Real Estate Investing and Marketing

One of the newest forms of  hype information “gurus”  are  pushing is for real estate  investors to use Web 2.0 .  This basically means they want real estate investors to be marketing on social networking websites to connect with prospective clients.   The problem that many of these investors are running into, is that they are not able to effectively generate the leads, or when they do, they are not convert these interested parties into actual clients.

Yes, Web 2.0 can be used as part of a larger marketing strategy,  BUT it is not a “miracle” pill!! Web 2.0 and marketing thereupon still has some inherent factors that you must realize.  Firstly that many people who get involved,  quickly lose interest !!   There are a few things that you should avoid that will give you a much better chance of succeeding using Web 2.0.  Many of these gurus have not even figured out yet!  (It never ceases to amaze me how  small their social networks are as information gurus, yet the  pump you full of their expertise??  Would you not want to follow someone who has “mastered” marketing? )

The first thing that you must do is make sure that you commit to a schedule each and every day. You must publish your listings and pictures at the same time every day so that interested parties will know when to look. The problem with releasing this information at random times is that most people have hundreds, if not thousands, on connections on these sites. Therefore, they are receiving an overload of information every day, so they have to filter through this information and pick out the things that they are truly interested in. All it takes is for someone to miss your listings once for that person to move on to someone else, so it is well worth your time to make these posts. Also, make sure that you monitor your company on a consistent basis, as this will allow you to answer any questions that potential clients might have immediately. By actually communicating with people by using Web 2.0, you can bring your services into these peoples’ worlds, which will make you much more accessible for them.

When you are making your daily updates or posts, make sure that you provide value for your followers. If these people feel as though reading what you have to say is a complete waste of time, you will not have a whole lot of success. Even if you do not have many new listings on that particular day, you can still provide these people with information that they can use. You do not have to write a whole lot, but it will be well worth your while to provide these potential clients with some information that can help them going forward. Read more…

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There is a lot of buzz today in the computing and IT world about something that is being called “Web 3.0″.  This is supposed to be exactly what the label implies: the next generation of the Internet. The next great quantum leap forward in communications and doing business on the Internet.

We are currently residing online in Web 2.0. If “Web 1.0″ could be considered just getting the Internet up and running and working out the incredible “bugginess” of its original platforms, Web 2.0 was what we first reached at the dawn of the 21st century. Computer programmers are basically the ones who first notice any quantum leap forward in the entire fabric of Internet applications, and when they mutter “Web 2.0″ they mean an Internet with:

* enhanced communications by way of social-networking technology;

* improvements in communications and interactions between separate software applications by way of open Web standard applications for accessing and describing data;

* enhanced Web interfaces which mimic desktop applications’ real-time responsiveness inside of a browser window.

Now, say those who believe that Web 3.0 is landing on the White House lawn momentarily, we are about to see implemented a new Internet experience, one in which the Internet “gets smart” at long last and becomes much more like Artificial Intelligence (  A.I. )  This will, in part, be the “Semantic Web” that was prophesied at the close of the 20th century by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web. Read more…

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Many people are working on Internet-based knowledge-organizing technologies that stretch traditional definitions of the Web. Lately, some have been calling the technologies “Web 3.0.” But really, they’re closer to “Web 2.1.” !!! Here is the facts folks, Facebook, YouTube and the other social networks are beginning to penetrate the mainstream, but they are but a pixel in a much larger picture. Web 3.0 promises Much much more.

I have made numerous post about this on Facebook without naming names. Since posting on Facebook I have come under attack by many in the “RE Guru Circle” calling and emailing me complaining and thinking I was talking about them ! What does that say to you? To me, it seems I hit a nerve with a few people. I will not sit by and let a clever marketing ploy happen that will allow some people to position themselves in the market place as something they are not, or even have technology that claims to be web 3.0 when it is NOT! Consider the fact that MS and Google are only in beta with web 3 technology to test what can possibly be done.

I am not naming names, just that marketing with version numbers is not ideal. Here is what is important.. Just like a business plan, have a “web marketing plan” and it should take precedence OVER just relying on a number with technology. Numbers don’t really matter in the grand scheme, it’s really the engagement level and social collaboration and usability that is the real focus. Version #’s are really a distraction and point of debate for many who create and hype a lot of vaporware.

Lets take a look at a few videos

1.  The Evolution of Web 1.0,  2,0 and Web 3.0

2.  Now lets look at the problems still we are facing..

So where does that leave us ?  Do you feel like this now…..

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Let me make a statement about my view of the internet landscape!!  This is only the beginning “blurb” about this. I promise I will write in depth about this, and while you are waiting …

One only needs to look towards groups such as MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the World Wide Web Consortium, Amazon.com, and Google. All of these organizations are working for a smarter Web, and some of their prototype implementations are available on the Web for anyone to try.  Many of these projects emphasize leveraging the human intelligence already embedded in the Web in the form of data, metadata, and links between data nodes. Others aim to recruit live humans and apply their intelligence to tasks computers can’t handle. But none are ready for prime time.

Facebook, YouTube and the other social networks and blogs that fall within the scope of ‘Web 2.0′ may be beginning to penetrate the mainstream, but they are but a pixel in a much larger picture.

Web 3.0 is about openness. By “opening” application programming interfaces (APIs), protocols, data formats, open-source software platforms and open data, you open up possibilities for creating new tools.

Keep watching this blog for more