MongoFAX, a free AAR member benefit, does one thing and it does it extremely well: it faxes a document to an email address and converts the document to a PDF attachment.  If you haven’t tried it, give it a go. You’ll like the simplicity and ease of use.

If you’ve tried this, you know that the PDF attachment contains the MongoFAX cover page in addition to the document.  But did you know that there’s a way to make that PDF simply contain the document itself – without the cover page?  To make the MongoFAX attachment exclude the cover page, simply add noecp@mongonet.net as a CC: recipient on the fax cover page before sending. The PDF will simply be the document you intended sending.

There are other tips and tricks for MongoFax available are available on the MongoFAX user tips page. Or contact us at AAR Business Services support by email or by phone (480-304-8930, toll-free 866-833-7357).

“People don’t wake up and go to your company website every day.” This is one of my favorite quotes about the growing number of businesses using Facebook to connect with clients. At AAR’s Broker/Manager Conference in May, I had a chance to moderate two roundtable sessions on Facebook for real estate firms. Here are my notes and a few thoughts.

Separate pages and profiles in your mind.

Profile = Person, Page = Business. Profile = Person, Page = Business. A person creates a profile to interact within Facebook. Through your profile, you can create a business page. Your profile becomes the default administrator of the business pages you create. Administrators can edit/delete the page and post updates, links, pictures and videos as the page.

Profiles have friends; pages have likes.

Your personal profile can be friends with other personal profiles.  Two actions are required to accomplish this: friend request and then acceptance. A personal profile cannot be friends with someone who does not accept the friend request.

Profiles can like business pages. One action is required; click the Like button. There is no acceptance that needs to happen on the business’s side.

Remember that once the Like button is clicked, it will no longer be visible on that page.

What happens when I like a page?

Liking a page means you have subscribed to that page’s updates. You have just told Facebook that it’s okay to allow the page’s updates to show in your general news feed. This is the main feed that is displayed when you first log in to Facebook. It shows all the happenings of your friends, family and other pages you like.

How do I get people to like my page?

The million-dollar question! You’ll start with the low-hanging fruit: ask the friends of your personal profile. Then the creative, strategic, consistent work comes into play. It is not an automatic fountain of business. Bottom-line: You want to continuously create content that engages your fans. Do not use Facebook as a megaphone to broadcast your corporate message.

Keep in mind this is social media. You want to be personable with your likers. Ask them questions, help each other out, post pictures and videos. If you have fun with it, people will like it.

Should I post my listings to my page?

Broad-stroke answer: Don’t do it. Are there exceptions? Yes. 

There are a lot of vendors out there that will auto-post your listings to Facebook. This is using it as a megaphone and is not recommended. It’s okay to celebrate successes. It’s okay to be excited about a feature/picture/amenity of a listing. 

Golden Facebook Rule

Treat your likers and/or friends the way you want to be treated. Be the company you want to like.  Be the person you want to friend. If you’re not sure what I mean, then use Facebook for a few more months before creating a page for your business.

Other notes from the session:

• Create Facebook friend lists to easily share information with certain groups of people.
• Google how to do things you see other people doing. (There are lots of tutorials out there!)
• Tag friends and pages in status updates.
• Facebook.com/help is a great resource.

I recently got an email from another Arizona REALTOR® friend of mine telling me he’d moved to the smartphone world and asking me for app recommendations.  In the interest of full disclosure, I use an iPhone.  Many/most of the applications on this list are also available on the Android, and many/most, I’d guess, are not available on the BlackBerry.  I have hundreds of apps (yes, I know I have a problem) on my iPhone, but for my friend on his new smartphone, I started with these…

I love Dropbox – a great way to be able to get documents, files and so forth from your computer to anywhere you are.  Great for sharing documents with clients, family, friends or any group with which you work or play.

Google Voice & Vlingo are apps that you can use to have your voicemails transcribed into texts and emails.  Beware the strange texts and emails you will get, but it’s great when you are in meetings and/or with clients and can’t be interrupted with an actual call.

RPR: The web address is m.narrpr.com.  The app gets you access to RPR data on the go and can be good for getting some detailed information on a property or location right there from your phone.  Can make you look really smart…as long as the data you are quoting is smart too.  See below for turning this application into an icon.  This will require a login.

Photosynth is a really cool Microsoft app. (I know, I just said “Microsoft” and “cool” in the same sentence.) It just launched for the iPhone this week – it’s free and it’s fun.  I’ll let it be a surprise; it is a photo application, and there is nothing else like it.

FlexMLS Wireless: Not a great mobile application yet, though I’m told they are working on it.  It’s my MLS so I gotta have it, right?  See instructions below for turning a web application into an iphone icon.  If your MLS is something different, you should either be able to turn the actual application into an icon (see below) or use their mobile MLS too.  Your MLS, like mine, will require you to login.

zipForm: In order to use zipForm on your phone or iPad, as far as I can tell, you have to buy their mobile application ($9.95/yr).  I don’t like the application, but I do like that it gives you access to your contracts so…you gotta have it.  You need to go to zipformonline.com from Safari (insert your phone’s search engine here) and buy it there.

Walk Score:  I love this little app.  The actual score that a house or a neighborhood gets is great if that is YOUR thing.  But one of the great things about it is the GPS functionality that allows you to share with your clients and friends all the places that are nearby that they (or you) will need to know.  Lists of grocery stores, parks, libraries and coffee shops will appear specific to the location you request.  Bonus: They use Yelp.com for their reviews. They’ve added a new functionality that calculates your commute to work/school/wherever, and they do it by biking, walking, driving and public transportation – really cool.

Zosh:  I fall in and out of love with this app.   It was recently purchased by YouSendIt, and I hope the app will become all that it can be.  Anyway, I use it for signing PDF documents on my phone or iPad.  It’s slick usually - except when it isn’t.  It’s in the app store, and it is now free.

WorldCard: This is an app in the app store that takes a photograph of a business card and adds the contents of that card directly to your address book.  It’s great for conferences and great for your commitment to green.  It isn’t always perfect especially with business cards that have busy backgrounds, though generally it works great.

Goomzee isn’t an official app. (See below:  How to make a website icon on your iPhone.)  I like their “freemium” version (ARMLS benefit and maybe your MLS too).   When you pull up to a house, you can open Goomzee and see the showing instructions and the listing agent contact info.  This does require an MLS login.

Realtor.com: This an app in the app store.  This is a consumer-facing search of properties in Realtor.com.   It has a good GPS system, and I use it because my clients use it. I want to understand how they search and how the app works and informs their searching.  Good for consumer rental searching too.

BONUS
How to make a website icon appear on your iPhone
(Or, how to make a web application look like an iPhone app)

1.  Open the website that you’d like to turn into an icon from your iPhone using Safari (the little blue app with a compass on it).

2.  Press the + sign at the bottom of the screen.

3.  Press the button that says ‘add to home screen.’

4.  Name the app whatever you would like.

5.  Presto!  It will look like an app, and you can use it like one.

AAR now offers unlimited zipLogix Digital Ink™ electronic signatures to AAR members included in your membership dues.

zipLogix® Digital Ink™ is a digital signature solution for signing transactional documents within zipForm® 6.

Digital signatures improve your efficiency while reducing costs, saving time, eliminating delays, and better serving customers. They facilitate quick, easy interaction between REALTOR® and client, and encourage a paperless transaction. Digital signatures revolutionize the customer experience and offer your customer a truly paperless electronic process that can be trusted. Instantly e-mail real estate forms requiring signatures and eliminate the cost and time expense of printing, faxing, or cross-town meetings to get paper copies signed.

Start planning for a more efficient 2011 by trying your zipLogix® Digital Ink™ member benefit today.

Sign up today for one of the online training webinars:

Friday, 3/11     2:00PM – 3:00PM
Tuesday, 3/15     1:00PM – 2:00PM
Thursday, 3/17     1:00PM – 2:00PM
Wednesday, 3/23     1:00PM – 2:00PM
Friday, 3/25     10:00AM – 11:00AM
Monday, 3/28     3:00PM – 4:00PM
Thursday, 3/31     12:00PM – 1:00PM

Digital Ink Support:

Direct: (480)304-8930
Toll Free: (866)833-7357
Email: support@aaronline.com

Many of you use different contact management programs and are very happy with the whistles and bells they provide you.  This information is for those of you who want to simplify your lives.

For years Microsoft Office provided me with all that I needed for my business.  And, as my emphasis turned into keeping school records rather than drip-mailing clients; and later, when the Hawaii Association of REALTORS® scheduled me as a GRI Instructor for two of their modules, I found myself very comfortable using only MS Outlook for all my contacts.  Until I received an invitation to Google’s new gMail Beta…

April of 2004, Google sent out invites to people to beta test their new offering:  gMail.  Can’t believe I have morphed with Google over 7 years – we’ve grown up together.  So much so that I only use MS Outlook when I want to create a great signature.  While gMail has applications you can use for signatures, I still find it easier to do mine on MS Outlook.  Call me an “old dog”.

Fast-forwarding to the present, let’s explore the reasons I thing “gMail rocks”:

Priority Mail Inbox

Instead of writing about it, let the video tell you how it works

Yes, you can make “rules” in Outlook, but gMail really does do a better job of filtering spam, has a more simple search box, allows easier filing… forgive me, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Labels

One area where gMail does a great job is in filing by labeling.  When an email comes in from a client you check the box next to the email or if the email is open, go directly to “label” and a dropdown box will appear.  If this is a new file you want to create, type in the name for the file and click “create label”.  If you already have a file for this email, just scroll down the dropbox till you reach the file name you wish to use and click on it.  If you are ready to file the message, you then click on “archive”.

Files

To your left, as you look at gMail, you will find a list of your labeled files.  Easy access by clicking on one of them, or by the use of the search box you can bring up the emails in the file.

Search

This is one of my favorite components of gMail.  As a designated broker I’ve learned to save everything and am constantly looking in my digital files for information.  Sometimes I know who sent me the information and other times I don’t.  gMail will search the email addresses and the text.  It’s like searching Google itself!

See this video for particulars:

It’s awesome!  My life is searchable on gMail!

Threaded Conversations

This feature is to-die-for!!

When you’re working with a client, you can stack, stack, stack, and then go to the left side of your email browser and look to the top right side and find a menu of link choices:  “New Window”, “Print All”, “Expand All”, or “Forward all”.

For agents who still prefer paper files, you can “print” all at the end of a transaction and put them into your paper file.

For agents who are digital, you can print to pdf and save in your transaction file, or “select all”, “copy”, and “save as” to your digital transaction file.

There’s soooooo much more I can say about gMail; and if you come to the AAR Winter Conference in Prescott, I’ll be happy to show you more about gMail.  Join us!  Learn more about how to organize your life and your time.

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

• Designated Broker:  how2arizona real estate LLC
• Owner/Educator/Administrator:  how2educate LLC
• Twitter:  @SedonaKathy
• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/sedonakathy
• YouTube:  www.youtube.com/sedonakathy

So we’ve all heard (well almost all of us) about iPad, and now the new iPad2 that is coming out on March 11 (not quite in time for the AAR Winter Conference). And even though Apple came out with the original iPad in April of 2010, with first weekend sales hitting 700,000, less than a year later, they’ve already made improvements and expecting everyone to upgrade.

Why, because their Apple! But some other reasons are that the iPad2 is:

1)      33% thinner and up to 15% lighter

2)      It’s twice as fast with a Dual-core A5 chip running it.

3)      2 cameras. How can you beat this!

But let’s get back to reality with what we have- the original iPad and how we can use it (without the 2 cameras) to help us at the AAR Winter Conference.

1)      Take notes!  This is the coolest thing, whether you type them with a Bluetooth keyboard, the on screen keyboard or by hand writing them! Some cools apps you look at for handwriting are Adobe Ideas (free), Penultimate ($1.99), Note Take HD ($4.99) You can also take notes in the Notes app that comes with your iPad and email them to whomever you wish.

2)      Blog! Let other people know what you are experiencing. There are many places to post your blog and you can do pretty easily from your iPad. Of course check and respond to other blogs to see what other people are experiencing at the conference- in real time!

3)      Email! Not during classes of course, but check and email with multiple accounts. Business, friends and family emails- nobody will know that you’re in Prescott enjoying the pines.

4)      Games! OK, OK… you probably don’t have time for games during the conference, but IF you ever do, DoodleJump (supposedly the most addicting game in the world) (99 cents), Hungry Shark 1 (free- one of my favorites), Glow Draw (free), Angry Birds (free or the full version for $4.99), Pocket God (99 cents), PaperToss (free) or one of the other 65,000 apps made for the iPad. Of course checkers, tic-tac-toe, chess and the other traditional games are there (for free).

5)      Read! iBooks that came with your iPad will allow you to download tons of free books and for a fee, read thousands of other titles.

6)      Business! OK, let’s get back to what we do….Real Estate. Download zipForm® mobile ($9.99/year) and Sign-N-Send ($4.99) and type up those purchase contracts, sign and send off! Who says you need a scanner, printer, fax machine or paper???

7)      Dropbox! Cloud computing is here, which means you can upload files online, and simply download and use on your iPad (or anywhere else). (free up to 2GB)

8)      Online Faxing! Send or receive faxes through your email. (metrofax- $12.95/month)

At 1.33 lbs, or add another .02 lbs for the 3G model, it’s not going to add much weight to your luggage. You truly can do so much during the conference, or any other time with your very cool iPad!

It seems you can hardly pick up a magazine, read a Real Estate blog or news article, go to a Real Estate conference, attend a training class, or just talk with your colleagues, without the topic of Facebook or Twitter coming up.

In fact, it’s not just our Real Estate industry. Facebook and Twitter dominate cultures around the world when it comes to online activity and social media.

The question is raised and discussed over and over – what is the role of Facebook and Twitter for REALTORS®.

There are certainly lots of opinions on this subject. It goes from writers and consultants saying every REALTOR® should be on Facebook or have a Facebook Business Page, to articles which warn REALTORS® to “unfriend” their clients, or the cover article this month in REALTOR® magazine, which says “Are you over-friended – Social networking’s point of diminishing returns”.

What is the typical REALTOR® to do?

I can certainly give you my perspective. As I mentioned in a recent post, after spending almost 25 years in the hi-tech world, for the past 10 years I have been an active full-time residential real estate designated broker and brokerage owner. I supervise, manage and mentor around 60 residential REALTORS® on a day to day basis.

Also, my perspective is that the typical REALTOR® already has a lot on their plate. Sellers, Buyers, Escrows, Spheres, Email, Documents, Contracts, Forms, Digital Signatures, Transaction Management Systems, Photos, Videos, Listing Syndication, Websites, Leads, Lead Management, Advertising, Marketing, Continuing Education, REALTOR® designations, RPAC, local community, state and national issues,Office Meetings, Floor Time, Open Houses, Short Sales, Foreclosures, their broker , and so on.

The last thing REALTORS® need is a diversion that will consume their precious time and money, and not produce results. Anything new introduced into their business must be easy to learn, easy to use, and have a clearly measurable return on investment within a reasonable time frame.

In my experience, 10-15% of REALTORS® have the time, patience and knowledge to deal with the back and forth evaluation, dialogue and discussion about what to do and what not to do with technology and tools. Not only with Facebook, but with the constant barrage of technology being recommend to or pitched to REALTORS® today.

The rest are often times left feeling confused and further behind everyone else. They get that glazed-eye look 5 minutes into the discussion or presentation. I think writers and presenters should be cognizant of this. Mind you, these tools and technologies are impressive in the right hands. But they are not an undiscovered magic potion that every REALTOR® is missing out on. They are like other tools in our business, where if used correctly, and with significant time and expertise invested, can produce results.

So, my first advice to a REALTOR® is to make sure they are up to speed with the 3 Key Technologies for REALTORS®, which I laid out in a previous post. I consider those technologies critical for any REALTOR® today.

Now, what about Facebook and Twitter?

First of all, Twitter.

Twitter is revolutionary. Twitter IS, as we speak, changing our culture in how news and information is published, disseminated and consumed. The information can be breaking news, such as the recent protests in Egypt, public figures, such as celebrities, politicians or athletes, communicating with their fans, organizations  (such as NAR, Google, your local REALTOR® association) publicly communicating on any topic, and traditional news sources using an alternative path to disseminate information. And much more.

Twitter removes ALL publishing procedures and barriers from those with something to say. It is refreshing and liberating, yet dangerous at the same time.

What is it’s role for REALTORS® and their business?

Answer: None

I cannot see any expenditure of time for a REALTOR® to tweet that would produce a good return for their business.

The only exception would be the rare case where a REALTOR® has something unique to say, and an existing audience that wants to hear it. Tweeting about your local real estate market does not cut it. Some are trying, some misuse it. Let them. There are far better things a REALTOR® can spend their time on. IMHO.

[Twitter can be used as an effective way to blog authors to promote their blog, and for readers of the blog to be kept apprised of changes to the blog (instead of RSS). Google "Wordpress Twitter Plugin" for more info on that]

But, that said, you can use Twitter personally. I use it daily. I FOLLOW, not tweet. I use it to keep up with the world around me. A lot of info can be passed in just 140 characters. I don’t need to read a whole article. I follow my local paper, I follow NAR, I follow AAR, I follow Google Apps, I follow WordPress, I follow writers, musicians and artists I like, I follow the Wall Street Journal and Walt Mossberg, I follow software companies I like or use, I follow my local MLS (with updates on new features, downtime, etc), and so on. I follow over 76 people or companies right now.  Yes, I have to wade through some garbage posts, or needless retweets or self promotions, but on the whole, it’s  good use of time. I can check my tweets on my cell phone, iPad, or any computer, so it’s convenient.

If so inclined, Twitter is a very useful and efficient way to keep up with the world around you. You can personalize to just follow the information sources you want to.

So, in summary on Twitter.

1. A very important part of our culture today.
2. For REALTORS®, no value in tweeting.
3. For keeping up with the world around you, following the news sources of interest to you, personalized to what’s important to you, Twitter can be very useful.

Now, on to Facebook

Facebook is a phenomenon, and another revolution. It was even the subject of the recent Oscar-nominated best film, “The Social Network”. I love the response from Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO, when asked if “The Social Network” would have any effect on his company, Facebook.  Zuckerberg replied, “We build products that 500 million people see… If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much.”

Latest statistics (supplied by Facebook) are

1. Launched in 2004, reached 1 million users by the end of that year.
2. Today over 500 million active users
3. 150 million active users in the United States
4. 50% of  active users log on to Facebook in any given day
5. Average user has 130 friends, connected to 80 community pages, groups and events, and creates 90 pieces of content each month

In other words, this is a widely used website, where people create lots of their own content and interact with each other every day.

Should a REALTOR® be on Facebook?

Answer: Absolutely

Good chance people you know are on Facebook – people you went to school with, people you grew up with, people you used to work with, people you once showed homes to or listed their home, and so on.

Being on Facebook would be like being able to stand outside the grocery store, and while everyone in your social network are coming out with their groceries, you have the opportunity to stand there, in one place, and say hi, how was that vacation, congrats on the new grandkids, that was a great game last night, and so on. It makes it easy to connect with these people.

The nice thing about this, is once you get setup on Facebook, Facebook will do a lot of the work for you in establishing or reestablishing these connections.

Look at it this way – we each have our own unique social network. People we worked with in the past, went to school with, grew up with, as well as our friends and acquaintances today. It is not competitive. That social network is yours and yours alone. Facebook helps you connect and stay connected with all those people.

There is another benefit. NAR Research says that on average, every person will know 4 other people in a given year who will buy or sell a home. So using Facebook to connect with your social network can produce additional benefits as those people connect with other people they know, who might need a REALTOR®.

Facebook then allows you, the REALTOR®, to easily connect with people you know, or knew in the past, and make sure they all know that you remain an ACTIVE REALTOR® in your area.

Here are the 4 steps I recommend for doing this;

1. On your Facebook account, and first thing, setup a List called Personal. Go to Account -> Edit Friends -> Create a List to do this. The friends in my personal list are family, relatives, and very close friends. I would also create lists for “ClassMates”, “Business Colleagues”, “Real Estate Associates”,  “Friends”, and so on. It will help you organize your Facebook friends later on.
2. Second, setup your privacy settings under Account -> Privacy Settings.
   1. Pay special attention to who can see photos you upload, status updates, and your different profile sections.
   2. I use the following Customized Privacy Settings;
      1. Bio and Favorite Quotations, Website -> Everyone
      2. Family, Relationships, Interested In, Religious and Personal Views -> Personal List
      3. Posts By Me, Birthday, Places I check in to -> Friends Only
      4. For photos, I have some set to Everyone, some Friends Only, and some to the Personal list. By default, all photos and mobile uploads can only be seen by my Personal list, then later I can decide if I want others to see it.
      5. Note: I would not set any privacy level to “Friends of Friends”. You have no control over who your friends add as friends.
3. Once you have your Security settings set, now edit your profile.
   1. Click on the Profile link in the upper right hand corner, then click on Edit profile.
   2. Put in all the info you feel comfortable with (remember, you control who sees what via your privacy settings). But be sure to put in places you have worked in the past, and places you went to school.
   3. Make sure, in your Bio, that you state you are an ACTIVE REALTOR® in your area, and include a link to your website. That is who you are!
4. Finally, start sending some friend requests. Go to Account -> Edit Friends, and there is a link on the left hand side that says ‘Find Friends”. On this page, Facebook will let you find friends using your email contacts, and also  suggest friends for you based on the number of Mutual Friends. You can also click on “Other Tools”, and find friends based on the schools you attended and the previous places you worked. When you add a friend, you will have the opportunity to specify what list they should go in. Be sure to do this for each friend.

Now you have your Facebook account setup.

After that, I recommend 1 hour a week of Facebook maintenance, part of your “Prospecting Time”, broken up into two 30 minute segments (put it in your calendar – “Facebook Update Time”).

What you are going to do in each of these 30 minute segments is;

1. Respond to new friend requests. I recommend you add everyone that has a mutual friend. But, don’t add people you have no idea who they are, or have no mutual friends. When you add a friend, be sure to put them in the appropriate list (Personal, Business Colleagues, Classmates, etc). That way, based on your security settings, they will only see what you allow them to see. You will also see Friend recommendations that Facebook puts on your home page. This is where Facebook is constantly working FOR YOU, to find you friends.
2. Send out 10-20 new friend requests each time you login, using the “Find Friends” tool mentioned previously. That way you can continue to proactively build your friend list, and hence more people you can connect with and make aware your are still a REALTOR® in your area.
3. Like or Comment on your Friends posts. Each time you do this, you get some mind awareness with your friends. It’s like that example of standing out in front of the grocery store, seeing all your friends walk by. The more you can Like or Comment on a friends post, the more people will be reminded of you.
4. Post some content. No real estate listings please. Post information about what you are doing in your life that you feel comfortable in sharing. It can contain an occasional reference to your work, but should really be about you. Let your friends know a little bit about who you are.

So, my Facebook recommendation.

1. Definitely do it.
2. Take about an hour to setup your account, with the right lists and privacy settings.
3. Then budget two 30 minute segments each week to post something of interest, add new friends, and like and comment on your friends activities.

Many others promote doing your own Business Page more on Facebook. A Business Page is where a REALTOR® can then promote their business, their listings, solds, testimonials, and so forth (which you cannot do on your personal page). Is it worth it? It takes more time, and will likely involve additional expense as well. Will it generate new business? How much more will it do than the plan I’ve outlined above? Worth the additional time and investment? I am not saying no. I just am not sure.

I recommend you start with the plan above. Not a lot of time investment, certainly within most REALTORS® expertise, and has measurable results. After following these steps, you should see results in the form of contacts with people you haven’t contacted before, and maybe better connections with your existing sphere (that are on Facebook). If you are successful with continually adding friends, this will also raise your visibility amongst all your friends, contacts and people in your community. Not a bad thing for a REALTOR® to do. Give it three months – see if it improves your connection with your sphere, adds more people to it, and ultimately brings you more business.

That’s it for my perspective on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you have found it interesting.

Respectfully yours,

– Ed

[Note: One thing about Facebook: they are constantly changing they way they handle privacy, profiles, and lists. So depending on when you read this, something may have changed. For instance, they just introduced “Groups”, which are like Friend Lists, but different. I continue to use Friend Lists by the way. Keep that in mind in case  something is different in Facebook from what is said in this post. It’s a challenge for anyone to keep up.]

[Note: Ed will be speaking this week at the AAR Winter Conference in Prescott on Cloud Computing and Real Estate. ]

Check out AAR’s sample Broker Privacy Policy.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne on Identity Theft from Vimeo

We all know Arizona ranks high on the list of reported identity theft incidents. According to last year’s FTC Report, we’re the second-highest state in the country (behind Florida) for reported identity theft crimes. It’s up to us to protect ourselves and our client’s private information.

Shred Paper

A simple step you can take is to shred any unneeded documents that contain confidential information. In fact Dru Bloomfield and the Attorney General regularly post information on shred-a-thons. Some are free; some are fundraisers. Either way, destroying documents you no longer need is a good habit to develop.

Password Protect Mobile Phones and Laptops

If you have unrestricted access to email on your laptop or mobile phone, you may be putting you or your clients at risk. In the event a client has emailed you a short sale hardship package or rental application, it’s now up to you to keep that info secure. Password protecting your devices is simple.

Mobile Phone Security

If you’d like to take your phone’s security to the next level, there are security apps available for download. On my Android-powered phone, I use Lookout Mobile Security. It’s a freemium app that’s available for Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. The Pro version is $30/year, and it’ll allow you to lock, wipe or locate your device remotely if it’s lost or stolen. (Some features are marked Android-only.)

I searched for a mobile security app that our Mac friends can use but came up short. Besides some gimmicky fingerprint scanners or full-blown enterprise solutions, I couldn’t find any. If you are an iPhone, iPad or iTouch user, we’ve solicited some feedback from the top Mac minds in this post on Facebook.

What other measures are you taking to keep your client’s confidential information secure? Do you talk about your privacy measures during listing appointments or buyer consultations?

I had a long career in technology and had the privilege of doing lots of wonderful and exciting things.

For the last 10 years, I have been a real estate broker. I manage, mentor, support and supervise around 60 REALTORS® on a day-to-day basis. With my background, the agents I attract to my company tend to be the more experienced with technology or the more technically inquisitive.

From my perspective, the typical REALTOR®  today is confronted with too much technology.

I feel for them. The typical REALTOR® does not have a technical background or training. While trying to manage their day-to-day business, stay on top of their listings and escrows, keep in touch with their sphere and also grow their sphere and business, they feel pressured to keep up with the latest in technology that they see and hear about everyday. I am telling you, for most agents, it is just too much. So many end up wasting time and money on tools and software that they don’t use–or certainly do not get a good return on.

We all know the world is moving very fast. Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated, and hence becoming more demanding. No question about it, REALTORS® must keep up to prosper. REALTORS®  today must have basic computer skills, such as knowing how to use email, websites, word processing and their MLS. They must also possess basic digital photography and video skills, meaning the ability to quickly and efficiently email photos (via Picasa Web Albums, for example) and videos (via YouTube or Vimeo)  to clients. That is a lot right there.

Beyond these basics, I work with my agents on three additional areas of technology–what I would consider key technologies that are important for REALTORS® to stay competitive, work efficiently and keep pace with the world we live in. We work on mastering these three areas before moving on to ANYTHING else.

These three areas are:

1. Move to the Cloud – Have one set of data (meaning email, contacts, calendar and docs) and be able to access this from ANYWHERE, meaning from any computer (anywhere in the world), your iPad or your smartphone (preferably Android or iPhone).

One set of DATA, in the CLOUD, always in SYNC, accessible from ANYWHERE.

The good news: compared with just a couple of years ago, today this is easy and inexpensive. (See Google Apps, preferably with your private domain.)

2. Lead-Generating Website and Software for Managing Leads – Have a clean, professional-looking website (or a blog for those inclined) whose primary focus is to generate leads. Keep it simple and focus on properties, not you. Use your own domain name and promote that domain name everywhere (on every email signature, flyer, postcard, etc.).

Then, make sure all your prospects, clients and sphere are in some type of software program – could just be a spreadsheet (in the cloud) or preferably one of the many web-based real estate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems out there. Just be sure you are using SOMETHING. This will help you keep track of, keep in touch with and manage all your prospects, clients and your sphere.

Real  estate has NEVER seen anything like the Internet for generating leads. You need to be using the Internet to gain new leads, manage those leads and keep in touch with your sphere.

3. Master the Digital Transaction Path – Conduct all of your transactions digitally, mastering the path from zipForm® to digital signatures to contract execution to online Transaction Management. AAR is making this easy for you. All these services are provided by AAR as a member benefit. It’s time! Time to phase out fax and paper. No more waiting. Do it now. You will be glad you did.

Then, honestly, forget everything else (for now). Don’t worry about it. Relax. Focus on these three areas. These technologies will help your business and produce a good ROI for the time you invest in them. You will then be equipped to work smarter not harder, keep up with your clients and prospects, and have the time to do everything else you need to do to run your business. Maybe even have some time left over!

Now for all of you asking, “What about ___________?” [Fill in your favorite tool or the latest technology being promoted this month, such as  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Zillow, Trulia, blogging, WordPress, SEO, Adwords, YouTube, videos, QR codes and Microsoft tags.] We can address those areas and more in future posts. But for now, my advice for the 95% of you just trying to keep up, grow your business and make your life easier, PLEASE just focus on the three items above.

Once those are implemented and you feel proficient with them, then look at additional technologies, social networks, websites and tools, and (carefully) assess if they can be utilized (with good ROI) to further assist your business and productivity.

At the end of the day, all this technology should WORK FOR YOU–and not the other way around.

Respectfully yours,

– Ed

[Ed will be doing a session on cloud computing at the AAR Winter Conference on March 10th in Prescott. Stay tuned for more details.]

When I hear the words trust and credibility, I immediately think I’m in a conversation about search engine optimization. (Don’t worry; this post isn’t going there.)  Instead, I’d like to pass along a tip to help you build trust and credibility with actual people (!) rather than search bots.

This is one I learned from Gerri Bara, a REALTOR® in Chandler.  She linked her public ADRE profile from the “Bio” page on her website.  Now her web visitors have one-click access to:

1. Verify she has an active real estate license
2. See the continuing education classes she’s completed
3. See any open complaints
4. Review past disciplinary actions

As long as your RAP sheet is clean, it’s a pretty cool thing to do.

To access your public ADRE profile, search here.