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.

But I’m not happy with the site conversion.  Or maybe it is that I’m not happy with the conversion tracking.  I’m not happy with the engagement.  Or maybe it is that I’m not happy with the engagement I can see.  I know that I’m not happy with the visuals… and some of the widgets/plug-ins/features…

Mostly, what it comes down to is that I’m not happy with my overall strategy. There isn’t one.  At no point did I sit down and make a plan.  It has been patchwork… and it doesn’t seem to match.  That needs to change…

Over the last few months I have managed to build a lot of great pieces.  WordPress, Joomla, Posterous, Tumblr, Flickr, FaceBook, Twitter and other services/sites and networks are all great… individually.  I’m not saying that I like all of the pieces I’ve made… just that the pieces have a lot of performance capability.  In a couple of cases, I may tap some experts on particular platforms.

I’m interested to see where everything will go…  I haven’t made the plan yet.

And that is where the next step comes in…

MindMapping.

En Vogue | Free Your Mind

I’ll be using an open source program called FreeMind to lay out my ideas for website strategy.  I have used it to put together some presentations about various subjects.  It let’s me brainstorm ideas, and then organize them into something more cohesive.  In effect, it is a ‘radial outline’.  We all remember outlining things in school.  Outlining was a great tool for organizing content, but it was very linear.

The MindMap allows that outline to become a hub and spoke.  And then the ideas on the spokes can become new hubs.  This means that it becomes very easy to see which ideas have the most connection to others…  Unlike a linear outline, the MindMap allows ideas to connect to other ideas, rather than just be a subset of one thought.

But there is another step…

Implementation.

3run – Free Your Mind

And it always involves faith.  The faith that it can be done… that I can do it (or find the right source to do it).  The faith that it will work (or that it can be tweaked to work).  Of course, the faith will be subject to measurement (analytics) and modification…  But I will be ready to step into it… into the void of the unknown.

I am in the process of MindMapping my website strategy.  I am also analyzing tools and techniques.  As the strategy emerges, I know that there will be some pain and a learning curve… sometimes it may get pretty steep.

But this is where my business comes from.

from Lane’s Active Rain blog

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.

Related articles by Zemanta

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

If you are going to have an effective business blog, the thing you hear over and over is that…

You HAVE to blog consistently.

That seems to come up every time someone talks about business blogging.  But that is the first problem that many beginning bloggers face… kicking out regular posts.  Occasionally, someone defines blogging regularly as posting up a couple of times a week or more.  Face it, if you post up once a month or once a year, even if you do it like clockwork, you won’t build a reader base.  But if you put up a good post three times a week, and the audience knows when to expect new posts, you CAN build a reader base.

Enter the Calendar…

Actually, a VERY specific type of calendar… an Editorial Calendar.  Basically, this is an outline of WHEN you are going to write, and possibly even WHAT you are going to write about.

Whether you are utilizing a theme, writing a series or just want to have posts appear at a consistent interval for your readers, a calendar can do the trick.  It can keep those deadlines in front of you.  I’m using Outlook 2010.  It allows me to have recurring tasks, which make my writing MUCH simpler.  In effect, I can see what types of posts I have coming up, and schedule material to appear.

I tend to write in bursts.  I might knock out three or four posts at one time, and then not write for a couple of days.  With my calendar, I can write a few posts and then fit them into my patterns.  As I write this on Sunday night, my LaneBailey.com post for Monday is already scheduled.  In fact, it has been ready to go since Thursday.

So…

Find a good task/calendar program.  Keep it open.  Use it to schedule posts and keep an eye on when posts are going to be needed.

And don’t forget to be flexible.  If breaking news happens, don’t wait two weeks to write about it because it will mess up your schedule…

from LaneBailey.info

As mentioned last time in WordPress and Joomla and Active Rain… oh my!, dynamic websites are the direction the web is going.  In order to live in the dynamic website world, you need to produce content.

That is the first problem.  Good, engaging content doesn’t create itself.  Readers want to see pictures and video.  They want interaction.

Image via CrunchBase

I’m AT LEAST as guilty as anyone else of not serving it up sometimes.  One one of my blogs I don’t have any access to a plug-in called Zemanta, and I have to jump through hoops to use Apture.

On my WordPress sites I have both Zemanta and apture installed, so it is easy to amp up the graphics and add video.  Now, on my Joomla sites I also have Zemanta installed.  I still have to jump through a few hoops to run Apture, but I have bookmarked a direct link to the page to build embeds.

Zemanta

Zemanta is a plug-in and site that surfs for images and links that are related to the article (post) you are writing.  Basically, it scans your content and finds related articles and images.  You also have the ability to refine the results (spelled S-E-A-R-C-H) for specific terms if the automatically returned results are getting it for you. Also, through Zemanta, users can allow content to be reblogged, similar to Active Rain’s reblog feature.  A reblog is a reprint of the post (with permission) on another blog.  It basically syndicates the content.

Apture

Apture is slightly different, but geared similarly.  It isn’t automatic, and I find it best geared towards video.  It also has a linking component.  Apture builds mini-galleries.  You can put as many as 6 videos in one embed on the site.  Here is an example in Joomla.  Here is one in WordPress.  (BTW, the first link was created using Apture and the second using WordPress’s editor)  With Apture, you have the capability of combining multiple content types into one embed.  The only thing you can’t combine are links.  Other embeds, like pictures, slide shows, videos, maps, etc CAN be combined.

Combined, there are great options to make a more engaging site, in both WordPress and Joomla, as well as some other platforms.

Back in “the day”, a website was little more than a flyer or brochure that was available on the internet, rather than mailed out.  It might have had as few as one page and as many as five or six pages.  There usually wasn’t a search capability built in, and it was only updated infrequently… if at all.

Today’s websites have all sorts of cool things to draw the consumer’s attention, and to hold it.  Search is a BIG part of that.  Blogs, updated weekly, daily or even more, are another part.  Twitter feeds for breaking news can be included, as can Flickr feeds for new pictures and YouTube feeds for videos.  There might even be links or widgets displaying other blogs or sites…  The possibilities are almost endless.

In short, they provide a new experience each time a consumer visits. Why go back to the website if it is only displaying something that you’ve previously seen or read?

Which leads us to some options…

Active Rain

This is Active Rain. And so it THIS.  Obviously the blog you are looking at is part of Active Rain.  It says so right at the top of the page.  But the link to GwinnettGarageGuy.com is also linking to an Active Rain blog.  It is referred to as an “Outside Blog” or RainMaker Blog.  It has a custom URL and only a very discreet logo in the upper left corner.

There are some tremendous advantages to Active Rain RainMaker Blogs.  To begin with, they offer built in traffic and “Google Juice” (search engine strength).  The traffic comes from the 170,000 members here in the Rain.  They provide a sense of community, as well as feedback and support.  In short, there is a LOT to learn at Active Rain, and being part of the community enriches the experience.

Another great advantage of Active Rain’s RainMaker blogs is ease…  It is SO easy to get rolling. Build a profile, type up a post and publish… you are GOING.  Of course there are plenty of things to learn after that to tweak the performance of your marketing, but you can learn that here in the Rain as well… and a lot of it is free… and of course there are RainCamps to take it to another level.

The drawbacks of the RainMaker Blogs are few…  It costs $29/month. They aren’t as customizable as the other platforms.

In the world of the web, $29 isn’t that much.  There are a lot of agents paying WAY more money for platforms that don’t deliver these results…  But, $29 is $29.

WordPress

Almost everyone has heard of WordPress. Here is a WordPress site… and another one.  Notice that they look NOTHING alike?  That is part of the beauty of WordPress.  Sites can be themed VERY differently and not look at all like “the next site”… or the agent up the street.  Full-on branding.  Every part of the site is customizable and extensible.  There are thousands of widgets and plug-ins to alter the site experience.  Almost anything you can imagine can be accomplished in WordPress.

However, while the platform is free, hosting it isn’t (expect to spend about $100/year).  Also, there are many free themes, but the best ones cost a little money (expect to spend between $30 and $100).  Just a note, don’t bother with WordPress.org… you’ll spend at least as much to get it up to speed as you would with Active Rain, and not have the flexibility of a self-hosted WordPress blog (sometimes called WordPress.org).

Another drawback of WordPress is all of the flexibility… there are too many choices for some people. There are thousands of themes and thousands of plug-ins and you can do almost anything with it…

Joomla

And then there is Joomla.  Only the fairly hardcore know about Joomla!. Here is a Joomla site… and another one.  There are competitors, like Drupal… but Joomla! is the one with the most support.  And much of what I just said about WordPress applies to Joomla.  It is free, but hosting isn’t.  there are free themes, but the cool ones cost money.  There are loads of extensions… and some of them cost a little bit.

But Joomla is WAY more involved and WAY WAY more powerful that WordPress. Using most good hosts, setting up either is easy.  One click in Simple Scripts and the site is live… but after theming and content creation, Joomla requires a structure be thought out in the way content is arranged.  WordPress organizes content more “on the fly”.  Joomla takes a little time to set up BEFORE content starts to flow… it can be done later, but it is much easier to start out with the structure.

Since Joomla was designed as a Content Management System, that is what it does best.  It can be a news magazine.  It can be a search portal.  It can be a blog. Honestly, being a blog for Joomla is like driving a Corvette ZR1 as a golf cart… you can do it, but that isn’t really using the power.  But incorporating a blog into Joomla is pretty easy…

In fact, using my theme provider, theming a WordPress blog and a Joomla site to look like family is pretty easy.  So, for the consumer, the experience of moving back and forth between the joomla CMS and the WordPress blog is almost seamless… even if they have different domians.  LaneBailey.com and GarageHomesUSA.com are completely different sites and different platforms.  They could even be with different hosts…

FaceBook and Posterous

There are other options as well, and the leader among those are FaceBook Fan Pages and Posterous.  Both are free options and I thik they have a place in a comprehensive web strategy.

FaceBook is becoming THE destination for millions of web surfers.  Maintaining a storefront there will become as necessary as having a website.  Your personal profile isn’t the place to do business… get a Fan Page, they are free and you can even get a vanity URL.  Mike Mueller on Active Rain is “THE Dude” when it comes to FB Fan Pages.

Posterous is a different kind of beast.  I have written about it a few times, and it is certainly worth investigating.  There are more ways to leverage Posterous than anyone could possibly imagine on thier own.  Brad and Bobby Carroll (Dakno) are “THE Dudes” when it comes to tweaking out Posterous pages.

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

Part of the power of WordPress is in the extensibility of the platform through plug-ins. The large community of WordPress users have created these little snippets to solve problems or overcome shortfalls of the basic program.

These are some of my favorites…

And I’m going to start off with two that aren’t for WordPress, but that I use ALL of the time…

• Zemanta – This is one of my “blogging assistants”.  Zemanta searches for relavent photos for posts, while I am writing them.  It is a FireFox plugin, and functions on all of the WordPress blogs without installing a WP plugin.  I also have it installed on my Joomla sites…  I did have to install a Joomla plugin…
• ScribeFire – Another of my “blogging assistants” … and a commenting assitant, too.  ScribeFire lets me format posts or comments, even adding video to comments on Active Rain.  I can add headlines, colored text and other features using it.  It is also a FireFox plugin.

I promised WordPress Plugins…  So here are a few…

• Add Post Footer – Just like the Post Footer settings here on AR, I can add whatever I want to each post on my blog with this plug-in.  Automatically…
• All-In-One SEO Pack – Tunes SEO for the blog and posts easily…
• Apture – A different way to present media.  I just started using this on my WP blogs after reading about it here from Brad Andersohn.
• Google XML Sitemap – It is very important to have a sitemap.  This automatically creates, updates and sends to search engines…
• Great Real Estate – I can showcase listings easily on my blog…  I also can run sidebar widgets with the listing pics and other info if I choose.
• Local Market Explorer – This is a tool from Zillow that put market stats, reports, pictures, info and other juicy stuff on pages in my blogs… easily.
• MobilePress – Automatically see when a mobile devide is looking at the blog and tweak it to better display on that device.
• NextGEN Gallery – This is a better gallery system that the stock one in WordPress.  It is also required for Great Real Estate.
• Property Watch – Automatically builds a form so that buyers can send me requests for the type of property they are looking for…
• SoJ Tag Feed – I can create a landing page for ANY tag or catagory on my blog… with this I can create an RSS feed for any tag as well.
• Wibiya – Check out the Toolbar at the bottom of LaneBailey.com.  Although I might have to pull it down to experiment with something else (something BETA this way comes?)
• WP-DB Manager – I can do database management from my blog… and have it automatically email back-ups to me.

There are actually a lot more plugins that I run, but this gives you a good idea of what is available.  it is a VERY extensible platform.

What do you think of the new theme?  Like how it matches GarageHomesUSA, even though they are on different platforms?

from Lane’s Active Rain blog

WordPress is an amazingly cool and powerful tool for building a website.  It is one of my two favorite CMSs (Content Management Systems)… the other being Joomla.

What makes WordPress cool is that it doesn’t take a team of geeks to fire it up and make it run every day.  In fact, most people can launch and maintain a WordPress blog with just a little training…  In fact, on some webhosts, a WordPress blog can be launched in under five minutes.

I use BlueHost (affiliate link) for my webhosting, and they have a feature called Simple Scripts.  Using Simple Scripts, I can set up a new WordPress blog (as well as some other applications) with just a couple of clicks.  (BlueHost offers hosting from $6.95/mo.  I pay under $100/year for hosting of 20 sites).

To begin with, secure the domain name you want to use for the website.  I personally use GoDaddy for Domain Name hosting.  I own a few dozen domains and have paid between 99¢ and $9.99 per name.

After getting the name, go to your host’s control panel (CP) in another window or tab.  (It is helpful to have FireFox while building websites…).

Select Domain Manager from the CP.  You want to “Assign Domain to your CPanel Account”.  Go through the steps there.  The only tricky part is verifying the ownership of the domain name.  The option I use is to point the Domain Name Servers to the new host.  This is done through GoDaddy (or your Domain Host).  Through the Domain Manager where the names are hosted, select Advanced Details.  Then edit the name servers.  After a few minutes, the name will verify through the site host Domain Manager.

From the site host CP, select Simple Scripts.  Scroll down and you will see the “Blogs” section.  Select WordPress and follow the instructions.  I would recommend making the sub-directory fairly short.  It can reduce typing later.

After following the steps on Simple Scripts, you will have a functional WordPress site.  you will be emailed the username and password to access the backend of the site and it will be on the screen, too.

Later we will talk about adding new themes and plugins.