I am proud to say that I attended the very first REbarcamp, which was a real estate industry specific technology “unconference”.  Basically, the idea behind barcamp is that the conferees get together and create an agenda and then host the sessions.  It is an amazing peer-to-peer discussion.

Ken Cook, of Social Media Edge on BlogTalkRadio, had the vision to build a barcamp experience optimized for small business owners.  Many small businesses have found that ‘New Media’ has presented a very cool opportunity to promote… without spending loads of money.  In fact, many smaller businesses have found that they can not just compete, but defeat larger rivals by effectively leveraging ‘New Media’ like FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube.

Friday, September 17th, The first Small Biz BarCamp Atlanta will take flight.  There are limited tickets available for only $10, and the event is being held at the Five Star World Conference Center – Towers at Wildwood in Marietta, near Windy Hill and Power’s Ferry.  Follow the link for tickets…

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• Small Business BarCamp Atlanta (lanebailey.com)
• reBarCamp – Atlanta? (lanebailey.info)

Right now there is a small core group looking at the feasibility of a real estate bar camp in the Atlanta area.  If we can put it together, the event will be held this fall… September or October is the likely time frame.

Here are a couple of posts on Active Rain with more info about #rebcATL (that is the ‘official’ Twitter hashtag for the event).

• Should Atlanta have a reBarCamp?

• A little more about an Atlanta rebarcamp

On the second link there is a webform asking about what you might want for a rebc.  We’d love to get your feedback in order to make a better experience for everyone.  It also give you the opportunity to volunteer…  There will be lots of opportunities for volunteers from now until the event concludes… and then I’m sure planning will need to begin for the 2011 #rebcATL.

We are also putting together a FaceBook Official Page for #rebcATL.

REtechSouth

After every conference and seminar, there comes the real challenge… implementing all of the VERY cool things I’ve learned, while living in the real world. Setting up client searches, responding to inquiries, dealing with the family, making sure everything that should be on track is on track… they all get in the way of rolling out 3782 changes to my websites and social networks.

I have found that I need to take a little time… and then I need to dive in. Diving in comes next. I have pages of notes, some vendor material and a list of websites and ideas. I have mind-mapping software on my computer… and it needs to get used.

For the last few weeks, I have been unhappy with much of my web presence. I have a great IDX, but I am not getting the most out of it. I have good Page Rank, but I don’t have the level of conversion I feel I should have. My traffic is decent.

And I focused on the sessions at REtechSouth that I thought would help me fix that…

Plenty of sessions to focus on, too…

If you weren’t at REtechSouth, you should have been.

In addition to the incredible information that was presented, the connections that were made and the fun on the exhibit hall floor… there was also the opportunity to hang out with my friends. There are a lot of folks I have been lucky enough to meet from all over the country. And there were some that I was able to meet (in person) for the first time.

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• Where do we go from here? (lanebailey.info)

• Video is something that is very popular on the web.
• Home buyers want to know what the area around their home is like.
• Buyers might also like FREE stuff.
• Local businesses would love to have new local customers…

So, I am having a thought of creating “Welcome Videos” from local businesses for “the new home owner”…  Perhaps they might invite the new buyer to have a free meal or free massage… or whatever.

Nothing long, just a “quick hit” introducing themselves and their business and welcoming the new resident.  I think the only charge would be the “freebie” for the buyer.  The video could be recycled to different property blogs…

If you have a local business and you are interested in taking part, let me know.

I just got back from vacation… Thank you, I enjoyed it very much… The family went to Disney World for a week. While there, I was experimenting (again) with Live Blogging.

Basically, using my BlackBerry, I was uploading pictures, videos and text posts to a blog throughout the day. I did take a few moments out of the fun, but much of what was included were pictures or videos I wanted anyway. And they were things I wanted to share with friends and family (spelled M-O-M).

And that kept creeping a thought into my mind…

Information is speeding…

A couple of centuries ago, news was largely verbal. It might take years for a story to reach people that weren’t local to where it happened. The news would tavel with people that saw it or heard about it and it had to wait until a person took the story to the recipient.

And then, the printing press allowed news to be printed and distributed. As fast as the paper could move, the news could move. It went from the speed of the house to the speed of the train or ship…

A century ago, electricity transformed the speed of news and events. The telegraph, and then the telephone, allowed news to go where ever the wires went… at the speed of electricity… Finally, if a story happened in New York, the news could be in San Fransicso the same day.

When that combined with printing, pictures could go around the world on the same day. Many cities had newspapers publishing twice a day… if it happened in the morning, it could be in your newsbox in the afternoon…

TV changed everything. And when the satellite truck showed up, “Live” replaced “Film at 11″ in the jargon of TV news reporters. TV cameras could capture news live and beam it all over the world. Just a couple of decades ago, this created a massive change in our expectations of news and how it would be relayed.

And then came blogs… The internet really took things to the next level. Even with cable and satellite TV, there are a limited number of channels. And there are a limited number of satellite trucks and live feeds. Maybe there are a few dozen, maybe a few hundred… But the news had to be defined by someone else.

No longer was news defined by someone else…

My family going to Disney World wasn’t cranking the dials at CNN… but, my mom wanted to know what was happening. An rebarcamp in Raleigh or Atlanta or Dallas isn’t bringing out the Fox News satellite trucks… but, there are agents all over the country that DO want to see what happens. Of course there are thousands of examples…

The point is that there are LOTS of things that are news for someone.

A long time ago we counted on someone visiting to tell them about it. Then there was a phone call or a mail with some pictures. Then there might have been a blog post that day or the next where they could see the pictures from the event.

Technology now allows us to broadcast… EVEN LIVE from devices like our mobile phones. We can write posts, add pictures and videos. We can narrate. We can comment.

the question is… “How can we use this?”

Live, from Lane in the field…

Lester and Sylvester at Dino-Rama in Animal Kingdom

I have a process I go through too…

Why? That is what I have to focus on.  What am I doing here? That is what everything else flows from.

It’s fine to talk about quitting smoking or losing weight or vowing to speak to people in grocery lines.  All of those are worthy resolutions.  But what is more important is Why?

I don’t want to lose weight in order to look better in a suit (I don’t smoke… not a problem for me).  I want to watch my children grow.  I want to play with them.  I want to enjoy my life.  Resolving to lose weight is nice… but it is powered by WHY I would want to lose weight.

Talking to more people is good for business.  Most of us could probably use a few extra contacts and conversations.  But the WHY is that it is a great building block for our businesses.

Honestly, I don’t really concentrate on making a bunch of resolutions or life changes at the beginning of the year.  I try to make course corrections all year long.  I try to tweak my business.  I try to tweak my life.  The only thing I find special about the Holidays is that I have more time with my family… and more time to think about the tweaks that are needed.

I have a lot of time to think about the WHYs…

Once you get your WHYs in order… the WHATs are a lot easier to handle… AND to keep.  Knowing the reason, and keeping the reason front and center is what makes everything easier.

from Lane’s Active Rain blog

You have decided that you want to have a WordPress blog AND know how to use it…

You think blogging is fun and cool… and a great way to connect with your market…

I just ran across this little gem, and wish I was closer to Denver.  I would definately be up for it.  I love my WordPress blogs.  It is a cool platform, and has a tremendous amount of flexibility.  I still love Active|Rain, but have been on WordPress for two years.

There are so many options… one of the big issues for newbies to WP… and I see so many ways a camp like this could stretch the capabilities of my sites.

Real Estate WordCamp

It is coming up April 12th, 2010, in Denver, CO.  There will be tracks for Bloggers, Developers and Technology Vendors.  If I made it out there, the hardest decision would be figuring out which track to hang out for…

And if you were wondering, Todd Carpenter is the organizer.  You might know him as a driving force behind rebarcamp…  If you have been to an rebarcamp, thank Todd.  He is the dude…

BTW, to meet the new FTC requirements, I should note that I have not been offered, nor accepted any inducement to write this post…  I just think it is REALLY cool.

from Lane’s Active Rain Blog

Are you planning on hitting REtechSouth in Atlanta?  As usual, I have a discount code for tickets.  Brad Nix gave me the hook-up to deliver a 10% discount (affiliate link… that is where the discount comes from) on all ticket levels.  Here is how it breaks down:

• All Star Admission $134.10 + $3.35 EventBrite fee.  This is normally a $149 ticket.  It includes event access on both Thursday, Mar. 25th and Friday, Mar. 26th.  It will get you in to all of the learning sessions…  You can see folks like Jeff Turner, Amy Chorew, Brad Carroll, Ilyse Glink and Heather Elias… and WAY more.
• MVP Admission $179.10 + $4.48 EventBrite fee.  This is normally a $199 ticket.  This includes everything in the All Star package, as well as special seating, access to the MVP/Speaker’s Dinner on Thursday evening and access to the MVP Lounge.  Those that went to New Media Atlanta had a blast in the Rock Star Lounge hanging out with the speakers.
• 10 All Star Ticket bundle $891 + $9.95 EventBrite fee.  Yep, you get a discount on the discount.  This is 10 $149 tickets for just $89.10/each.  The bundle normally sells for $990.  Grab some folks from the office and get a discount.
• 25 All Star Ticket bundle $1687.50 + $9.95 EventBrite fee.  That brings the price down to just $67.50/each.  Brokers, bring the WHOLE office. Ramp up production with technology and social media marketing in the new year.

I will be there!  I can’t wait.  Brad has built REtechSouth into THE event in the Southeast for real estate technology and social media marketing.  In just a couple of years, this event has become one of the premier conferences to attend, regardless of where you live and work.  Atlanta is an amazing place in the Spring.

Last year I had the opportunity to attend the speaker’s dinner.  I HIGHLY recommend the MVP Admission for that reason.  Imagine yourself standing in on a conversation with Jeff Turner and the Notorious R.O.B.  At the previous REtechSouth I was able to spend some quality time talking with Pat Kitano and Tom Royce.  The luminaries of the re.net will be there…

Don’t forget, these tickets will likely sell out, especially the MVP tickets.  they are limited by the size of the dinner venue.  Don’t miss out.  Here is the link again to get the discount.

Catch #retso on FaceBook, too.

from Lane’s Active Rain blog

During our hour or so, we talked about several aspects of a broad Social Media Plan, from strategy to measurement.  As promised, here is the outline with some bonus information added…

Social Media…

Define your Goals…

1. Meeting people – That is how we do business…
2. Increasing brand recognition – Keeping our brand in our customer’s mind…
3. Reputation management – Google Alerts and other tools to see what people are saying.

Develop your Strategy…

1. How are you going to engage? – Lurk and Learn
2. Where are your clients/customers/prospects? – Match site and consumer demographics to find the right places to be.

Deploy your Tactics…

1. Which sites will you leverage?
   1. Twitter… Like a broadcast media mixed with a giant cocktail party.
   2. LinkedIn… The button-down professional site. Online resume.
   3. FaceBook… HUGE social networking site with over 300,000,000 users.
   4. FaceBook Fan Pages… Create a FREE presence on FaceBook.
   5. Blogging… Centerpiece of a social networking strategy.
   6. Flickr… Photo-sharing and syndication.
   7. Local Forums… Possibly one of the best ways to interect with a target market.
2. What tools can you use to streamline your social networking time?
   1. AtomKeep.com – Profile management tool on multiple platforms.
   2. Posterous.com – Interface that allows content syndication on multiple platforms.
   3. Tweetvisor.com – Twitter interface that allows toggling bewteen Twitter accounts.
   4. TwitterLocal.net – Tool allowing you to track a location based feed in Twitter.
   5. TwitterFeed.com – Pushes Blog posts and other automated content to your Twitter stream.
   6. Twellow.com – Search tool for Twitter allowing users to be found based on interests and location.

Determine your Effectiveness…

1. Analyze your results…
   1. GetClicky.com
   2. TwitterAnalyzer.com
   3. Google.com/Analytics/
   4. FaceBook Business Dashboard
2. Compare your results to your Goals…

Tweak your Strategy and Tactics…

Back Noise: baak_noiz,  1. Useful tool to gauge reactions to speakers or other aspects of an event, allowing event participants to freely exchange information with each other during the event. 2. A cross between twitter and a convention of hecklers, often snarking just to snark.

Please note, it is often rude, and the language might make a sailor blush.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a useful tool.  It just needs to be understood for what it is…  And I probably saw it differently than most of the people that were watching it at New Media Atlanta.  Most of the viewers were the hecklers event-goers.  A much smaller group were the targets actual presenters.  Since I spent much of the day in the Rockstar Lounge… where the speakers gathered… I was able to listen to the speakers conversing as they read the BackNoise (I just checked and the conversation has expired… so I can’t link to it).

Some were a bit nervous about what would be said.  Others ignored it.  Yet more watched it unfold ravenously.  Chris Brogan put it up on the screen behind him and occasionally addressed the noise during his presentation.  I would say that Chris did two very important things by embracing it and publicizing it…

• He was obviously confident that his presentation would go well… allowing the detractors to share the stage.  It kind of removes the power from the snarking.  It also helped establish Chris as a real “Trust Agent” because of his transparency.
• It was live feedback…  It was the first time he had seen this back channel in operation, and he was able to use it on the fly to adjust his presentation…

So, it gave the event participants the power to change the flavor of the presentations in front of them.  Like a comedian on stage, there was instant feedback.  A presenter that chose to accept the feedback could use it to make their presentation better… keeping the snarkiness in perspective.

There is one other thing…  The snarkiness came largely from anonymous posters.  They could jab without revealing who they were…  Many participants did share their identities, but the most virulent didn’t.  One can make two arguments…

1. If anonymous posting were removed, the conversation would certainly be friendlier.
2. If anonymous posting were removed, the conversation would be less honest.

I actually agree with both of these statements.  But… I come down on the side of the second camp.  The conversation is often rude and crude, but there is raw honesty.  By removing the anonimity, people would tend to be more polite rather than more honest.  While it would get rid of the comments about a speakers clothing choices for the day (which really don’t matter) it would also lose some of the real criticism of the event or the presenter.

Snark has a place…

Could you imagine a politician having a back channel during a speech?  I think THAT would be the hallmark of a politician that was truly transparent.  If they made a false statement, the back channel would publicize it immediately…  Fun thought…