RealtyTechBytes.com » Buying Technology Tools

backupify your social content

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:00:37 +0000

I had a minor disaster at my casa last week in which I lost all access to a VMWare Fusion Windows XP machine. Fortunately it was quickly resolved by using a backup. That started me thinking about what I have that is NOT backed up.

All of my computers use backup drives that are physically connected to my computer. They run continuous backups and are available to move my data to another machine if I need to do so. Or, they can be used to restore missing or corrupt data.

I also use MozyHome as another way to back up data. So in theory I am covered, right?

Not so quick. What about my social sites like Twitter and Facebook? It turns out that I have not been backing those up. What if my account at either site got trashed or even worse, cancelled? How could I recover my friends lists or pictures or the content that I have posted?

To put that in perspective, at Twitter I am following over 4500 people and over 4300 are following me. Trying to restore those lists without having a back up file would be impossible. The same holds true for my Facebook account where I have over 600 friends, many Notes, a few pictures and so on.

In my research to solve this problem I ran across a service that I am using and thought that you might like to know about it too.

This is a cloud based backup service that will use your login information to go to your Twitter, Google Docs, Wordpress, GMail, Facebook, Zoho, Delicious, Flickr, Basecamp or Photobucket accounts and perform daily or weekly backups of your data.

The service acts as backup program and does not actually store your data on their servers. Instead, the data is stored on the Amazon S3 Web Services Cloud, which in my opinion was a really smart move on their part. To understand why I say this, click here to read more about Amazon S3 web services.

You can also download your data to your local computer once it has been backed up. This now gives you 3 copies of your data. The original is on Twitter, Facebook, etc. But, you also have a copy on the S3 cloud and the one on your hard drive. The chance of all three failing at once are very, very small.

Finally, until January 31st, you can get an account for free. Hmmm, sounds like a good deal to me. Better click on the backupify logo in this post or just click http://www.backupify.com and sign up.

About the Author: Jerry is a 23 year veteran of the real estate industry and has done it all from listing and selling, to managing single and multiple offices. He has been the IT Director for a major SF Bay Area company, and has also been the Training Director for another major SF Bay Area company. In addition to writing this blog, Jerry is the Principal of Jerry Kidd Training and Consulting, specializing in showing real estate professionals how to utilize today’s exciting social tools to create and nurture relationships with home buyers and sellers. Visit http://www.JerryKidd.com to learn more about the training and consulting services offered.

Copyright 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - All rights reserved - http://RealtyTechBytes.com Did you know that I have arranged for readers of my blog to receive licensed software for free? And that there is something new everyday? Click on the link to go to the blog and look for Give Away of the day in the sidebar.

backupify your social content

Measy BounceBack Essentials

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:00:25 +0000

Ok, now that was a weird title for this post wasn’t it?

I thought I’d combine the names of the two products I want to tell you about and make a title out of it. It either caused you to open the post right away because you were curious, or caused you to pass (in which case you aren’t reading this!).

We’ll start with BounceBack Essentials. This is an inexpensive backup solution for you. Hopefully you are all using some form of backup already. You could be using an online backup, or a portable hard drive, you could be backing up to a remote computer, you could be copying files to a USB stick or even burning CDs. With all the back up solutions that are available, why would you be interested in yet another one?

All of those solutions are great and they all have a place where they shine. But, none of those solutions will get you up and running immediately once a disaster occurs. BounceBack Essentials is a $29.00 software program for Windows (A Mac version is available for $39.00) that uses an external hard drive to make an exact duplicate of your computer on the external drive. The major selling point, in my opinion, is that BounceBack Essentials makes that external drive bootable! This means that if your main drive fails, you simply choose to boot from the backup drive and continue working! You can choose to restore your system immediately or at a future, more convenient time.

Watch a short YouTube video which explains the process, and then click on any of the links above to learn more:

The next thing I want to tell you about is Measy.

Measy is a website that can help you make decisions about buying HDTVs, digital cameras, DSLR Cameras, netbooks and SmartPhones! It does this by asking you to work you way through an interview that asks you questions about your preferences and expected use of the device you are researching.

They then display a ranked list of devices that they believe will fulfill you needs. Each of your criteria is explained and backed up by research that they have done on the web by using product reviews.

So, rather than be baffled by the plethora of choices that confront you when you are shopping for a gadget, check out Measy to see what the experts have to say!

Since this is a beta site, expect changes to come in the future. You can sign up for notification emails from them when they add new categories.

Oh, by the way, this one is free!

iPhone 3G pet peeve solved!

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:00:27 +0000

I was one of those people who stood in line for over 6 hours in July of 2008 to buy the iPhone 3G when it came out. I wasn’t happy to do it, but I endured the wait because the reward was so worth it.

Then Apple came out with the iPhone 3GS. It had a feature that I really wanted and that was the ability to shoot video with the built in camera, something the 3G lacked, even though it’s camera and hardware was completely capable of doing it! I didn’t rush out to get the 3GS because I wasn’t “seasoned” enough in my contract with AT&T and would have had to buy my way out the contract so that I could enter into a new one with AT&T for the new phone. I wasn’t willing to do that.

There was another option for me to be able to shoot video on my iPhone 3G and that was to “jailbreak” my phone. Jail breaking a phone is the process of installing some software that allows you to install other software that permits the phone to do things that Apple and AT&T did not want done. Like shooting video!

The problem with jail breaking a phone is that it possibly violates the warranty and the possibility of “bricking” the phone is very real. “Bricking” is a term used to describe the phenomenon of rendering your phone unusable and irreparable. Even as geeky as I am, I didn’t want to risk that. So, I contented myself with the thought that I had to stick to my Flip camera for mobile video. I like the Flip and and have used it frequently. but it means carrying another device all the time.

I just ran across the answer to problem. Ustream has released an iPhone app that will allow my iPhone 3G (and the 3GS) to shoot live video and upload it to their website and make it available to be watched by others and embedded into my blog or Facebook page.

And, it’s FREE! It’s called Ustream Broadcaster and you get it at the iPhone App Store. You’ve got to have iTunes installed on your computer to get it.

They have a very extensive help page to get you up and running so you should be able to get this done in short order.

So, problem solved, angst with the iPhone reduced, but not gone. (When can I tether my iPhone to my laptop? Come on Apple and AT&T, get with it!)

How might you use this feature? I’m thinking it makes for a great tool when out on tour. If you see something your client might like, whip out your phone, shoot a quick video and Tweet about it or load it to your Facebook page (Both features are built into the app) and let your client know.

How are you going to use it? Share your ideas by leaving a comment.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Tech Tuesday…

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:00:22 +0000

What’s next…Weird Wednesday? Beat’s me, but in “honor” of all the shopping madness that we are experiencing this weekend, I wanted to share my favorite starting point with you. I like this site so much that I have made it my browser start page. It’s http://www.AllMyFaves.com.

The idea behind this gem is that you can find almost any website that you might need from one convenient location.

The picture doesn’t do it justice, so go ahead and click on it so that you can explore around the page. Each website has it’s own “chicklet” style icon, and clicking on one will take you to thee corresponding web site.

The categories run down the left side. Each week they feature some interesting sites. You can browse past weeks featured sites by clicking on “Weekly Faves”. You’ll be able to lose an entire afternoon if you aren’t careful!

In addition to the US version, there are versions for the UK, Canada, Brazil and India.

One more thing I want to tell you about is my Amazon store. I write about a lot of products in this blog. I use all of them myself (or I wouldn’t write about them). I buy them from my own funds, and I am not paid for writing about them. I like it that way and you should too.

However, I am frequently asked where to get the things I write about, so I created an Amazon store where you can go and buy them. Obviously many of the products can be bought elsewhere, but the Amazon name is one that I trust and feel comfortable in promoting. If you go to my store and buy something, I will make a small commission. The commissions range from pennies to dollars, depending on the product. I will not be getting rich quick from this store, but any purchase you make in my store will help to defray the costs of hosting this blog. And for that I would be grateful. You can get there by clicking this link (http://realtytechbytes.com/my-amazon-store-books-and-tools/), or by clicking the “My Amazon Store - Books and Tools” in the top navigation bar of the blog.

That’s it for me this week. I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

7 Best Black Friday Web Sites

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:00:03 +0000

I don’t know too many people who haven’t been affected by the current US economy.

The news has been all doom and gloom for far too long. Many of us are staring at the holiday season and thinking about how we can provide gifts for our family, friends, acquaintances and clients.

Quite a few of us are also faced with having to replace or upgrade failing phones, computers and other tech gear.

Fortunately for us, Black Friday is upon us this month. Black Friday is defined by StreetAuthority as: “In the retail world, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving (which is always on a Thursday). The day marks the advent of the holiday shopping season and the point at which most retailers begin making profits (also known as going in the black).”

You and I might define it as the time to buy when the prices are at their lowest as many retailers offer tremendous values on some items in order to drive traffic to their brick and mortar and online stores. In times past you had to wait until Thanksgiving to see what stores were selling what products at what prices. Today we have it so much easier. Here are a collection of links to web sites that have aggregated Black Friday ads, as well as one site that is a year round technology bargain hunters paradise, one site that is a (tech and everything else) year round bargain hunters site and one site that will help you protect those price guarantees.

Year Round Technology Bargains

– http://www.techbargains.com/

“This is a great site dedicated to helping you save money on all your technology product purchases. They search the Internet and physical stores for the best deal on the best products. TechBargains helps you find hot deals on the latest Tech products as well as great prices for ANY product via our Low Price Search Engine. The site features continuously updated Bargain News Headlines with all the latest sales, bargains, coupons, and deals. See what is on Sale, so you can save the most money. Discount Coupons for most of the major online stores. Hot Tip articles to educate users on specific topics. Recommended products database with a short list of products you should consider buying. Rebate and vendor information helps ensure you get the best deal with the maximum amount of safety.”

Protect your price guarantee

– http://www.priceprotectr.com/retailers.jsp

“PriceProtectr now supports 150 retailers and here’s a list of each one, along with the pertinent information to help you get the most out of your next purchase. Use Price Protectr to track prices of things you’re thinking about buying, and save money even after you buy.” This one will help you keep the stores price guarantees honest!

Year round shopping news and deals

– http://dealnews.com/

“At dealnews, every deal we list is the lowest price we could find for that product, sold by a reputable store. That means we list the best deals period, regardless of our relationship with the seller, and we ban stores with a history of poor customer service.”

- Black Friday App FREE Get Black Friday deals from dealnews.com directly on to your phone plus browse the latest adverts, add items to a shopping list and even buy items online.

Sites devoted to Black Friday

– http://www.2009blackfridayads.com/

“Here you can find all the 2009 Black Friday Ads before the circulars come out in the newspaper. They also offer direct links to each store so, if the retailers allow, you can purchase the items online on Black Friday without having to stand in line at the store!”

– http://www.blackfriday.info/

They have ads, coupons, rebates and deals posted in an easy to use format.

– http://bfads.net/

Different from BlackFridayAds.com, this one also offers buying guides and helpful articles on how to choose between items, in addition to the ads from the retailers that they also feature. It’s a good idea to check this one as well as the others in case one or the other misses an ad important to you.

– http://www.iblackfriday.com/

This site lets you view the 2009 black Friday ads weeks in advance. Not only can you view the ads, but they also let you build out your holiday shopping list so you know exactly what items to buy on Black Friday.They also show you how you can buy these items online on Thanksgiving morning instead of having to stand in line on Black Friday.

Shopping guides published here previously

I get a lot of emails and calls asking what phone to buy and /or what computer to buy. There really isn’t way that I can recommend one model of phone or computer over another, as both purchases are entirely subjective. But, I have over 30 articles on my blog that talk about what to purchase in one way or another. Go here to access them http://realtytechbytes.com/category/purchasing/, be sure to use the “Prev” button after the third link on each page to see them all.

I hope that you enjoy the holiday and if you must go shopping on Black Friday don’t go until you’ve checked out the sites I’ve mentioned.

Realtor’s® guide to making a living in a Web 2.0 World ~ Part Three

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:00:58 +0000

Two weeks ago I introduced this multi-part series of posts on how successful Realtors® are making a living these days. In that post I talked about the 6 traits of successful agents and the one thing that none of them do. It will be important to keep those traits in mind as we talk about this week’s tool.

In case you have forgotten what I talked about in previous week’s or in case you are just joining us on this journey, here is the link to the first week’s article http://budurl.com/hywg , and here is the link to last week’s article: http://budurl.com/bjed

I want to talk about computers today. Although it is possible to be a successful real estate agent without one (and I do know a few who do not use one and who are successful by any one’s standards) I believe that the use of a computer in your real estate business is a necessity for most of us.

One of the most frequent questions that I get is “What computer should I buy?”. I always answer that question with a few of my own, because it’s impossible to give good advice until the following questions are answered:

How do you work? Do you work from home? Do you work from your broker’s office?
Do you ever meet clients at their home or place of employment? Do you ever meet clients at a coffee shop, or do you work from one?
What do you hope to gain from using a computer? Checking email? Surfing the web? Accessing MLS? Doing presentations?
Will you be editing and publishing pictures or videos?
Will you be writing a blog?
Although in most cases a laptop computer will be the correct machine for most real estate uses, what kind of laptop? Mac or Windows?
If a Windows machine, do you need the features of a full size laptop or will a Netbook do for you?

As you can see, some careful thought has to go into the choice. I have explored many of these options in previous posts and I invite you to revisit each article to get more detail on how to make your decision.

To start with, visit http://realtytechbytes.com/what-computer-should-i-buy/ to get a look at the larger picture.

Then you may want to visit http://realtytechbytes.com/what-laptop-should-i-buy-in-2008/ for some insight on buying a laptop.

To help you with the Netbook versus laptop question, visit http://realtytechbytes.com/your-next-laptop-is-a-netbook/

These three articles are clearly dated in terms of price, but they still offer sound advice on how to buy. My basic rule of thumb is this (applies to Windows and Mac, Laptop/Netbook and desktop machines): Buy as much RAM as the machine will hold. Get the biggest hard drive that you can get, if possible get a DVDR/RW drive as this will allow you to play and burn both DVDs and CDs. If you are going the portable route, get something with built in WiFi. Bluetooth would be nice but not necessary, and having 3 or more USB ports is a nice feature to have. If at all possible, get one with a built in web cam and microphone. Having these items opens up a whole new world of options that we’ll explore later in the series.

Finally, I wrote a three part series on converting from using a Windows PC to a Mac:

http://realtytechbytes.com/true-confessions-of-a-windows-user-in-a-mac-world-part-one/

http://realtytechbytes.com/true-confessions-of-a-windows-user-in-a-mac-world-part-two/

http://realtytechbytes.com/true-confessions-of-a-windows-user-in-a-mac-world-part-three/

The choice of a machine platform is crucial to your success and you should plan on spending some time in careful consideration.

Next time we’ll look at the software that I see the successful agents using to sustain and grow their businesses.

In the meantime, why not tell us all what computer you are using, why you are using it and what you like about it as well as what you don’t like! We can all learn from each other on this one!

Realtor’s® guide to making a living in a Web 2.0 World ~ Part Two

Jerry Kidd — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:40:41 +0000

In last week’s post I introduced this multi-part series of posts on how successful Realtors® are making a living these days. This post will continue where we left off last week by examining what I consider to be the most important tool that a Realtor® has…and it’s one that most of us have yet to completely master, although we all have one.

In case you have forgotten what I talked about last week or in case you are just joining us on this journey, here is the link to last week’s article: http://budurl.com/hywg

Last week I talked about the 6 traits of successful agents and the one thing that none of them do. It will be important to keep those traits in mind as we talk about this week’s tool. This tool enhances all of the traits and is the keystone of any successful agents toolkit. What is it? Simple, it’s the cell phone.

I can’t think of any thing that has had the impact on our business that the cell phone has had. Some might argue that it is the Internet, but the cell phone (the right cell phone…more on that later on) enables the agent to access and use the Internet from anywhere.

Let’s look at this a little closer. Previous to widespread cell phone adoption, an agent was tethered to a land line. Whether at home, the office or public pay phones we still needed a land line. A tremendous amount of time was spent calling in for messages, either to a receptionist/operator or to a voice mail system. That required locating a pay phone and carrying around the proper coins to make it work. Try finding a pay phone these days!

The right phone makes the following things possible:

True mobility. You are not tethered anymore. You can work from anywhere you can get a signal
Access to your Contact list
Access to your Calendar and appointments
Pick up, read and send email from multiple accounts
Access the WWW and obtain information form the Internet
Get maps and directions
Search listings
Open lockboxes (Not all MLSs permit this)
Track your income and expenses, and do online banking
Update your blog and other social sites like Facebook and Twitter
Listen to music, watch videos or “read” a book
Take pictures and videos and post them your social sites or send them via email
Record voice memos to yourself or others
Use it as a replacement for that venerable HP 12C calculator
Track your stocks
Find restaurants, movies, ATMs, Grocery stores and more
Send and receive text messages
And lest we forget, make and receive phone calls!

In my opening paragraph I alluded to the fact that fact that most of us have yet to master all of this on our phones. If your phone has these capabilities and you are not utilizing them, you are leaving a lot of benefits on the table.

When I quiz agents on this, I am often told that the phones are too complicated and that the instructions are vague or hard to understand. And I completely agree.

But, you can’t let that get in the way of your mastery of the phone. Go back to the first post in the series and read the last paragraph.

You can’t quit and expect to be able to reap the full benefit of the phone. Even though there is complexity and obtuse instructions, there are answers to be found. Do you know someone who uses the same phone as you? Could you ask them for help? Remember Google is probably your best source of information on almost any subject. Do a Google search like this: “How do I send a text message on my Samsung Blackjack II?” (Insert your own information, but follow that format). You’ll get a wide variety of answers and leads to valuable websites.

You can often find more useful information on your service provider’s website as well. (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile etc.) You could also visit one of the many stores that sell cell phones. Sometimes you get lucky and find a knowledgeable sales person who can show you the ropes. (Sales tip: Let them know that you are a real estate agent and give them your card. Who knows, they might become your next client)

The point being is that most of us give up and move on and never learn how to use our phones to their fullest capacity. Don’t be that person. Put aside some learning time to spend with your phone. Get up 15 minutes earlier, stay up 15 minutes later, give up a TV show once a week, whatever it takes, but you NEED to do this.

In case you are wondering what phone to buy, you may want to read a post I wrote about how to choose and buy a Smart Phone. Here is the link to that post: http://budurl.com/6uub

So here is the wrap up for this week. Pick up that phone and the instruction book that came with it and start learning what all those buttons and icons can do for you. A little time invested now will pay dividends in the form of more time or greater efficiency later.

Next weeks post will continue with a look at computers. I am not sure how many posts this series will comprise, but I can assure you this: If you stay with me through the series you WILL learn something that will positively impact your business and your income.

Are you in?

Own your own mobile WiFi hotspot

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:44:03 +0000

As real estate agents we have learned how to work away from our offices and to provide our services wherever the customer happens to be, at their home, their office or even at a local coffee shop.

One of the factors that has contributed to that mobility is the nearly ubiquitous presence of WiFi. Although though WiFi may be present, in our customer’s homes it is not prudent to connect your computer to a customer’s network. The reason I say it’s not prudent is because you open yourself up to catching a virus that may be on their network, and you surely open yourself up to being accused as the cause of any future problems the customer may experience on their network after you disconnect and leave.

This is where the AirCards came into play. You purchase such a card from Sprint, Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile, subscribe to a data plan and use the “card” with your laptop to access the cellular data networks. These work pretty well, allowing you to plug in the card, fire up the connection software and eventually open your browser or email client. If you are in a location with your client that does not have WiFi available, or if you didn’t want to use a WiFi signal that may be available, this was your only solution up until very recently.

If you wanted to share your AirCard connection with another person, this was not possible…they would need their own device, or you would have to disconnect and physically move the device to the other computer. Then install the proprietary connection software on the other computer before they could use your AirCard. When they were finished, you had to retrieve your device or risk losing it.

Enter a new breed of device called a Cellular Router. These devices allowed you to plug your AirCard into the body of the device. It then used the AirCard to establish a connection to the Internet and then it would transmit a WiFi signal to multiple nearby computers. This was a good workable solution that would solve two problems, namely working in an area without WiFi and being able to share the connection with multiple computers simultaneously.

Although it is a good solution, it requires two devices, the AirCard and the Cellular Router. You could pay upwards of several hundred dollars for the router plus the cost of the AirCard and it’s monthly data plan.

Recently Novatel has released a credit card sized device that combines the AirCard and the Router into one device. As of this writing, it is only available on the EVDO network which is the one utilized by Verizon and Sprint in the US. Novatel has also released a model which will work on the HSPA network used by AT&T and T-Mobile, although I have not seen it on either carrier’s website as of this writing.

After examining both Verizon’s and Sprint’s offerings via their websites, I opted to make the purchase of the Sprint unit, but bought it through http://3Gstore.com. They are authorized agents for both Verizon and Sprint and have posted reviews of both the Verizon and Sprint versions. It was their opinion that the Sprint version was the better implementation of the two (and buying the Sprint version through them was nearly $50.00 cheaper than the same thing at the Sprint website) so I purchased the Sprint one on a two year contract with a 5 GB per month data plan. Overage is billed at .05 per MB which is less than Verizon’s overage charge according to 3GStore.

So, what’s the point? For me it’s convenience. I get to carry my own private mobile hotspot that I can share with up to 4 others if I wish. It will provide WiFi to my Windows machines, my Macs, my iPhone and any other WiFi enabled device that I wish to share it with. It has a battery rated at 4 hours, can fit into a pocket or purse and does not need to be physically attached to the computer. This means that I just open my computer and connect to it’s signal as I would any other WiFi enabled hotspot. In other words, after the first time connection my computer “remembers” the device as a trusted hotspot and just connects. No fussing around with an AirCard and the connection manager software. Connection speed is a maximum throughput of 3.1Mb/s download and 1.8Mb/s upload. It is also GPS capable which will make it work with location aware websites and services. I can see this being useful with the mapping services that I tend to use.

For the security conscious among us it comes with high level security including WPA2-PSK, WEP and SPI Firewall. The User-replaceable Lithium-Ion battery provides up to four hours of run time and 40 hours standby. It’s vital stats are 3.50”x 2.32” x 0.35” and weight: 2.05 oz.

The final “kicker” for me was that with this device, my iPhone running Skype will be able to make and receive Skype calls on the Verizon network. I now have a phone that should work for me even if the AT&T network is down.

Can you imagine using one of these at an open house? Or allowing your client to access the Internet while you are driving around in your car showing houses? I think this is another device that will streamline the way that we do business and will also be a differentiator that further divides the connected agent from the technophobes.

Have you got one of these? If so, leave a comment and tell us how it’s working out for you.

Announcing the all new ePro Course

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:00:41 +0000

Many of you know that I am an ePro Certified Trainer, and as such I have been able to offer you a $25.00 discount when you sign up for the National Association of Realtors® ePro course.

I have always felt that having an ePro was a very smart move for all Realtors® for a variety of reasons and have urged all practicing real estate agents to obtain one, even if you already were an expert in using technology in your practice. However, in recent months the ePro course has come under fire because some pundits have felt that it was behind the times as regards the new social media tools that are all the rage today.

There may have been some truth to their allegations, although in my opinion, the basic course was and continues to be a sound platform for all agents to build on. The modules on effective email use, Internet marketing, hardware/software needs and planning are just as relevant today as when they were first written

But, John Reilly, one of the Principals at InternetCrusade, announced on Friday, July 17th, the release of the newly formatted ePro Course and the launch of the all new “Web 2.0 and Social Media Course for Realtors®!”

Here are some of the highlights of the new program:

Introductory pricing for members of NAR until October 16, 2009
(Existing ePros get special pricing on the new Web 2.0 course)
Included in that price is the new “Web 2.0 and Social Media Course”
If you attend a workshop that I put on you will receive 8 months to complete the course instead of the normal 6 months
They continue the offer of a free website for 90 days via Point2 for anyone attending one of my workshops.

As always, the workshops are free to attend and just for attending you will receive the free (for 90 days) Point2 website along with other valuable information that is sure to help your business…even if you don’t sign up for ePro.

Given that the introductory pricing is the lowest that I have ever seen for the ePro course, and that you also get the “Web 2.0 and Social Media Course for Realtors®” along with the free (for 90 days) Point2 website, I can’t see why you wouldn’t attend a workshop.

Just one little factoid for you before I go, NAR’s most recent Survey of Home Buyers and Sellers (free download for NAR members, click here – requires sign-in) tells us the following three facts:

61% of all homebuyers were between 18 and 44 years old
41% of all homebuyers were first time buyers
86% of those first time buyers were between the ages of 18 and 44

People in those age brackets are very comfortable with using social media tools and they have an expectation that their Realtor® will as well. Even though you may think that your clients don’t use those tools today, are you quite certain that they won’t in the future? If you plan on being in the business for any length of time you can be certain that your future clients will want this level of communication from you.

I hope to see you at an ePro workshop soon!

True Confessions of a Windows user in a Mac World – Part Three

Jerry Kidd — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:42 +0000

In the first part of this series, I told you how I came from the PC world to the Mac world. In the second part I told you about the “gotchas” that are part of the process. This week I want to tell you about why it’s all worth it.

Aside from the very obvious design factors that Apple brings to the table, why would I want to pay more for a computer from Apple than I would for one that runs Windows? There are a number of answers to that question, but I’ll start with security.

You KNOW that you have to run anti-virus software on your PC don’t you? And you know that you have to keep it updated daily, don’t you? And you know that if you fail to do that basic preventative care that you WILL get an infection don’t you?

I don’t have to do that with the Mac. I do run antivirus on the PC portion of my Mac, but I run the free program AntiVir. I don’t need expensive AV products on that virtual PC because I ONLY use it for WinForms and MLS access. Every thing else is done on the Mac side of the fence. Some people say that it’s only a matter of time before virus writers learn how (or take enough interest in doing so) to write Mac specific viruses. I don’t really agree with that thinking as I believe that the UNIX operating system that OSX is built on is inherently a safer system to run.

The Macs also have Time Machine built in. Time Machine allows me to connect an external USB hard drive to my Mac and it will create a backup of my hard drive and then every time ANYTHING changes on my computer, it adds the change to the backup. It keeps the backups in a format that allows me to find anything I want going back as far as the capacity of the drive will allow. And it does so in the typical easy to figure out and use Mac interface.

Speaking of the Interface, it is truly easy to use. Apple has a very complete and nice series of videos on it’s website that you can look at when you need to learn something new. Most everything is intuitive and I haven’t been stymied for long when trying to figure out something new.

It comes with some pretty amazing software that handles my email, web browsing, contacts and calendar items. Of course iTunes and the whole iPod (and iPhone) experience on a Mac is so much better than on the PC side of the world.

I purchased Microsoft Office for the Mac so I could get Entourage, which is the Apple equivalent of Outlook. Guess what? It’s better than Outlook! I use it to connect with my company Exchange server. All of my company email, contacts and calendar items seamlessly sync with Exchange. The interface is easier to use than the one that Outlook provides.

I also purchased iWork 09 which gives me Pages, Numbers and Keynote, the Apple equivalent of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Although Word and Excel are more powerful than Pages and Numbers, Keynote beats PowerPoint hands down in terms of what it can do and the ease of doing it. I paid $129.00 for it and that allows me to install it on all three Macs. Try that with MS Office for Windows.

I believe that the agent of the future is going to have to learn to communicate using video and audio in ways that we don’t use today. Video and audio emails are so much easier to accomplish using the Mac than they were on my Windows PC. The hardware and software on the Mac is designed to work with each other and it shows in the ease of use. Said differently, it just works, every time.

Putting together multi-media presentations can be described as fun when done on a Mac as compared to doing the same thing on a PC. I often work in Keynote, save the completed presentation as a movie, drop it into iMovie, create a soundtrack in GarageBand, take the sound track and drop it into iMovie with the Keynote file and create a movie with sound and graphics that can be uploaded to a video sharing site on the Internet or emailed to clients. All done by dragging and dropping…

Finally, there is less clutter on my desk. The iMac is fully self contained. There is a power cord, an Internet cord, a keyboard cord and the cord to my external backup drive. Everything else is built into the iMac. No more separate display and big clunky box.

So, for all of those reasons, this is one PC guy who is now a Mac guy. How about you? What are you running? Mac or PC? And why? Let’s hear from you.