Real Estate Blog Pro

When Will Flickr Webimager Get an Update?

The Pro really likes the Flickr Webimager and its about time it got updated. Its a great tool for saving bits of the web and info without having to download entire web pages or copy and pasting text.  Real Estate bloggers could find it very useful for things like keeping track of one's personal linkages, if only it worked the way it was intended. Remember several months back when i mentioned it as a cool hacking tool? Well, despite the numerous other screen shot grabber gadgets and gizmos out there these days, Flickr Webimager still remains as my favorite for many reasons. I'll tell you why:

• Its lite and rests in your systems tray (unlike most others which are embedded in your browser)
• it can be used to create bitmaps of images on the web (which you can turn into jpegs in photoshop)
• you can adjust the size of your captured image right within the window
• you can modify the image using Microsoft Paint by exporting it

I'll even go as far as to say that I use it every single day, for all sorts of things!  The problem that I have with it is that you can't find who created it, its never updated and worst of all, it doesn't even do what it was created and intended to do. Namely, allow you to upload screenshots consistently to your Flickr account. The process usually goes like this:

1. Create a screenshot
2. Attempt to upload the screenshot
3. Go through the whole process of allowing WebImager access your Flickr account
4. Upload one screenshot
5. Then get error after error stating that your Flickr account can't be verified.

I can hardly believe that the creators of WebImager intended for us to only be allowed to upload one damn image.  In order to upload more than one image these days, you have to actually save the photo to a folder (which subsequently requires you to press a button which reads "Open" instead of "Save" when attempting to save it) then open it with photoshop or similar program and save the image as .jpeg, .gif  and the like, then upload it to Flickr.  Too much work for a Web 2.0 tool.  Its impossible to track down a forum, it hasn't been updated since its creation (i don't believe) and the Pro thinks it should be.  Has anyone else had the same or similar problem?


Technorati Tags: Flickr WebImager, Flickr, problems, Web 2.0, tools

Viewr Adds a Lot of Updates

Remember way back (last July) when Viewr was coming on the scene?  Well, Pro just received word that there's been yet another hefty update over at Viewr and this one is HUGE!  The site now can now do Rentals, Vacation Rentals, Holiday Apartment Complexes (European term) and Multi Family.  The site is geared towards a global view of real estate- or as they put it, "People, Places and Property."  Viewr is becoming more and more customizable, allowing an agent to express as much or as little of their personality as they see fit.

There's very little limitation to what this site can do- and where it can cover!   For example, there are Cave Houses in France, Spain, Turkey, Greece and others. Many of them are associated with a kind of peoples called Troglodytes.
Check these out:
  http://www.viewr.com/search.property.html?vlsn=1000731
  http://www.viewr.com/search.property.html?vlsn=1000725
  http://www.viewr.com/search.property.html?vlsn=1000729

  As with all Web 2.0, the user determines. Everyone gets a My Viewr account management interface that allows the user to customize many aspects of how their listings are presented.  Agents can upload a picture of themselves (if they wish) and a branded logo of the company which they represent.  Give it a whirl, Pros!  Lemme know what you think!

Coming soon:  Pro will let you in on a secret regarding a certain Viewr contest that you're sure to digg!


Technorati Tags: Viewr, real estate, tool

powered by performancing firefox

Virtual Tours, Newsletters and Resources on the Fly! Now that's Pro!

Wanna create Virtual Tours like a PRO?  Integrate them into your blog or website?  Lifehacker told us last week about this kick ass new website called Mapwing and let this Pro be the first (ok, second) to tell you, It Kicks Ass. 


Mapwing simplifies all of the hassles involved with creating real estate VR tours.  No stitching of panoramics. No learning code in order to embed the 360 pano thingy.  None of that crap that you have to pay web designers bizillions of dollars to do for you.  Just follow the instructions to the T and you'll end up with a terrific looking floorplan with integrated Virtual Tour.  In the end you'll have the option of embedding it within your own website or emailing it to your clients! Its the perfect blog marketing tool.


Create newsletters on the Fly with Letterpop [found via Lifehacker] This is an AMAZING tool!  Look at the newsletter that I created for my father's surveying equipment supply company in South Carolina here.  This is perfect for real estate agents because you have so much flexibility with how photos and text can be displayed, you can have multiple pages and instantly email the newsletter to up to 500 people.  Give it a whirl!

A hefty list of blog resources can be found over here at Daily Blog Tips Blog.  You should definately subscribe to this blog's RSS because it always comes packin!'


Technorati Tags: newsletters, resources, links, virtual tours, Letterpop, Mapwing

powered by performancing firefox

Viewr Goes Live! Get your Video Egg On, Real Estate Pros

Could it be true? Viewr is live! The next highly anticipated real estate tool is finally available for your blogging and listing pleasure, dear real estate blog pros. We heard about Viewr back in July, with an update a month or so back and let's just say that the suspense has killed at least one of us.   With Viewr, agents will have a place to blog about their properties (or whatever else) and upload video content via  Video Egg software.  So far, the Pro likes it!

Viewr has a "global view on real estate" and the maps to prove it.  The (oh so very Web 2.0)interface is smooth and easy to use (so far). You can save your searched and your favorite listings.  It could be a good friend to a lot of you aspiring Pros out there.  Give it a whirl- set up a blog...see whats out there.  For god's sake, have fun for once!  Maybe real estate isn't such a drag afterall...just maybe.

Viewr


Technorati Tags: Viewr, Web 2.0, tool, real estate, New

Listpic puts a spin on Craigslist

Ever want to see just the ads on Craigslist that have pictures in them?  Well, Listpic helps you do just that.  Give it a whirl.   Listpic claims to not have anything to do with Craigslist, but it sure does do a good job of mimicing- even the URL is similar. Love it! [Link via Lifehacker]

listpic

  see it. buy it.

Technorati Tags: Listpic, craigslist

A New Google Page for (real estate-ish) Web 2.0 Tools

Pro made a tools page for you guys to bookmark and refer to periodically.  From now on, a list of resources and Web 2.0 tools can be found there.  There are so many tools that come out, that its hard to keep track of them all.  Thats why I try to only pay attention to those that might be useful to real estate agents.   We can all help each other grow into the next this technical age.
If you have something that you would like to add, please to write me. 

[btw.  I made said page from a Google Pages.  It can be created through (and attached to) your gmail account. If this is confusing, let me know.  As you know, happy to help.  Good Luck Pros!



Technorati Tags: tools page, tools, google pages, resource

Flickr WebImager lets you slice and grab the web

Today, Pro will let you in on a secret:  Grab slices of the web and upload them to your flickr account with Webimager- then post them where ever you like. Once an image is in your flickr account, it has its own URL- you should be able to post this image's URL anywhere that will allow HTML.  This is the perfect tool to use for comments on real estate property or just keeping track of whos linking to you.


For example, justiNYC keeps track of his linkages like this


Technorati Tags: flickr webimager, tools, tips, flickr, images

Edit your Flickr Photos Online with Preloadr and a Hack using Picasa

Now this is bound to be useful to all of you real estate Pro bloggers- edit your Flickr photos online with Preloadr!  This will be extremely useful when on the run or using your office computer or a public one.  I've been waiting for Pixoh to integrate this sort of function and lately they added a Flickr Export feature.  Nevertheless, if you are near your home computer (provided you use a PC), I recommend a quick hack i learned somewhere along the way. All you need is to have Picasa (Google's Image software) installed.  You can get it here:


Pro has talked about using Flickr before.  Here's another hack:  First, go to your Flickr account and look in your account setting for the option to email from mobile.  Flickr will give you an email address to use for mailing photos strait from your desktop to your photostream.  Now using picasa, you can edit your photos and email photos to anyone using the email function at the bottom- including your Flickr account. 

Find the photo that you want to add to Flickr, edit it and send it via email.  Use the subject line of the email to title your photo and the body of the email to describe the image.  Hint:  you can do the same thing when emailing strait to a blog post.
Good Luck Pros!


[Preloadr tip via Lifehacker]


Technorati Tags: images, Flickr, hack, Picasa

Create Property Diagrams and Plans Online with Gliffy and a Peak inside Pro's Del.icio.us account

On Pro's way to becoming Pro today he stumbled across a post from good ole faithful Lifehacker- (which happens to have a completely new blog design btw and lookin' good!!) regarding a new online diagram creator thingy.  It's called Gliffy [beta] and it looks pretty interesting. But most importantly, it looks like it can be very useful to all my favorite real estate agent 2.0 Pros out there. Its quick and easy to use- Pro tried it out already- thumbs up!  Give it a whirl and see if you can start making your own floor plans.  Good luck!


Gliffy
CNET [review of Gliffy]
Make diagrams online with Gliffy [Lifehacker]

ALSO....  i just wanted to mention that I appreciate all of the nice comments and questions that you guys send me via email.  If at all possible, lets try to start putting questions and remarks in as comments so that everyone can benefit from your inquiry.  No question is too stupid for the Pro- he's just trying to help you out.  Its hard to find that in real estate 1.0.


Keep this in mind:  If you ever have a specific question or are looking for direction on your own, a good place to check first is my del.icio.us account.  If you are not yet familiar with what this (ie. del.cio.us) is, its a way of publishing all of your bookmarks to the public- or social bookmarking, rather.  Search in the tags for the subject that you have in mind and take a stab at it.  Pro doesn't have time to post every trick that he finds or comes up with, obviously.  Therefore, in between posts, you can always find goodies in my bookmarks.  Happy Hunting!

and if you like tag sifting, check out this new site TagFetch [via Webby's World]


Technorati Tags: property diagrams, online tool, gliffy, tips and tricks, del.icio.us, tagging, bookmarks

Doodle and draw yourself towards a commission with Quickmaps

One of the coolest mashups that the Pro has seen yet- Quikmaps lets you draw right on top of Google Maps. Draw pictures and label things on a google map using simple clicks and drags. Move around on the map to anywhere in the world with ease.  As Quikmaps puts it:

Quikmaps is perfect for: drawing a map to your house, sketching out a cycling or hiking route,
or telling everyone where you saw the grizzly bear.

If this isn't for a real estate agent 2.0, I don't know what is....map something, create a nice fat doodle on top, then blog it!  This could almost be too much fun!

[link found via DownloadSquad]



Technorati Tags: mashup, tool, google maps, hybrid, mapping