Take an existing banner if it falls within the Facebook guidelines of 520px width or create a new one.  Divide the banner into five segments and add them to your photos album.  Now just tag yourself in the photos.  You will need to rotate out the old photos.  If you have your profile set-up to notify you when you have been tagged in photos, you will be able to quickly go in and edit out the tagged photos to restore your banner.

There are tons of ways you can utilize this feature.  Separate business from personal, then do something cool and fun!  Check out these Facebook New Profile Layouts on Mashable.  It’s just a trend, nothing to get to serious about.  Facebook will change the rules anyway – they always do!  Here are a few more Facebook New Profile Layout showcased on Mashable.

As reported Wednesday on Wire, Tim Sparapani, Facebook’s chief of public policy, said in a radio interview on Tuesday that Facebook has hearing that users are frustrated and confused with the complexity of Facebook’s privacy settings.

“I think we are going to work on that. We are going to be providing options for users who want simplistic bands of privacy that they can choose from and I think we will see that in the next couple of weeks.”

So rather than wait for a “couple of weeks”, spend time ranting or join a mass exodus group, take matters into your own hands and mange your privacy settings.

Resources – Facebook:  Manage Privacy Settings

Here are a few resources that provide an overview of the current privacy settings and how to navigate  and change them to suite your own personal needs.

A  video was put together by Huffington Post that provides a quick overview on how to change settings.

Facebook Privacy Settings:  How to Fix Your Profile in 2 Minutes

The New York Times published an article - Facebook Privacy:  A Bewildering Tangle of Options that provides a  flow chart to navigate the privacy setting.  Be sure to check out the stats on the length of Facebook’s privacy policy, it is now longer than The United States Constitution at 5830 v. 4543.

ReclaimPrivacy.org is a bookmarking tool that you run while in Facebook privacy settings that will scan your settings and alert you as to which settings are secure and which are private.  You can then either have ReclaimPrivacy secure the settings for you or click on a link that will take you to the privacy settings where you can review and make individual choices.

Hopefully these resources will provide you with the tools and information you need to make your own choice as what information is shared and what is protected.

Cardinal Point REVA will be clearing the decks on January 4, 2010 to attend Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp!

After attending the first Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp – this is a must on my schedule.  I picked up so many tips and techniques to apply not only to my business but more importantly to my real estate agent clientele.  Join me on January 4, 2010 for the second edition of the Virtual Real Estate Bar Camp.  I promise you’ll learn how to apply modern technology to better your real estate practice. And the added bonus – It’s FREE!

On January 4th, 2010 dozens of the most respected educators in the real estate industry converge to host most exciting event of its kind, the Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Virtual Real Estate BarCamp is a 1-Day Learning Extravaganza.

From 9am until 4pm PST, three concurrent webinar “rooms” will each host 7 different sessions, for a total of 28 different presentations.

There is something for everyone and everything for someone, and best of all, IT IS FREE and attendance is unlimited!

Click below to:

Register.

Learn more.

See who is coming.

Check out the Session Calendar.

Get sponsorship info.

Attendance is projected to be at least 1000 agents, nationwide.

Do not miss out on being part of this ground-breaking event.

Potential Session Topics Include:

• Facebook for Real Estate
• Twitter 101
• Driving Quality Traffic to Your Website
• Beginning Search Engine Optimization
• Advanced SEO
• Getting Started with WordPress
• Advanced WordPress Techniques
• Using Flickr for Real Estate
• Using YouTube for Real Estate
• LinkedIn Business & Referral Strategies
• Selecting an IDX Company
• Single Property Websites
• Getting the Most Out Of Your Mobile Devices
• The iPhone and Real Estate
• Photoshop for Real Estate
• Video Blogging
• Video Listings
• Advanced Twitter Tips
• Preparing to Start a Real Estate Blog
• Google Analytics and Traffic Statistics
• …and much more, with new sessions being added every day.

And if that wasn’t cool enough, individuals from around the country are volunteering to host In-Real-Life MeetUps for after the event.

Learn all day, and then meet to have a beer with local participants. This is going to be a blast!

We hope to see you there!

Putting your listings online is a no-brainer.  According to 2008 National Association of Realtors^® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey – eighty-seven percent of home buyers used the Internet to search for a home.   A wealth of potential buyers to vie for – so how do you stand out in the crowd from all the other Realtors?    There must be effort – - more effort than simply throwing a bunch of photos up and copying the all-caps truncated text from the MLS remarks section.

Many Realtors are missing the boat when marketing their listings online.  Their efforts or lack thereof are simply for not.  The following are seven quick and easy steps that will help you stand out from the crowd and create a polished listing to build upon.

Name that photo.  One of the most important factors in marketing your listings online is photos.  And yes, quality does matter, but more importantly, photos need to tell a story.  Label the photos so that the potential buyer knows exactly what they are viewing.  An empty room with a taupe wall, endless pictures of grass and trees – - don’t leave them guessing, tell them.

A picture’s worth a thousand dollars – and then some. Pictures are uploaded, labeled – you’re done, right?  No!   Check your photos by viewing the web page that potential buyers view.  Occasionally, that perfect photo on your laptop becomes blurry and grainy once uploaded and manipulated by the hosting site.

Visual Story Board.  An interactive virtual tour with panoramics is vital.  Your photo gallery is also a virtual tour and is on every syndicated marketing site.  Take potential buyers on a virtual tour through the photos by arranging them in order – from the front of the home, to the front door, through the foyer, into the living space, continuing through the interior of the home and finally out onto the patio/deck.

Descriptions, descriptions, descriptions.  Just as equal in importance to location location location, enhancing the text is crucial.  Highlight the homes selling points and provide as much detail as possible – gleaming hardwood floors, glistening granite countertops, jetted soaking tub.  Then place potential buyers in the home – living in the home – enjoying those features.  A charming fireplace – put them there on a chilly evening enjoying a glass of wine and the latest best selling novel.  Backyard suited for entertaining – talk about summer bbqs with friends and family.

Utilize the real estate – - free or otherwise.  Whether you’re paying or it’s free, use all that is being offered on a site.  Recently, I viewed a single family home on a golf course that was listed for well over a million dollars.  There was a two sentence description for a 6000 square foot home; no virtual tour; no mention of the community amenities; and eight grainy, blurry photos.

Lead them and they will follow – link to your website.  Yes, it’s in your branding usually at the bottom of the page or on the top right corner but that doesn’t mean you can’t include in other places.  If you have a single property website for the listing – link to it.  Always, link to your other listings – lead them to what all you have to offer.

The X Factor – community and neighborhood.  With the exception of price, location is the X factor in where potential buyers look for a home – based on work, family, and lifestyle. Point out what attracts buyers to each listings particular community and highlight it – award winning school district, great nearby shopping, diverse entertainment, transportation.

Consistently impress potential buyers with vital information and attractive sites and they will return.  The first listing that they discover may not be their ideal home but by continually providing informative and attractive content they will be a reoccurring visitor on your site to see all that you have to offer.  When they’re ready, you’ll be the Realtor they contact.

What about you – how do you enhanced your listings so that they stand out in your market?

Today’s economy has dramatically stunted the growth in the real estate industry.  Nonetheless, real estate professionals seem to be faced with a myriad of objectives.  In addition to working in the field with their clients, today’s real estate professionals must stay in the forefront of their market through social media; develop strategy and market their listings on-line; and develop campaigns that keep-in-touch with leads, sphere-of-influence, past clients and contacts.

Many believe that with the shape of the economy the only answer is to do it all themselves.  However, the reality is that there are only so many hours in a day; and many do not have the knowledge or resources to effectively do it all.

So how do the top producers:

• Stop being everything to every one
• Creatively structure and manage a successful team
• Effectively utilize a Real Estate Virtual Assistant
• Stay in the forefront of their market
• Outwit their competition

The answers and more can be found here at the 20th Anniversary Star Power Annual Conference hosted in Denver, Colorado, July 29 through August 1, 2009.  Learn from the top active producers in the real estate industry how to develop a successful team, dominate online, outwit the competition and stay in the forefront of the market in today’s economy.

Among the Star Power Conference break-out sessions, there are three that together will allow you to pull the necessary skills, tactics and tools into a cohesive plan so that you can accomplish your goals and more.

• Doing More with Less - 11:00a.m. Thursday and Saturday at 11:00a.m.

Learn how to become more profitable in all areas of your operation including prospecting, team structure, compensation plans, using Virtual Assistants and more. Moderated by Richard Bass, panelists include STAR POWER Stars Kristan Cole, Terry McDaniel, JoEllen Nash, Steve Westmark and Mike Watkins.

• Dominate Your Online Competition – 11:00 AM on Saturday

Join Michael Russer AKA Mr. Internet for an eye opening introduction into online dominance.   During this session, Michael Russer will show you the three secrets to online success and how to dominate your competition:

There are only three things that you need to completely dominate your competition and have a superior online presence that generates new business day and night:

1. Specialize – you will eliminate over 98% of your competition and do more business than you ever thought possible simply by being the expert in one or more target markets.

2. Speak the Language of the Online Consumer – you will convert far more Website visitors into closed transactions when you learn to speak the “language” of the online consumer..

3. Use Virtual Assistants – trying to do it all yourself is costing you a fortune! Thousands of agents are now enjoying the competitive advantage of using VAs without the costs of onsite help.

• Today’s Team - Saturday at 2:00 PM

Changes in team structures needed in today’s economy. Learn about working with VA’s, accountability, compensation ideas and more. Moderated by Brad Cole, Panelists are Karen Jolley, Tom Pendergrast, Jeff Searcy and Brad Korb.

Making the most of resources is even more imperative in today’s economy.  Learning the skills and tools while developing the tactics to set yourself apart from your competitors will not only pay off now but will reap even more rewards as the industry takes a positive upswing.

With the culmination of these three sessions, you will learn how to set up your business to be effective now in the face of today’s economy and then sit back and watch it grown as the industry rebounds.

Return home armed with an arsenal of skills, tools and tactics that can immediately be put to work by your Virtual Assistant.  If you haven’t yet added a Real Estate Virtual Assistant to your team, now is the perfect time.

Professional Real Estate Virtual Assistants already understands these tactics and can hit the ground running and put them to work for you today.  They will take what you have learned, develop an Action Plan that is customized to fit with your business and then implement it for maximum results.

Find out how to structure your business and develop a dominating online presence so that you can focus on what you do best – selling real estate.  Develop the tactics and skills from these three sessions at the 20^th Anniversary Star Power Annual Conference and then watch your business exceed your expectations!