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Goodbye Vista!

By: Chad A. Johnson · Posted on October 30, 2009 · 14 Comments

It is complete. I am now 100% Vista-free. Let me tell you, it feels good.

Windows 7 seems lighter, faster and cleaner. It has breathed new life into my aging computers.

First Impressions

Microsoft has done a good job of simply refining Vista. At first, I was disappointed that Windows 7 is so much like Vista. After upgrading 2 computers and working with the operating system, I am glad Microsoft didn’t start from scratch.

Compatibility

As an early adopter of Vista, I dealt with software and hardware compatibility issues. This was frustrating and costly as many programs and peripherals had to be replaced.

Fortunately, everything that worked on my Vista computers is compatible on Windows 7. [Read more...]

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AgentPress: The Ideal Theme for Real Estate Bloggers

By: NikNik · Posted on October 26, 2009 · 20 Comments

If you’ve been reading MTO for awhile you know we’re huge advocates of WordPress as a platform to power your real estate blog.  And we’re not the only ones who think WordPress rocks! Matt Cutts, the head of the Web Spam team at Google, recently declared WordPress as the best blogging platform in terms of search engine optimization. He went on to say that WordPress automatically solves 80-90% of the mechanics behind SEO, making your site easily crawlable by search engines.

Now when it comes to selecting a WordPress theme that delivers a clean design, variety of options, highly optimized code, and customer support….the MTO team chooses StudioPress. Which has been a great theme option for us and our Web design clients. But now theme legend, Brian Gardner, is back and has developed AgentPress, specifically for the real estate industry. In fact, we’ve partnered with Brian to offer customization and consultation for AgentPress theme users. [Read more...]

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Lucky Number 7

By: Chad A. Johnson · Posted on October 20, 2009 · 5 Comments

Two and a half years has gone by very quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was booting up my Windows Vista computer for the first time with excitement and anticipation. For me, it was like watching that summer blockbuster you’ve eagerly awaited in hopes of it exceeding your expectations. But, like most summer blockbusters, Windows Vista didn’t live up to expectations. It was a bloated and flawed operating system in many ways. Vista does have quite a few redeeming qualities. It was an improvement over Windows XP to the point that I never considered reformatting and going back the older OS (something I did shortly after installing Windows ME).

We are now back to a time of great anticipation. Hopes that Microsoft will redeem itself with the release Windows 7 abound. Will Windows 7 be faster? Will it ask fewer annoying questions? Will it work with all of my current software and hardware? With the Windows 7 release coming October 22, all of our questions will be answered soon enough.

[Read more...]

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20 Affordable Online Marketing Tips for Your Real Estate Business

By: NikNik · Posted on October 9, 2009 · 15 Comments

This week I attended C.A.R. EXPO’s  Tech Tuesday. I had a great time moderating a panel on blogging for real estate, but I was also asked to present “20 Affordable Online Marketing Tips for Your Real Estate Business”. I found it really hard not to dance, but I did manage to rap a little Beasties Boys!

I’m accustomed to presenting in a why-to, how-to style, but it was still fun to hit the audience fast and furiously with 20 takeaways for their real estate business. You may not like all of the following tips, but I wouldn’t expect you to. This list represents a wide scope of online marketing ideas, so (1) you’ll need to consider your current marketing plan and (2) decide which of the following can assist you best with your business goals.  If you have a specific question about any of the tips, leave me a comment and I’d be happy to expand further! [Read more...]