Real Estate Social Media Blog

Many of you have probably seen the old mac mini.  It's a 6"x6"x2" computer that sports a 2.26 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and ran on 13w of power.  For under $599.  That was the old Mac Mini.  You may have recognized in on the desks of your fellow professionals, in design marketing offices, and currently run the majority of ActiveRain's Computer force.  

True Story

My mom currently has a PC that is 4 years old and is slower than dirt.  She has several programs that are PC only, so I explained that Mac has a program called Boot Camp that will allow you to run Windows XP or Vista, and run all of her PC programs for her business.  I have encouraged her to purchase a Mac because of their history of reliability, ease of maintenance, and value.  So we went to Best Buy to shop for a new computer (I of course was encouraging her to buy a Mac) and we came across the old Mac Mini.  The Best Buy sales rep said that we can't get a copy of a Mac Mini because their stock has depleted.  You can't find it anywhere.  He then said Apple only does this when it's about to unveil a new version of a product.  Apparently Apple has gotten so good at keeping things hush hush that even their own sales reps in major electronics stores across the country were in the dark on the release date of the new mini.  I come into work this morning to see my co-worker looking on a blog site at what appears to be a Mac Mini.  STOP THE PRESSES! 

APPARENTLY...

Today, June 15th 2010 Apple released the new and vastly improved Mac Mini!  Available for ordering TODAY is this new powerhouse computer, that starts at only $699.  I believe the main reason the majority of the U.S. public has not switched to a Apple computer is because of the price.  The Mac Mini is their answer to such a need, being incredibly energy efficient, and being affordable, this tiny little Tsunami in a box is exactly what a new college student, or business owner needs to power their career.   

In addition to all the specs below, the thing that impresses me most is Apple's ability to run this tiny monster on 10w of power.  If you are looking for a powerful computer solution that reduces carbon footprint, this is it. 

The Operating System Myth: My MLS Software won't run on Mac!

Mac has a program called Boot Camp, which allows you to install and run Windows on your new Mac OSX Snow Leopard.  All of those PC programs you've spent $1,000's of dollars on, can easily be installed and run on your new Mac, with the Boot Camp program.  The excuse to NOT own a Mac is over people.  

The Specs:

"Yah yah, it's all well and good, but what's this little stick of dynamite sporting under the hood?"  Some of the major improvements over the old mac mini are the memory capacity, size change, and built in power supply.  The new mini can support up to 8GB or DDR3 ram, running on a 2.66 Intel Core 2 Duo processor.  The graphics have received a shot of adrenaline with the NVIDIA GeForce 320M, which uses 256MB of DDR3 ram shared on the system.  Because of this massive graphics upgrade, you can run virtually any HDTV through it's new HDMI out, and the mini DisplayPort and run graphics with resolution up to 2560 x 1600, larger than most monitor resolutions.  You can also run the displays in dual mode, so you can have multiple displays running at the same time, with perfectly crisp clear images and no lag.  

For those of you that don't speak Geek, what all that means is that it is fast, VERY FAST, has a incredible picture, And is easy to maintain, and will not slow down over time.

Size:

• The size of the new Mac Mini is smaller than its predecessor, only 1.4" H x 7.7"W x 7.7"W and only weighs 3.0 pounds.

Processor and Memory:

• 2.4 Ghz or 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
• 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache
• 1066MHz frontside bus
• 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMM's) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; Supports up to 8GB

Peripheral Connections:

• One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
• Four USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
• SD card slot

I frankly can't find any excuse not to go out and buy this little machine.  With it's vastly improved memory options, faster Processor, smaller sleeker design, energy efficiency, and Apple software for running PC programs, all for around $699, I can't find any reason for me not to own such an amazing machine.  Apple truly steps it up in every way with every product release.  Who knows, maybe someday we'll all be using something created by Apple.  I know I will!

The Google Wonder Wheel Keyword Research Tool

...is a keyword research utility that was created by Google Labs and allows users to discover keyword searches that are popular and built around certain specific keyword terms.

Google's wonder wheel could be a great tool for helping writers to find new topics. The wheel can also help you dominate specific keywords and phrases in the search engines because it helps you write about the things that are the most searched for on the web using the most popular keywords or terms.

Here's How It Works:

Create your search in the Google Search Engine, then click on the "Google Search" button:

The results displayed will include sponsored and organic links:

To Access "Google's Wonder Wheel" Click on the "+Show options" Link at the top of page:

Scroll down the left hand side of the page untill you come to the "Standard View" options and click on the link for "Google's Wonder Wheel"  Wait for just a moment and the Wonder Wheel will appear on the page.  The links coming off the Wonder Wheel are popular and similair keywords, terms, and phrases that you can now use as "Titles" and "Topics" to write or Blog about.

Each time you click on one of the spokes "Terms or Phrases" a new Wonder Wheel will load on the screen displaying even more "keywords" and popular "search terms" These can be used for creating great content and getting you closer to dominating your Blog with those specific keywords or phrases.  Go deeper and further into the possible options and opportunities to make your Blog's content the most likely to be searched and found.

This is like having a road map or blue print for your Blog.  If you use Google's Wonder Wheel for a variety of search terms and keywords that you want to be found with, this should save you time and headaches "Wondering" what those "Words" and "Phrases" are.  There's always going to be great tools out there, and promises to help get you the best SEO results, but in my opinion, this is one of the best and most powerful I have seen yet.  Thanks to Google and Google Labs for making the "Wonder Wheel" available, and for hiding it so well, it gave me a reason to write this post.

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 Age of Social Media

The Age of Social Media has changed the way we think, how we communicate, and how we function.  Now instead of Emailing, we Text.  And instead of texting, we tweet, so that a large audience can be reached in just seconds.  Imagine if a highly acclaimed restaruant reviewer who had a HUGE following on twitter (say most people in the area who eat food) went to your business, ate your food, and because the food was bad and service wasn't great tweeted about it, and within 10 seconds the 20,000 people who got the message were told to pass over your restaurant?  That could shut your business down!  As a business, we thrive on sales, on business, and on a positive reputation. 

Because of the Age of Social Media, we are reverting back to the doing business the old fashioned way, by word of mouth referrals and suggestions.  Back in the 1800's you went to a store because someone said it was a great place to shop, get a hair cut, or buy that fancy new automobile.  The price was right, the service was excellent, and the product was fantastic.  Because of Socal Media, blogging, twitter, and messaging to your sphere of influence can have a drastically postitive or negative effect on whatever you choose to write about, endorse your name on, or slander.

The way agents and professionals are taking advantage of ActiveRain is through blogging.  Your blogging is an extension of your knowledge and experience as as real estate professional.  Without a voice on the internet, you are just another person in the sea of possibilities for potential customers.  Blogging gives you that voice, and if written properly, can let your voice be heard in the search engines like google, yahoo, and bing, and let you stand out, increasing your visiblity and increasing your business.  Your able to do this as a Rainmaker on ActiveRain.  If you're not a Rainmaker, we offer training and a trial here at ActiveRain so you can learn how to blog, and appear on the first page of google organically through your blog content!

At our recent raincamp, we showed this video for all our guests, depicting how the Age of Social Media has changed the way our world functions.  It certainly has changed the real estate industry!  This video will open up your eyes to how powerful social media has become.  And the fact that you're part of ActiveRain, means that you're in step with this.  Watch this and enjoy!

Hey all,

I know that alot of you have had some trouble with creating or using your own custom banners for your header image in your outside blog or ActiveRain blogs.  I just want you to know that have no fear, I have found a free site that makes creating your own banners a BREEZE!  

www.bannerfans.com is a completely free website that allows you to customize your size, text, images, and download your own custom banner for your blog or website!  

Here is a little walkthrough for those of you who are interested in how it works:

Here is there home page.  You'll start out with a generic template, seen in blue.  As you make changes to your banner, (size, image, font, etc...) you'll see them in that box.

First Select your size.  Under the layouts tab, you can enter a custom size, (for activerain blogs, it's 960 x 134) or select a standard preset.

Next, choose your banner color or upload a custom image!  As you can see, I selected upload my own image, had it stretched to fit the custom dimension I selected, and it shows you what it will look like in the preview box.

Next, click on the text and fonts tab, and input your custom text and font.  After making these changes, click Update my banner, and it will update the preview above to reflect your changes.  Notice that you can just grab and drag the text anywhere on your image to place it where you want it!  I moved mine to the right.  You can also change the size of your fonts.

Check out all the cool fonts they have for you to choose from!

When you are finished, click download to download to your computer in one of three formats:  .Gif, .Jpeg, or .Png.   Change your format under the format tab.  Click get Code to get the html code to insert into your social media page, or other website!

The end result is a beautiful Custom Banner that you made! 

So if you don't have a awesome looking banner for your activerain blog, or want to make a better one, check out the site www.bannerfans.com