This morning started like any other workday, but quickly took an interesting turn.
Earlier today, Facebook and Twitter experienced technical difficulties, making it nearly impossible to update status or wall posts, make comments, send messages on Facebook or even log on to Twitter. After an hour of dealing with these daunting and frustratingly futile tasks, I asked myself if I "could live in a world without Facebook or Twitter."
My answer was, "Absolutely not!" However, I'm guessing that the majority of respondents would disagree with me and answer in the affirmative. Why not? We lived in a Twitter-less world before it was invented, what's the difference now, right? Well, I'd like to answer that question by removing the words 'Facebook and Twitter' from the original question.
Could you live in a world without...
mobile phones? Even 8-year-old kids have them these days.
the Internet? Try looking for a house without it.
automobiles? At least there would be less pollution and the ozone layer might still be intact.
airplanes? Two weeks to cross the Atlantic isn't so bad.
radio? No biggie. TV killed the radio star, anyway.
television? Could be the next casualty of the Internet era.
cable/ satellite? NBC would actually be "Must See TV!"
calculators? Time to dust off the abacus.
electricity? That investment in wax futures is looking pretty good right now.
the printing press? No printing press means no textbooks. Hmmm...? Not a bad idea.
Were you able to say "yes" to any of these questions? If you think so, think again. The question wasn't "could YOU live without..." it was "could you live in a WORLD without..."
It's reasonable that any of us could live without a few of these things, but it would be very difficult to live in a world they had not impacted. For example, try to imagine a world without electricity. With the exception of the printing press, the rest of the list wouldn't even exist.
And, while the comparison between the importance of social networking sites and electricity is a stretch, we cannot downplay their role in our society. They will be around until they are upgraded and/or replaced, so why not fully embrace them or at least stop complaining about them?
As always, feel free to send us a telegraph or you can follow us on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp ( http://www.twitter.com/GothamRealtyGrp).
For free, unrestricted 24/7 access to homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood and more... visit http://www.GothamRealtyGroup.com or just stop by. Here are directions: http://bit.ly/GRGmap.
Beginning Saturday June 13, 2009 Facebook is joining the ranks of Twitter, Myspace and other social networks by providing vanity URLs for account holders.
In my opinion, that's great news for everyone, but especially for real estate agents. Realtors, brokers and their companies tend to spend lots of time and sometimes lots of money creating consistent, recognizable brands. And, the ability be "top of mind" in the eyes of potential clients and recruits, can contribute heavily to success in real estate.
If you don't believe me, try naming 10 toothpaste brands in 10 seconds. How about 10 bar soaps? Okay, I'll give you an easy one... 10 types of soda/pop. While it's not impossible, I discovered that it's also not very easy.
However, marketing a vanity Facebook URL is extremely easy. There are already major corporations experimenting with this technique. One example is the now-doomed Kobe vs. LeBron campaign by Coca-Cola's VitaminWater: http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater. The vanity URL made marketing that site much easier than http://www.facebook.com/pages/vitaminwater-kobe-vs-lebron/123424578 (not a real URL).
Networking with friends, business associates, other real estate professionals and potential clients using Facebook has become an important part of "marketing" myself. In the last three weeks I have received 11 solid leads and converted 5 into clients. That may not seem like a lot, but it has a huge positive affect on my bottom line; those leads were FREE. And, the majority of my Facebook activity is during my personal time, so I'm not distracted and can still focus on my other real estate related responsibilities.
In addition, I didn't have to "do" anything to receive these leads other than talk a lot about my life and talk a little about my business. And, during one referral conversation, the gentleman said that he chose me because I "don't just talk about real estate." (NOTE: I am in NO WAY trying to knock agents who only post listings and only talk about real estate, I'm just talking about my personal experience.)
As with many seemingly worthwhile things, there always seems to be a catch. If you have a common name, are part of a franchise or you need multiple names you will have to act quickly if you don't want to be "JohnSmith34279." The expected "gold rush" will also undoubtedly create a perfect environment for "URL squatters." Like cyber squatters, their aim is to register popular or trademarked names then sell them to the highest bidder. I truly hope that Facebook has safeguards in place to prevent that type of thing. Good luck!
For more information, please visit the Facebook Blog or bookmark the registration page (http://www.facebook.com/username), which currently features a registration countdown clock.
Jonathan Bell
I'm trying out a new twitter icon. If it doesn't work... http://www.twitter.com/GothamRealtyGrp
Today is my 32nd birthday. LOL. And, frankly, sometimes I can stress a little bit. However, after a tough day at the office, I can let the stress of the day carry-on into my personal life or I can change my attitude. Changing my attitude has proven it can be a challenge
Recently, I found a solution... when I am feeling particularly bad, I visit http://icanhascheezburger.com.
There is at least one thing that makes me smile EVERY time I visit. So,I try to share it with everyone. However, don't take my word for it. Use it and let me know what you think.
Jonathan Bell @GothamRealtyGroup on Twitter.
Today was one of THOSE days. When I woke up this morning, there should have been a deep-voiced narrator saying; "Like homes in the MLS, these are the "Days of Our Realtors..."
In college, at the University of Kansas, I was always late for my 1 o'clock class because I couldn't miss "Days of Our Lives." Having grown to love the drama surrounding Salem's most interesting families, I escaped into their world one hour at a time. However, the excitement of starring in a real life soap opera is something that I can do without.
My day started with a frantic phone call from a co-op agent about a situation that threatened to derail the transaction and needed my immediate attention. The tone of the agent's voice inferred that an indestructible meteor the size of Arrowhead Stadium was hurtling toward Kansas City and would strike at any second. Yet, this serious problem -- the one threatening to derail the transaction; the one needing my undivided and immediate attention, was resolved by making a couple of quick phone calls.
This afternoon, I received a phone call from an equally distraught but less intense co-op agent, regarding another Earth-shattering disruption to the real estate/closing continuum. Again, a few quick phone calls remedied the situation.
By this evening, the animated phone calls and "urgent" matters were adding up like murders in Cabot Cove and I was Jessica Fletcher. And, while each issue was pressing, the dramatic dialogue was overkill. Every transaction has hiccups. What if we made client calls this way? Would it instill a sense of confidence or sense of incompetence?
I work hard to reassure my clients and colleagues that I am capable of handling problems that arise unexpectedly. Is it too much to expect the same from fellow real estate agents?
Some agents act as if we deal in life and death situations in which seconds count. The reality is that from contract-to-close, real estate transactions can typically take 3-4 weeks to complete. And, according to Steven Covey, not everything that is urgent is important. Conversely, not everything that is important is urgent.
As Realtors we have two choices when dealing with a challenging real estate transaction: panic as if the world is coming to an end or simply find a solution. I prefer the latter. And, I prefer to keep my soap operas on television.
As always, feel free to follow us on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp (http://www.twitter.com/GothamRealtyGrp) or @MrGotham (http://www.twitter.com/MrGotham)
For free, unrestricted 24/7 access to homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood and more... visit http://www.GothamRealtyGroup.com or just stop by. Here are directions: http://bit.ly/GRGmap.
After a very brief stint on Wordpress, "Mr. Gotham's World" has moved to Active Rain thanks to Mr. Joel Kruse, resident Active Rain Guru and customer service wizard.
Having spent countless hours, days and weeks searching for the "right" tool to help this blog thrive, I thought I would never quite find what I was looking for. Spending an enormous amount of time and money to maintain the site was about as appealing as showing a client 150 homes, in 100+ degree heat, while driving and H1 Hummer without A/C as gas prices hover around $7 a gallon.
Adding insult to injury, my lack of HTML knowledge and CSS coding skill presented such an extraordinary barrier, it interfered with the very profession I blog about. As much as I love to write, I'm a Realtor first! Active Rain presented the easiest, most comprehensive solution to my time (or lack of time) problem. Now, instead of worrying about fonts, layouts and search engine optimization, I can focus on finding interesting things to write about. And, I am able to continue working toward becoming Overland Park's most tech savvy, efficient and attentive Realtor, which is what I was doing before I became a "blogger."
While there are still a few bugs to be squashed and a few minor tweaks to be made, I feel as if a thousand pound weight has been lifted from my overworked, aching shoulders. I'm being ABSOLUTELY serious!
The moment I got off the phone with Joel, my posture improved and each step became lighter. Before, I was so preoccupied with my blog's snail-like progress, that it affected all aspects of my life. Now that I'm relatively "footloose and fancy-free" I look forward to the feedback, encouragement and criticism from my Active Rain family.
As always, feel free to follow us on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp (http://www.twittter.com/GothamRealtyGrp) or @MrGotham (http://www.twitter.com/MrGotham).
For free, unrestricted 24/7 access to homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood and more... visit http://www.GothamRealtyGroup.com or just stop by. Here are the directions: http://bit.ly/GRGmap.
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