Living on Euler's Line

Google Voice and Wave invites

For those that would like to play in Google's playground...

I have a Google Voice invite to share - Google voice is a tool that allows you to make phone calls without long distance (or minutes) charges.  You can read about the details and sign up for a number through their site.  

I also have a few Google Wave invites to pass along.  Wave is the equivalent of email, chat, commenting, picture sharing all in one place.  A bit more complex so the adoption curve might be a bit longer but it could truly change how we communicate.  You can read all about it and sign up for an invite at the Google Wave site.  

If you would like an invite to one or both, add a comment and I will share until they are gone.  

Tweets for Business

I have been working with Twitter and considering using it for business application.  Twitter is basically a micro blogging tool - 140 character posts which keeps the fluff to a minimum.  Our customers have wanted a quick and easy way to post updates on a site and twitter might be a cool alternative. 

You can set up a twitter account and then have a widget with your posts on another site.  How could this be used for business? 

• A city could use this to post current information - street closures or holiday trash pickup changes.   
• A Real Estate Rental Agency on the Outer Banks could use it to announce new available properties with links back to the listing.
• A mortgage lender could quote some current rates.

The final outcome could be something like this:

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday.

Online tools to check those viral emails - Did I really win that much money?

Do you seem to get an endless supply of forwarded emails claiming everything from miracle cures for toe fungus to giving up your account information so some dude in Nigeria can send you a share of the $7,000,000 he "found" in an account?  Usually they are from your Aunt in Sheboygan Wisconsin who has a lot of time on her hands but does not take the time to see if any of the facts are even remotely true.  It seems like these emails pick up around election time - this year they seem to be at a fever pitch.

Two great sites to get the facts - Snopes and Fact Check.  Snopes is great for the majority of subjects and Fact Check focuses on election half truths. 

If we could get our Aunt in Sheboygan to just change her habbits (yeah - right).  If she could turn her attention on getting even with the scammers, we might see a decrease in the activity.  There is a great site on how to get even with those guys. 

Google launched their own browser today - Chrome

Today, Google launched Chrome - their version of the web browser.  You can download a copy for free from Google.  The tech site Lifehacker which is one of my regular reads has been hot on the trail of the new browser with an in depth analysis and comparisons to Firefox, Opera and IE. 

I downloaded the browser and took a test drive this evening.  It has a clean look and feel.  Pages seemed to load quickly and it had some pretty cool features.  I did notice that the posting window for Typepad (blogging software) did not display properly but I am sure that is something that will be worked out quickly. 

While there are some options with firefox that I am not willing to leave just yet, this product is probably one to watch.  I have been very pleased with the Google Apps to date and I can't imagine them doing anything half baked. 

Custom search capabilities for your site(s)

I met some friends for coffee earlier in the week and we were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using a blog for your website.  Since a blog is typically in chronological order, it is sometimes tough to find exactly what you are looking for.  Categories is one way to narrow the search but it doesn't get you exactly what you are looking for - especially if you are a prolific writer.  I use a category cloud so it is easy to see what I write about most frequently - my top three are Current Affairs, Mortgage and Outer Banks Real Estate.  Plus I really like the sound of "Category Cloud". 

I looked at some available widgets to see if there was a search engine widget to add to this site.  There were some available that I thought would do the job but decided to look at the daddy search engine to see if they had something customizable that could be put in the sidebar.  Google Custom Search has a great solution.  The software allows you to set up custom searches for just one site or multiple sites.  It was easy to configure and works great.  If you author multiple sites, you can include all of them in the search results.  Then I started to think about creating a community search engine.  What if I created a search engine to search local Bloggers - or local Realtors - or even local Mortgage Lenders.  I assume this would be acceptable if you got permission from each owner - but what if you didn't ask and just added their site to the search list?  Since the web is open - I think it would be acceptable. 

Top ten free technology tools for Realtors - Realtor 2.0

The technology committee for the Outer Banks Association of Realtors had an idea to put together some of our favorite free technology tools that could benefit Realtors.  I thought I would share my personal suggestions with my readers (Not just for Realtors).

Gmail - hands down - the best web based email.  With over 6.5 gigabytes of storage (and growing), you should never have to delete a message.  Search capabilities are unbeatable. 

Blog Platforms - many to choose from but Blogger and ActiveRain (send me an email if you would like an invite) are probably the two most prominent free platforms for Realtors.  MySpace and Facebook are alternatives but they don't seem to be as business friendly.  Typepad (costs $5 to $12 per month but well worth it) is the equivalent of Blogger on steroids.

Google Alerts - Keeps you updated on what is going on in your area.  (It is great for keeping up with your competition).

Photo Editing - Picasa from Google is awesome.  Turn those awful photos into works of art.

Google Documents - Don't have the funds to buy Office 2007 - Google Documents allows you to create documents (Word) and spreadsheets (Excel) that can be shared with all.

Primo PDF - Turn any document or screen into a .pdf

Gadwin Print Screen Pro - Print screen utility that captures your desktop when you press that seldom used print screen key.  Great way to capture those detailed overhead views from Microsoft Live Maps.

Maps - Microsoft Live has an unbelievable map program (depending on your location).  The Outer Banks is completely covered which is great for us.  The birds eye view is just that - great resolution.  You can even view the property from four directions - Microsoft has really kicked it into high gear with this program.  Great tool for showing you potential buyer exactly where and what the property looks like.  Google Maps has some cool features - you can create your own maps with markers to highlight points of interest such as restaurants or points of interest.

Video - Want to add some sizzle to your site.  Try posting some video from Google Video, YouTube or Viddler.  Viddler is my favorite - less junk and you can add tags and comments throughout the video. 

Widgets - Sounds like something from an economics class - Widgets are small programs that you can add to your website. 

Contact Management - Big Contacts is a pretty cool program for keeping up with contacts.  Web based and free for the first 250 contacts. 

Realbird Publisher - Single Property Web Site Builder Service.  You should pay for the advanced services - well worth the money. 

Pandora - Not really a Real Estate Program but a must have.  Having a stressful day - play your favorite artist and relax.

I would like to hear about your favorite free tools.  Leave a comment and let us know what free technology tools you cannot do without. 

Update:  Forgot about Goog 411 - no more directory assistance calls at $1 each.

 

OBX Bloggers

Saw this motivational poster on Ishkur.com and thought it was right on target.  For those already singing in the choir - you know the feeling.  For those just starting to blog - just wait.  You can blame it on writer's block, lack of time, lack of motivation or quiet crazy locals - we all go through periods of heavy posting and then long spells of procrastination. 

Happy Holidays to all of the Outer Banks Local Bloggers and I look forward to reading great posts in 2008. 

Internet Safety - How Safe Are You?

It has been a long week.

CNN published a story today about the Botnet probe - the alleged threat from a New Zealand teen trying to take over one million computers.  Sounds like a plot from Doctor Evil.  Mmmwwwaaaaahhhhaaaaahhhhhaaaaa. 

I considered my computer to be pretty safe from viruses, spyware, adware and malware until last week.  I have Spybot, Ad-Aware, and Norton 360 (no link for a reason) loaded and ran routine checks to keep things in line.  My browser of choice is Firefox which has some great built in features to protect against malicious code.  Why do I like firefox?  Two words - tabbed browsing.

Thanksgiving brought on some added treats.  I started getting a lot of pop up windows (from Internet Explorer) so I knew something was wrong.  A nasty spyware program - Smitfraud-C.CoreService had made it's way on my computer.  Ad-Aware didn't see it, Norton 360 didn't see it, Spybot found it but could not remove it.  I thought I would approach the folks at Norton 360 to solve the problem - especially since it was the spyware program that I paid for.

After many hours of online chat with their support group, I found that Norton was glad to solve the problem - for the low low fee of $99.00.  My question was - why am I paying for a program that only covers part of the threat.  Their program touts coverage from Spyware, Malware and Viruses.  The tech supports response was that this particular spyware was considered to be a "third party program" and was not covered.  If I wanted it removed, I will have to pay.  This is our company policy - will that be Master Card or Visa.

I asked if Norton had products I could buy that would fix the problem and protect me from future threats - no luck.  I then decided to look for alternatives online.  The spyware program I bought was Spyware Doctor and it is awesome.  $29.95 solved my problem and I doubt I will ever subscribe to Norton again.   

Spam and Spam Blockers

Spam is something we all deal with and truly hate.  I have been contacted by more people in Nigeria with $65 million dollars than I can count.  Recently, I have received a few returned emails asking for me to verify that I am the sender by entering a captcha code and then the reader will have the option of adding me to their "safe list".  What a pain.

Google's mail client Gmail has spoiled me.  Their spam filter works great with little to no tweaking.  In my opinion, it is the best mail client available today.  Try it - you will like it.

Creative Advertising

This post is a little off the beaten path but it fits my brain capacity today.  The folks at Cadbury have an ad campaign out that is great.  It delivers a lasting message and more importantly - it is viral marketing candy.

Now I think this is awesome.  I actually like it better than the Head On - Apply Directly to the Forehead commercial.  Not to slam the Head On folks - the commercial is annoying enough that you will remember the product forever.  The problem as I see it - I will never buy Head On just because it annoys me to no end.  On the other hand - watching this Gorilla makes me want to try their chocolate bar.

Now for the viral part.  There are now many versions available online:

Eclipse from the Heart

50 cent (nsfw or kids)

Deep Purple (for the rocker Monty)

You can find more of these created every day.  The beauty for Cadbury - they are getting some serious face time on the internet.  Just a little fun for the day.  Next post will be back on topics relating to the Outer Banks.