The Fly on the Wall

Maybe Not So Annoying Read the Comments

I put Tweetboard alpha on the Tucson Real Estate site as a lab experiment. It would do no good to put it here. Bunch of Geeks and Twitter Tweeps hang out here.

I wanted to put it some where it would produce a valid response negative or positive.

I just got that first response a few minutes ago.

“Dave, I always appreciate the info on your blog, but this Tweeter thingie on the side is REALLY annoying! One can’t read the text…”

It is annoying in the sense of a fly in the room when you’re trying to do something else. It might not even be moving, just sitting on the desk while you are reading the screen but you know it is there and you keep looking at it. That’s the same kind of emotion Tweetboard seems to invoke in some. (Me included).

But this user I’m quoting above seems to be viewing in a very low resolution meaning the fly isn’t simply on the wall it is covering up the blog content itself.

It seems more a gimmick than anything useful especially for a RE Blog. Maybe your personal blog where you are talking with your friends about the party last night or the Arrowsmith concert you are going to later in the month, but why would you want it on your real estate blog?

It might also be tied to your approach to RE Blogging. But that is beyond the scope of this post.

Anybody out there using Tweetboard? What kind of response if any are you getting from your readers?

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Tweetboard Annoying

Sliding Panels (Yes it's a Garage Door)

I mentioned Sliding Panel briefly in the last post on Upgrading to Wordpress 2.8.  You can see it at the top of this site.  I changed the word “Open” to “Extras” using the Plugin Editor.

Installing Sliding Panel

You have to read the readme.html file that comes with this plugin.  The author for some unknown reason didn’t put the short simple install instructions anywhere but in the readme.  READ IT.

If you want to jump in and skip reading the instructions, I thought so.  Put this in the header after the opening body tag

<?php if ( function_exists( 'get_sliding_panel' ) ) get_sliding_panel(); ?>

Populate the Slide Panel

Now go to the widget page and you will see a widge section “Slide Panel” insert a text widget, or any other widget in the panel section.  I found I can have three panels.  I also found you can’t put much content in each.  Save and go “Open” your slide panel.

It isn’t being utilized here at the lab as you can see if you open it.  More a “Test” to see how it functions.  It is “interesting” but I’m still trying to think of ways I would use it on my business sites.  You can see for yourself if you open it, there are some pretty lame uses.  It doesn’t provide room for a lot of content as mentioned above.  Keep it Short and to the point.  On my theme I can fit three widgets sections in the panel.

The plugin author uses it on his site for user login to the forum section on his theme’s and plugins.  Not sure I would want to hid that information.  A new user might never find it.

I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions I don’t have the clicky gene.  I don’t just start clicking the mouse around a site to see what happens or what will open.  Make a graphic a button and I stand a good chance of missing it.

The same is true for Slide Panel.  Just because it says “Open”  I wouldn’t unless I had a reason to open it.

Maybe what I lack is the Curiosity gene.  I admit, I’m not very curious.  Bait me with a leading question and I’m likely to not take the bait.  “I was hooked a lot as a child.”

What Uses for Sliding Panel

I’m very open to suggestions on how you would use sliding panel on your RE Blog.  Start throwing those ideas out there.  If you are already using it, tell us how and what content you have on your site in the sliding panel.  YES, you can put a link to your site in the comment.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Slide Panel Plugin

Little White Flowers 2.8

Yesterday I upgraded all my main blogs to 2.8.  At least I think I got all of the main ones.  I backed up each of the databases before doing the upgrades, (not all of them but the main ones, I backed up).  Once the backups were done I did the automatic upgrade on each site.  They all went very smooth.

I was upgrading each blog from 2.7.1  I didn’t try an upgrade over any version gaps.

Here’s Why I’d Upgrade Now

The plugins I wanted for those sites which are key to them functioning up to date. (For example: I had to have Simple Top Navigation) Once I knew all the key plugins were working I began to find some new ones I wanted to try which would only function with 2.8 installed.  (For example: Sliding Panel)

There are more plugins being added daily to take advantage of new functionality of 2.8.  Also the newest upgrades of many plugins require 2.8.

The things I’m learning to live with:

• The theme and plugin editor that doesn’t word wrap
• The moving around of functionality I am rediscovering (plugin lists for editing new a dropdown, widget layout, etc)
• The removing of search for plugins from the bottom of the plugin page to plugins “Add New”
• The need to deactivate a few plugins that are now redundant and break the admin panel if active
• Dealing with a bristling old Dog being forced to learn where his bones are now being stored

So the  old Dog is dealing with the new version and figures in a day or two 2.8.1 will be made available.  At which time he will be grinding teeth and growling at the “kids” that put this stuff out.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

WordPress 2.8 Now I’d Upgrade

I hate most Captcha applications.  Sometimes I don’t even bother leaving a comments when I see the captcha.  I always check that first before I even start writing a comment.

The other day I was on a site where I wanted to register.  Another place where captcha is used.  It took 3 tries before I could get past the captcha.

I don’t think there should ever be a zero “0″ or an “O” in a captcha.  But this one . . . like I said it took three tries to figure out the combination.

I had a friend trying on the same sight who did a screen capture and we figured it out from that.  This brought captcaha to my immediate attention again and I decided to check out a new one I had just spotted.

I have used “Peter’s Custom Anti Spam” plugin for years.  It works very well.  It requires a word not just random letters and it is a short word that makes sense.  It is also in really big text.

WP Clickcha

But They Are All The Same Size !

The thing I like about this plugin is it is logic based.  You click, not type to answer the question.

I’ll test drive this plugin here at the Lab.  You tell me what you think of it and how it works for you.  I’ve never been disappointed in Peter’s Custom Anti Spam plugin.  But I’m all for making this process as easy as possible.

Unlike Peter’s Custom Anti-spam clickcha doesn’t distinguish it is me logged in.  I have to fill in the captcha to comment from the front end.  Peter’s is smart enough to know I won’t spam myself and doesn’t require me to use the captcha. This is something the clickcha author might consider adding in the future.

Setup is fairly simple once you activate the plugin go to the settings page.  Fill in your email address and apply for the API numbers you will need.  They will come in an email, but you won’t have to fill it in the settings page.  At least I didn’t, they auto filled almost as soon as the email arrived in my inbox.

I usually post a link to the plugin.  In this case I don’t have to.  They provide one for themselves as part of the captcha.  If you can’t get past the captcha let me know what browser you are using.  Anyone that finds an issue with this and can’t leave a comment use the contact form.  There’s no captcha on it.  At least I don’t think there is.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

WP Clickcha for those of us Captcha Challenged

Child Pages are easy to display

Simple Top Navigation is a part of the Simple Sidebar Navigation plugin I wrote about in the last post.

I’ve written about drop down menu navigation before.  I had it installed here at the lab when we were still using the Cutline theme.

Recently I created a Real Estate Listing Photo processing site.  I really needed to have a top menu with drop down sub menus that were fairly easy to configure for size and color.  About a month ago I added an IDX solution to the Tucson Real Estate blog and have been creating groups of search results pages.  This is the kind of situation where a drop down menu for child pages is great for quick and easy navigation.

Since I had just setup the Photo processing site (Which is also a photography tips blog) putting the simple sidebar navigation plugin to work was a snap.  I had already custom configured the CSS styles for what I wanted and it worked perfectly for all blogs.

The Simple Top Navigation Setup

It isn’t as simple to setup as the sidebar widgets because for top navigation you have to modify the theme for the menu to appear where you want it to in your theme.  On the one site it is at the very top.  On the others it is under the header and before the content.  You decided where you want the navigation to appear and place the code accordingly.

You can create CSS Styling for the plugin using suckerfish.  Or you can do what I did and use firebug and notepad.  This isn’t a tutorial post so I’m not going into all the setup and configuration beyond this.

I will say if you modify the css style that comes with the plugin make a backup.  If the plugin is updated you will need to put your custom css back in place once that upgrade is complete.

What I like about this solution for drop down navigation is once you have the code in place you go to the widget panel and set up the top nav the same way you do the page navigation.  Putting things where you want them on the menu is very simple.  This is where simple top navigation really shines.

Max points out, but I’ll emphasize, you don’t title the simple top navigation widget.  I’ll also draw to your attention that when you activate this you get a top navigation drop down on your widget selection.  This is is where you configure the top navigation widget.  Don’t put it in the sidebar and expect it to show up at the top.

This whole navigation system is a great addition to your wordpress blog.  Max also just added the Advanced Text Widget to the list of his available WordPress plugins.  I’m sure I’ll find a great way to use this one as well one day soon.

Thanks to Max Chirkov for these great plugins which add amazing functionality to any real estate blog.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Simple Top Navigation

In a second post I’ll address one of the hidden understated functions of this plugin that I have in use on several of my current blogs.  This one function alone makes this plugin a valuable tool in your RE blogger toolbox.

Pages are Pages and Posts are Posts

Most WP blogs are 99% posts filed in categories and a few pages of content added for things like:

• sitemap
• archives
• about
• contact
• IDX search
• CMA request
• Relocation packet
• forms

However,  I’ve run into some blogs lately that are more pages than posts.  Pages are harder to SEO than posts, at least in my opinion.  Pages are also a lot harder to structure navigationally.  Posts filed under categories seem to be an intuitive navigational structure.   Like file folders with tags on them.  The tags are the category names and the posts are the pieces of paper in each folder.

Pages on the other hand are more like loose pieces of paper lying around on the desk.  If a page is a parent it will have children pages somewhat attached to it.  But again many blogs aren’t equipped programmatically to handle Parent Page, Child Page navigation.

Simple Sidebar Navigation Structure

This plugin allows you to create your own structure.  You can mix pages and posts in a sidebar navigation widget.  (Check the “Include Posts” option on the Setup screen). In that widget you can assign parent child relationship.  You can also determine where those widgets will be displayed.  For example:

• Only on certain categories
• Only on particular pages
• Only on the home page
• On all pages

The Widget setup

You can add additional  Custom Link URL’s in the navigation that don’t exist as pages or posts. For example if you want a “Home” added to the navigation you can add “Home” and put the Custom Link URL for the homepage in the widget.

This plugin gives you the ability to map out and construct a navigational structure customized specifically for your blog.

Make note that if you are still on a version of WP earlier than 2.8 you will need to download the earlier verison of the plugin.

Simple Top Navigation

This is the part of this plugin I’m using.  I don’t currently have a need or use for the simple sidebar nav.  But I the Simple Top Nav installed on three blogs currently and love how it works.  This will be covered in the next post.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Simple Sidebar Navigation Plugin

Zinepal Newsletter Header

It was a post by Greg Swann at Bloodhound on Zinepal that got me to playing with it. From the Zinepal blog it appears that post got several other agents doing the same thing. I would have said REALTORS(copyright thingy here) except I get tired of writing that out so I say agents.

Terri L was the one that brought it to Gregg’s attention.  I started using it a week or so later.  This was several month ago.  Greg did a follow-up post to Frank Worsley the author of Zinepal with a wish list of 10 items.  I think most of those have been addressed by Frank.

Zinepal.com has grown and improved greatly since those early days.  Lots of new features and the ability to edit your posts once imported into Zinepal is HUGE.

You Wrote it, Use It

I did a few test newsletters.  Then three months ago I started using Zinepal to create a monthly newsletter made of of some of my posts from the month.  Each month as I go back to create the next newsletter Frank has added more functionality to the site.  Image handling is better and you can add additional images, text routing is better and you now have formatting options, the preview is great.

Setting up the Feed

I found the easiest way to get all the posts for the month was to go into feedburner and create a new feed with the past 50 posts in it.  This is the feed I point Zinepal to when I want to create a new newsletter.  Once the feed is imported Zinepal checks the first 5 posts and give you the opportunity to select additional posts for your newsletter.  You can uncheck any of the 5 post automatically selected.  (You will be able to change the order in the next step.

I’m Done Create My Zine

Here is where Frank could make the process a little clearer.  You aren’t really done, done.  You are done selecting content, once the Zine is generated you have the options to rearrange the posts, edit the posts, create a custom header for the zine.  There are a lot of options.  Maybe the button should say “Let Get To It – Create My Zine!”

Once you press that button, you really get to the nuts and bolts of putting yoru newsletter together.  Rearrange the posts.  Edit them, Change the formatting.  Change the Font and size if you want.  Add text color for emphasis.

Don’t miss the options below to create a custom header image, insert keywords and ads if you need them for your newsletter.

There’s a lot more features and you can find them on your own, besides I’m sure Frank will have added more by the time this post is published.

Preview as often as you want.  When you are ready generate you finished newsletter.  Zinepal will send you an email with a link to the newsletter or you can download it and host it yourself.  If you are into the Apple Kindle there is a Kindle version created as well.

Expand your Readership and Influence

As I said above, you wrote the posts why not expand their readership.  Our monthly newsletter goes on the blog as a link.  The newsletter generated is a PDF file.  We also send out an email with the link attached to several HR dept. around town.  They in turn download the newsletter and make it available for their employees.

We send an email to our sphere each month outlining the content of the newsletter and including the link.

Here is the revelation for all you web savvy realtors agents; There are still a lot of people that find it more convenient to read something from a piece of paper than from a computer screen.  (I’m one of them).  I often print out articles and post I want to read at breakfast.  I don’t drag a laptop along (Besides McDs doesn’t have free WIFI).  I do take a book, the daily newspaper and any printouts I want to read and make notes about.

A lot of people at work, don’t have access to a computer, (Yeah, I know and I’m not kidding). But they do have a lunch hour and having something to read is always a good thing.  You can get people to read a newsletter at lunch they wouldn’t even bother opening at home.

We are getting great exposure around the community and in a lot of businesses with this newsletter.

But I’ll be honest, without Zinepal.com I wouldn’t take the time to put this thing together each month.  With Zinepal it takes me about 30 minutes to create the custom header image for each edition and put it together to appear the way I want it.  It would take me hours to do the same thing in Publisher.  Time I don’t have, time I’m not willing to spend.

Zinepal is a great GREAT tool for turning blog posts into a newsletters.  Some posts I now write specifically with the newsletter in mind.  Here is the link to our June 2009 Newsletter created with Zinepal.

Looking for a way to get more exposure for the content you have already taken the time to write?  Put Zinepal in your  RE business toolbox.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

ZinePal Newsletters and More

Just because your are paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you.

News Nugget

I have a place near the top of my blog navigation where I post a quick daily update for closed transaction, average sale price and median sale price. I go into the MLS most evenings and gather the data and put it in the sidebar text widget. It is there for the following day. There are some readers who pop in each day simply to see what’s happening in those numbers for the day.

Does it work?

Google Business and the DOW Chart

Two weeks ago Google removed the DOW Graph and stats from the sidebar of the business section. Have you ever pulled a bottle out of a babies mouth while they were sucking?

I go to the news page several times a day to see what is happening on the market. Sometimes an article catches my eye and I read it while I’m there.  Google put it back, they moved it under the “MORE” finance section.

YES IT WORKS. This is the kind of shouting for emphasis not like a coach yelling at his team to HIT THE TRACK.

Yes it works. Like putting out birdseed to attract the birds or corn on a nail for the squirrels. Provide a treat worth coming to get and you will attract readers.

Don’t look back, your competition might be gaining on you.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

News Nuggets Mortgage Minutes Yogi-isms

Gravatar support is now (and has been) built right into WP and most themes. Getting your own Gravatar takes all of about 30 seconds.

Go to Gravatar.com put in your email address, upload a picture/image and you are done. Every time you leave a comment with that email address the gravatar is automatically assigned to the comment.

I recognize comments often by the gravatar that appears before I see the name.  Same is true from the Dashboard where comments appear.

I still see a lot of comments with the generic avatar.  Getting a Gravatar is so simple and easy.  Do It.

It is a lot easier than setting up a facebook page or thinking of something to say on Twitter.  You wouldn’t have either of those without an image why then do so many  NOT have a Gravatar?

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Getting a Gravatar

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Is the Economy and working in Real Estate getting you down. Then it is time to stop selling real estate and start selling your town.  That’s right, put on a fresh pair of eyes and a change of attitude about the business, your business.  If you are in real estate for the sole purpose of turning a dime and making a buck, then it is time to get out; past time actually.  If not, then you need a fresh perspective.  Here are three things you can do that will help.

Loosen Up Your Attitude

Think of the town you live in as a community and not where you do business. Those neighborhoods, subdivisions, historic homes, barrios etc. are more than the parts of your local real estate market. They are a part of what makes your community unique. Stop being a bean counter (my apologies to accountants) Loosen up your attitude and ask yourself why would anyone want to live here?

Look Around

Now that you have the attitude and are willing to see your town with fresh eyes and a new perspective it is time to look around. What do you see. The best pie place in the county. Some of the most unique architecture around? Public Art? Historical Landmarks? Hiking trials, lakes, fishing, mountains, bike trails, birding, etc. Look around and find the things that make your community attractive to people that don’t even know it exists.

Sell Your Town

Have you been taking notes while driving around. Photographs, yes, you knew it was coming. People want to see where you live, not just listing photos, not just the size of the master bath or the type of fireplace. They want to see the community. Some are moving for employment, often they have a choice of communities in proximity to where they are going to be working. Gas might be expensive but most still are willing to drive to get to work if they find a community in which they want to live.

Show off your communities assets. Employ the same mindset you would if your community were a listing. Curb appeal, what do I mean? I would think there are times of the year when main street looks fantastic and other when it is . . . I lived in a small town with a park and bandstand in the center. During the fall the maple leaves would turn bright yellow and orange and the place looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. A few months later in the dead of winter, it didn’t look so good.

Have a street fair? Great time to photograph. Does your community decorate for the 4th of July with bunting and red white and blue everywhere?

Sometimes the things you take most for granted are what others find attractive. Let me give you a prime example. I’m from Ohio, I now live in the Desert. You know what looks overwhelmingly attractive to me? GREEN, green grass, green trees, green, and WATER, rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, fishing, ponds, docks, rafts floating on farm ponds. Holy Cow do I miss these things. Corn shocks in the fall, large round bales of hay dotting the fields. I could go on and on. This is what I mean by needing fresh eyes, a new attitude and perspective.

You probably wouldn’t even think to take a photo of these, they are so . . . common, normal, everyday. But not to me, to me they are like dessert. These hold my attention and let me dream of the future and remember the past.

Post from: Real Estate Blog Lab

Loosen Up, Look Around, Sell Your Town