A search here will show that I have written blogs about this event before. One of my favorite sessions is called “Innovation Showcase” or I call it…..”The new kids on the block”.

There were 4 Presentations: Yobongo.com, Skygrid.com, ThinkNear.com and Houzz.com.

The last Houzz.com is something everyone should check out right away if you are looking for design ideas or designers for your home. It is a great application for homeowners and will make it easier for us all to communicate our needs and wants when it comes to design. You can create an “idea book”and it will save you from schlepping design magazines all over and still not finding what you are looking for…probably the second largest cause of divorce could be cured with one web site!

It was very well received and I suggest you try it out and let us know what you think….

So I have been home a week and trying to make sense of all the information that I gleaned in the four hectic days of meetings in New York City. Instead of the usual “Blow by Blow” and who said what, I will just give you some of my impressions:

First and foremost, the four days were all about Social Media . Like it or not, just the way we used to say that Realtors with Technology will replace Realtors without it, now, Realtors and Brokers who have a Social Media presence will replace those who do not. As one of the speakers said, being a “Geek” is the norm and fashionable. Grandma’s are on Facebook , tweeting  and showing off their new IPhone !

Two years ago, consumers “got” Social Media and some of the Realtors joined in the conversation. Now Brokers, Brands and Associations are scrambling to reign in the herd and jump on the bandwagon. Guidelines  are imperative and education is needed. There will be a race to keep up the demand for more Education and tools.

Corporations are monitoring Web 2.0 . Twitter comments are being seen and reviewed in the Head Office. Customer’s Social Media Clout (Klout.com ) is being measured to gave the level of service provided. Someone with heavy clout is being upgraded in the hopes that they will “Twitter” their great customer service experience.

Traditional Media is in its death throws. Print Classified is dead. Newspaper advertising has become almost strictly Brand based. “The Digital Handshake”  by Paul Chaney . Consumer habits have and are changing faster than we are…

There is lots of new Technology on its way; WordPress  is getting strong momentum and amazing plug-ins and applications for small screen technology are becoming numerous. It is no longer enough to provide the data to the Realtor or their client; it must be formatted in an easy to use, fast and “cool” format.

Lastly, the US market is starting to move and the Real Estate Industry is much more positive there this year. Americans in general however are so focused on their own market and are so positive that they are the best, they don’t realize that there is a lot to learn from the Canadians or International Markets. They keep on referring to International attendees as being from “over the pond”. It’s too bad as they would learn from some of the Canadian experiences: Regulation is not all bad, Interest Deductibility creates entrepreneurs but a nation of debtors…Not-for-profit MLS owned by the Associations…

Inman Connect  and REBarCamps  are more valuable learning experiences and have more leading edge content than the NAR Conferences. Not that a National Association of REALTORS Conference  is not a great educational experience but it more about what is going on today rather than helping us be proactive for the future.

The day started off with Deanna Brown of Scripps Media of HGTV:

She discussed “Push Pull and Throw”… Which is working for you??

Traditional media is important as a local source but also must get involved with the Consumer. She had these tips:

• The consumer is becoming their own media source
• Today is less about spending money and more about spending time (too many REALTORS tell me that they do not have time to Blog…but how many times in a year must you explain the same point to many clients ie. When is the best time to sell??)
• Tweets need to be valuable to your consumer… any consumer connection should have value…
• Become part of the conversation. Engagement is the key and no different than any social involvement…
• It is about you engaging in the conversation…
• You have to embrace the Social Space. It is not going away..
• Set as schedule…Play in all the platforms…Newspapers are the local voice. Spend 10 minutes a day on Facebook, then add Twitter….send out three relevant Tweets a day.
• Have fun with Social Media but take it seriously…

The Inman Innovator Awards were given out. These Innovators were honoured:

• Nest Realty Most innovative Agency
• Closing.com Most innovative site
• Ubertor Most innovative web sites
• The Phoenix Real Estate Guy Most innovative Blogger
• Domus Consulting Group Most innovative Social Media consultants
• Frank Borges LLosa (FranklyMLS.com) Most innovative Realtor web site

More Social Media Tools:

• www.xobni.com: Free plug in for MSOutlook (great stuff…I’ve downloaded it and am using it)
• www.awayfind.com Get the most important emails to you by text
• www.Bit.ly a URL shortner but also gives you follow up
• www.Goldmail.com dead simple video email
• www.getdropbox.com sends large pictures and files for free

Here are some great tips that were spoken of that morning:

1. www.paulgraham.com Essayist and Entrepeneurs Understanding Makers and Managers
2. Assign a dollar value to your time and outsource or delegate anything that is not worth your time
3. Don’t spend time on things that don’t scale
4. Tim Ferriss The 4-Hour Work week…Only check email 2-3 Times per day www.fourhourworkweek.com
5. www.xobni.com Use Social Connections to learn more about your contacts..3rd time it was mentioned…must say something…

At the start of the Conference, two Technology teams were given 72 hours of less to come up with new innovations:

Morgan Carey Real Estate Webmasters…

Justin from Diverse Solutions: “Agent Scouting Report” An Experiment in Transparency. Very Cool!!! Surfs the Board Data to see how many houses each agent sold, how long, within price range, MLS must approve the Sold Data jlejoy@diversesolutions.com. I suggest you read their report which can be found at http://www.diversesolutions.com/blog/2009/08/12/agent-scouting-report-an-experiment-in-transparancy/ When the audience was asked how many REALTORS would be happy to have a system like that on their MLS, a great number were in favour and Houston Area Realtors  HAR.com is already working on a similar project…Are we ready for this kind of transparency?

What are the take-aways from the Conference?

• Capacity for creation seems greater…
• Need to embrace Video more…
• We are living in a mashup world…
• Optomistic about the future…
• The world did not come to an end when Twitter went down but…(I forgot to tell you that on Day Two Twitter went down)
• Twitter: is whispering in another person’s ear….”a little birdy told me”
• Facebook and Twitter becoming huge…
• Social Media is the swell of the Conference..
• How do I do it in a way that is effective…
• How do I get the best ROI(Return on Investment) out of it…
• layers of integration of the tools..
• If you suck at Social Media offline, you will suck at it online…one of the best lines yet and so true!!

Great Conference with Great Ideas…One of the best Inmans ever…1700 attendees…It is no longer enough to be a good agent, you must be a great agent…become the better trusted advisors..

Suggestions: Throw out the rules and excuses when you come to a Conference. Be open, listen and learn…

Related Posts:

What I Learned at Inman Real Estate Connect: August 2009 Day Two

What I Learned at Inman Real Estate Connect: August 2009 Day One

Inman Real Estate Connect: August 2009 Sano Stante’s List

Social Media: REBarCamp San Francisco August 2009

REBarCamp San Francisco August 2009.

Please feel free to comment!!

THE UGLY:

The discussion is still on the table in the States about one National MLS…but like “World Peace” it is a great goal..but unattainable. The Politics are increasingly diverse and trying to “Collaborate or Consolidate” is nice a goal that should be put to rest.

THE GOOD:

Online Social Media & Networking is creating the excitement. Expanding your sphere of contacts and referrals by getting an online persona, Branding, using ALL the tools, engaging your tribe, using Video or podcasts, going from awareness to interaction to engagement or activity. Great Stuff! Thanks to Jeff Turner, Dustin Luther, Daniel Rothamel, and of course, my blog coach, Jim Cronin of the Real Estate Tomato.

There was a great Keynote address: Building Your Personal Brand Online by Gary Vaynerchuk, Founder& Director of WineLibrary.tv. Gary is a high energy speaker who has taken his family wine store and created  a multi-level Brand featuring himself as a critic, speaker, Blogger, branding consultant, TV Show Host and, by his own admission, is probably the most unlikely character to have done so. But, as he says, “We are in the midst of a personal brand goldrush. With all of the social media tools at our disposal, anyone can seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves if they are passionate, genuine and willing to work their face off.”

THE BAD:

Now my big decision is coffee number four… a little retail therapy…or some much-needed sleep… Without a doubt however, Monday the diet starts, yet again! Oprah…I feel your pain!