Now that everyone has access to Twitter Lists the question arises – is it just a big popularity contest or can they be used for something else?

Yes!  There is a good aspect to a Twitter List – sorting or pulling the good from the inane mass of endless twitter spammers.

Here’s how you can do that using Seesmic Desktop.

How do you use Lists?

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It’s no secret I’m a fan of the Facebook (Fan) Business Page.  I also have a few real estate clients.  Hence it’s no surprise that I have built quite a few Custom Facebook Business Pages for real estate agents.  Here’s a few: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemueller/sets/72157622207611298/detail/

Not a single day goes by that someone doesn’t ask the big question

WHY?

Make no mistake it’s a very valid question.  Here’s the 5 reasons I think every agent needs a Facebook Page:

“SEO” – a Facebook Page is indexed by all the major search engines as well as Facebook itself.  Wait there’s more.  If it’s indexed it’s also Page Ranked.  Want more?  Most every link on the Page has “Follow” attributes (as opposed to “No Follow”).

“Separation of Church and State” – a Facebook Page automatically provides a privacy layer between the Page (you) and the people who “Fan” your Page.  This goes both ways.  Provocative pictures your old college buddy just found, uploaded and tagged of you don’t get shared to your Fans. Conversely, your Fans have an understanding that by becoming a fan they won’t be divulging private information as well.

“The Landing Page” – you can set any one of your tabs to be the first one shown to NON Fans.  That means you can create a Tab specifically designed for the new visitor.  For a relocation agent that would be “Why it’s so great to live in Sunny Acres”.  That Tab could be Photos, Videos, or even a custom built tab.  Engage me on your neighborhood and guess who I’m going to call to show me a house?

“Voted OFF the Island” – It’s a little known fact but pushing your new listings out to your friends (via your personal profile) is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service as well as it’s Facebook Site Governance: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.  You can read more here.  And I know what you are thinking… there’s many agents breaking that law on a daily basis and Facebook hasn’t yet voted them off the island (yet).  True but there’s nothing stopping them from starting tomorrow.  That’s happening right now on Flickr and Video sites like Vimeo.

“Say my Name” – Like a personal profile your Facebook Page can also have it’s own custom URL.  In the world of Custom URLs there’s can only be one Facebook.com/SunnyAcres.  While most people opt for their own name for their personal profile (i.e. I’m http://facebook.com/MikeMueller ) when it comes to a Fan Page it’s all about business, it’s all about branding.  Secure a custom URL and your business card and other advertising could simply state  “Find us online at Facebook.com/SunnyAcres” Now there’s real value on a couple of different levels!

So there’s 5 reasons I think every real estate agent needs to have their own Facebook (Fan) Business Page.  Give me ten minutes and I could come up with 5 more reasons.  I do have to add a couple more thoughts to the conversation…

1. Having a Page does not mean you can just automate the process and walk away.  It’s not a “set it and forget it” concept.
2. Having a Page does not mean you can simply Broadcast.  Having any exposure on any social media also requires a significant amount of listening as well.  Some might say that is much more important than the broadcasting.
3. Having a page does not mean it’s business only.  Quite the opposite.  You can still have the same personality traits that make you a wonderful human being also come out in your Page.
4. Having a Page is one thing, having a page that engages others is another.  Yes, I build Custom Facebook Business Pages but I have seen plenty non custom pages that do a great job engaging others.

Want to start you Facebook Business Page?  Start by logging in to facebook as usual, then go to http://facebook.com/pages/manage

Want a little video?  Here’s Robert Scoble and Caitlin O’Farrell (she’s from Facebook)

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

As sad as it is, it does happen– friends do pass away.

So what happens to their profile on Facebook?

Luckily Facebook has a heart (and an answer).  If a friend or family member of yours passes away they will modify the profile to leave a lasting “Memorial”.

"When an account is memorialized, we also set privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search. We try to protect the deceased’s privacy by removing sensitive information such as contact information and status updates. Memorializing an account also prevents anyone from logging into it in the future, while still enabling friends and family to leave posts on the profile Wall in remembrance."

Thank you Facebook!

It’s not something you want to “bookmark for later” but here’s what the form looks like

(click on image to go to the actual form)

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Earlier this summer I was leading the Facebook discussion (with Heather Elias!) at ReBarCamp/San Francisco and Sandra stood up and said she had great success with her Facebook Page.

The overcrowded room moved on in conversation about many more things “facebook” and it wasn’t until the next day that get together for this quick interview.

I’m honored to have Sandra as a guest today on “the M files“.  She has even more she would like to share.

Have a question you would like to ask – here’s your chance!

Listen to the show here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jckc/2009/11/02/Mikes-Minutes–New

http://areweconnected.com/facebook

Educating Real Estate Agents On How To Use Modern Technologies To Better Their Business Will Never Be The Same!

On November 17th, 2009 dozens of the most respected educators in the real estate industry converge to host the first of its kind, Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Virtual Real Estate BarCamp is a 1-Day Learning Extravaganza.
From 9am until 4pm PST, three concurrent webinar “rooms” will each host 9 different sessions, for a total of 27 different presentations.
There is something for everyone and everything for someone, and best of all, IT IS FREE and attendance is unlimited!

Click below to:
Register.
Learn more.
See who is coming.
Check out the Session Calendar.
Get sponsorship info.

Attendance is projected to be at least 1000 agents, nationwide.
Do not miss out on being part of this ground-breaking event.

Session topics include:

1. Social Media Risk Management
2. Flickr for Real Estate
3. Developing Your Brand
4. Online Advertising Secrets
5. Facebook for Real Estate
6. WordPress Training
7. Daily Goal Tracking
8. Starting a Real Estate Blog

…and much more, with new sessions being added every day.

My session is entitled “LinkedIn – The Red Headed StepChild of Social Media” Since we only have 30 minutes and so much ground to cover I’ve narrowed it down to just these 3

This session is set for 1 PM Pacific Time

And if that wasn’t cool enough, individuals from around the country are volunteering to host In-Real-Life MeetUps for after the event.
Learn all day, and then meet to have a beer with local participants. This is going to be a blast!

We hope to see you there!

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