And I’m in prep mode and excited to be taking part. You see, Inman and MTO go WAY back. Well, back to 2005 when we started this blog. One of the great resources we found as new bloggers was Inman News, along with an extremely collaborative group of fellow bloggers.

I still remember the first Connect I attended and how I was inspired by finally meeting those I had been following online for months.  Yes, the halls of the Connect boast some of the greatest networking opportunities, but it’s the sessions bringing us a variety of talented leaders and speakers with innovative ideas and technologies that keep us coming back every year!

Of course we’ll be there in full effect this year! And by we, I mean  Reggie, Chad and I. All the action begins Monday, July 25th at the Data Summit,. Look for Reggie, he’ll be there with the RPR team.  I’ll be taking the stage as emcee at Agent Reboot on Tuesday and as moderator of the Internet Marketing Bootcamp on Wednesday. And our very own paparazzi, Chad, is the official photographer for the week’s events. So if you see a really tall, WordPress fanatic carrying a giant camera come your way…chances are, it’s Chad. So, stop and say hi, pose for a photo or just look natural!

Go ahead, take the Animoto time machine back to Connects past….

This one-day party, oops, I mean conference will be taking place in 12 cities. My boogie shoes are packed for: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, Portland. And then your favorite Real Estate Zebra will be rocking: Denver, Houston, Chicago, Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, Washington DC.

So what goes down at an Agent Reboot you ask?

Well, as one of your hosts I can confirm that you’ll most likely learn something you probably didn’t know already. You’ll hear about the latest innovations in real estate from local brokers and speakers, as well as from many familiar industry rockstars! You’ll be invited to stop by, connect, and “tweetup” with attendees and speakers after the event. Oh, and checking out any of the top industry products and services in the EXPO may result in a handsome reward.

As for the logistics. Agent Reboot is a one day conference (9am-3pm) with a set program, but supplemented with local flavor…speakers, sessions, topics.  As host or emcee, I will be your guide for the day. We’ll laugh, learn, and ROCK together! We may even dance…because picking up a new move every now and then can’t hurt!

The official Agent Reboot kickoff  is July 12, in San Francisco. Both Daniel and I will be joined by a myriad of industry leaders and local brokers. This first Agent Reboot will be slightly different from the rest of the road show.  A modified program will take place from 9-12, with a break for lunch and then 3 partner programs in the afternoon. Attendees can choose from varying topics presented by ActiveRain, C.A.R., and Zillow. This is sure to be a power-packed day!

Why I wanna ROCK Agent Reboot!

I wanna ROCK Agent Reboot to meet you, engage with rockin’ speakers and local participants…and most importantly, bring you a program that motivates and inspires you to learn some “new moves” or perhaps add to your existing repertoire.

So now you know why I wanna ROCK Agent Reboot. But I want to know….why YOU wanna ROCK Agent Reboot. In fact, if you leave me a status update…or even a video update telling me “Why YOU want to ROCK Agent Reboot!”, on the Agent Reboot Facebook Page you’ll be automatically entered to win one of 5 free passes to Agent Reboot in San Francisco! You have from NOW until Thursday (7/1) at midnight PST to leave a Facebook update on the Agent Reboot wall. On Friday (7/2), I will post a video announcing the winners.

Good luck! And let it ROCK!

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.

Actually, I hope to answer some of these questions a bit sooner.

Windows 7 Launch Party

Not sure if by sheer luck or stupidity, I am hosting a Windows 7 Launch Party. It is an event that you hold in your home for friends to showcase the new Windows during the products launch week. You supply the food, drink and people; Microsoft provides streamers, cocktail napkins, activities and a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate for the host.

A lot of work to do to help Microsoft pitch a product, but I can’t pass up a techie experience. Plus, it gives me an excuse to throw a fondue and chocolate fountain party. Can’t have enough of those in your life.

Introduction to an Operating System

With my Windows 7 Launch Party Kit in hand, my first step will be to install the operating system.

I’m a bit apprehensive as to what the next few days hold. Will the installation go smoothly? Will all of my hard ware be compatible? Will my software work properly?

Then, once it’s installed how quickly will I acclimate to the new system? After I got Vista, it took awhile before I knew my way around and was as proficient as I was on XP.

Stay Tuned

With a pre-release of Windows 7 in hand, this presents a unique opportunity to share with our MyTechOpinion readership. As I progress in my adoption of Windows 7, I’ll document my trials and tribulations on our blog.

Hopefully, the information shared will help you in your adoption of Windows 7 (or maybe help you decide not to switch).

Wish me luck in my upgrade and check back to see how it went.

BlogWorld officially kicks off October 15th at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  The first day of the 3 day program will provide some specific niche tracks…one of which is Real Estate BlogWorld. The agenda for REBlogWorld is packed with rockin’ speakers and sessions covering a variety of topics specifically geared towards the real estate industry (i.e. Social Media ROI, Hyperlocal Blog Content, Branding in the Social Age, etc).  Yours truly will be moderating an ALL-STAR panel including Jeff Turner, Ian Lurie, Todd Carpenter…and rumor has it, David Armano! My fellow MTO rockstars, Reggie Nicolay and Chad Johnson, will be presenting their idea of the “One Site”, the real estate blog of the future that can be achieved today! To obtain all the details for the day, register and view special hotel rates, visit REBlogWorld.com.

Now just when you think all the fun is over, another 2 days of social media bliss will ensue! The BlogWorld & New Media Expo was my favorite event last year! I was able to get up close and personal with many of my blog idols: Darren Rowse aka “Problogger”, Laura Fitton, Lee Odden, and Chris Brogan. It was like a Disneyland for bloggers! And I would say that the learning, laughing, and conversing I experienced was even more fun than Space Mountain!

So I’m extremely excited to not only attend this year, but also have the opportunity to speak alongside some of social media’s finest! If you plan to go to BlogWorld, you will not want to miss, “How Twits Lay Golden Eggs – The Art of Social Engagement for Business”, on Saturday October 17th, 4:15-5:15 pm in Room 221.  The panel includes microsharing maven – Laura Fitton, the nicest social media pirate you’ll ever meet – Chris Brogan,  real-time innovator – Nick Halstead…and me (clearly the underdog who begged, borrowed, and danced her way into speaking at BlogWorld).  At any rate, I’m in and would appreciate any support. My promise to you: a fun, playful learning experience with highly useful takeaways!

If you’re lucky enough to be headed to BlogWorld, here are a few pre-trip tips for you:

• Follow @blogworld and @reblogworld on Twitter
• Check out and RSVP for both events on Facebook (REBlogWorld, BlogWorld & New Media Expo)
• Plan your schedule now. Don’t forget to RSVP for Branding in the Social Age, Integrating Everything Into the One Site,  and How Twits Lay Golden Eggs: The Art of Social Engagement for Business
• Read Reggie’s post: 10 Ways to Make Deeper Connection at Your Next Conference

So, “shut up and put your money where your mouth is” and “shake the glitter” with me at BlogWorld in Vegas, baby!

Tweetups also give small business owners a chance to reach out to consumers (in a non-spammy way) and gain more exposure. Some local businesses will even take it a step further by sponsoring or hosting a tweetup. For real estate professionals who understand the current marketing and communication shift taking place, tweetups offer a unique way to engage with likeminded locals and grow your network. But there are many more reasons to tweetup, here are my top 10:

10 Reasons to Tweetup

(1) It’s fun!

(2) Gets you off the computer and facilitates meeting your online friends in person! Face to face!

(3) Connect with other likeminded tech folks and make new friends with similar interests.

(4) Connect with local business leaders which can lead to more referrals or cooperative business endeavors.

(5) Learn more about your local community – local needs, new businesses, upcoming events, etc.

(6) Support a local charity or fundraiser. Rally supporters, organize donations, or host an event.

(7) Promote your business authentically via networking. Your business will undoubtedly gain more exposure from word of mouth and via the media (photos, videos, etc) being shared from tweetups.

(8) Share your love of Twitter with others who know EXACTLY what you are talking about – favorite apps, cool tools, new tweeps, etc.

(9) Swap twitter business strategies, as well as other social media tools and tips. Share what has worked for your business, talk best practices, and ask questions.

(10) Reconnect after the tweetup on Twitter, support local endeavors, pay it forward with RTs, and foster your new friendships.

If you haven’t been to one, or wish to start a regular tweetup group in your local area, check out these 10 tips for success!

10 Tips for Continued Tweetup Success:

(1) Create a Facebook Page for an online hub, inviting others, and fostering community.  Invite several admins to participate by sharing helpful links, creating future events, and regular communication.

(2) Identify media makers! There will always be that one guy or gal who loves taking pictures and/or video. Dub him or her as your media mascot and invite anyone who enjoys sharing media to take a lot of photos and video at the tweetups. And be sure to post to Flickr and Facebook, tag tweetup members and promote commenting!

(3) Center the evening around an optional activity or fun contest! This will help kickstart conversation. Draw upon your local attractions, restaurants, activities. (ex: bocce ball, star gazing, wine tasting)

(4) Name tags!  Okay, it may seem dorky, but how else will you remember the names (and usernames) of your new Tweeps! Check out these super cute “Tweetstickers“! An alternative option would be to create a fun sign-in sheet or board.  The usernames can be made into a list and then shared via Facebook, email or your own tweetup blog.

(5) Invite speakers or “sharers” meaning someone shares a helpful twitter tool, social media strategy, OR provides a fun demonstration. Could even be a local restaurant sharing a favorite recipe, a nurse sharing flu-shot clinic hours, or real estate pro giving some helpful advice or tips. But remember to keep it short & tweet! Tweeps are there to connect and converse, not to sit and watch a speaker all night.

(6) Create an official local tweetup blog (invite several tweeps to contribute), OR  lifestream local member tweets.

(7) Create an event page, either as a Facebook Event, Twtvite, or a page off your tweetup blog. Be sure to share with your local network, invite newbies, and connect with new tweeps ahead of time!

(8) Get a local business(es) to host the tweetups. A local restaurant owner who uses Twitter or has the benefits explained to him/her will usually offer up their location for regular use (especially if your tweetups take place during the week). Our local Tri-Valley Tweetup Club has invited several businesses to take part to help provide exposure to a variety of locals in our community. I happen to live in an area with over 40 local wineries who are happy to participate. For example, our October 8th Tri-Valley Tweetup is being hosted by Wente Vineyards. In fact, they are so excited to host us that they are pouring our first glass of wine for free and setting up a star-gazing center for attendees!

(9) Involve local businesses as sponsors (prizes for contests, host activities, freebies). Again we reached out to our community and our friends at Diablo Magazine bring free mags to our tweetups, our Tri-Valley Visitors Bureau brings local treats and wines for prizes when we have contests/activities, and other local business owners, like Swank Mommy provide special giveaways from time to time!

(10) Everybody loves a T-shirt! And they can help promote your local tweetup club! Even better when you add fun phrases like “wearing my twitter shirt” or “show me your tweets”!

Now these are my tips and suggestions. You could really go in a lot of different directions here. There is no one true formula for tweetups. I have attended tweetups that were organized specifically for real estate professionals, or in conjunction with a local conference. In fact, I’ve attended a tweetup that was itself a unique learning event hosted by a speaker. However, in my experience I’ve really enjoy my local tweetup group, because I get the chance to connect with people who live, work and play in the same community. The tweeps I’ve met have shared their reviews of fun events and activities, suggested new local resources which I have benefited from, and most of all….I’ve made many new local friends! Oh, and did I mention…it’s fun!

On Wednesday, the Inman Connect will get underway. I KNOW for a fact that there are some exciting presentations planned to rock the RE industry. And there may even be a little dancing…that is, if I can call upon the Inman attendees for a bit of encouragement (not for me, but Reggie may need a nudge).

MTO will be in full effect at these events and plan to share the latest happenings whether you can make it or not! Reggie has hooked us up so that we can “Cover It Live”, Chad will be snapping photos like nobody’s business, and you can count on me for some video tweets. We’ll be aggregating it all on MyTechOpinion. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to join the conversation here! You’ll be able to comment on our liveblogging posts. And if you tweet using the #mtosf hashtag you’ll be pulled into our live stream on MyTechOpinion.

ALSO, I’m looking forward to conducting some on-the-spot mini Video Tweet Interviews! If you can’t be here, but have a question for one of your favorite attendees, I’d like to help! Just DM me the question and the person you’d like me to ask, and I will take care of the rest! I’ll be sharing his/her response to your question via a Video Tweet, which will also be shared in our stream here on MTO.

We’ll start liveblogging tomorrow morning. If you are planning to be at Inman, I hope you’ll join us as we’ll be presenting and participating in the following sessions:

Blogger’s Connect Workshop: Wed, August 5th, 12:15-1:00pm Closing Business in 140 Characters: How the Pros Are Using Twitter to Farm The Real-Time Web

Blogger’s Connect Workshop: Wed, August 5th, 1:45-2:00 LIVE LAB The Experts Give Feedback on Your Blog, Your Profiles, Tweets and Videos in Real Time

Inman (Main Conference)- Thur, August 6th, 3:00-4:00 pm DEEP DIVE 2: Twitter & Facebook Best Practices – Moving beyond setting up your account to driving engagement and avoiding embarrassment.

One more quick announcement! I’ll be releasing version 2 of “Twitter For Real Estate Twits”! It will be available tomorrow via free download.

Here’s how you can play!

1.) Visit Twitter.com and follow @Cyberhomes, if you’re not already.

2.) Starting tomorrow (Monday, June 22nd) @Cyberhomes will tweet a question at 9am PST and again at 1pm PST every day this week (6/22-6/26).

3.) The first person to tweet the correct answer as a public reply to @Cyberhomes will win a free Market Forecast full report for an address of their choosing.

4.) Winners will be contacted directly in real-time by @Cyberhomes. Daily questions with correct answers, as well as the winners (twitter usernames) will be posted on the Cyberhomes Blog.

A total of 10 questions will be tweeted throughout the week (at 9am PST & 1pm PST each day- Mon-Fri), providing 10 opportunities to win! Only one prize per person will be given, 2 winners per day!

MORE ABOUT MARKET FORECAST

Cyberhomes’ Market Forecast report is the first of its kind. And it’s the only report that uses loan data, foreclosures, and defaults to project changes in your local real estate market.  There are 2 versions of the report available for purchase from Cyberhomes.com: the summary report for $3.99, and the full report for $9.99. Both reports provide detailed analysis and projections of distressed, foreclosure, and REO properties for a given market area, as well as detailed loan and assessment information. The summary report provides an estimated change in value for the specific neighborhood over a 12 month period. While the full report offers professional-level analysis and a 24 month value forecast.

Consumers will undoubtedly find these reports helpful in making home buying/selling decisions. And, real estate professionals now have a helpful resource for creating better CMA reports, as well as impressing sellers in listing presentations.

Those real estate agents that authentically engage with their network will succeed in creating new and flourishing relationships across the Internet. Some members of your network may help your business in terms of promotion, referrals or even through a transaction. I can’t tell you which, that depends on you and your actions. Although we can help you by sharing strategies you can implement into your business immediately!

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing your business in Facebook, and you’re free tomorrow (April 21st, 2009) at 10am (pacific) please join us for a free webinar hosted by Cyberhomes.com.  The session will be led by @Nik_Nik and me @Cyberhomes.

Resources:

1. RSVP Here
2. Facebook Event Page

Here are some fun promo videos for the event. Please let us know what you think!
Facebook Strategy #17 – Authentic Messages

Facebook Strategy #24 – Business Pages

RETEchSouth is taking place Friday, March 20^th in Atlanta. Well, at the Gimmet Center to be exact. Now the really exciting part is that a pair of highly skilled real estate professionals (Brad Nix & Matt Fagioli) is responsible for organizing this 2^nd annual event. And they’ve invited a myriad of real estate innovators and influencers to present, share and teach.

The format for the day includes main stage presentations, smaller breakout sessions, and tech stations where you can get answers to all your burning tech questions via hands-on training. Topics include: Flickr, Real Estate Blogs, Video in Real Estate, New Media Tips & Tactics, the Future of Real Estate Search and more! I will be there with my partner in crime @cyberhomes to share social media strategies for generating business….particularly with Twitter and Facebook.

If you’re planning rock RETechSouth, I look forward to connecting with you! If not, you’ll be missed….but you don’t have to miss out on asking me (or Matt “Fastman” Fagioli) your BIGGEST question about using social media to generate real estate business. That’s because Justin Zimmerman, host of Good Morning Real Estate, will be holding a FREE 50 minute teleseminar this Thursday, February 26^th, at 8pm EST. You can register for FREE here.

REBarCamp Seattle - One day event for passionate real estate professionals who are hungry to learn and share creative and effective marketing ideas and industry trends. When: Feb 13^th, 2009 Where: Zillow Corporate Headquarters, Seattle

RETechSouth – Real conversations about the technological changes impacting the real estate industry. Some of the best minds in the industry will gather in one room to share their knowledge.  When: March 20^th 2009, Where: Gwinnet Center, Atlanta

REBarCamp Los Angeles – If you missed Seattle, don’t worry REBarCampLA is a great day for agents looking to get started with social media marketing and other creative online and offline strategies for growing your business. When: April 2^nd ,2009 Where: Location TBA

REBarCamp San Francisco – The 2^nd annual REBarCamp SF! The first one was a hit, and this just happens to be where it all began!  Join in the conversation and collaboration. It’s also a great way to kick off the Inman Connect SF (if you’re attending that one as well).  When: August 4^th, 2009 Where: Exact location TBA, San Francisco

Inman Connect SF – Brings together leaders in real estate, finance, and technology to promote change and innovation in the industry. Between the workshops, expo, and events (aka: parties)…this conference is probably one of the most attended (and valuable) RE events of the season. Be there or be square! When: Aug 5-7th, 2009 Where: Palace Hotel, San Francisco

NAR 09 – Registration opens May 5^t for the 4 day expo and conference being held in San Diego.  Learn to be more productive or renew your motivation with new strategies and tools for your real estate business. When: Nov. 13-16^th, 2009 Where: San Diego Convention Center

REBarCamp San Diego – More details to come. When: TBA, sometime during NAR09 Where: San Diego, exact location TBA

Be sure to check back, as I will be updating these events with more information as it becomes available. Oh, and let me know which event you will be attending so we can connect! Woohoo!