Virtual Views - The View From Here : October 2009

In a continuing effort to keep my real estate clients and others "in the know" with the latest and greatest, I have stumbled upon a fantastic tool that Google has created to help make your website and blog even more visually appealing and engage your reader.  Have you ever wondered how you could use Google Maps on your website or blog?  Google has made it easy as pie to add a street map, satellite map or even a street view map of single and multiple addresses to your website or blog.  You can even create a widget that allows people to get detailed directions right to your office.

To create a map for one location:

1. Search for the location on Maps.Google.com.
2. Specify which type of map you want: Street Map or Satellite Map.  If you want the street view map, you can click on the Pegman icon above the map scale and drag it over to the address you want the street view of.
3. Click on the "link" tab in the upper right corner of the map. 
4. If you would like to customize the size, you can click the "Customize and preview embedded map" link located directly below the html code.
5. Copy/paste html code into blog or website.

To create a map for multiple locations (great for pointing out sites of local community interest):

1. Login to your Google account.  If you don't have a Google account, you can create one for free.
2. Go to Maps.Google.com.
3. Click on the "My Maps" link located directly below the Google Maps icon on the left hand side of the screen.
4. Click the "Get Started" button located below the video tutorial.
5. Click on the little blue balloon icon located in the upper left section of the map.
6. Place blue balloon icon where address of 1st location is and click left mouse button to set it.
7. Name the icon and add description.
8. Repeat steps 5-6 for remaining locations.
9. When finished placing all locations, click "Save" and "Done".
10. Click "Link" tab at upper right hand corner of map.
11. Follow the rest of the steps in creating a map for one location above.

To create widget for clients to get directions to your office (or open house):

1. Go to Google Maps' landing page.
2. Click "Add gadget to your site" button.
3. Type in the end address (either your office address or the address of the open house) in the Gadget Settings area.
4. Customize display settings if necessary.
5. Click "Preview Changes" button to make sure it looks alright.
6. Click "Get the Code" button to get the html code for your blog or website.
7. Copy/paste html code into your blog or website.

Any of these maps can be used in a variety of ways for so many different things on your website.  Use the multiple location map to show where ALL your listings are located, create a walking tour of local attractions or even list the best dining/shopping, etc. in the area so that you REALLY look like a local expert.  The directions widget will help anyone be able to find your office or open house without any trouble at all.  Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.  Google Maps can be of great use on your website or blog.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

    
 

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Realtors - Do You know the Answer to this Dilemna?

It's official - I'm moving. It's something my husband and I have been comtemplating for several months. Since I'm not a huge fast food fan, I was wondering about easy make-ahead meals that we could make while in this transition. Going to a dine-in restaurant takes too much time. So, that's ruled out, too.

To find answers, the first thing I thought of was realtors. Surely, I'm not the only person a real estate agent has worked with who wondered about this. Sure, there's lots of other stuff to handle, utilities transfers, packing up (for me that includes moving an entire office), moving, change of address, etc. But I think this might be an area that's been overlooked.

Can you help?

• Have you created a Moving Tips Report that includes the mealtime dilema?
  
• Do you have a recipe or two that would make a move a little easier?
  

 I think Realtors are really smart and creative. So, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you and Bon Appetit!

    
 

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"Geocaching" A Fun FREE Activity For You And Your Friends!

Geocaching was something I was not aware of until I attended the 21st Century Book Marketing Event in San Diego, California this past month. 

The definition from the Geocaching website explains the concept:

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

I met an enthusiastic young writer, Sherri Carter, author of Beyond Attraction into Action, at the event. She was outside the hotel looking for a cache and told me all about it. Apparently it is a wildly popular world wide phenomenon that's FREE and fun for everyone. The game utilizes GPS satellites to track hidden Caches anywhere in the world.

I was SHOCKED when Sherri told me there are more than 900,000 Caches world wide. You can go to the website to locate Caches all over the world and then go on a treasure hunt to find them. You do however, have to have one piece of special equipment: A GPS device. People can purchase either a hand held GPS device or download the Geocaching app on the iPhone 3G or 3GS for $9.99 to hunt for the Caches  Sherri allowed me to video the adventure and I know you will enjoy seeing how easy it is to go treasure hunting no matter where you are in the world.

The game started in 2000 and you can review some  Geocaching history on the website.  Geocaching was used in advertising the 2001 Planet Of The Apes movie release. A marketing firm hid memorabilia from the original movie around the world and game players set out to find the hidden Planet Of The Apes caches.  Jeep also used the game for a promotion and gave aways some cars... now the game entertains people all over the world with small hidden treasures that anyone can hide and register on the website. Hmmm what do you think about looking for Cosmic Cow Pie caches????

The basic steps to get involved in "Geocaching" are simple:

1. Register at Geocaching.com for a free membership.
2. Click "Hide & Seek a Cache."
3. Enter your postal code and click "search."
4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device.
6. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache.
7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online. 

I am geocaching this weekend with my next door neighbor's grand kids!  I will let you know what we find in Williams, Arizona. 

Think about the fun for friends and family just getting together to do something different!   

For those that need a little more help, the editors and staff at Geocaching.com have written a book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching.

The website shows all the planned events and a big rally is coming up in Italy!

I will be anxious to hear stories about International adventures in Geocaching! 

Can you hear it?  "Bing!"  That's the sound of the lightbulb going off over Microsoft's head.  Microsoft has recognized the power of social networking.  This computer software giant just announced that it will start adding status updates from both Facebook and Twitter in real-time to its own search site Bing.  Google has already responded by announcing that they, too, have signed a deal with Twitter to index updates in real time on their search site.

Twitter has begun to gain a valuable reputation for its use of real-time information.  Many times, news breaks first on Twitter before it even hits the major news sources, which is well ahead of search engines chiming in.  Yahoo! has seen the value in Twitter updates.  It created TweetNews, which ranks its news stories based on real-time posts on Twitter.

It's nice to see that the search engines are beginning to understand the importance of social networking.  I'm still baffled by those in the real estate industry that don't see what a valuable tool this is.  Don't be left behind.  Let this be your "lightbulb moment".  Get onboard the Twitter train today.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

    
 

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A friend of mine just emailed the following recipe to me. I haven't tried it yet but apparently you can create a chocolate cake for one in about five minutes.

Sounds like a dream come true for chocoholics! If you give this a try, let me know if you liked it or recommend it.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg 3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

A small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

    
 

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Every once in awhile I just get lucky. This past week was one of those times.

I should preface this by letting you know that I was born in Alliance, Ohio and lived there until I was 11 years old. My best friend (since we were 2-years old) was a wonderful person named Dorothy. She was really mad at me for moving to California and leaving her without her favorite playmate - a feeling she remembers to this day. This past week Dorothy, a couple other old schoolmates and I got together in Vegas for a wonderful time. We laughed so hard, I thought our cheeks would fall off. It was amazing to find that the bonds we shared as kids were still strong after 48 years.

Another great treat was getting to go visit our third grade teacher. Yes, she's alive! Seems to be the first question out of everyone's mouth. We had a fabulous lunch with Mrs. Siebert and her husband. Even after all these years, she's as wonderful as I remembered her to be.

We stayed at the Paris Hotel. Every morning Dorothy and Jackie ran downstairs to the little French bakery and bought fruit, pastries and coffee and brought them back to the room for a pajama party. I highly recommend it.

What a lift to my spirit those 4 days were!  May we never forget those people who have been such an important part of who we are.

    
 

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RealBird offers real results for real estate listings.  Really!  This wonderful program allows Realtors® to create a listing post complete with slideshow, maps and Realtor® contact info and photo so you can post it to your blogs, website and other social networks on the internet, including Active Rain.  RealBird allows you to market up to 3 listings for free.  If you wish to use this great service to market more than 3 listings at a time, you need to upgrade to a RealBird PRO account for either $11.95/month or $99/year.  You can even add a link to your website, blog URL and feed, Active Rain, Twitter, Facebook and MyBlogLog accounts on every listing.  After you have created your listing, you will be able to generate the html code to add it directly to your Active Rain account or easily share the listing on Craigslist, Kijiji.com, Backpage, Ping.fm or your social networks, such as LinkedIn, Google, Digg, StumpleUpon and more.  Have you given RealBird a chance?  If not, you really need to try it out.  We recently created RealBird listings for a client of ours and, by the time we were done posting the 5th listing, her first listing on RealBird had already received over 60 views and she even got a lead from the Active Rain post the very next morning.  That's why I say that RealBird offers real results for real estate listings...really!

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

    
 

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Since search engines are the driving force behind 84% of internet traffic, getting your site seen by the search engines is important.  You want to make sure you show up on at least the top two pages of searches for your keywords and, preferably, the first page.  Google has the lion's share of all searches (55-65%), while Yahoo and Bing get around 10-15% each. 

But, how are search engines reading your sites?  There are two ways: spiders (automatically "crawl" websites on the internet) and directories (human-edited).  The search engine spiders automatically go through website pages and determine your "expertise" based on the text both on the page and in the meta tags.  Adding your keywords a few times sprinkled throughout the text on your page will increase your chances of a higher ranking.  However, don't think that just jamming your page with keywords will guarantee you a spot at the top.  You need to focus on a couple of keywords and sprinkle them as often as is naturally possible throughout the page.  Anything extra or forced will make your site appear "spammy" and get penalized as such.  Also, you don't want to lose the attention of your website visitor by making the text hard to read.

There are many human-edited directories on the internet, but they are becoming more and more scarce.  If you think about the fact that these directories actually have people that go through every site on the internet to make sure it is valid, you can see why more and more are going the automated route.  DMOZ and Yahoo are just a couple of the free ones left.  But, it can take months to get your site edited and added to their directory.  And Yahoo Directory has started charging a fee for a business site to be included in their directory.

Once you have your pages streamlined to a few natural uses of the keywords you want to focus on and have added these keywords into your meta tags, you are going to want to submit your site to directories to be considered for inclusion.  There are tons of directories out there that still do this for free.  You just have to be patient with their turnaround time.  The three most important directories to submit your site to are:

Google - http://www.google.com/addurl/
Yahoo! - http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
Bing - http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx

This should get you pointed in the right direction to start your search engine optimization.  If you have any questions, please contact me and I'll be happy to help you out.

Pamela Cendejas, Real Estate Virtual Assistance - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

    
 

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Judi Finneran discusses Social Media in Business Marketing on blogtalkradio/CosmicCowPie

Judi Finneran is the founder of an International Networking group

and is utilizing all kinds of social media to network in cyberpace. 

Team Women International is Women Only Business Networking with

Chapters across the country. Each chapter is limited to one member

per core profession with a maximum of 30 members per

chapter. Judi is mixing the real time networking techniques with

social media to make big impacts in marketing.

The purpose of Team Women is to support Team Members in growing their business by passing highly qualified business referrals.

Judi is also a a Founding Weight Loss Coach with Team Beach Body. 

Her mission is to reshape America, one person at a time and put an end to the growing trend of obesity.

Judi is located in San Diego, California

Judi engages with many aspects of social media. Morning conference calls with The Healthy Breakfast Club, webinars and podcasts for Team women, facebook web conferencing, twitter, website engagement, blogs and more. 

Begin Each Day Committed to Health  with The Healthy Breakfast Club call.

Listen to how Judi Finneran is making social media work for her.

Log into blogtalkradio/CosmicCowPie then call in 347-994-1903 on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time to ask Judi questions.  Log on early so you can join the chat room and post questions if you do not want to call in! 

Connect with Judi Finneran

Twitter

facebook

Linkedin

The Frustration of Bad Information - Have you ever found yourself doing something or not doing something because "they" knew better?  Personally, I think "they" must be related to "someone".  "They" said that "someone" said that . . . .

As a real estate agent, you probably feel the same frustration I do when someone doesn't listen to your expert advice because "they" or "someone" told them something different, leaving your prospect even more confused and often paralized into doing nothing at all.

Here's my Monday morning experience:

Last week everything was all set for me to start doing work on Ms. Prospect's account.  The recommended services were outlined and agreed upon and all I needed was a signed contract.  Somewhere between Friday and Monday, Ms. Prospect was unable to find her ghostwriter (probably a friend of a friend of a friend) and was going to have to scrap the idea of blogging and article writing.  She had already been informed that we provide both of those services.

The next problem Ms Prospect had was that "someone" told her that social media was not a good resource for promoting herself and her business.  "They" said that she wouldn't be able to market herself, her listings, get links back to her website and the list goes on. 

It's frustrating to lose the opportunity to help Ms. Prospect.  But, here's the real crime.  "They" have just cheated Ms. Prospect out of a viable opportunity to accomplish exactly what she needs - social media marketing.

I'll get over losing the prospect.  Unfortunately, Ms. Prospect is losing a whole lot more than me.  What's the definition of insanity?  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

If you'll excuse me now, I have to respond to a prospect's request for more information.  He got my contact information through social media - LinkedIn.  Hmm. . .

    
 

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