but soon all carriers are going to want a piece of Sprint’s internet mobility.  If you are a Real Estate professional, this phone is going to be a new weapon in your arsenal of toys that will help make your professional life more efficient, and enjoyable!

Specs

PRODUCTIVITY

* 3G/4G capability
* Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ QSD8650 (1GHz) processor
* 4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom and tactile feedback
* World-class HTML browser – bandwidth and quality that rival that of netbooks
* Android 2.1, with access to more than 30,000 apps on Android Market
* GoogleTM mobile services including Google SearchTM, Google MapsTM, Google TalkTM, GmailTM, YouTubeTM , and syncs with Google CalendarTM
* Access to Google Goggles™ to search with pictures instead of words
* Sprint Navigation, with turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
* Updated HTC Sense, award-winning user experience, which includes Friend Stream to integrate Facebook, Twitter and more into a single flow of updates
* Visual voicemail
* Messaging – personal and business email, IM and text messaging
* 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability – connects up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices
* 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps.
* 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps.

ENTERTAINMENT

* 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
* High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
* Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
* Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
* Live video sharing with Qik
* Built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing
* Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
* FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
* Sprint applications including Sprint TV® and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile(SM)
* Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
* Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g
* Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
* Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB

SPECIFICATIONS:

* Dimensions: 4.8″ x 2.6″ x .5″ (LxWxT)
* Weight: 6 ounces
* Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors
* Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
* Memory: 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM

For more information, visit the official Sprint release site of the HTC EVO 4G.

Need help with your Real Estate Social Media?  Check out www.handlemymedia.com

The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for Your Browser - created to help members and non-members find important pieces of information in and around the network.

In this post I wanted to explain each section of the toolbar and show how it might be helpful.  The "Toolbar" is not just for AR members, it's also for anyone who wants to keep up with what's happening in the world of Real Estate on and through the AR Network.  It works on Explorer, Firefox, and Safari browsers and it's FREE.

The first section of the toolbar allows you to access AR with a single click on the logo. Next to the logo is a pull-down menu where you can login to AR or Join.  You can also search by member "category" which helps save time if you're looking for a specific type of Industry professional.

There are 28 Industry categories to choose from, this makes it quick and easy for members and consumers to access any category with the single "point and click" option.

The "Read" button IS for ActiveRain members and those interested in joining the network. Unlike most boring community guidelines and terms of service, ours is unique and is a "must read!"
Can you say Weltanschauung?

The "Help" button and pull-down menu gets you access to the ActiveRain Manual, The ActiveRain University, The ARU Training Calendar, the Help/FAQ Group on AR, Information about Real Estate RainCamps, and member contributed guides and how-to articles and posts.  This is one of my favorite parts of the toolbar and may be the most useful part for members needing "help" and tutorials about ActiveRain.

The "Daily Drop" is for those who want to be kept informed via AR's Daily Newsletter. Click To Subscribe.

The "Featured" pull-down menu gives you "live" real-time access to what's "Featured" on ActiveRain right now.  You can browse ALL featured posts right from the toolbar and do it from any website or page you're on. Whether you're a member of AR or not, this is a great tool to be kept informed of what's going on in and around Real Estate all over the Country and Canada.  (Your neighborhood included)

The "Blogs" button is a direct link to ALL AR Blog posts which can be sorted using the built in ActiveRain sort options.  This makes getting to the newest and freshest content fast and easy.

Many networks, blogging platforms, and social media sights make it difficult to try and reach staff members.  With this button, the entire AR Team is only "one-click" away.

Member support on ActiveRain is something we take seriously and are very passionate about.  Our members' satisfaction and our reputation have been built on how well we support our friends on AR.  The "Support" button pull-down on the toolbar shows we listen to our members, and we care.  You are literally one click away from contacting AR support, making suggestions, sending us your feedback and comments, and emailing us directly.

The "Message" button is for communicating important messages.  This will ONLY be used to make important announcements.  IE: New AR features, Upcoming special events, RainCamps, Trainings and Classes etc.  The message board has its' own set of built in tools for users to manage and respond to incoming messages.

The "Facebook and Twitter buttons" give you direct access to ActiveRain's Facebook page and to our "live" Twitter stream.  No need to even leave the toolbar to see our latest tweets, but to become a friend or fan on Facebook, you will need to click the Facebook Icon. 

This covers most uses for the AR Help Toolbar.  It is completely customizable for each user.  You can remove/hide any of the above predefined components that you don't need or aren't using by selecting the "toolbar options" in the main menu and checking the box next to those items you'd like hidden.  If space on your browser is an issue, there's a "shrink toolbar" option that will minimize the space used.  I hope you'll find it to be a useful addition to your browser tools and an efficient source for interaction and help on ActiveRain.

Select your browser below and install the ActiveRain Help Toolbar.