Green paints are catching onSmall business health plans strategyYahoo’s new maps are mighty coolWhy not take the time to get a professional-sounding email address and leave that @aol.com address for personal emails?National energy savings campaignNo national bubble hereSlow growth and unintended consequences – are these the results that ASAP and the like desire?
Browsing Category Technology
Morning links 04-10-2006
Hat tip to Outskirts.Low-tech productivity gains a following…. Whenever someone asks me what the best gadget is for x task, my answer has always been “whatever works for you.” It just might not be the new Palm with all the bells and whistles…. In one way, blogging is much like real estate – mutual collaboration is a major factor in one’s success. Despite my disdain for anything labeled a “buzzword” I think I like co-opetition. Locally, the cvilleblogs aggregator has contributed significantly to the local community.Growing traffic touches everyone.I changed the name…. I would love to know more about the goings-on of Walker Square. This marks two very negative stories I have heard (both first-hand) about Walker Square.
What a pain – no iPods.
This is the message from the National Association of Realtors regarding their new “Virtual Library.”At this time, OverDrive digital audio books cannot be downloaded to iPods, or used on Mac computers.Bother…. I have purchased an audio book or two through iTunes – maybe some of you have heard of it -I am so irritated. – via Inman – “Through the eBooks Collection, NAR members will have access to digital literature,” said Dale Stinton, NAR CEO and executive vice president, in a statement…. Realtors I know spend a great deal of time on the road and away from traditional office settings, yet still find ways to increase their business knowledge and personal growth. By tapping into our virtual library, Realtors can leverage this burgeoning technology to develop their skills while on the go.””On the go!”… How are members going to listen to this “digital literature” when they cannot listen to it on the most dominant media player on the market? That NAR have to differentiate between “digital literature” and “literature” shows to me how out of touch they are…. A wise corporate sage once said: GM sees a snake and they form a committee to study it.It is so frustrating to me that this type of decision is made by an organization which is supposed to represent my interests.
The WSJ on Google Base
The WSJ has a wide-ranging article this morning on the impact that craigslist and googlebase may have on the traditional-model real estate industry. Read the whole thing if you want to see what I and others have been talking about for quite some time. I personally take exception with one part – Shoppers can’t rely on agents to tell them about for-sale-by-owner offerings, because agents often don’t earn commissions for introducing buyers to these properties and find such transactions more difficult to complete. Agents also may fail to tell potential buyers about homes being sold through discount brokers.I show any house that fits by clients’ needs. If I don’t show a home that is marketed by an unrepresented seller, that is because 1) I don’t know about it due to their ineffective marketing and 2) it doesn’t suit my buyers’ needs. Regarding google’s entry – the ability of Realtors to rely on the MLS’ dominance is just about over…. I believe the traditional MLS model run by NAR is just about over. While other companies are innovating, NAR is forming work groups to analyze the situation.
Congratulations to Sean!
Kudos to Sean Tubbs, founder of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network, who has been named a finalist for VPTC’s Community Award. (Thanks to CvilleTomorrow for the heads-up) Sean has been instrumental in my business development through the podcasts that he has produced. Through his services, others have been inspired. I’m glad I know him and I hope he wins.
Google Base steps it up
Don’t say I didn’t tell you it was coming – Google’s innovations in the “MLS-replacement” realm continue.
A negative Zillow review
I didn’t think it would happen. Someone realizes that pricing homes is part objective data analysis, part subjective analysis.Zillow provides a good starting point and a good “ballpark” number. Replacing an expert? Not yet.