Thursday, December 27, 2007

iPod Touch - Too Cool

WOW! Has it been a long time since I posted or what?

I got an iPod Touch from Dana this year, and it is the coolest iPod ever. I'm in the process of getting all of my information from my Palm Pilot moved over to it. The Safari web browser is incredible.

I'm sure I'll be posting more about this in the near future.

Have a safe and happy New Years!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

First Snow Of The Year

I knew we were supposed to get some snow, but how great is this? Kyle had the day off, the dogs were happy to have company all day playing with them, and we are able to get in and out of the driveway without having to shovel too much. Now this is how winter is supposed to feel. I even had a nice hot meal waiting for Dana when she got home from work. Hey, I love to cook anyway.

I spent part of the day today watching "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America. I love that show! What a motivator. It's amazing that when people actually listen to him the progress the make in turning their failing businesses around. Too bad he's not a licensed Real Estate Broker, that would be a show worth seeing (Donkey! Your business is in the shit, get out there and knock on some doors and don't come back until you have a listing appointment or buyer!).

RealtorTech is still up and running with no reported issues. New invites for additional users will be going out later this week (yes, folks at Exit Realty Central will be in this round as well as a few loan officers and title agents).

If I've never told you before, my wife is quite a good singer. I can't carry a tune to save my life, but Dana has a great voice. Her home office is about 15 feet from mine, and she's singing along with iTunes as I type this. It is such a joy to hear her and know she has her mind off of things long enough to get caught up in music like that. I'm so glad I bought her an iPod last year for Christmas! She has talent. When I'm motivated to play my guitar, I usually turn it up too loud and hear Dana and Kyle shout "Turn that damn thing down". Oh, to be a frustrated amateur musician! At least the dogs enjoy my talent.

Monday, December 03, 2007

RealtorTech Is Alive & Well!

My social networking site for real estate professionals, RealtorTech, is up and running with no reported issues. I have 2 users added with several other invites out there waiting for a response. But so far, so good. (click to enlarge screen shot)

As I sit here listening to Frank Sin
atra on my iPod and checking the site I can't help but wonder if I build this site, will they come? I know ours is an extremely competitive industry. I talked with a friend today at my former brokerage about the current and future markets, and that in the very near future, technology is going to have a MAJOR impact on this business no matter what your past successes have been. One major area is going to be print advertising. It's slowly on it's way out.

So, will my site be a stepping stone to the future, or another site that is ahead of its time and dies a slow death because of lack of understanding? I'm not sure, but it's sure going to be exciting to find out! As Frank would say, "I did it my way".

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Beta Testing My Own Social Networking Site

It's Sunday once again, and it's cold and crappy outside. Perfect weather to get some coding done and try some new technologies.

I've started my own social networking site for Realtors called RealtorTech and over the next few weeks I will be inviting several local Realtors to help me put it through it's paces, find bugs, and make improvements. I've been on Active Rain for some time, but the problem with it is that it's not local. I've made some friends and gotten some ideas, but I like the idea of a local site where people can share ideas, thoughts, and have meet-ups in person. No one was doing that here that I could find, so I did it myself.

If you are a real estate professional or someone involved in real estate transactions and would like to help me beta test the system, I will send you an invitation to join my network.

It's fun, it's free, and it's a chance to learn about technology without being a geek. Also a great way to promote your properties to other active, local agents!