1. You’re Not A Ninja- Its important to keep in mind that many 3rd party companies and sites track what pages (and content on those pages!) that you browse. Even if you have a bogus username there are ways to track it.  That information can be sold or given to other sites and the word can spread. Another thing-once you post to Google it can be anywhere from difficult to impossible to remove that content. Make sure that whatever you say online is the same as you’d say in person.

2. Introduce Yourself As An Expert- Some people think that hiding their company name on real estate blogs and forums will make viewers trust them more but actually the reverse is true. If you tell them your with ‘Advance Realty’ for example, they will know where you’re coming from and trust you more that you weren’t trying to mislead them by pretending to be a consumer.

3. Admit You Are Wrong- When in error, take the opportunity to say you were wrong. Your readers/fellow networkers will appreciate your humble honesty even if they have opposing views.

4. Stop The Spam- When you approach blogs, forums or networking sites as an industry expert no one is interested in your spam.  Take time to properly build the post or profile and remember to include something interesting to them that will keep them coming back to it.

5. Be Active- After making your own blog/post, don’t just leave it at that- read what other people have to say and comment in a friendly manner. Make it a point to do this often. Viewers will both respect your knowledge and know that you’re not in it just for the ‘me’ factor.

6. Look It Up- Find out what people are saying about you and your brand by typing your name or company name into Google. Other useful sites are BoardTracker.com (which measures what’s going on in the world of online forums) and Keotag.com (which monitors what’s going on in the social arena).

7. Don’t Backtalk- If you find someone writing about your brand or services in a negative way don’t argue with them. If  it’s posted on a forum or site that everyone can see then reply politely by explaining your viewpoints and who you are and where you’re coming from. Adversaries can sometimes become your best advocates!

Even if all else fails, by following these steps you can at least find out when someone does slander your name and take steps to rectify it. Happy Posting!

Most people don’t stop to think about it but if you’ve ever placed a hand under it while it’s been running, you know what I mean.

The heat can cause your laptop to slow, crash and have performance and battery issues.

The best solution is to buy a lap top fan. These are external fans that you sit under the laptop and are plugged in by USB. Most of them are fairly  inexpensive (but the cost is worth it!) and it doubles as a lap desk.

Targus, Belkin and Antec are fairly good brands for the money. The Targus “Chill Mat” is very light-weight.

The fans start at around $30 but often go on sale at stores like Walmart, Best Buy and Staples.

A great investment to preserve the life of your laptop.

By Jessica Lynne Gardner

· Set your computer to “hibernate” after 30 minutes rather than shutting it down when not in use during the day.

· Plug it into a power strip and switch it off at the end of the day or night.

· Consider switching to a laptop. This smaller option could use up to 4 times less power than a PC.

· Set to Power Saving Mode.

· Get rid of the screen saver. This does NOT reduce energy cost– in fact it may increase it!

· If buying a new PC, wait until July when the latest Energy Star products are released.

Go here http://www.mytechopinion.com/twitter-for-real-estate-twits  to download a free E-book that explains the site in detail from how to join to statistics and everything in between.

The Power of virtual tours

 Virtual tours are the hot new topic among home buyers. As technology increases to new heights, a more professional, in-depth and artistic approach is needed to attract buyers.

Why the emphasis on VT’s?

We already know that shoppers of every type of market are turning their attentions online– what this means is that they are actively comparing products and services. Since home buying is considered one of the largest sales in many people’s lives, buyers want the best product and service in half the time. Agents are already jumping on the Virtual Tour band-wagon and reaping the benefits so the properties that don’t have one might be skipped over in the initial home-search quest.

  Professional VS Do-It-Yourself

 Professional virtual tours can really make an impact as the technology used is often high definition and high resolution and includes lots of added

extras which allows the videos to be easily sent to others and even downloaded into a DVD format. They are also usually automatically syndicated, getting you more attention from web surfers!

For those that have a good camera and a reasonable knowledge of the internet, Do-It-Yourself tour videos are a great and affordable option. You can just record the footage and then upload to your website, Youtube and blogs!

Juices are a good way to get a daily dose of these disease-fighting nutrients. 

Apples- Work well to prevent heart-related problems.

Tart Cherries have  antioxidants which work together to help people who have arthritis, gout and fibromyalgia. The benefits of vitamins B, C, E and certain minerals as antioxidants are well studied and widely known

Blueberries are relatively low in sugar but are packed with antioxidants that prevent viral infections and slow aging and aging related conditions like strokes, heart conditions and Alzheimer’s.

Tomatoes as you may have heard before, have Lycopenes which can prevent testicular cancer and heart disease.

Watermelon has a very high content of antioxidants that can prevent asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.

Lemons and other citrus fruits have very useful phytochemicals in addition to immune strenthening vitamin C.  

Here is a list of the 20 best food sources of antioxidants from About.com’s article: Best Food Sources of Antioxidants.

A USDA study analyzed the antioxidant content of commonly consumed foods. Researchers tested over 100 foods. Here is a ranked list of the top 20 fruits, vegetables and nuts:

1. Small red bean (dried), 1/2 cup
2. Wild blueberry, 1 cup
3. Red kidney bean (dried), 1/2 cup[br[
4. Pinto bean, 1/2 cup
5. Blueberry (cultivated), 1 cup
6. Cranberry, 1 cup (whole)
7. Artichoke (cooked hearts), 1 cup
8. Blackberry, 1 cup
9. Prune, 1/2 cup
10. Raspberry, 1 cup
11. Strawberry, 1 cup
12. Red delicious apple, 1
13. Granny Smith apple, 1
14. Pecan, 1 ounce
15. Sweet cherry, 1 cup
16. Black plum, 1
17. Russet potato, 1 cooked
18. Black bean (dried), 1/2 cup
19. Plum, 1
20. Gala apple, 1

Keep Your Brain Young

 Having trouble finding your car keys, remembering where you parked and confusing your kids names? These may be signs that your memory has slowed down a little.

Aging is one of the most common reasons for memory loss but it’s not the only one. Many of us suffer from boredom and routine, doing the same things at roughly the same time or sequence every day.

The fact is we just don’t challenge our brain. We keep it low-key, preferring to keep a schedule of our lives. To jump start your brain and creativity why not mix things up a bit every now and then?

Other Memory Joggers

· Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Sleeping solidifies new ideas and stores them in your brain.

· Eat healthy fats.

· Explain it. By explaining to others things that you’re learning/are trying to learn, you help engrave it into your own memory as well as think about it in a new way.

· Get Pumped. Exercise can increase long term memory  by supplying oxygen to the body and can even help you think faster!

 By Jessica Lynne Gardner

· Try memorizing your grocery list instead of looking at a piece of paper. Memorize your favorite poems and quotes. Try reciting the 50 states in order.

Start with your alarm clock. Wake up with music from your radio or cell phone (if it has a timer) or an alarm clock with different sound selections rather than a single tone.

At work, clean and rearrange your desk to defeat mid-day blahs. This will wake you up a little to focus on the tasks for the rest of the day. 

Next, take a different route home from work, preferably a more scenic way if possible.

When you return home, don’t turn on the TV. Play a game that challenges your mind like scrabble, card games, puzzles or computer games (try Pogo.com).

You can get everyone in the house to join you and double as a family fun night!

Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s informed consent. (Wikipedia)

In short, spyware is a way for hackers to steal your identity and even control your computer! It slows down the performance of your computer with unseen processes and pop-up ads and is rarely alone, often sharing with your computer with other viruses.

Protecting your PC from spyware and malware is extremely important in order to safeguard your files and personal information and to extend the life of your computer.

Ad-Aware is an anti-spyware program developed by Lavasoft that detects and removes spyware or adware on a user’s computer. It also detects other malware, including dialers, Trojans, viruses, bots, rootkits, data miners aggressive advertising, parasites, browser hijackers and tracking components.

Anti-Spyware Programs

Free programs can be installed to counter Spyware such as Ad-Aware SE by Lavasoft and ZoneAlarm which is also a firewall.

These programs can help prevent the Spyware infection and also find and remove the Spyware that’s already in your computer by doing scans either on a weekly, daily or monthly basis to remove Spyware installs that happen right away.

Security Practices

For the technology savvy, there are a few ways to decrease the chances of PC infection:

1. Switch your browser from Internet Explorer to a more

     secure, basic type like Mozilla Firefox or Opera. Internet

     Explorer is more widely used in the US and attracts

     more hackers than the other two.

Bonzi Buddy, ErrorGuard, Kazaa, Weatherbug, WildTangent,           

    Morpheus and RadLight are just some of the Spyware

    websites to avoid. 

2. Block websites known for Spyware in your Firewall and

     web proxies. If you know for sure you got a virus or spy 

     ware from a site, block it! You should see this option in  

     your anti-virus or firewall’s settings.

Terminology:

Freeware-Free software available for anyone to download.

Spyware-Software installed to spy on and control another user’s PC.

Adware-A type of spyware that displays pop-up ads.

Malware-Software (viruses) designed to damage a PC.

Firewall–A collection of security measures to prevent unauthorized access to your PC.

Antivirus-Programs made to find, neutralize or eliminate malicious software.

You may have pulled out all the tricks from your sleeves but there’s one that you might not have considered: a phone call to your former clients. Even though they may be happy with the home or sale you’ve found for them, this is the absolute best time economically to buy or refinance. Their answer could surprise you! No need to be salesy, simply call and ask them how they are and let them do the talking. Maybe it’s time for them to move, refinance or get out of an ARM. Even if they don’t need your help now it will only be a matter of time and your name will be top of mind!