Richard Silver

Technology: iProduct, Android or BlackBerry

November 21, 2011 -- Almost every year, I head south in November to spend some time with REALTORS® from all over the world at the National Association of REALTORS® Conference.  It is a great way to find out what is new and happening in terms of technology and get an idea of the upcoming issues for the real estate community. This was a habit that I started long before I was on the Board of Directors at the Toronto Real...Continue Reading...

Are you too old for tech? Why it’s not about age.

A very wise person once told me that “successful people get results and unsuccessful people get excuses”. Since then I have tried to live life with no excuses. It is a constant challenge to keep that promise, and the “age” excuse is the one the keeps boiling to the top; it’s the easiest one to indulge…. No matter where I travel, when the topic of technology/change comes up, I hear “I’m too old to change” and they are usually younger than...Continue Reading...

Lessons in Customer Service: Holland America’s Onboard Internet Service.

While on a Holland America  Cruise recently, I messaged my Facebook and Twitter friends that I was enjoying the "Techspert" classes that they had on-board.  Like a lot of Companies today, Holland America , is monitoring the Blogosphere and Tweetosphere and I heard back quickly that they "were happy I was enjoying myself". My response was to tell them that although I was, I thought that their Internet charges ($100 for 250 minutes) were excessive in view of the poor service (back to...Continue Reading...

What I learned at National Association of REALTORS Conference San Diego 2009.

REBarCampSD 2009: We arrived a few days early and were able to take in some of the sites of San Diego and the REBarCamp San Diego  thanks to the great work of Jim Marks  and his team. REBarCamps are quite a phenomenon in the Real Estate Social Media World. They were begun by Todd Carpenter , Andy Kaufman , Mike Price  and Brad Coy , four energetic and crazy guys who decided that a “Un-conference” that gathered the best minds in the field in...Continue Reading...

Social Media: Gary Vaynerchuk Strikes Again!!

If you have not noticed before, I am a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk. I heard him speak at Inman Real Estate Connect New York and was very impressed. He is living proof that Social Media and Web 2.o work and that they are not going away. In this video he echoes a lot of the frustration that a lot of us who "get it" feel when we have to spend so much time convincing those that don't. It is...Continue Reading...

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

At Last...my brain was overflowing and I was living on a strong coffee high...there was still a good half day and the wrap up to come...the third day was only from 9 to 12 and there was more than enough content... 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: (more...)Continue Reading...

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

Jeff Turner of RealEstateShows (I am a big fan of both the product and the person) started off the second day with this simple truth: Provide a great customer experience. Jeff then spoke of Tech Tools to Leverage Social Media.  Use the tools that help you achieve your Social Media goals: (more...)Continue Reading...

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

It's true, I am an Inman Real Estate Connect Junkie! Last week I sucked up as much information as I could in San Francisco and was upset when they offered four tracks on the second day afternoon because I could not sit in on four presentations at the same time...sick?? Sorry  if the information below rambles but...trying to get bits and pieces from the best minds in the field... So. Day One started off with Bloggers Connect: Jim Cronin of the Real Estate...Continue Reading...

It’s Never to Late to Learn to Sail…or Blog??

Recently, at a Conference in Quebec City where we spent a day on Web 2.0 and it's relevance in today's Real Estate market, I overheard a comment in a break that went something like "oh, this stuff is way above me, I'm 58 years old, you know". As someone who is older than 58, I find it sad when someone uses age as an excuse for not learning. (more...)Continue Reading...

TORONTO REAL ESTATE: SHIFTING MARKETS BRING POSITIVE CHANGES!

As a veteran of a few interesting Real Estate markets, I try to find the positive changes that can occur; I have been putting a lot of energy into some of the new Web 2.0 technologies and have been moving more to online than offline communications. Instead of mailing out Newsletters, I will now be doing monthly Market Updates by email. Feel free to subscribe yourself and tell your friends that they can go to my website and subscribe. I will try...Continue Reading...