The ActiveRain Stuff You Won't Find Anywhere Else on the Web

Inman News Innovator of the Year Award

Having just returned from the Inman News Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco, CA. my first instinct was to create a long post sharing all the great information and awesome take-aways I came away with this year, but then after some thought, I decided to share this with you instead, at least for now.  All the great tech stuff coming later...

On July 28th, 2011 at the Hilton Union Square Grand Ballroom, Brad Inman Founder of Inman News, Tim Smith CEO of Inman, and Chris Smith, the newly appointed Chief Evangelist for Inman announced the 2011 Innovator of the Year Award Winner.  Up until the morning of the announcement, I had no idea who the winner was going to be, but I had heard some names mentioned and was encouraged to not miss this presentation.

It was a very exciting moment to say the least, and to capture it on video was an honor.  It's the only video footage I have from the entire 3 day event.  My hat's off to the winners, and my heart and congratulations goes out to ALL the nominees from every category. There truly are no losers, everyone nominated is a winner in my opinion.

The Inman team must have a very difficult time trying to select winners beyond the "People's Choice" awards.  Shout-outs and Kudos to their entire team and staff for a fine job well done!  Thanks, and congrats to Inman on celebrating 15 years of Real Estate Connect Success.

Now, please take a moment to join me in congratulating the 2011 Inman News "Innovator of the Year" for winning a very prestigious and coveted award....drum roll please...the winner is....

Tag Galaxy is a site that lets you enter any "Tag" or "Keywords" or phrases then brings back all the related photos found that may match your search results.  At first, I didn't think much of it until I started selectively picking specific keywords and tags that brought back some really interesting and fun results.

The final search image results will always be unique but have no custom URL or embed code, so it seemed a little senseless to even post about this other than it is a pretty cool site.  However, one idea and way to use this would be to capture photos of friends, family, neighborhoods, communities, or even cities and then share them using a screen capture tool and creating a link to your desired landing page. 

Here's the results I got back when using the tag: ActiveRain

If you're like me, the next question you might be asking yourself is, "Am I in that collage somewhere?" Haha~ Click on it, type in ActiveRain as your tag search then wander around the globe and take a peek for yourself?  You'll at least have fun looking and there might even be a few surprises.

You can zoom in, zoom out, roll and turn the globe, open the photos and read the descriptions and more.  I put together this quick little video sample showing what it would look like if you search your city using tag or keywords.  I used San Francisco in this sample.  Check it out, you may find other creative ways to use the tag galaxy for your photo capturing experience.  Enjoy!

Nobody cares about your local Real estate market like you do! Lets also not forget about the others who own, rent, buy, sell, borrow, work, play, eat, sleep, and are considering living there too?  When a home becomes available for sale on your street in YourCity, YS. aren't you often more interested in the sales price than you are actually buying your neighbors house? Maybe, maybe not? 

Providing local real estate information in your area is a great addition to the variety of content your blog or website should deliver.  According to the views below, there's many that like viewing market reports.

Making Real Estate Market information available to your hyper-local readers and visitors is very valuable.

Have you considered using some of these market-share stats, graphs and reports on your newsletters, email campaigns, and blog posts etc?  Here's some great information and tools you can use to add to your content that may generate you more traffic, local consumer interest, and hopefully some additional business as the local expert.

Here's just a few links using San Francisco as an example:  It's all free for you to use.

• Property Data Listings, Rentals, Open Houses etc. - http://www.zillow.com/homes/san-francisco,-ca_rb

• San Francisco Overview - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco/r_20330

• Home Prices and Values - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-home-value/r_20330

• San Francisco Demographics - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-people/r_20330
  

• San Francisco Photos and Images - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-photos/r_20330

• Schools in San Francisco - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-schools/r_20330

• Homes in San Francisco - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-homes/r_20330

• Get Real Estate Market Reports - http://www.zillow.com/local-info

Here's an example of a market graph you can embed into your site that updates on its own.

US Median Sale Price vs Areas of Your Choice

Explore other Area Home Values - FREE Interactive chart

Check out some of the graphs, charts, data, and information you can easily find and use to provide additional value to your site and visitors.  Most are download-able and easy to share via your favorite social media sites too.  There are also many different widgets and webtools available that will make it easy to get and give "live" real-time information and updates you can publish on your site or blog. The SFBayAreaBlog is an example I setup you can demo.

Just wanted to share this with you in case you're in search of more clients in 2011. Enjoy~

  Photo Credit - Courtesy of wmchu

Google Chrome Evolves - A Computer Operating System ...and it makes a whole lotta sense!!

It's been an adventure watching Internet Browsers evolve into what they are today. I started with Internet Explorer, then realized that Mozilla Firefox was much faster and more forgiving, now I am seriously checking out Google Chrome.  I will still use the others, but just like this video explains, the world, and the computers in it are changing rapidly. 

Can a browser really make a difference in the time it saves you or the frustration it can create?  What about your computer operating system? Google felt strongly enough that yes, it can, so much so, that they have created and are now introducing an entire new operating system for computers.  This video was released on November 18th, 2009 and makes some very interesting points about how we use the Internet today and why they've jumped into this arena.

Once you've watched it, you'll most likely agree that Google is really honing in on "What The Internet Consumer" needs, and how they can deliver the tools and products to make life on the Internet simpler, faster and more efficient.  Now they're going to try and do the same with your computer operating system.  The Google Browser and Operating System may very well be the dominating tools of the Internet and PC's in the very near future.  I'm just sayin....

For the MAC users like myself, Google Chrome is still in development, and the operating system will probably not be a replacement for the MAC OS anytime soon. My MAC is already "screamin" fast!

RainCamp is Coming To San Francisco

The ActiveRain RainCamp Tour is Official!  Our first ever RainCamp in Seattle was sold out in just two weeks.  Now there's a demand by many of our members and non members to bring RainCamp to cities all across the Country.  As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking for our staff and team. There are so many details that go into setting up this event, but our members and guests are not only worth it, they deserve it.

The "Rainergy" and "Buzz" that comes from a RainCamp is like no other event I've ever experienced.  You have to witness it for yourself to understand and grasp the full value and impact it will have on you, your Business, your relationships in your community, and the industry.  Here's what a few of the folks from RainCamp Seattle had to say:

RainCamp is coming to San Francisco on December 2nd, 2009 for a full day packed with great content, presentations, and some of the most useful and applicable ideas and processes that you can implement immediately into your Social Media, Networking, and Blogging Business Strategy and Plan. The Location and Venue we've selected is once again a "Top Notch" off the hook spot.

MarketLeader will be our official Platinum Sponsor for the next 6 RainCamps on the tour schedule.

WHAT IS RAINCAMP™

How is RainCamp different from other Conferences?

• Assess how you stack up in the modern market.
• Listen to people that are practicing what they preach, and having outstanding success doing it.
• Learn the methodology of a newer agent who has leveraged the Internet to become a 'Mega Producer'.
• Walk away with executables you can put into action immediately.
• Hard core real estate technology education. This is not a fluff event!!

What Do You Get?

Date: December 2nd, 2009

Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
(registration 8:00am)

Location: Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF
1675 Owens Street, Suite 251, San Francisco 94143
GOOGLE MAP |  Yahoo Map | Mapquest Map | Microsoft Map

Facility: Wireless Internet Access and Power Available

 RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

There will be approximately 140 seats setup classroom style (with tables) reserved for attendees with laptops.  It is all open seating so those seats are first come first serve the day of event.  We are limited to only 500 seats max capacity, so register right away. There will be On-site paid parking available, street parking and/or complimentary shuttles from the BART and Caltrain stations.  If you're wanting overnight accommodations, here's the Unique Venues Site.

Platinum RainCamp™ Sponsor: Market Leader

Tomorrow's Real Estate Technology Today

One of my favorite things to do at Inman Connect is to see all the new Real Estate Technology that's being introduced to the industry.  While I was wondering around the EXPO checking out the vendor booths and different products, I came across one vendor that really got me excited.  They are called Infusion.com providing Location Intelligence Services.  I was fortunate to have a meeting with Kayla Spiess, their Marketing and Communications Manager, and Tyler Davey the General Manager.  When I saw the demo I'm about to share with you, I was blown away. 

Real Estate Technology is something we know is always changing.  We are constantly trying to adapt to the changes.  Most often I find myself struggling just to keep up with it all.  Last week I wrote a post about Google Maps and Google Earth regarding the missing link to click on the front door of a property and to go inside, or the lack thereof.  Infusion is already ahead of the curve.   Using Microsoft Surface technology, they have taken this idea and incorporated INFUSED ways to use it into today's Real Estate Market and Industry.

Here's a Video Preview of Infusions Falcon Eye Application

The Surface Touch Table you see in this video costs around $12,000 dollars and though you might not find one of these in the entry way of your local Real Estate office or Brokerage, this product is available for certain computers meeting specific Hardware and Software requirements.  The future of Real Estate Technology may at some point include the requirement to purchase one of the coffee table type touch screens for your Real Estate Office.

Don't laugh, they said the fax machine would never make it as a modern day Business tool either.

Connecting socially in the On-line World is great, and important, especially for networking, building relationships and business, but connecting in person after that cyber handshake is what makes it even more exciting and awesome than you can imagine.  These are extraordinary times.  Inman.com calls their annual event "Inman Real Estate Connect" and it's pretty clear as to why.

"Visitors to Real Estate Connect enjoy 3 jam-packed days full of the industry's best networking opportunities and the very latest business intelligence that will help you rethink, re-frame and recharge your business."  Inman.com

The AR community has been a big supporter of "Connects" all the way from San Francisco to New York, and we're doing it again this year.  The good folks over at INMAN have extended an "Early RAIN" special discount to ALL ActiveRain members in hopes you'll join us there this year.  Jon, Bob, Jeff and I will be there, and we're excited to see old friends and finally get to meet many of you.

Here's some of what's been planned for REC "09"

• Bloggers Connect - Familiar names and friendly faces will be speaking like Jeff Turner, Daniel Rothamel, Dustin Luther, Jim Cronin, Reggie and Nicole Nicolay and others.  A one-day workshop that is worth the time and investment it takes to get there.
• ConnectTECH - Look at these topics and speakers they have which include Matt Lerner - CTO at Walkscore, Gregory Cosmo Haun - Chief Programmer at ForeclosureRadar,  Zach Scott - COO at Point2 Technologies.  Grab your notepad!  :-O
  
• Internet Marketing Summit - The great debate with Sean Black - VP of Sales at Trulia, Alex Chang - CEO at Roost.com, and Tom Tognoli - Founder, COO, and VP of Intero Saratoga.  Here's your monies worth.
  
• Top Experts and Speakers - Warning: the list is LONG!  In addition, rumor has it that our own Jonathan Washburn and Jeff Corbett will also be speaking this year.  Even if this is just a rumor, the AR Gatherings are not. (more on that coming soon...) 
  
• Start up Alley - What's the future of real estate technology? Start-Up Alley, the newest addition debuting at Inman Connect.
  
• 2009 Innovator Awards - See who's The Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise, Most Innovative New Technology, Most Innovative Web Service, Most Innovative Blog, Most Innovative Media Site?  These awards started back in 1997.  Previous winners included ActiveRain, Roost, Estately, AgentGenius, Frontdoor, vFlyer, Altos Research, Google Earth, Curbed.com and many more.
  
• Social Networking - This is happening before, during and after the event on sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter etc.
• Sponsors and Exhibitors - Stroll the isles and see the latest and greatest products, tools, and services for your business from some of the greatest vendors and minds in the Real estate Industry.  This is one of my favorites.
• The ActiveRain Gathering - To Be Announced!
  

Inman Videos From Past Conferences

Looking back at years past, I have never regretted attending one of these events.  They just get bigger and better every year.  If you have never attended an Inman Connect, it's difficult to put into words the value and benefit they bring to your business, and if you have attended in the past, then you know exactly what I mean.  Come meet many of the ActiveRain members you may already know on-line, and also come away with a good understanding of what is needed to survive the future of the Real Estate Industry.

My trip down "Memory Lane" from previous connects:

VIDEO:
Video from Inman Connect 2007

ActiveRain Member Interviews from Inman Connect 2008

PHOTOS:
Inman Connect San Francisco 2008

Inman Connect - New York City 2009

We hope you'll join us August 5th -7th for another exciting "connect" and "gathering" and just FYI, ActiveRain Gatherings in the City By The Bay are the absolute best!  So go get that member discount, and come join us for a time you'll never forget.  We'll see you in San Francisco. :-)

Click Here for ActiveRain Partner Pricing
Deadline to register at this discounted price is June 19, 2009