MTO v.3…I’m “IN”

It’s been a long time in the making, but we’re happy to welcome you to MTO v3! Can I get a “woohoo”?!

And since so much has changed in the blogosphere since Reggie first conceptualized and created MTO back in 2005, I thought it might be nice to look back over the last 5 years.

The MTO Backstory

MTO was born out of love for real estate, technology and education. At the time of its official launch in December 2005, our goal was to become a helpful resource for aspiring real estate bloggers, as well as to enlighten and inform the everyday agent looking to generate more business and improve productivity with technology. We quickly realized our readers thirst for this type of information and grew a robust community of passionate agents, colleagues, and soon….friends! We coupled our online efforts with offline events, both locally and nationally, which fostered new relationships, strategic partnerships, and professional opportunities!

Fast forward a couple years and we found ourselves confined by the limitations of initially launching on the Blogger Platform. We also had a good number of ROCKIN’ posts now requiring a more efficient design to highlight the depth and breadth of our site’s content. So we made the painstaking but completely worthwhile move to WordPress in early 2008. And soon we had the flexibility and functionality we hoped for! We also became fans of StudioPress, our pick for best custom WP themes! In fact, MTO v.2 utilized the now retired but popular Revolution theme.

We put our heart and soul into MTO v.2, as well as some rather serious modifications and custom code. Soon the rise of blogging for business was coupled with social networking….”social media” was now front ‘n center! So in our continued effort to innovate and explore Web 2.0 we integrated custom lifestreams. We were also the first blog in the RE.net to implement Facebook Connect, as well as provide support for industry leading companies.

So here we are, excited to ring in the New Year with MTO v.3! And there’s no better way to celebrate our 5 years of blogging than with a renewed motivation and commitment to this site! Blogging….the concept, the act of, and most importantly the technology have greatly evolved. And that’s exactly why we’ve chosen to build MTO v.3 on the Genesis Framework. If you’re not already familiar with Genesis…it’s time you learn!

When you invest in WordPress for the long haul, meaning you want your site to meet your goals and grow with you over time, well…updating your theme can make you want to cry (or have a wobbler as Reggie says I sometimes do). And that’s because updating your theme can erase 1000’s of mini customizations you’ve made. But thankfully WordPress theme ROCKSTARS like Brian Gardner have not only recognized this issue, but now deliver the solution…a framework! The framework includes both parent and child themes, so our customizations are now saved in the child theme while the parent theme can be updated by a simple click in the admin. LOVE IT! We not only stand behind the decision to “GO GENESIS” but we’ll be ROCKIN’ plenty of tips, tools, and tutorials for implementation.

Are you “IN”?

Many friends and interested folks ask us if there’s truly an ROI in blogging. And if you must know….ABSOLUTELY!!! We (Reggie, Chad & I) owe our success and professional growth all to MTO.  Thanks to MyTechOpinion…Reggie has the dream job he’s always wanted enabling him to work with his mentor, Marty Frame. Chad and I (with Reggie’s immense help) have launched a new startup, Agent Evolution, which fuels our passion for creating ROCKIN’ blog/sites and educating real estate professionals on Internet marketing.

This blog has literally changed the course of our lives…it’s changed EVERYTHING for us…and for the better! MTO has been and will continue to be the most instrumental vehicle for sharing our expertise and above all….getting to know YOU, our readers. So thank you to those of you that have been right there with us since the beginning and for those of you who have just joined the party! YOU ROCK!

And we hope you’re “IN” for the next evolution of MTO….because we are! We’ll be bringing you articles on social media, mobile technology, blogging with WordPress, and much more! So don’t sit back and enjoy. Instead, jump in, join the conversation, challenge our opinions, share your experiences, and most importantly….learn something new that makes you excited to be an EXCEPTIONAL real estate professional TODAY! Oh, and I DO believe we might also have some fun!