New Media Coffee Talk http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com Casual Conversation about Technology and Social Media Networking Tue, 15 May 2012 14:39:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 NewMediaCoffeeTalkhttp://feedburner.google.com Drop ‘Em in The Cloud http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/21/drop-em-in-the-cloud/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/21/drop-em-in-the-cloud/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:08:05 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=281

Live in the Clouds

Working in the cloud has become more and more popular as time has passed and I love the accessibility of files on all of my devices and computers that working in the cloud provides.

Dropbox is second to Google for my cloud work. You can store documents, files, pictures, videos and so much more into a folder that can be shared with others to allow easy access for everyone and on most devices including your tablets and smartphones (even Blackberry users :) )!

How to Get There

It isn’t a difficult application to use, you can upload files from your computer right to the website or you can sync a folder on your desktop to your Dropbox files. From the website you can see the list of the folders and files you have synchronized to Dropbox and choose sharing options from each folder or file that you would like to share.

Dropbox is free up to 2GB of space and upgrades are available starting at around $10/month. You can also earn more space by referring friends! If you’d like to start out with some extra space, use this link to sign up for Dropbox today and we’ll both get some extra megs :)

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/21/drop-em-in-the-cloud/feed/ 0 The Tech Byte Newsletter http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/17/the-tech-byte-newsletter/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/17/the-tech-byte-newsletter/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:20:03 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=277

Sign up to receive a FREE Newsletter from The Tech Byte !


Email Marketing You Can Trust

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2012/01/17/the-tech-byte-newsletter/feed/ 0 Cooking for Clint http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/27/cooking-for-clint/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/27/cooking-for-clint/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:22:46 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=262

Cooking for Clint

As the category suggests, this is “Off the Menu” from the regular technology coffee talk, but this is by far, the most important that I’ve posted. I have a friend, Clint Miller, who is fighting strong and hard in a battle with Testicular Cancer. His wife, Angela, mentioned to a friend of mine that she would like some easy-to-make recipes to help with preparation of meals for herself and her two young sons. Clint’s time is nearing the end and life will change for Angela. Let’s help make the time in the kitchen much easier.

I’ve actually been thinking over the year that it would be fun to gather the RE.net and friends’ favorite tried and true recipes and compile a cookbook – so the perfect time is here! This RE.net cookbook will be dedicated to Clint Miller, a hero who has touched so many of our lives.

Send me your Tried and True Favorites

Please think of your favorite recipes, but let’s not go all-out gourmet here. Remember, this is for Angela to save time in the kitchen. Email them to Cookbook@KimWood.net with ingredients listed first followed by the directions. I will attribute your recipes to you with your name credited to the dish. Limit your submissions to five and try to think of different categories (Main Dish, Crockpot, Dessert, etc).

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/27/cooking-for-clint/feed/ 17 Google Training Camp http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/12/google-training-camp/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/12/google-training-camp/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:27:33 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=247

Get some Google Goodness!

I am so excited about this new session and I have a feeling it’ll be one of the best classes you’ve attended! This is going to be a fun way to learn all about the many free Google tools available for you to use in your business.

Enroll today in this exciting 6-week extensive Google Training Camp beginning in January. Limited to 20 participants in each track (Beginner & Advanced). Only $50.00 to reserve your spot.

 

Webinars – Once per week! Live and Recorded access will be provided to you
E-Support – Support, Conversation, and Q & A via email during the Camp
Coaching – You can schedule a one-hour coaching session with Kim on any Google topic
Workbook – Extensive workbook for you to print and place into binder with training, notes, and assignments
Tips – A Google quick tip of the day via email every Monday-Friday

We will delve into many of the different Google products in this training camp with lots of How-Tos and suggestions of how to implement them to save you time and money – all while keeping you organized in the cloud.

Assignments will follow each session so you will be easily able to put into practice what you’ve learned in the session and to ensure you develop good habits to carry on after the training camp is complete.

Some topics include (but there will be more!):

  • Google+ (including new Business pages)
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Groups
  • Google Places
  • Google Profile
  • Google Alerts
  • Google Apps
  • GMAIL
  • Google Maps
  • Google Docs (including Forms)
  • Google Voice
  • Google Analytics
  • YouTube
Limited space! To keep the group small and to allow conversation and individual support, the groups are limited to 20 people in each track.

Not sure which track you should sign up for ?

Beginner Track: Live webinars will be held on Thursdays at 12:00 PM Eastern time for 6 weeks starting on January 5th. If you haven’t started with Google or if you have a few Google products but haven’t explored too deeply in many of them, this track is for you. (Remember you will have access to the recordings of the webinars as well in case you can not attend live)

Advanced Track:Live Webinars will be held on Fridays at 12:00 PM Eastern time for 6 weeks starting on January 6th. If you have been using 3 or more Google products and know you are using at least 3 of them to their highest potential, this track is for you. (Remember you will have access to the recordings of the webinars as well in case you can not attend live)

Undeniable Value

My goal is to keep this training camp very affordable to attendees. This 6-week Google Training Camp is worth , but I am offering it to you for just $150.00 !
Take a look at the breakdown…

  • 6 Live Webinars (at $25 each) = $150
  • E Support Group = $100
  • One Hour Coaching Session = $100
  • Workbook = $50
  • Tip of the Day (30 total) = $50
  • Access to all Recordings) = $60

Total: $510 ……….. Your price is $150.00 !!!

All you have to do to confirm your space is register below then pay a $50.00 non-refundable deposit which will be applied towards your Camp Fee.

Register Today

If you have any questions, please email Camp@KimWood.net.

Register Below:
(Remember, your seat is not reserved until you pay the $50.00 deposit)

Registration for this Camp is CLOSED. You may sign up below to be informed of camps to come.

[contact-form-7]
]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/11/12/google-training-camp/feed/ 0 The Best Time to Post http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/10/12/the-best-time-to-post/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/10/12/the-best-time-to-post/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:53:20 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=212

 

I continue to hear the questions and see answers about the best time to post, whether it be on your blog, your Facebook Business Page, or even sending an electronic newsletter.

Some experts will say you’ll get more interaction on Twitter if you send updates on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, post on your Facebook Business Page on afternoons/weekends, etc.

I say this… listen to what your readers want! Watch your analytics and interactions from your readers, aren’t they the ones who matter most ? I wish it was easier and there was a general rule, but guess what? It’s not that simple. You need to test different days/times and see when you get the most interaction.

It’s important to pay attention to what your numbers say. If you have a restaurant – you will probably get more response when bellies are grumbling, know what I mean?

For more insight on Analytics, you may want to check out this post “Analytics is More than Just the Numbers“.

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/10/12/the-best-time-to-post/feed/ 0 Creating Forms in Google Docs http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/30/creating-forms-in-google-docs/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/30/creating-forms-in-google-docs/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:52:43 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=207

 

 

If you have some questions you pose to people over and over again, why not set up a nice Google Form to send them ? The answers will then be added to a Google Document Spreadsheet so you can have quick access to the information.

 

 

What types of things could you use forms for ?

  • Asking volunteers what their availability and skills are
  • Gathering information for a survey
  • Nailing down details of how you can help someone (ie: Real Estate buyers could complete questions asking their price, what they are looking for in a home, etc.)
  • Staff entering data about a new lead
Try a form and I bet you’ll find many uses for them. Watch this video to see how I walk you through setting up a form:

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/30/creating-forms-in-google-docs/feed/ 3 Need Quick HTML ? http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/29/need-quick-html/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/29/need-quick-html/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:31:51 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=200

 

I’ve really enjoyed picking up HTML in the past few years and I’ve learned a lot, but sometimes, I get stuck. As you know, if you miss just one character while you are writing in HTML you have a mess.

If you want to customize text/pictures on your website or perhaps for a widget, you will need to know some HTML, or how to take a little short cut to find it.

 

 

Here is my deep, dark secret of my HTML cheat…

1. Write your text in the visual tab of your WordPress blog “Add New Post” box. If you don’t have a WordPress blog, you can sign up for one at WordPress.com, start blogging, and utilize the boxes to help you with HTML elsewhere.

2. Select the HTML tab and grab your code !

The good thing is that after you do this for a while, you’ll begin to pick up what the < , / , > , ” are all about and it’ll all start coming together.

psst. Don’t forget to trash your “post” when you’re finished.

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/09/29/need-quick-html/feed/ 1 Using Google Docs with Real Estate Clients http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/06/23/using-google-docs-with-real-estate-clients/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/06/23/using-google-docs-with-real-estate-clients/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:53:56 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=191

 

Share and Collaborate

I conducted a webinar on various Google products that can be used in business. One of the things I shared was Google Documents and gave some examples of how I use spreadsheets in real estate transactions with Buyers and Sellers.

If you have tech savvy clients they will love the organization of information and the ease of collaborating.

Using Google Docs means that if you grant permission to do so – your clients and yourself can access and edit the information and you will all have an updated copy stored in the cloud for access from any computer.

Buyers

Keep track of the properties your buyers are interested in seeing, the imperative data about the home, and the feedback from yourself and your clients.
Click on the spreadsheet for a full page view.

 

Sellers

Keep data close at hand for information you update for your seller. You can use different worksheets (pages) on the same spreadsheet to track website activity, showing activity, and feedback from agents. If you are well disciplined, you can even tell your seller, “Every Monday morning, I will update this sheet with any recent information.” That way they will always know just where to go if they are looking for the feedback reports, etc.
Click on the spreadsheet for a full page view (be sure and check out the tabs for additional sheets).

 

I can’t take credit for the creativity here. I have to thank Kelley Koehler and Mariana Wagner for their expertise and willingness to share.

How you use the above is up to you – make it work for you.

 

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/06/23/using-google-docs-with-real-estate-clients/feed/ 2 Kim’s Top 8 to Create http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/05/04/kims-top-8-to-create/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/05/04/kims-top-8-to-create/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 14:46:41 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=187

Top 8 things to check over before hitting the [Publish] button on your blog post:

  1. BLOG TITLE: Does it have a catchy title ? Short and sweet is good – but make me click to read it ! Keywords are good to use here, but only if you can fit them in and stay creative.
  2. CONTENT: I like to teach less is more. You will have more readers with shorter posts. Of course change this up a bit, there are times that you just have to use a lot of words to get your point across. I believe in writing in your style. Don’t take a whole lot of time on your post – just write. Be yourself! You’ll see a lot of hmmmm and yah talk in my writing. I’m just me. I don’t try to write for my college professor to grade.
  3. PHOTO/VIDEO: A photo or video is pleasing to the eye. Unless you have a very busy theme, every post should have a photo. Make sure it’s sized appropriately. You should rename your photo and include keywords if possible in your title.
  4. LINKS: If it’s appropriate, include a link or two in your post. It could be a map, another site, a business, etc.
  5. CATEGORIES: Ideally 1-2 categories per post is a good number. Categories should be very general topics so the fewer you have set up, the better.
  6. TAGS: You can use up to 5 tags per post and try to keep using the same tags. That way you become known to the search engines to know what you’re talking about. You are focused and don’t jump all over the place with different subjects. I always look at the tags I’ve most used and try to go through those first.
  7. KEYWORDS: Does your post contain some of the keywords you are focused on ? I don’t like people to get too hung up here – you don’t want a focus on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and keywords to invade your creativity and writing. If you use keywords, make them accurate ! Don’t use keywords, tags, or categories that are about Real Estate when you are talking about the local parade and nothing about real estate.
  8. SPELL CHECK: Pay attention to your spelling and writing. It only takes a minute to check it over. If you know  you aren’t great with spelling and grammar – always have a friend read over it real quick.

 

]]> http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/05/04/kims-top-8-to-create/feed/ 0 Today I Honor Linda Davis http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/04/04/today-i-honor-linda-davis/ http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/2011/04/04/today-i-honor-linda-davis/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:57:40 +0000 Kim Wood http://www.newmediacoffeetalk.com/?p=181

One of the mentors in my life, Linda Davis, is celebrating a birthday today. All day today I’ve been thinking about her and as I was making a little video celebration for her, I thought I shouldn’t keep all of my thoughts to myself. I want you to meet her. I want to share with the world some of the many ways she is special to me!

Linda spoke on a RE/MAX Blogging panel a few years back when blogging was still fairly new. I happened to watch online as she and some others talked about what blogging is and how it helped her business. I immediately contacted her and thanked her for being so genuine and inspiring. In the next few days, I started my blogging and the rest of the blogging segment as they say… is history. I refer to her as my Blog Mom because I learned so much from her. She reached out right away and offered her assistance to me while I learned what I was doing.

One of the ways I think you know when someone is a good friend is when you don’t have to talk or see each other frequently, but when you do – you pick up like there was no time in between your last contact. Do you know what I mean ? You just pick up and start laughing and sharing like you’d just spent time with each other. That’s how it is with Linda and I.

When I attend conferences and I know Linda will be there – I try to always schedule time with her. Some of our best memories together is when we sneak off for quiet dinners, often the two of us. She has not only mentored me with blogging, but with my Real Estate business as well. Linda was a successful RE/MAX Broker for many years and is always so happy to share with me.

Last year, I even got to sit on a panel with Linda that she was also moderating. What an honor ! I got to sit on a panel with my mentor !?!? Who would have ever thought it was possible three years ago.

I respect Linda’s business focus. She isn’t out to make a million dollars sharing her wisdom and experience. She teaches, she shares, she is active in her community… she gives back to so many.

I feel so fortunate for our friendship. I am blessed and thankful to have Linda in my life.

Hugs to you, Linda, on your birthday. I can’t wait till our next face-to-face hug !!!

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