A Happy New Year – Make That Your Priority and Resolution

To all my friends and family here at ActiveRain,

One of the things that really makes each year so special is that I am so blessed to have some of the best relationships and get to be associated with some of the best people on the planet earth… YOU!

As 2010 comes to a close, I want to personally take a moment to say “thank you” for your business and your valued friendships.  I will never take them for granted.  It’s very rewarding and comforting to reflect on the continued trust and support you have placed in myself and my companies.

There’s so much to be grateful for this year. Highest on my list is YOU, my family, my customers and friends.

I trust that 2011 will bring you all great joy and happiness, health and wealth, and most of all, the thing that should mean the most to you… closer to your family and dearest friends.  There’s nothing on earth we get to take with us when it’s all said and done, but our relationships will live on in our hearts and spirits forever.

May you continue to be inspired, motivated, and focused on the goal to reach for and… “Achieve Your Dreams.”

Thank you, and I wish you all a very safe, prosperous, and wonderful year in 2011.

Interactive Youtube Video – Technology That Makes You Play & Think

This is one of the first interactive videos on Youtube, so what’s next?

Here’s an interactive video on Youtube that allows the viewer to play the piano and control the guitar player.  My first thought was, “How did they do this?” My second thought was, “What song shall I play?”  But my third thought was, “How can this cool video technology be used in our business, or any business for that matter?”  This may seem a bit far-fetched but if someone can assign the keys on your computer keyboard to do specific functions in their video, imagine the possibilities of how this might work for Real Estate in the future?

Here’s another cool video that let’s you interact and play.

So there’s 26 Letters and 10 numbers creating 36 potential keyboard video marketing opportunities?

What if the keystroke “V” offered a virtual video tour of the home, maybe “A” could give an aerial view of the neighborhood, or “S” search all the homes available in the neighborhood?  I can see how allowing folks to interact with your videos could become a huge marketing/advertising opportunity and still be fun at the same time.

In the meantime, if you’re one of the skeptics out there who thinks this will never happen, hold everything.  Creating an interactive Youtube channel that allows viewers to do more than just watch your videos is already here, you better fasten your seat-belt.  Take a look what one Bay Area Real Estate office is already doing with their Youtube Channel.  Make sure you check out the tabs and the interactive options available.

Finding ways to use technology to better serve your business (and your customers needs) is one of my favorite ways to contribute to this network.  If you’re looking for ways to stay ahead of competitors, use technology to increase your online potential, and trying to find ways and tools to help improve your business in 2011, then stay tuned…

I’ll be back next year to continue my journey sharing my explorations and findings with you here in the rain.

Enjoy, have a safe and Happy Holiday season~

WEEKend FUNfact – He Was The First One To….

Post a video up on Youtube!  It’s true, this weekend’s fun fact is brought to you by my son Brandon, it’s the very first video ever posted on Youtube.  What I found even more interesting is that Brandon went back to the very first comments to see what they said….

@Zyrexoid – you should have bought stock!

This got me to thinking…  Do you know who posted the first blog post on ActiveRain, or who had the very first listing on Zillow?  What lucky person was the first to add a photo to Flickr, or even better yet, who was the first member on Facebook?  Who sent out the first tweet or created the first LinkedIn profile?

If you really want to have some fun in the rain, go to any blogger on AR and read their very first blog post, it’s fun to see where folks have come from and how much they have grown.  Start with Jon Washburn, Bob Stewart, Kerrie Greenhalgh, and Doug Ching.  Then go to your favorite blogs and those you subscribe to here on AR and leave them a comment on their very first blog post.  Bring those posts back to life… (haha) 

Have some fun, you deserve it.  I bet many of you can’t remember the “title” of your first post on ActiveRain?!? 

Have a FUN and GREAT weekend!  🙂

Yahoo! Video Going Bye-Bye, Hello Flickr Video

If you’re into video like me and you’ve posted or hosted videos on Yahoo! Video, you might want to read the following message.  This was sent to me earlier since I have content on their site, I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up.  If you know anyone esle who might have videos up on Yahoo, it’s not too late to get them this message.  They have until 3/14/2011.  If folks don’t know about this, they’ll lose their videos.

“Dear Yahoo! Video user,

After careful consideration, we will be removing all general user-generated content upload capability and user-uploaded video from Yahoo! Video. As a result, your videos, user profiles, ratings, favorites, and playlists will no longer be available after March 14, 2011. User video content from Yahoo! Video that remains embedded on third party sites will no longer be playable after March 14, 2011.

Available on your profile page is a software utility that will allow you to download the videos you have uploaded to Yahoo! Video to your computer through March 14, 2011. You can find your profile by clicking on the ‘My Video’ tab or going to http://video.yahoo.com/mypage

Once you download your videos, you may choose to upload them to another site such as Flickr, which now allows video uploads. You can find out more here: http://www.flickr.com/explore/video.

Thanks for your understanding and thanks for being a part of Yahoo! Video.
If you have any questions about this change, please visit our FAQ section, or contact Customer Care.”

The Yahoo! Video Team

Getting the word out and helping others is what the Internet, Blogging, and Social Media is all about.  I’d feel guilty if I didn’t post this on my AR Blog and especially if some of you lost your videos.  So you can either go on over to yahoo video right now, save your stuff, or you can go on about your day. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading.  Happy Holidays~

Have You Asked For Your Endorsements Yet?

We recently launched our new agent reviews and endorsements feature on Zillow and many agents have come out of the gate fast and hard. Thousands of agents have already requested reviews from past and current clients. The result? Many  Hundreds of agents are getting 5-star ratings tacked onto their profiles.

Compare these two profiles on Zillow:

a. An agent with no reviews…

b. An agent with glowing reviews…

Get started now. Build your business and promote yourself in front of millions of home buyers and sellers on Zillow who use reviews and endorsements to find the brightest and best agents out there – YOU!  If you’re not yet convinced about the power of online reviews, you can get more info by visiting our Agent Reviews FAQ page. 

Bottom line?  You give great service but are too humble to brag about it, so let others do it for you!!

> Start requesting your reviews <

It's Not About Your Company – It's ALL About Your People

We just returned home from Seattle, WA where my wife and I spent 3 days and two nights at the Hotel 1000, a spectacular retro/modern hotel and spa located downtown.  We were invited to attend the Zillow Company Holiday party and I was fortunate to also attend my first Z-talk (a company meeting) which is like a state-of-the-division conference.  Man, what a diverse and intelligent group of people. 

There were folks from Seattle, Iowa, Idaho, Chicago, SF and NY…. it was awesome!

I really had no idea how many people worked behind the scenes for Zillow until this past week. WOW!

  

Can you spot my green seat?  lol~  What an honor it was to be included at the Z-talk.  I’ve never seen or been surrounded by a more passionate and inspirational group of people who make up the Zillow culture and team.  It’s truly a privilege to be part of this great company.  Or as Spencer would say, “a Zillowite!”  My wife is still calling me BradZilla  (thanks alot TLW)  🙂

Any company can create a business model, offer decent services and products, and just show up for work everyday, but what really turns a good company into a GREAT company?  I believe that is determined and defined by what differentiates their people, their focus, and their shared passion for their clients, potential customers, and their own success.  Always seeking to do more and to do it better.  I’m proud that Zillow sets very high standards in all arenas.

Being the new kids on the block, we were wondering what it would be like attending our first company Holiday party and social gathering?  You know, a shy and quiet kinda guy like me (yeah right) surrounded by great tech gurus and experts?  Rubbing elbows with many of those whom have made this company a technology and industry leader? 

Seriously, my wife and I were treated just like family.  It was like we had always been there.

Everyone made us feel so warm and welcomed, never once did we feel out of place or in bad company.

Our take away?  No matter what you may think of any company or business out there, remember that those companies are made up of people. Real people just like you and I.  They have families, are committed to their jobs, and are loyal to their leadership.  These are just some of the people that made our stay and visit to Seattle one of the best times ever. 

   

   

   

   

   

more photos available on flickr photostream

My wife and I want to thank the entire Zillow family for their warm and sincere welcome, their generosity and hospitality, and most of all, for making us feel like we belong.  These are some of the nicest and funnest people, we’re proud to be associated with such a fine group.

 

We’ll always extend that same warmth and hospitality to all our fellow colleagues, and our new found friends.

~ Happy Holidays ~

1001 Free Twitter Apps and Services

I think the title says it all, so there’s no need for any intro to this post.

There’s more here than you’ll ever need or use, but you’ll have fun reviewing and checking some of these out. There’s some pretty cool stuff that I know some of you have never seen, you’ll like, and most likely use. Enjoy~

If It Isn’t Here, It Probably Doesn’t Exist!

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Having access to the top 10 of “anything” is great information to know and have. Stumbling across the top 100 of something is evidence that someone spent a great deal of time and effort to provide some valuable research and information. However, 1001 free Twitter apps and services might be the only post you’ll ever need for Twitter.

Google's New In-Page Analytics – How Do You Use Stats?

Google Analytics – New In-Page Analysis and Advanced Segments

These are some of the most powerful tools on the web when it comes to analyzing your blogs and sites. Monitoring the traffic and visitors your content attracts is very useful.  You’ve created some great Blogs and webpages, added some of the coolest links and tools known to man (in your opinion…lol~) but what items and things are people really searching for, then clicking on when they find them? 

How are your visitors using your blog or site?  Which products are they clicking on?  Which options are they really using?  How are they finding you and then navigating around the page or pages?  C’mon, wouldn’t everyone want to know? Of course they would. I just took a look at one of my sites to see what In-page analytics would look like?  I have to admit that it’s much easier to get an overall overview with this new feature.

Charts and graphs can be difficult at times to digest, maybe more folks will use these tools now.

The new Google In-page analytics makes it much easier to review than the existing graphs and charts.  We may think that the hyper-links and anchor text in our blogs and websites are the greatest and coolest, or that they are placed properly on the page or layout, but what if there were a way to improve your clicks, views, and increase your business by analyzing your stats and traffic? That’s exactly why I wanted to share this with you.

Google analytics has been around for quite some time and the Analytic team at Google must keep improving this tool if they want to stay around too. One thing I think many of us forget is that just because a product or tool exists and we’ve been using it for some time, there are usually research and development teams in the background continually trying to improve and make these tools and products better.

Creating great sites, blogs and content is only part of the challenge with today’s on-line marketing and advertising. Understanding what your targeted audience is looking for, finding, and then utilizing is an even more challenging task. Tools like Google Analytics make it so much easier to keep refining your content and adjusting things to get the maximum amount of traffic, and continue to provide the best value from your site.  

“Here’s another great tool and Google feature that may help you “analyze” your way to on-line success.”

 

Zillow’s New Agent Rating and Endorsement Tool

Zillow’s New Agent Rating and Endorsement Tool

Today, Zillow launched the ability for consumers to review real estate agents they’ve worked with in the past. Millions of home shoppers visit Zillow every month, and many of them have not yet found a real estate agent to help them buy or sell their home. 

Access to reviews and endorsements of local agents can be an incredibly useful tool for consumers.

Reviews and endorsements by past clients are a powerful tool to grow business – they’re the next best thing to a referral. Great agents will flourish with this addition.  With this launch, agents can solicit reviews from past or current clients, directly from their profile page on Zillow.

Zillow launched the first ever public feedback system for lenders with the launch of Zillow Mortgage Marketplace in April 2008.  On Zillow Mortgage Marketplace there are 6,500 ratings and reviews for lenders, and reviews have dramatically increased their customer contacts. Lenders with good reviews (4-5 stars) do even better – getting twice the contacts of those with lower ratings.

More than 12.5 million people visit Zillow each month.  Two-thirds of Zillow visitors are buying or selling now, or in the near future. 87% of consumers would recommend or use their agent again in the future, according to NAR’s 2010 survey of buyers/sellers.

Here’s a post by Sara Bonert with some additional information.  You can get the jump on the new rating and reviews feature by going directly to http://www.zillow.com/reviews/request  since you’re most likely very excited and motivated to get started and solicit some reviews immediately.  I’ll also be hosting a training class over at ZillowAcademy.com with some additional Q&A soon. I hope you’ll check the calendar and make some time in your schedule to join us.

Zillow’s goal has always been to help people make smarter real estate decisions by providing access to as much information as possible – be it home listings, home value information, comparable home sales or tools to find the best agent or mortgage lender.  This launch is another step in this direction of consumer empowerment.  It’s also a great way to help the agents business by making their customers endorsements available.

Related Articles and posts:
Agent Reviews and Ratings FAQ  
Review Guidelines    
A Free On-line Agent Endorsement System