Follow Along with Us at #GenBlue

Happy Friday! Just wanted to share today's Friday Video Release and a few of the links from the video here ...

genblue.coldwellbanker.com
facebook.com/CBHearthside
facebook.com/ColdwellBanker
twitter.com/CBHearthside

I hope you will consider following us online next week at #GenBlue!



Have a rockin weekend!

The Fab Five

Happy Wednesday! Just wanted to give you a little presentation that I created for a meeting with the Chester & Delaware County Home Builders Association this morning. The presentation focuses on 5 tools (The Fab Five) that you can implement to in your business to ...

1. Save money!
2. Create an online presence
3. Get some Google juice
4. Connect with your consumers, vendors and peers

As a side note ... I was on a panel with Lou Tilley! He is super nice and we had a nice banter going during his presentation.

Social Media Matters

View more presentations from Stefanie Hahn.

Twitter Gets a Makeover

Not in love with Twitter.com? Go back and take another look ... Twitter has had a makeover!

Full disclosure - you may have to "turn on" the new version of Twitter at the top of your screen:








Click on Try it now!


So far, I love the look and feel of the new site. I'm certainly not ready to give up Hootsuite yet, but I definitely feel better telling newbies to try and use the new site before running to a twitter desktop application.















The information displayed on your profile is pretty much the same as before, just moved around a bit with a bit more style. Your profile looks like this on the new Twitter:












My favorite part of the new Twitter is the "people you might want to follow" that pop up on my home screen. Twitter will tell me people that I might want to follow based on who is following me, who my followers follow and so on ... they also display "this person is also followed by" which is pretty cool. Just make sure you don't get hung up on only following the accounts that Twitter suggests. Branch out!

Let me know what YOU think of the new Twitter!

Tweet & Greet TONIGHT!

Okay folks - this is your final reminder on the only remaining channel I haven't promoted tonight's PA Chapter of REALTOR® Magazine’s Young Professionals Network Tweet & Greet on yet ....

Join us on Thursday, March 25th at 5:30pm for a session on using twitter in your business while socializing with some of the area's leading real estate pros. A very informal learning experience followed by great networking at Crossroads Tavern in Hilltown. Sign up here!

Pennsylvania's chapter of YPN is growing quickly! Chartered in 2009, it helps the "next generation" of real estate professionals deal with unique challenges, learn technology and meet other young professionals throughout the state.

Directions Note: Apparently the address listed for the tavern doesn't jive for GPS units. If you it is about 600 yards north of that location. Look for the signs!

For more on the PA Chapter of REALTOR® Magazine’s Young Professionals Network:
- Visit our website
- Fan our Facebook Page
- Follow us on Twitter

More Cool Stuff on your Agent Websites

Hey CBHer's ... hopefully you all saw the latest and greatest from Chris Beadling with regard to a few new extras on your agent websites. Just to review:

1) In each agent site if you search for a property and then click on the details you will now see a "printer friendly version" icon at the top of the page. This creates a printable version of the listing, complete with your contact information at the top.

How GREAT is that??? Let's take a peek ...

When you click, Printer Friendly Version - another window open with all of the details neatly formatted with your happy smiling face at the top and all of your contact information. Making you ... super cool.

2) You now have the ability to link your listing on the CBHearthside site to the individual property web site you created through the EPropertysites.com tool provided by Mortgage Mobility.

To connect your ePropertySites URL with your listing on our site ...

- Go to http://www.epropertysites.com/ and login

- Mouse over the Properties tab

- Click on Properties

- On the listing you wish to link up ... click the Tools icon on the property menu
- Under Marketing Tools, click Website Links & Sharing & HTML (oh my)

- At Full Website Link - highlight (Ctrl + A) and copy (Ctrl + C)

~~~~Part Deuce~~~~deep breath~~~~Just a few more steps ...

- Then ... go to http://www.cbhearthside.net/ and login

- In the Manage Listings box, click on My Listings & find the listing you want

- Click on Edit ePropertySites.com link

- Paste your previously copied URL from ePropertySites in the box

- Click Save

Now ... you should see this when you click view details on your listing on http://www.cbhearthside.com/:

3) While not new, we have just added a link on the home page of the main CBHearthside.com site that helps visitors connect their twitter accounts with School-District based new listing feeds. This tool then gives them access to all the new listings in that district by tweet everyday.

>>> http://www.cbhearthside.com/twitter

Rockin right? A little snippet ...

How GREAT is all of this new stuff???!!! Have a wonderful Friday :)

Buzz-Worthy

In playing with the newest social media tool to hit the streets ... Google Buzz, I have discovered a few things about myself.

1. I have no patience when it comes to slow internet. None at all.

2. I want to LOVE any *new* cool thing that Google throws my way.

3. I miss FriendFeed.

So Google Buzz is the current hot topic in my little geek world. What is it? So glad you asked ...

Buzz is another micro-blogging platform. Think Twitter with components of FriendFeed. You can post status updates, photos, links, etc to your followers and/or to the world. Buzz is connected to your Google Profile and your Gmail. It looks like this:

So the first thing you notice is that Google Buzz is located right inside of my Gmail. The Buzz link is just below my inbox link. The issue with this ... when I click back and forth - from my inbox to Buzz and back again is that the load time is insanely slow. Painfully slow. I've started writing this post at least 3 times now and every time I get hung up on just trying to grab a screenshot of Buzz.

I want to LOVE anything and everything Google. And I usually do. Because of this, I am giving Buzz an extended trial period to work out the kinks. Fingers crossed.

What excites me about Google Buzz is that it looks & acts like FriendFeed. So micro-blogging without all of the limitations of Twitter. I can type more than 140 characters, load photos directly from my Buzz page, add links without needing a URL shortener and my followers comments are directly below my original post. I can also "like" a post.

So speed up Buzz and make me proud to love Google. For more on Google Buzz, check out Chris Beadling's post from 2/11 - You Have a Chance to be an Industry Leader.

Twitter REsources

For those of you just venturing into the Twitterverse or if you are already here, but not sure what to do ... I wanted to give you a few resources.

1. CBHearthside on Twitter - we are all over Twitter > use us!

> @CBHearthside
> @JamieMancuso
> @ChrisBeadling
> @sahahn (Stefanie Hahn)


2. CBH's School District Listing Tweets - help your consumers follow & find a home!

> http://www.cbhearthside.com/twitter.html


3. A few names you know ...

> @coldwellbnkr
> @InmanNews
> @RISMediaUpdates
> @realtors (NAR)
> @realtormag (Realtor Magazine)
> @askNAR (NAR answers your questions here)
> @RealtorAction (Realtor Action Center - Washington, DC)
> @PAR_JustListed (PAR news)

Want more ... check out Roost's "RE People You Should Follow on Twitter for December 2009!"

See also ... NAR's field guide to Twitter - http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg234

The Twitter EVERYTHING Guide from Mashable - http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

And I am just scratching the surface here ...

Friends - Followers - Connections

I've been thinking about my social contract a lot lately. I've always had certain unwritten rules that I've stuck to with my social media sites. Recently though, I'm finding those rules bending a bit ...

Facebook Friends

My old rule: If we're not friends in real life, then I'm not accepting your friend request.

Exceptions: If we've met and you wrote me a little note in the friend request explaining why we should link up on Facebook, I usually accepted. Or, if you were especially persistent. However, I probably broke up with you later that week.

My new rule: See my old rule, plus ... if we share a common interest and are likely to meet in the real world through that common interest or are friends in another social media space.

I have my Facebook account pretty locked down, so I am comfortable with my new rule. Plus, I am very comfortable breaking up with Facebook friends as needed.



Twitter Followers

My old rule: I block any porn, SEO experts, people trying to save me and otherwise creepy individuals right away. I will only follow people on Twitter that have a bio. That said, if their bio doesn't appeal to me on some level, I won't follow.

Exceptions: If I already know you and love you, consider yourself in.

My new rule: See my old rule, plus ... I've been branching out. I am following more people with different interests these days and getting more out of my tweet stream as a result. I am also unfollowing people that don't tweet. This includes those of you that I already know and love.



LinkedIn Connections

My old rule: If you were a colleague, classmate or already a friend, I would connect. I did not accept connections from people that I didn't already know.

Exceptions: Sometimes a friend of a friend would sneak in there or a new agent that I had not yet met (but would eventually).

My new rule: See my old rule, plus ... Now I am connecting with other real estate people across the country that I have connected with on Twitter or through the Young Professionals Network. I have also connected with some of my real estate training idols (Doug Devitre, Amy Chorew, etc.) on LinkedIn.

My rules should not be your rules, but I hope that they can at least guide you with setting up your own social contracts. Consider what you will be sharing on these sites before making a friend, follower or connection with someone you don't know.

Happy Saturday :) Yey SNOW!!!

Still Not Catching the Google Wave?

Before it's launch, Google Wave was all the rage in my little geek world. I signed up to be a part of the beta launch and then watched my inbox - eagerly awaiting my invitation. When some of my Twitter pals starting tweeting about receiving their invites, I got nervous. I didn't have to wait long. Before my beta sign-up came through, a friend hooked me up with an invite. Whew. I was in.

I got in right away and played around with my settings. Then, a few friends popped in ... we waved together. Finally Chris Beadling decided he wanted to set up a fake real estate scenario - complete with buyers and sellers agent, title company, etc. He invited me and another real estate social media pal to wave along. We played with that for bit, but got bored and stopped.

Over the holidays, I saw some great wave parodies online - but still, I am struggling to find use and meaning with Google Wave.

Maybe you can help me ...

A little overview of Google Wave:
> Below is a screen shot of my Google Wave account




















> This is a screen shot of an actual wave ...



















In a nut shell, Google Wave can function as a live or offline chat where you can share text, files, photos, videos - you name it - with others that are part of that particular wave. If only some participants are online for the live chat and sharing - others can log in later and follow the conversation, grab the files, comment to the participants or comment privately and leave their mark on the wave.

If you are interested in getting on Google Wave, I do have invites. Email me - first come/first serve.

Have a great weekend!

Twitter Tops 2009

I'm the first one to bash Twitter. I hate the fact that www.twitter.com pretty much sucks as a tool for (eek gats) actually using Twitter. I hate that Twitter never seems to work as expected on my mobile device. Mostly, I hate the fact that I feel compelled to use Twitter because everyone else is doing it. I am still crushed that FriendFeed is out ... sold to Facebook and it's users to ... well, Twitter. Where else?!

But those of you that know me know I am not a negative person. In fact, I am typically annoyingly positive, so I do see the bright side of Twitter. Although admittedly, I had to be dragged back to tweeting a few times in 2009.

2009 was THE year for Twitter. Everyone is on it - from our very own Jamie Mancuso to Anderson Cooper to Ralph Macchio to Barack Obama. All superstars in my book, but there's more, what about Ivy Bean - the 104 year-old from England or parent's-to-be that are setting up accounts for their still-in-the-womb kiddo's?! Companies have Twitter accounts, Comcast's Frank Eliason is famous for his customer service on Twitter, the CEO of Zappos, Southwest Airlines and yes, Coldwell Banker Hearthside, Realtors. Not to mention ALL of the good that is being done on Twitter ... there are loads of tweeters working hard for all sorts of causes out there. Twitter was H-U-G-E in 2009.

I do finally see the value in Twitter. And this will surprise you. The best thing I have gotten out of Twitter? Hands down - the "in real life" relationships that I have created, nurtured and grown on Twitter. These relationships have brought me incredible friendships, business contacts and even tighter connections with family and friends. Surprised? Hey me too!

For a more official review of How Twitter Conquered the World in 2009 - see this Mashable article.

So yes, I will continue to tweet ... until the next cool micro-blogging tool comes along at least :)

Happy Holidays!!!

LinkedIn and Twitter - So Happy Together

WOOHOO!!! I posted yesterday on the Facebook Fan Page about LinkedIn and Twitter joining forces with your status updates ... here are the details:

1. Make your Twitter account visible on your LinkedIn profile ...

Use this link to make your Twitter account visable to others on your LinkedIn profile.

-- Select how visable you want to be ...

-- Select to share "all tweets" or just those you mark with a #in hashtag

-- Click Save Settings

You can always change these settings later on the Twitter Settings page!

2. Use #in or #li to share posts from Twitter to your LinkedIn status ...

Use #in or #li hashtags to share your Twitter update on your LinkedIn status message - like so ...

3. Add the Tweets app to share your Twitter activity on your profile and keep track of who your following on the LinkedIn homepage ...

The Tweets app on LinkedIn will show your latest Twitter activity on your LinkedIn profile.

Click Add Application to add Tweets

-- Select to display on your profile

-- Select to display on your LinkedIn homepage

Stay in the loop > follow @linkedin to hear about new features, advanced tips, and more on Twitter!

Happy Wednesday!!! Have a great rest of the week :)

More on Twitter Lists

Okay, it's been a week or so and I have had some time to digest and form an opinion on the new Twitter Lists. A few tips ...

First and foremost, when making a list - make it for YOU. You can put anyone on a Twitter list, even people that you don't follow on Twitter. My advice here - make your Twitter Lists for you. Translation ... I have a list of favs - these are my favorite people to read on Twitter for a variety of reasons. I did not make this list for anyone other than myself ... just to have a nice quick link to access my favorites. If someone likes my list and chooses to follow it - great - but that's not why I created it :)

Being on someone else's list can be ... a huge compliment or a little strange. Most of the time, being "listed" is pretty rockin and can get you a slew of new followers and great connections on Twitter just by getting listed. Know where you are listed! You can see the # of times you are listed just underneath your username on the homepage of Twitter, at listed. Click on this to view the lists that you appear on and see their creators. You can view the list, follow the list and check out the list maker from here.











If you find yourself on a list that you do not wish to be associated with ... you will need to block the list creator to remove yourself from that person's list. You can do this by clicking on the list creator and then choosing block username.

Have a GREAT week!!!

Twitter Lists Explained

You may have heard the buzz ... Twitter "Lists" has landed! As a lover of lists, you know I had to check this out pronto. So what are Twitter Lists??? They are lists that Twitterers are creating of other Twitterers that they want to call out and categorize. For example, I created a list called, "CBH" and added any Hearthside agents that I follow on Twitter.

Now that I have this list, I click on it and see what all of the CBHer's are up to at any given moment on Twitter. Bonus - the list is public, so other people can "subscribe" to my list and get all of the CBHer's too!

For the easy peasy route ...

- Click on Following (people you follow on Twitter)

- Each person will have a little Manage Lists icon (looks like a list ;) on the left side

- Click the Manage Lists icon to see your options

From here, you can ... create a new list OR add this person to one or more lists that you have already created. How easy is that?!

When you click to create a New List, the box below will pop up. Type in your list name - notice how your list will have it's own URL (listed underneath). Set your list privacy and click Create!

Once you have your lists set up, you can access and edit them easily.

- Click on the list you want to display

- See what's happening with your list, or edit as needed

Super fun right?!

Happy Halloween Eve!!!

Twitter-like Facebook Feature Fun

I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. One feature of Twitter that I so LOVE is the @username feature. I can @myfriend and write to them directly on Twitter - still a public tweet mind you - but I know my friend will see it.

I can also use the @username to "mention" my friend ... "I'm here with @myfriend, teaching with @myfriend, hey do you know this super cool kid @myfriend."

Facebook is keeping tabs on Twitter's sky-rocketing popularity and copying this popular Twitter feature. Now, in my Facebook status updates, I can @myfriend just as I would in Twitter ... tying my update to that person.

Now, my @myfriend is "tagged" in my status update on Facebook ...

Just as you would be careful tagging a photo on Facebook, please be cautious with your use of the @tag on in your status updates. Remember your netiquette and only tag when appropriate.

GO PHILS!!!

Facebook's New Twit-tastic Features

Is Twitter becoming obsolete? Facebook is adding Twitter-like features faster than you can type your 140 characters. These additions have been subtle, so you may not have noticed them. Let's review ...

1. You can now upload your photos via your mobile device right on the mobile Facebook site (m.facebook.com). Not a big deal for those of you already using a third-party app to upload your mobile pics to Facebook, but a nice addition nonetheless. This feature is similar to apps like TwitPic that will upload your mobile pics directly to Twitter. Go to m.facebook.com on your mobile device to check out this new feature - "Upload Photos" is front and center on the main page - click "Upload" to get started.

2. Facebook is also getting rid of the "regional" networks in an effort to make their site more open. You will notice this if you go to the Friends tab, click Browse Friends and in the "browse by" box - the regional network option is gone. You can still browse by work or school.

3. The final and most Twitter-like change is the "follow" feature. When you add a friend, you can see their updates before they accept/deny your request. This will only work if the person you are trying to connect with has their status updates set to "everyone".

I'm not convinced that Facebook is the new Twitter, but I like these additions and hope they will add a real "follow" feature going forward.

Happy Friday!!!

Losing It With Twitter

My Twitter account imploded three days ago and took with it 200 or so of the people that I follow in the Twitterverse. I don't follow without forethought, so this is a big deal for me. I now have lost access to many of my favorite folks and their updates on work and life.

Twitter usernames might seem like a dumb thing to back-up, but honestly, it's practically an email address these days.

That said, my new rant is now - why don't our contact managers have a micro-blogging username field?

Until Gmail gets on board with my new field idea, you better believe that I am going to start saving these usernames (from my FriendFeed account at least). How can this be accomplished? It will be a little work on your end, basically, figure out who is important to you on Twitter and/or FriendFeed and add their username to their contact record.

The most frustrating part of this is that I am pretty religious about backing up ... I back-up my back-ups. Why? Because I've had my external drives die and trust me, it hurts to see your back-up crash and burn. I know you are putting hours and hours of work in online - do yourself a favor and take the time to back-up your work. Not just your docs and pics either. Back-up everything!

Get in the Know with these Suggested Follows

Since a growing number of you are getting on and using Twitter, I wanted to give you a list of "suggested" people to follow to get you started off in the Twitterverse. These are merely suggestions, no pressure, but if you know what's good for you ... :)

Hold up, wait a minute - how do I follow someone on Twitter? Let's review:

- Click on Find People

- Type in a first and/or last name or username (if you know it)

On the 2nd tab over, you can search further ...

- Enter your email & password for your Gmail, Yahoo or AOL account and Twitter will search your contacts to see who on your list has a Twitter account

- Click Continue and Twitter will give you the option to select who you would like to follow

Your third option is to invite people to join Twitter via email ...

- Click "See what you'll send them" to preview the invite text

- Type in the email addresses

- Click Invite

Want more? Twitter offers a list of Suggested Users for you to follow ...

- Check out the suggested list and check off anyone you are interested in following

- Click Follow when you are done

Finally, the EASIEST way to follow? Check out the folks below, click on their name and if you like what they are selling, click follow (just underneath their name).

So, now for my little list to get you started:

@coldwellbnkr - guess who? Your brand! Easy.

@trulia - Rudy from Trulia - smart and cute

@chrisbrogan - Beadling loves him, plus he's kind of a big deal ... a definite follow

@jburslem - founder of the Future of Real Estate Marketing blog

@PAR_Meg - our PAR e-Communication Specialist and all around cool chick

@dougdevitre - RE and tech trainer - uses all forms of soc med ~ shares tons of info

@amychorew - National Speaker/Trainer for Real Estate & Technology

@AndyKaufman - founder of RE Bar Camp(s), RE agent and tech guru

@bnix - RE broker in Georgia, half of RE Tech South, he knows a ton, just listen ...

@KimWood - local PA agent rockin the Twitterverse & so much more

It was yesterday when I started writing this post ... Happy FRIDAY!!!

A Few Basic Twitter Tips

So, by now you know I've made up with Twitter (sort of) after our break-up in March. I am currently pushing my FriendFeed posts to Twitter when possible (new blog post alerts, sites to check out and a few other things).

For the longest time, when I checked my Gmail contacts to see who might be on Twitter when I was actively tweeting, there was no one. I mean zero - nada - ziltch ... no one to find and follow from CBH, our vendors and well, the rest of my contact list.

When I made-up with Twitter the other night, WHOA - 33 contacts now use Twitter!!! YOWZA!

So of course, I followed you all. Now, a few things have come to light ... which of course, I will share with the world - or at least those of you that read this post.

1. Many of you signed up for Twitter, wrote one post and then ... well, I don't know, you haven't tweeted again. Some of you just signed up and have never posted? Don't get on a site just because you hear that it is the next big thing. Research - evaluate and then decide if you want to participate.

2. I see lots of blank bios. If I didn't already know you, I would NEVER follow you without a bio. It's only 140 characters, you can think of something. Sum up yourself and let folks know a little about who you are ...

3. Many of you posted about work only - give me a social post or two - let's get to know each other.

4. Give me substance or get off. Don't just tell me what you are doing - tell me what you are reading and give me a link so I can go and check it out. Tell me what you are listening too and give me a link so I can listen in ... get it? Share photos, links and substance - most of all be relevant. URL to long for 140 characters? Check out TinyURL - www.tinyurl.com and convert your link in seconds to something smaller and more manageable.

5. Learn the basics. Here are a few definitions to get you started:

Tweet: a tweet is your 140 character or less post on Twitter








@Reply: you can reply directly to anyone's tweets or mention them via their @username















DM: these are direct messages from that are private from the twitterverse (between you and the twit you DM)


Followers: twits that are following your tweets

Following: twits that YOU are following and therefore showing their feeds in your twitdom - find by name, network, email or check out the suggested users










One more thing, check out your Settings - make sure you fill out your one line bio!!!

Happy Tweeting :)

I'm Over Twitter

So I broke up with Twitter in March for a litany of reasons, but one reason stands out more than the others. Whenever something gets this much coverage, I tend to lose interest. I want the newest, latest, greatest thing that nobody else knows about yet. Kind of annoying I know ...

In this case, for now at least, I went backwards. I started building up my FriendFeed account (although admittedly it's still pitiful) and using FriendFeed for micro-blogging.

Cool things about FriendFeed:
1. You can add in all of your other site feeds. So, if you are involved with other social media sites for blogging, micro-blogging, social bookmarking, photo - video - music - book sharing, news services and most other status and/or sharing sites -- all of these feeds can be filtered into FriendFeed.

So what the heck does that mean? Well, it means that if I write a blog post in Blogger, add new photos to Flickr, write a review on Yelp, select a new song on iLike, add a new video on my YouTube channel, or bookmark a site on Delicious - all of these items will also post in my FriendFeed.

Any friends subscribed to my feed can see what I am up to at any given moment.

2. I can filter the feeds of my friends (or folks I am subscribed to on FriendFeed) to see only the specific kinds of updates that I want to see from them.

Translation ... if I am subscribed to a social media guru and I heart his blog posts but could care less about his Upcoming feed, I can filter that out to just see what I want to read.

3. FriendFeed will recommend "popular" friends of friends to you. You can also create imaginary friends that are NOT on FriendFeed, but use other social media services, so you will get updates when they post photos on Flickr or similar.

4. Create lists to categorize your FriendFeed pals - there are default lists (Favs, Personal and Professional), but you can also add your own.

5. Create a private feed room for a group in FriendFeed Rooms - share info, links, photos and more in your own room! Rooms are a great way to share information with a company group or even your family.

I'm so over Twitter. Let's see what pops up next ...

Cyber Monday and Twitter Search

Hello All & Happy Monday!!! This is an especially GREAT Monday because it's CYBER MONDAY!!! Woohoo :)

In case you are unaware, Cyber Monday is that wonderful day of the year where the retailers put everything ONLINE - on SALE! So, if you don't have time to shop the Black Friday sales, or just didn't want to get up at the crack of dawn - this is the day for you.

And what a great day to check out Twitter Search (maybe a few times even) for tips, info and advice on the best deals and steals. What is Twitter Search? It's a great way to get the BEST out of Twitter without making the commitment to actually join Twitter. Twitter Search will give you the skinny on just about anything tweeple are twitting about ...

So, checking Twitter Search for Cyber Monday deals at - Search.Twitter.com and type in "Cyber Monday" or anything else you are interested in :)

Happy Shopping!