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Blogging Etiquette: Updating Content

In Blogging on Jun 04 by jason

Well, I’m pretty sure that Emily Post has never written a blogging etiquette book, but there are definitely a number of written and unwritten rules. One unwritten rule that I would like to see more in practice is the etiquette of updating post content.

I haven’t seen it written, yet. But I highly doubt that I’m the first to talk about updating content with regards to blogging etiquette. So if you find other support for this, I’d be grateful. :-)

So here’s the rule (at least the one that I bend now and then)…

When you publish a post, it’s written in stone.

If you have something minor like typos, I think it’s completely fair and appropriate to make corrections. However, if you need to make other changes or corrections, here’s how you can deal with it.

  1. Write a new post.
  2. Clearly mark your change/addition.
  3. Both 1 and 2.

Write a new post

Sometimes, but not always, it makes sense to provide a follow-up post. When your readers are presented posts in the standard reverse-chronological order (like in most blogs), your corrected post will appear at the top of your blog giving readers the opportunity to read your corrections. If you simply changed your post, your readers may not know that a change was made. So write a new post.

Clearly mark your change/addition

If you change something within a post, it helps to identify the change that you made. People may return to a post. They may have been notified of new comments or maybe your update. When they return, how do they know what was modified? It helps tremendously when people use strikeouts to show deleted lines or type “UPDATE: ” to precede blocks of text that were added.

Be sure to follow the same principles for editting comments too. Once an edit is made, the comments may not make sense. Marking your changes can keep things clear.

Both 1 and 2

Using both of the methods can help, too. :-) It can allow good crosslinking of your posts while allowing readers to better understand your train of thought.

Just Suggestions

Now, these “rules” are really just suggestions. Their implementation depends a lot on the situational circumstances of modifying a post. However, they are good guidelines that can help to improve our blogs.

By the way, if you know of any good blogging etiquette resources please comment with the link(s) below. This can benefit us all.

[Previously posted on ActiveRain]

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Free Real Estate Virtual Tours

In Technology on May 31 by jason Tagged:

Thumbing through the numerous hosted virtual tour options can seem mind-boggling and endless. However one of the best, and free, options I’ve found for search engine visibility has been Google Video.

You’re probably saying, “Wait a minute. They only do videos. I don’t even have a video camera!” Take a look at the current Home For Sale tours on Google. There are many that are simple photo slideshows.

Making Photo Tours

Windows folk can use the free Photo Story software. Photo Story will allow you to easily create a video from your property photos. Here are a few things you can do or add:

  • Burn DVDs
  • One-click processing (i.e. crop, rotate, auto color, etc.)
  • Background music
  • Narrate shots
  • Titles and captions
  • Transitions

Once created, just upload your video tour to Google Video.

What about YouTube for tours?

YouTube and other types of services are very similar. In fact, YouTube is great with search engines. I highly recommend posting your videos to multiple video hosts.

Though If I were to pick one host, it would be Google. Why? YouTube tends to get itself blocked by various corporate and ISP filters.

Virtual Tour Alternatives

Yep, there are a lot. I’m working on a semi-comprehensive list of photo and property tour alternatives. I’ll post it when I have it ready. Any suggestions?

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60 Minutes: Full Service or No Service?

In Real Estate on May 29 by jason

Is the question really about money? I say no. When 60 minutes aired a segment on RedFin.com, an online discount brokerage, the endless debate of full-service vs “no-service” was refueled.

More than marketing

Truthfully, I think the founders of RedFin.com and other innovative business plans should be commended… for their innovation. It brings about good ol’ competition. Beyond that, I have no desire to enter the debate of whether they’re good or not. However, as a non-real estate agent, I’d like to point out the real issue at hand is not money, it’s representation.

The big issue that people tend to point out is broker/agent fees, a.k.a. commission. But as with any business, all have the unregulated right to set their own fees. Consumers should be made aware of their options and choose intelligently. Discussions of marketing and other value-added services happen at this level.

To serve and protect

The bigger issue for discussion is representation. Most consumers don’t understand the power of representation that an experienced agent can provide. Representation takes a person beyond property marketing and into the deeper realm of protection.

I think good agents recognize the power of protection that they can provide for their clients. Unfortunately, I rarely see it leveraged. If someone considers themselves a full-service agent, they must discuss protection with their clients.

Good agents

I took the classes. I took the tests. And I’ve been in the real estate industry long enough to know that good agents stand as a shield of defense for their clients. Good agents negotiate powerfully. Good agents protect confidential information. Good agents do things in the best interest of their clients.

Whether a consumer pays 8%, 6%, $2995, or $500, it’s their prerogative. It’s the responsibility of the consumer to know their options. It is ALSO the duty of agents to let them know what they’re getting.

What say you?

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Good [sidebar] Linking Strategies

In Blogging,Marketing on May 25 by jason Tagged:

In blogging, your sidebar is a great place to provide a list of links. Here’s a quick tip: keep it relevant.

Think about it. Are links to every real estate agent or mortgage broker really helpful to your potential clients? Probably not.

You have to give your visitors what they need. Don’t devalue your site with meaningless link exchanges no matter how beneficial the email cover letter was.

Seal of Approval

Give your visitors what they’re looking for. Here are a few kinds of links that are beneficial to your visitors:

  1. Links to mortgage brokers that you trust and would recommend.
  2. Links to insurance companies that you trust and would recommend.
  3. Links to real estate agents in local markets that you don’t service (that you trust and would recommend).

You don’t have to limit your links to this list. You can also do other businesses, official city websites, etc. The point is only add links to websites that “you trust and recommend”. After all, each link is considered your seal of approval.

…And for you Blogger.com’ers! Uh… What’s “Link 1″?

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Voluntary Hiatus

In Miscellaneous on Apr 27 by jason

Thanks all for the emails of support while I was away. So what’s happened the last few months? Let’s see…

I know a lot more has happened! Let me know what you think is worth noting.

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DOCTYPE: The site killer.

In Miscellaneous on Nov 05 by jason Tagged:

Did you know that bad DOCTYPEs are killing good websites. Use the right DOCTYPE to fix your site.

Nowadays, just about everyone knows something about HTML–especially my wife’s cousin’s uncle’s third son, a.k.a. Little Johnny. But do you know about one of the most common HTML errors? It’s an improperly written DOCTYPE tag.

Jeffrey Zeldman has a short article that will help you to Fix Your Site With the Right DOCTYPE!

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CSS Overboard

In Miscellaneous on Nov 02 by jason Tagged:

It’s been said many times that CSS is great for markup (vs. layout). This brings up a good point about going overboard with CSS. And I’ve done it many times…

You have a certain design in your head and start applying new divs, spans, and class to fit that look. Although CSS is capable of doing lots of neat stuff, adding new tags or classes can quickly nullify the efficiencies of CSS.

Minimize the number of custom classes by sticking with standard HTML tags. It’s not only good practice, but you also can quickly stay compatible with screen readers and cell phones. You will also provide nice structured content for SEO and non-CSS capable browsers.

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User-Friendly Free Font Finder

In Design,Marketing on Oct 16 by jason

FontsFinding the perfect free font for a flyer or newsletter can sometimes be arduous. There are many free fonts sites out there, but usually they’re very difficult to browse. Check out Better Fonts for a nice user-friendly solution.

Better Fonts has built a clean interface that allows you to quickly choose the font you like. It displays legible thumbnails of fonts categorized by name. It also allows you to change the preview text. That way you can see exactly what your headline will look like.

A few other free font sites:

Rather have desktop font software?

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Sketch for Sketch

In Fun on Oct 14 by jason

Sketch Swap Do you like to draw? Okay, even if you don’t… Try Sketch Swap.

Sketch Swap is a site dedicated to pure drawing fun. Sketch a picture on their site and submit your drawing. In return you’ll get to see someone else’s sketch. What’s cool about this is that you get to see every sequential stroke. You’ll have to try it out to see what I mean.

So if you need a break from your busy life, sketch!

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Email Large Attachments: Pando

In Productivity,Technology on Oct 13 by jason

Email Is your email host too restrictive when it comes to large file attachments? Most of us have been there. You send the email, but the attachment isn’t received. It could be a result of file sending limits imposed by your email provider. Or it could be mailbox size restrictions on the receiving end. Whatever the case, check out Pando.

Pando is a desktop application that lets you email (send and receive) large files and folders. They even have a plugin for Outlook. Do you need to how many times a files was downloaded? Send your files via Pando and you’ll be able to know that too.

One downside is that the receiving party needs to install Pando. But if you’re in a workgroup or small office, this is a great way to share files. Go ahead. Use Pando.