InfoCentral Blog

eBooks now transferrable to Sony Reader

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:55:50 -0600

Want make your eBook reading more portable? Some eBooks from NAR's collection are now transferable to the Sony Reader which means you are no longer tied to your computer or laptop to read. Here's the story: what you want to look for are PDF titles published in the Adobe EPUB format. Currently, there are approximately 42 titles available in this format in our library, but expect the collection to grow as time goes on. As this type isn't broken out as a separate collection, probably the best way to limit your search to EPUB titles is to do an advance search (link right underneath the search box) and limit the format to 'Adobe EPUB format'.

As with the rest of the eBooks area, getting started cam be a bit tricky and there are a few steps you need to follow to keep the process moving smoothly. Here are some things to remember:

FIRST, make sure you have installed the free Sony eBook Library software that came with your reader.

SECOND, make sure you have downloaded the latest version of Adobe Digital Editions.

Only after you have done those two things, attach your Sony Reader to your computer via the UBS wire.

Open Adobe Digital Editions. The program should recognize that your Reader is attached and will ask you to authorize it using your Adobe ID.

Once you do so, it should show up as another 'drive' in your Adobe Digital Editions.

Go to the eBook library at realtor.org and check out an EPUB format title. Download as normal.

Once the title is in your Adobe Digital Editions, you can drag the cover image to your Sony Reader to transfer.

Remember, titles on your Reader will expire just as they normally do on your computer. Also, if you don't have a Sony Reader these titles are still readable on your computer just like other Adobe PDF eBooks. And what about Amazon's Kindle? Sorry, Amazon has limited access to its device and our eBooks aren't compatible.

Top 10 Field Guides for June

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:06:57 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for June 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
3. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
4. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
5. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
6. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
7. Field Guide to Foreclosures
8. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
9. Field Guide to Real Estate Office Policy Manuals
10. Field Guide to Real Estate Transfer Taxes

REALTOR® Technology Spotlight Award

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:39:48 -0600

The Center for REALTOR® Technology is launching a REALTOR® Technology Spotlight Award. The first annual award honors REALTOR® family members or their direct support staff who have shown excellence and vision in their use of technology.

The award goals are to:
(1) recognize those who have implemented, created or embraced technology in a way that shows understanding of the medium and therefore puts them in a' best in class' category
(2) disseminate innovative and effective strategies to accomplish this, and
(3) increase awareness within the real estate industry of technology trends & promote innovation.

The Center for REALTOR® Technology is accepting nominations for the award until Aug. 31. The winner will be announced later this fall and the award will be presented at the annual conference in San Diego in November. Submit your nomination today.

iPhone 3Gs arrives today!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:33:19 -0600

Today Apple's latest iPhone, the 3Gs, arrives in stores. Most of the reviews I've read - gizmodo, cnet, WSJ [via ProQuest], and the NYT, to name a few - say this version isn't the must-have upgrade that the 3G was over the original model. With so many people still with time to go in their contract with AT&T before they can get the discounted upgrade price, that might be a good thing. The increased speed will appeal to some but many great improvements will come just by downloading the free software upgrade to version 3.0. However problems have been reported with overloaded servers at Apple in recent days as the hordes have tried to update their software. If you haven't yet updated, you might want to wait a few days to do so.

As I'm finally out of contract with my mobile provider, I decided to make the switch to the iPhone. This is my first smartphone and I'm eager to try the apps and internet access. Hopefully the iPhone will allow me to leave the laptop at home when I visit my parents in the Land of the Lost. I ordered mine online and it arrived today via FedEx at no extra charge. Thank goodness I didn't plan on picking it up at the Apple store - the line was around the block this morning at 7:30 am!

This Month in Real Estate History: 1912 REALTORS® remembered the Maine

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:21:55 -0600

JUNE 2009 -- At its 1912 annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges received a new wooden gavel and a piece of American history.

REALTORS® met in the city's Armory on June 19 and were called to order by President Samuel S. Thorpe of Minneapolis. After an invocation and welcoming speeches, President Thorpe paused the proceedings "for a few minutes while we have this photograph taken."

Post Office for sale in Chicago

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:58:46 -0600

The old post office in Chicago, which spans the Eisenhower Expressway, is up for auction. This unique building was once the largest post office in the United States, with 14 stories containing 3 million square feet. Suggested bids start at $300,000.

Top Social Networks by Country

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:02:53 -0600

Vincenzo Cosenza took data from Google Trends and Alexa to compile a map of the largest social networks around the world by country. Facebook dominates in the US, Canada and most of Europe, but is second in size to QQ, the largest social network in China. Friendster has faded in all but the Philippines and MySpace is trailing in all but Guam. It's interesting to see the number of regional or country specific social networks. Click on the image above to embiggen.

Top 10 Field Guides for May

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:07:25 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for May 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
3. Field Guide to Social Networking for REALTORS
4. Field Guide to Foreclosures
5. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
6. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
7. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
8. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
9. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
10. Field Guide to Real Estate Office Policy Manuals

New features in eBooks collection

Wed, 06 May 2009 09:25:23 -0600

Rate the eBooks you've borrowed through the Virtual Library eBooks Collection using our new star-rating feature. Simply sign in with your NRDS number, search for and select the title you want to rate, and look for the "My Rating" option. Select the number of stars you feel the digital book (or video) deserves -- it's as simple as that!

Interested in defining the lending periods on your eBook account? Click on "My eBook Account" and select "Lending Periods" -- then select the checkout periods by format. Go through audio books quickly? Select a short lending period. Need a little more time with Adobe eBooks? Select a longer lending period. Your choice!

Have comments, suggestions, or questions about our Virtual Library eBooks Collection? Post your comment here.

Top 10 Field Guides for April

Tue, 05 May 2009 09:19:59 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for April 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
3. Field Guide to Foreclosures
4. Field Guide to Fair Housing
5. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
6. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
7. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
8. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
9. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
10. Field Guide to Social Networking

Have an idea for a new Field Guide? Click here to send us your suggestions!

Zillow App for iPhone

Fri, 01 May 2009 11:02:34 -0600

Zillow has launched a new application for Apple's iPhone, using the power of the portable device's GPS system to bring listings to the user. Available for free at the iTunes Apps Store, the Zillow app will use your current location to pull up a map or satellite image, overlaying their 'Zestimate®' of home values. And if a house has recently sold it will also show the sales price. If a house is currently for sale, the app can be used to link to further information from the local MLS or other sources. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle tried it out recently near his home in Oakland, and reported a few problems - mostly incomplete data or connectivity issues. Regardless, once these issues are smoothed out, the app will be a great marketing piece for Zillow and a real benefit to consumers.

Watch a YouTube intro to the app from Zillow after the jump...

Espresso Book Machine

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:10:57 -0600

It goes without saying that librarians love books. So it was with great interest I read about a new print-on-demand bookbinder called the Espresso Book Machine. Recently launched by OnDemandBooks, the Espresso looks like a large photocopier. It can print up to 100 pages a minute on paperback quality materials, delivering a title while the customer waits.

In Britain, Blackwell Books recently launched Espresso service in their Charing Cross Road branch in London with approximately 500,000 titles available, mostly out-of-print or out-of-copyright books. Prices are expected to be comparable to books of similar size on the shelves. In the US, Espresso machines are available at a few libraries and other sites across the country.

Watch a demo of the book making process after the jump.

The Company as Wiki

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:50:59 -0600

I just came back from a presentation on virtual collaboration. The instructor mentioned how Best Buy uses social networking tools to keep employees engaged and involved and suggested a video on YouTube called 'The Company as Wiki' - available below the jump.

Best Buy uses wikis, blogs, interactive groupware and even stock trading tools to communicate and collaborate across the company. I think it's a great demonstration of how companies can harness the power of the group to share and grow. Is your firm using any of these tools? Even if you're self-employed, do you communicate with your clients or colleagues?

TwitterFox

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:23:18 -0600

If you're following anyone on Twitter you may find it frustrating to have to login to see your new tweets. A handy tool called TwitterFox is available to those using the Firefox browser. Simply download the Firefox extension and your tweets will appear in the lower right-hand portion of your screen as they become available.

Tiny URL

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:31:25 -0600

I wanted to highlight a helpful tool for occasions when you need to send a long URL to someone. Tiny URL lets you paste the long URL into a box and it generates a nice short one. For example, I pasted the URL of this web page (http://narblog1.realtors.org/mvtype/infocentral/) into Tiny URL and it churned out this shorter version: http://tiny.cc/TsqS0. This tool is most helpful when the links are extremely long or when you want to post something to your Facebook or Twitter account. The shorter links won't expire as long as they are clicked on once a year.