Real Estate Tech Topix

It’s time again for the RETechSouth Conference in Atlanta.  March 31 and April 1, 2011 in Atlanta at the Gwinnett Center which is up I-85.

The regions largest real estate technology conference, this is a great and inexpensive way meet and learn from the top technology experts in the country.  It’s also a great way to network and learn from your peers, see what they’re up to and just have a great time.

The program is designed for people with all skill levels so you don’t have to be a giant tech nerd to appreciate all that this conference has to offer.  Check out their site and take a look at all the sessions.  You can follow different ‘tracks’ based on your skill level or interests.

Last year’s event was awesome.  I met lots of great people who are now part of my social network.  I follow and connect with them, watch what they do with technology to enhance their business so I’m constantly learning as well as having fun.  This year, I’ve signed up for the MVP tickets so I can take part in the fun at the Awards Party Thursday night!  Also – The Georgia Assoc. of REALTORS YPN group is partnering with RETSO for an after party at the Gwinnett Gladiators’ Hockey Game at the Gwinnett Arena.  Cost is an extra $10 through the GAR site.

So, looking forward to seeing everyone, learning new stuff, making new friends… hope you are too!  See you all there!

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Had really great response on the upcoming WordPress Workshop.  Space is limited due to the hands on nature of the workshop so there a few spaces left. If you’ve been on the fence about it, ask yourself why… and then talk to me!  I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions or address any of your concerns.

We start Monday, July 9th at 6pm and go from there.  Click here for more information and to register on-line!

See you on the 19th!!!

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Just signed up for the REALTOR.com National Blogger Call June 30 at 2pm EDT (it’s scheduled fo 11am PDT so I’ve converted it for you lazy ones…).

It’s a webinar… a seminar conducted on-line.  It’s supposed to discuss “the latest online media trends and social media semantics”.  Their special guest speaker is Nicole Nikolay a.k.a. @nik_nik from MyTechOpinion.com (see my fave links on my sidebar!) who is extremely knowledgeable on the subject of new media and real estate.  Got a chance to meet her in March at REtechSouth so I’m looking forward to hearing what she has to say.  I would encourage everyone to sign up and call in… you might be surprised by how much you learn…

I love webinars and such.  Living here in the Golden Isles, I sometimes feel isolated from rebarcamps and other real estate tech goings ons.  I tell my friends in Atlanta who get together routinely to discuss their latest finds, trends, and ideas that I feel like I’m in social Siberia when it comes to collaboration.  So webinars let me get into the fray from the convenience of my home office!

Check out this link for more information and to register.  Take any opportunity to learn and get exposed to more!

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Now that I’ve been firmly entrenched in the world of WordPress for my site and various other blogs, I am more convinced than ever that WordPress is a great answer to many REALTORS issues with paying a lot of money for bland, same-old-same-old websites.

So the WordPress Workshop is officially ON!!!  Scheduled for July 19-July 24, 2010.  Go to Workshop.MidiShaw.com for more information and to register on-line!

In this weeklong workshop, I’ve designed a series of lectures, hands-on lab and homework assignments where I can walk you through purchasing your domain name – if you don’t already have one, buying a hosting plan, installing WordPress , and working with WordPress in getting it set up to your own unique specifications with themes, plug-ins and widgets.  We’ll also go over the essential elements for a real estate blog/site in regards to required and suggested pages, navigation issues and the concept that content is king.

By the time we’re done, you should be able to manage your site on your own, enter and manage your own real estate listings, tweak things here and there as you want it… and feel comfortable with the message you present on-line with a professional looking site.  Best of all, aside from the cost of purchasing your domain name and paying for a hosting plan (some as low as $3.95/month) – the rest of it is free.  No more paying $35, $50, $75 or even $150/month for a “bed-in-a-bag” website.

I know I’ve made building my site more complicated than it has to be… but I’ve used it as a learning platform, trying out different themes, experimenting with various plug-ins, and even screwing around with the CSS and sometimes .php (with often disastrous results, by the way)… but in the end, I know that it’s a wonderfully user friendly platform and that I can take an average agent and with a little hand holding and some direction, have them set-up their own site and free themselves from the exorbitant monthly fees charged by some of those real estate website companies out there.

The business of real estate costs enough money as it is… with WordPress… you can control your costs but still have a strong impact on your overall marketing success.

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First of all, you’re asking “What’s a BarCamp?” right?

In a nutshell, a BarCamp is an open workshop where people get together and share information and ideas on a given topic.  The real estate barcamp is apparently one of the fastest growing and more successful for this type of format… I think it has to do with the fact that we’re independent contractors and must get our information from our own sources so these barcamps provide an easy collaborative answer.

Traditionally, RE BarCamps are held in major cities which leaves those of us here in the Golden Isles or other places not close to a major city out in the cold.  Sure we could try and hold one ourselves, but I’m afraid the attendance would be meager to say the least.

Well, worry no more.  A Virtual RE Barcamp is scheduled for next week.  It’s all free and it’s virtual, which means rather than having to drive to Atlanta, Miami or Charlotte, you can attend in the comfort of your own office or home – in pajamas no less!   Go check out the site – it explains everything and ‘see’ you next week!

Also on the horizon, RETechSouth is scheduled for March 2010.  This one will require a drive to Atlanta – but it’s huge and will be worth it!  More on this later!

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