I've VERY recently been bombarded by offerings of Social Media Marketing Seminars, Webinars and Courses.
Normally I take a bit more time this part of the year to 'play' on the computer and try to get current on trends in technology.
Yesterday I signed up for Ross Hair's Social Media Marketing Webinar and spent 3 hours listening to how awesome life would be if I was one of his students.
After listening to this webinar I considered paying the $500 fee to join the 6 training sessions.
However ... after a nights sleep ... I think I'll just continue prodding along ... updating my "STATUSES" whenever I think of it ... or have time ... or think that someone might care that:
-I'm hanging the Christmas lights;
-Have interest in local MLS data.
-At my childrens music recital.
-I have a great new listing
-Just swam, ran, skiied, or biked. (Below picture is gaughter and I on Tandem on our 3rd annual May Golden Triangle Tour ... 330 km in 3 days in the Rocky Mountains. We LOVE it.)
My Social Marketing Media Strategy:
1. Add friends when I have time ... or feel like it.
2. Don't try to sell or build REAL relationships on Social networks.
3. Build my close relationships outside of the social networks.
In the year or so that I've been experimenting with Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and Active Rain I've enjoyed:
What's your Social Media Marketing Strategy?
My master mind group is reading and discussing Steven Covey`s book, The Habits of Highly Effective People. While running in River Park recently, I was listening to the audio book on my ipod, and really enjoyed Covey`s piece on Love. (My mother always said, ``Love is a decision``. She was saying the same thing as Convey, with fewer words.)
Covey tells the story of a friend who claims to have fallen out of love with his wife.
``My friend, love is a verb. Love-the feeling-is a fruit of love, the verb. So love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her.
- - -
Proactive people make love a verb. Love is something you do: the sacrifices you make, the giving of self, like a mother bringing a newborn into the world. If you want to study love, study those who sacrifice for others. even for people who offend or do not love in return. If you are a parent, look at the love you have for the children you sacrificed for. Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions. Proactive people subordinate feelings to values. Love, the feeling, can be recaptured.``
Here is a great opportunity to help increase the urban forest in our community: the City of Calgary’s Neighbourwoods program. The City digs the holes; volunteers are needed to distribute the trees and the tree-gator watering bag. Here’s the lowdown:
Sunday September 27 is Neighbourwoods Tree Planting Day in South Calgary / Altadore / Garrison Woods
Even if you did not request a tree, consider signing up to volunteer. This is a great volunteer opportunity for families and teens. Volunteers are needed for the following:
· Signing in people at the Community Hall
· Distributing the tree-gator bags at the Community Hall
· Tree delivery for participants without vehicles (they are small trees – small truck or mini van or car with big trunk)
· Planting trees in holes dug by the City and attaching the tree-gator bag – help out your neighbours who are unable to undertake planting
If you ordered a tree, here is the schedule for Planting Day:
· 9:30-10:00 AM - Arrive at South Calgary/ Altadore Community Centre – 3130 16th Street SW, please have your $30 tree-gator fee ready to present to your community association lead with checks being made out to the community association, not the city.
· 10:00 AM - A mandatory planting demonstration will follow
· 10:20 AM onward - Following the planting demo, trees with bags will be picked up (tagged by species and address), distributed, and planted by homeowners and volunteers.
Important Note for Neighbourwoods participants:
You should have been contacted by the City during the month of August to determine the number of trees and the tree species that you prefer. During the first three weeks of September, the City will be digging the holes for the trees. If you have not been contacted by the City, please contact Peter Broda via 3-1-1.
If you are able to volunteer, please contact Shauna at smernest@shaw.ca
CALGARY - Is it the light at the end of the tunnel for the home building industry?
After 31 consecutive months of year-over-year declines, Calgary home builders are starting to see some positive signs.
In August, for the second consecutive month, builders began more single-detached units than for the same month in 2008, according to data released Wednesday by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
"To see not just one but two months of year-over-year growth is certainly a welcome sign," said Richard Cho, senior market analyst in Calgary for the CMHC.
"It is becoming clear that single-detached construction is gaining some strength. The economy has been improving with the steady number of full-time jobs being created in the last couple of months, which is an important factor in housing demand.
"In addition, we're seeing inventorylevelscomingdown. So it's no surprise that we're seeing an uptick in single-detached production."
Home builders are cautiously optimistic, said Don Dessario, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association--Calgary Region.
The inventory of new homes has been reduced and new starts are addressing some of the demand now in the marketplace, he said.
"I think we've seen the bottom of the inventory glut and we see positive signs related to interest rates. Positive signs in the economy tend to bring on more consumer confidence to make a purchase," said Dessario.
In August, builders began construction in the Calgary census metropolitan area on 444 single-detached units, an increase of 33 per cent from the 334 units started in August 2008.However, multifamily starts declined by 60 per cent to 104 units from 260 the year before.
Total starts for the month were down by 7.7 per cent to 548 units from 594 units in August 2008.
For the fourth month this year, there were no apartment units started.
While there have been positive signs of recovery in July and August, year-to-date numbers remain below 2008 levels.
After eight months, new home construction for the city is almost 65 per cent behind last year's pace.
In August in Alberta's seven largest centres, there were a total of 1,512 units started, representing an increase of eight per cent from 2008 levels.
"After the Canadian recession came into fruition in late 2008, Alberta's residential construction sector practically went to sleep," said Dan Sumner, economist with ATB Financial in Calgary. "Although that trend continued into early 2009, the most recent months have seen housing starts claw their way back to life."
He said Alberta's "torrid" resale markets have likely propped up recent starts figures.
mtoneguzzi@theherald. canwest.com
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