Must Reads

Highlight Cam: Pro-Quality Videos in Just a Simple Push of A Button

November 17, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

Have you always had the problem of taking less-than-amazing videos? Too long & too many boring segments with no activity or human faces, poor framing and really only a few minutes of the video is all you really need. Not all of us have the patience to use video editing software and I’m just happy the HighlightCam app has been created. The app reduces the complexities of video editing with just a simple push of a button.

HighlightCam, centering around mobile device & currently works on the iPhone & iPod Touch, is an amazing application that helps you turn your photos & videos into great mini-movies without the need to do any editing. Based on the user’s preference, HighlightCam simulates a human editor’s decisions and implements them aligned with the user’s stated preference. Just feed it a raw video in any format and it will send back a great video that is worth sharing!

It edits a user’s video & analyze both the images and the audio track and convert them into an impressive video with enhanced quality & detects the parts of the video that has activity, voice and human faces. It is amazing how it is able to select the most appropriate scenes to put together and make a highlight video that everyone can enjoy. You can even publish minimovies to YouTube or Facebook in one step. So, you can definitely make use of this app as one of your tools for your social media marketing.

“Think of it like having your own personal video editor: you send them the footage, and tell them what you want, and they do all the editing,” said CEO Robert Neivert. “For us, you send us your footage and tell us what you want, and we do the work and send it back to your iPhone, including scene selection, fades, cutting out of bad shots, audio fading, and more. Just like a professional editor would.”

“Our ideal user is an iPhone user that shoots video and want to share it, but does not have time to manually edit it,” said Neivert. “We expect this will be strongly represented by parents with small children and pet owners who tend to shoot a large amount of casual video, but don’t have the time or skill to manually edit all the footage.”

I am looking forward to shooting more video now that I know I can get results that are actually worth viewing and sharing!

The app is free on the App Store but this gives you only 10 free movies. It costs $2.99 for additional 10 credits.

*You can get a refund if you don’t like the generated movie.

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, Must Reads, Product Reviews, Site reviews, Tom's Ramblings

360 Degree Video for under $100?

October 26, 2011 By Tom Lyons Leave a Comment

I just received my new GoPano Micro, a device that started as project on the Crowdfunding site Kickstarter.com. The device is pretty cool even if it is a little blurry.

It takes 360 degree video from your iphone 4 or 4s, which means you can pan in any direction while watching the action. You can watch me, in front of me, beside me, or anywhere at anytime.

Watch the video below and use your arrow keys or mouse to pan around. Just imagine a home tour done this way.
Google+

Filed Under: Must Reads, Product Reviews, Video Tutorials

Should You Buy the New iPhone 4S? Pros & Cons

October 21, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

The new iPhones 4S has been released last Oct. 14th. I know a lot of people are still trying to figure out if they should get the new iPhone 4s. If you’re one of those people who are having a hard time deciding, read on.

Listed below are the Pros & Cons:

PROS

New camera — The 8MP camera with simple editing features (crop, rotate, enhance, and red-eye reduction), a backside illumination sensor, and larger aperture (for better low-light and white balance correction) make the iPhone 4S’s camera one that competes with regular point-and-shoots. It will also come with face detection and image stabilization and the ability to capture HD 1080p video.
Faster processor — The custom A5 chip in the iPhone 4S is the same one you’ll find on the iPad 2, which means the iPhone 4S will be faster in processing speeds, games, and downloads.
More carriers — Since the iPhone 4S is compatible with CDMA and GSM cellular bands, you can use it in more places around the globe. Even on Sprint’s network, if you’re looking for a change.
Siri integration — Apple’s new Assistant feature basically turns the iPhone 4S into a voice recognizing personal assistant. The demo during the keynote was impressive and highlighted some interesting uses for the blind, hands-free texting, and more.
Wireless syncing — Raise the roof for wireless sync! This will be an iOS 5 feature that will be compatible for the iPad and iPod Touch as well, but I couldn’t help but mention the fact that you’ll soon be able to set up your devices and get updates without connecting your iDevice to a Mac or PC.
Airplay — If you’ve got an Apple TV, the iPhone 4S will allow you to stream what’s playing on your device to your HDTV with Airplay, which is built right into the new iPhone.
Fingerprint resistant — The iPhone 4S has an oleophobic coating on its glass exterior, making it resistant to fingerprints by repelling oils in your fingers.

CONS

No 4G — Still no 4G on the iPhone 4S. This is unfortunate, but you may not have to wait too much longer to get fast download speeds on your iDevice — analysts believe that Apple is waiting for better LTE chips before adding them into the iPhone, which could be as soon as early next year.
No NFC — Mobile payments on the iPhone will have to wait as Apple has excluded NFC (near-field communication) technology on the latest iPhone model. Of course, this won’t be a deal breaker for some of you who said you wouldn’t use it anyway.
All those leaked case images — We’ve seen too many leaked “iPhone 5″ case images to forget about the wider screen, sleek form, and wider body. I’m betting the real iPhone 5 is just around the corner.
Other options — Why spend upwards of $199 with a two-year contract when you could spend $99 and get an iPhone 4? Sure, you won’t get the 8MP camera and Assistant feature, but it’s a really good deal nonetheless. Even better — the 3GS is free!
No unlocked models . . . yet — If you’re an avid traveler, you might want to hold off on purchase for a few months. According to Apple’s website, unlocked versions of the iPhone 4S are coming soon.

So, Should You Buy?

If you are upgrading to iPhone4S from iPhone3GS, or an earlier model, the switch is is a no brainer; go ahead and do it. Especially iPhone 3GS owners who have been waiting for their contracts to expire will get a much-needed bump in power, speed, and form factor with this update, and it’s one that’s worthy of your hard-earned dollars. The new features are well worth it! However, if you already own iPhone4, the decision to upgrade to iPhone 4S or not is not as clear cut. iPhone 4 owners should stick to their current handsets and simply update to iOS 5 to get that “new phone feel.” You’d be better off waiting for the iPhone 5 next year.

As Apple continues to release updated, and improved versions of the iPhones, evaluating the changes and your needs as a user, are key to making the vital decision.

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, Must Reads, Product Reviews, Tom's Ramblings

Why You Shouldn’t Limit Your Brand to Just One Social Networking Platform

October 18, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

Social media is a valuable tool for businesses and organizations. While game-changing in many ways, they are simply the latest in the evolution of tools that allow people to easily connect with one another. Ultimately, it’s important to keep in mind that the purpose of social media is to generate interest in your product.

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Friendster, MySpace, Xanga, etc… Anyone who has internet is familiar with these sites. Some of these sites have faded (Friendster, Xanga, etc.), leaving decaying individual’s profile. Yet, the fact remains that social media is of essential importance to anyone hoping to expand their brand. So the question is “Should companies focus on one social media platform to ensure success?”

In a blink of an eye, something beyond your control might affect the way you reach your target audience, especially when you just rely everything in just one social media platform. Take for example – Facebook.

Whether you’re a fan of change or not, it’s coming quickly to the social media giant, Facebook. They basically just dropped a bombshell and instantly changed the way we communicate online with their new newsfeed, timelines, subscriptions and a myriad of other enhancements and updates. However, if you have a fan page, you might have noticed a drop off in the amount of interaction you are getting on it. Facebook said they want to make it easier for people to connect on the web. But we have yet to find out what good does the new changes bring to Facebook pages.

See, this is what we have to understand. If our brand just circles around Facebook and if it’s the only way we communicated with our clients because we haven’t diversified enough and use other platforms, these changes could have badly hurt our business. Email, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, Google, SEM, SEO, phone calls, QR codes, texting and prints all need to be used in conjunction with one another to drive people to your home base, which is your self-hosted blog. That is the only thing that you control! And if Twitter goes away tomorrow and you use other mediums to communicate with your clients, you will not be badly hurt & crippled. You cannot afford to put all of your eggs in one basket.

The first step of a successful (and long term) social media plan is to spread your brand everywhere you can and the main goal is to drive people to your site and give them a ton of quality content that will keep them coming back. More than ever, it’s important that you have a web presence. Especially in a Real Estate business, since it’s is no longer a short term -transaction game, but a long term relationship building process, that would definitely be strengthen by having a web presence. Your own website or a self hosted blog is the only thing that you have a 100% control over, so it is where your time needs to be spent first.

Here’s a pratical takeaway: Google your personal name and your company’s name. What comes up? If you don’t see anything about yourself or your business, none of the other billions of people online will see it either and you know wha to do.

Filed Under: Articles, Facebook, Featured, Must Reads, Social Networks, Tom's Ramblings, Twitter

Why MOST Entrepreneurs FAIL. 6 minutes to learn how to AVOID these traps. Not taught in Business School.

October 17, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

It’s hard getting any business off the ground. Bob steps you through the Top 10 Traps entrepreneurs fall into.

Filed Under: Featured, Must Reads, Tom's Ramblings

Former ForSalebyOwner.com CEO Sells Home the Traditional Way

August 16, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

Even the founder & former CEO of ForSalebyOwner.com, Colby Sambrotto gave up on his own listing & hired a real estate broker after six months of having his 2,000 square foot New York condominium listed through online classified ads and FSBO sites. He hired New York broker Jesse Buckler who immediately suggested a price change as the listing wasn’t attracting the right buyer.

After giving up on the DIY route, Sambrotto’s decision to hire a broker led to attracting multiple offers, closing for $150,000 over the original asking price. The Wall Street Journal reports the listing sold for $2.15 million including a 6% commission. It was no doubt a good financial decision.

Marlow Harris, Seattle Residential and Investment Consultant at Coldwell Banker Bain Associates told AGBeat, “The ForSaleByOwner.com founder’s dilemma is one we see quite often and is not unusual. Trying to sell your own property yourself or using a discount brokerage, is not the solution for everyone. Unusual properties, properties in the higher price range, these are more difficult to sell and often require specialization.”

Harris continues, “We see these choices across the board, from single family homes to huge housing developments. For instance, Vulcan, one of Paul Allen’s companies which has invested heavily in Redfin, does not use Redfin to market their many condominium projects. They use traditional real estate firms such as John L. Scott, Williams Marketing and Matrix Real Estate, finding that the do-it-yourself approach to real estate just doesn’t work for these types of sales.”

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime.The stress of selling a house can be much reduced if you let a professional take care of the details for you. Realtors have a larger volume of potential buyers, they can save you valuable time & price the home correctly. If you’re still not convinced of the importance of a Realtor in selling your home, I don’t know what else will.

Credits to AgentGenius

Filed Under: Articles, Must Reads, Tom's Ramblings

Facebook and Google still tops for web hits

August 15, 2011 By Tom Lyons Leave a Comment

The latest web statistics from Hitwise (www.hitwise.com) are out. Here are the highlights of the most popular websites in Canada for the week ending Aug. 6. A few things are obvious from the latest results.

Facebook, YouTube and Google dominate in their categories. Canadians love our banks’ online banking websites, too! Meanwhile, MLS continues to dominate activity in Canada’s real estate industry.

The top 10 overall websites for traffic were: 1) Facebook (12.52 per cent of all traffic); 2) Google Canada (9.26 per cent) ; 3) Windows Live Mail (4.34 per cent); 4) YouTube (4.21 per cent); 5) MSN Canada (2.17 per cent); 6) Google (1.72 per cent); 7) Yahoo! Canada (1.30 per cent); Bing (1.27 per cent); 9) Yahoo! Mail Canada (1.16 per cent); 10) Sympatico.ca (0.96 per cent).

The top five search engines: 1) Google Canada (65.68 per cent); 2) Google (12.18 per cent); 3) Bing (9.03 per cent); 4) Ask (3.60 per cent); 5) Yahoo! Canada Search (2.79 per cent). It’s pretty clear that Google continues to dominate the Canadian search engine landscape, leaving all others in the dust. You know you’ve arrived when your brand name has become a verb.

The top five social media websites: 1) Facebook (64.52 per cent); 2) YouTube (21.72 per cent); 3) Twitter (0.98 per cent); 4) Meebo (0.79 per cent); 5) Badoo (0.78 per cent). Of the 15 other websites showing up on the Top 20 list, Google Plus is nowhere to be found. Note the complete dominance of Facebook and YouTube. Together, they account for a phenomenal 86.24 per cent of all social media website traffic in the country. Incredible!

Hitwise also ranks sites in banking, travel, real estate and entertainment.

The top five banking websites: 1) TD Canada Trust Online Banking (12.36 per cent); 2) Royal Bank of Canada Online Banking (11.30 per cent); 3) Desjardins Online Banking (8.52 per cent); 4) TD Canada Trust (7.50 per cent); 5) Royal Bank of Canada.

The top five travel websites: 1) Google Maps Canada (16.98 per cent); 2) Google Maps (4.46 per cent); 3) Take Off Eh! (3.99 per cent); 4) Expedia Canada (3.22 per cent); 5) Air Canada (2.20 per cent).

The top five real estate websites: 1) Realtor Canada – also known as MLS (25.81 per cent); 2) RE/MAX Quebec (5.31 per cent); 3) Duproprio.com (4.42 per cent); 4) ComFree.com (2.89 per cent); 5) Century 21 Canada Real Estate (2.49 per cent). Moncton-based Property Guys is in ninth place with 1.79 per cent of total visits.

The top five websites featuring entertainment personalities: 1) People Magazine (14.00 per cent); 2) TMZ.com (9.15 per cent); 3) PerezHilton.com (5.98 per cent); 4) Zimbio (5.79 per cent); 5) CelebEdge – Canada (3.51 per cent).

And finally, here are the top 10 search terms (written exactly as they are being searched for) for the week ending August 6: 1) facebook (5.42 per cent); 2) youtube (1.91 per cent); 3) facebook login (1.64 per cent); 4) kijiji (0.39 per cent); 5) www.facebook.com (0.31 per cent); 6) facebook.com (0.26 per cent); 7) plenty of fish (0.25 per cent); 8) google (0.25 per cent); 9) you tube (0.23 per cent); 10) fb (0.17 per cent).

Of all the terms searched for in Canadian cyberspace, Facebook-related searches account for five, while YouTube accounts for two – meaning that seven of the Top 10 searches only involve two websites. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me! And again, Google Plus isn’t even on the radar.

° Brian Cormier is a writer, blogger and communications consultant. Social Media Matters appears every Friday. E-mail:brian@briancormier.com. Website: www.briancormier.com. Twitter: @BrianCormier. Facebook: facebook.com/briancormierreaders

Filed Under: Facebook, Google Tools, Must Reads, SEO, Social Networks, Twitter, YouTube

Top 15 Home Staging Rules According to Studies

August 8, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

Home staging is preparing a home to show in its most attractive light to the broadest number of potential buyers to sell it more quickly and for top dollar. Home staging focuses on creating a valuable marketing commodity so that it appeals to the general home buyer who is trying to visualize themselves in the home, as opposed to interior decorating where it prioritizes the personal tastes, personality and preferences of the home owner.

Studies show that the majority of home buyers make a decision about whether or not they want to buy a house less than 15 seconds after they walk in the door. Others may decide without ever getting out of their car, just basing on the exterior appearance of the house. First impressions are very important & critical, and can often mean the difference between a sale and another walk-away. That’s why home staging should be considered by every homeowner even before listing their home.

Duke University has conducted a study recently and here’s what Andrea Angott, Ph.D. said, “As far as we know, staging principles haven’t yet received empirical testing. Rather, they most likely evolved over years of experience and practice, and very experienced practitioners develop an intuition about staging. But, it is probably the case that some staging “rules” are more effective than others than others [sic] in terms of changing buyer perception and behavior.”

Dr. Angott noted that “some rules likely give you more “bank for your buck” in terms of cost effectiveness. This is what we are trying to determine. As psychologists, we are also interested in the psychology behind effective staging principles, on both emotional and cognitive levels.”

Whether you’re personally preparing your home to sell it or having it professionally staged, here are the Top 15 staging rules with the most important ranked at the top of the list:

Removal of personal items from bathrooms.
Using rooms for their intended purpose.
Removing evidence of pets.
Turning on every light in the home during showings.
Vacant homes should be furnished.
Removal of garbage cans.
Removal of personal photographs.
Removal attention-grabbing or personal art or accessories.
Neutral paint colors on all walls.
Removal of appliances from kitchen counters.
Never placing the back of furniture facing any room entrance.
“Tell a story” with staging (breakfast tray with mugs on bed).
Sheer or no coverings on all windows.
Use of scented candles, plug-in air fresheners or potpourri.
Chocolate chips baking in oven during showings.

To add, extremely clean, decluttered house with good curb appeal is also a must.

Dr. Angott reported that a few respondents felt the study was “too black-and-white” because “staging is an art that can’t be captured in a handful of rules.” Pertaining to the study, Dr. Angott said, “While we recognize the artistry of staging, scientific testing invariable requires simplification, and we feel that our findings will be useful despite this necessary simplification.”

Renowned real estate photographer Larry Lohrman said that from a real estate photographers perspective, “very few home sellers are good at getting their home in shape for a shoot. It takes a pushy listing agent to be on site while you shoot and help remove garbage cans, pet dishes and the like. If your client, the listing agent is not on site helping with this activity, you need to be pushy with the home owner to make the home looks good. Of course there are limits to what you can do.”

To sum it all up, the focus of home staging is to make your home inviting, comfortable and visually appealing. Highlight your home’s strengths, downplay its weaknesses & create points that speak to buyers emotionally about a lifestyle they can aspire to. A small investment for a much bigger reward of selling your home fast and for more money.

Credits to AgentGenius

Filed Under: Articles, Featured, Must Reads, Tom's Ramblings Tagged With: Home Staging Rules

New Email and Electronic Marketing Rules for Canadian Realtors: TEN THINGS CANADIAN REALTORS® NEED TO KNOW

April 13, 2011 By tlyons Leave a Comment

Businesses engage in electronic marketing especially email marketing because it works. And it works well. It delivers almost the same results as the direct marketing channels such as print catalogs & postcards, but in a more efficient way.

In general, before spam kills electronic marketing as a marketing vehicle, the government has issued new rules for marketing by e-mail, text messaging & other forms of electronic communication and that will be implemented shortly. CREA won important grants when the proposed rules were before parliament in an anti-spam bill & CREA will follow & look into this issue closely.

The fines for REALTORS® for non-compliance are up to $1million, so please take time to read the details below.

NEW ELECTRONIC MARKETING RULES:

TEN THINGS REALTORS® NEED TO KNOW

1.) With a few exceptions, REALTORS® can no longer send electronic messages to potential clients or clients without their permission to do so.

2. ) REALTORS® may send electronic messages to a client only up to two years following a real estate transaction and six months after an inquiry from a potential client.

3.) As a transitional provision, REALTORS® may send electronic messages to clients without their consent for three years. That is only allowed when the relationship existed before the new rules are implemented.

4.) It is the Realtor’s responsibility to prove that consent was given by the client. Realtors are expected to keep any type of document proving that the recipient gives the REALTORS® the consent to send messages.

5.) REALTORS® must lay out the purpose when obtaining consent from clients or potential clients, including information identifying them. Detailed information about how to obtain consent will be included in the regulations issued for the legislation, but it hasn’t been drafted yet.

6.) Each electronic message that a REALTOR® sends should include their contact information, an unsubsribe mechanism or an option to opt out, and any other information that will be set out once the regulations are finalized.

7.) REALTORS® may follow up with new contacts they meet at networking functions and events by email, provided that the electronic message is relevant to the recipient’s business or concern.

8.) Consent will not be implied for REALTORS® to send messages or follow up on a referral unless the potential client expresses consent or has a personal, family or existing business relationship with the REALTOR®.

9.) REALTORS® who fail to comply with these new electronic marketing rules could face administrative monetary penalties of up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million for corporations. In addition, individuals who receive unsolicited electronic marketing materials from a REALTOR® could launch a private right of action and sue for monetary compensation.

10. The “Do Not Call List” rule continues to governed telephone marketing. In the future, the government may consider applying the same electronic marketing rules to telephone marketing.

Just like a garden only bears fruit if managed properly, so it is with email & electronic marketing. We know it can work, we just have to get the basics right. The basics of building a list of people who want to hear from you, crafting a message, and ensuring that your messages get through to the right people.

Filed Under: Featured, Must Reads, Tom's Ramblings

3 Reasons Why You Need Local Businesses in your Blog

December 2, 2010 By Tom Lyons Leave a Comment

1. Your Readers are Interested in Local Businesses

Your readers visit and shop at local businesses. By showcasing local stores, restaurants, cleaners or cafes, you connect with your audience. People like to do business with people they like and connect to. When you write about local companies you make that connection.

2. Local Businesses refer business.

Local businesses come in contact with tons of people, when you promote and write about local businesses, you help them and in return they help you. It gives you a legitimate reason to talk to the owners and managers, build a relationship and become top of mind for them. You also become a point of discussion within the business itself.

3. Posts of Local Businesses are easy to rank in Google.

The more you write about local businesses, the more content you create about your city. That content tends to rank well in the search engines drawing more traffic to your website, and helping you become the goto location for local information.

Filed Under: Must Reads