links for 2008-01-15
January 14, 2008
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Open source Real Estate CMS
Posted by Rick Garcia in del.icio.us links 
2 Comments »
January 14, 2008
Joomla - Blogging Component Update - Rick Garcia
January 14, 2008
As none of the aftermarket Joomla Blogging components work with my other SEO components and Real Estate Components, my only alternative right now is to use the built-in Joomla features as my blog. I would have used a separate wordpress installation on a sub-domain but my html and css skills aren’t up to par to keep the site looking the same.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Web Design, CMS Realty, Open Realty No Comments »
Building a Real Estate Site: Part 1
December 21, 2007
For the past few weeks I’ve been working on a new website for my real estate business. Designed to attract clients in the San Diego Real Estate market, I’ve managed to source many of the components, did much of the design, and now I’m moving on to the programming of the site.
I won’t say much about it except it’s a mashup of Joomla (open-source CMS), custom designed templates centered around a Yootheme template, custom joomla modules, Open Realty (real estate CMS), CMS Realty (integrates Joomla and Open Realty), and Sandicor RETS technologies.
Difficulties: Getting Joomla URLs search engine friendly and finding a blogging component that works with an SEF component for Joomla. I’ve been testing Mojo, a wordpress pluggin that works within Joomla. The problem is that the component doesn’t allow for the use of an SEF component that makes Joomla URLs look ‘not-joomla-like’.
Solution: wordpress blog on a subdomain. A Standalone wordpress solution with all the bells and whistles is much better than the Mojo solution. For one, all of the pluggins that you can get for wordpress, including an SEO pluggin that works wonders, will not work with Mojo. That means with Mojo - you’re left with the Article Title being used as the page title - not the best solution in terms of SEO.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Social Media 9 Comments »
Me, Licensed CA Real Estate Broker
November 28, 2007
It’s official as of today- I’m now a Licensed California Real Estate Broker! I feel better about the countless hours of business planning that I’ve been doing, not even having that little piece of paper in my hand.
Now comes the painful part, giving money to the many different vendors required to start this venture. You’d be surprised at the expense. Let me give you a list of expenses that I can think of off of the top of my head. Lets see, if you’re a broker pursuing the loan side you have to consider this:
Loan origination Software, Website and/or Web design, (hopefully one that has an integrated 1033 that interfaces with your website), lead generating systems and/or strategic alliances, back-office software, HR software, business planning software, computer hardware, office hardware, office supplices, Business-number/Toll-free number, Incorporating fees, Business licensing fees, All different types of insurance, Broker/Lender package fees, netbranching expenses (necessary if you’re new to mortgage industry)Broker exam/licensing fees, fingerprinting fees, DBA fees, NAMB - CAMB membership fees, traditional marketing expenses. All of this without generating one cent of income. And that’s just the mortgage side.
If you decide to do the real estate side, there are additional expenses!
Thank god I got into this at the height of the market, LOL.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Social Media No Comments »
Rick Garcia - Mortgage | Real Estate SEO and CMS Systems
November 16, 2007
I’ve been MIA for quite some time while I worked on a CA real estate license. Finally done, so hopefully I’ll get to post on my experiences with social media, web dev, etc in that area.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Drupal, CMS Realty, Joomla, Open Realty, Real Estate SEO, Mortgage SEO 1 Comment »
To Podcast or not to podcast…
May 11, 2007
Podcast. This is a very interesting word to me. It’s a word none less interesting than, say, widget. Apparently, in order to be inducted into social media mainstream use, the word in question has to sound like it comes from a far, far away, fantasy land. I’m sure to get into the strange words of social media and SM networks in the near future; but for now I digress. This post is intended to be a primer for anyone that is interested in podcasting from a business standpoint.
A gentleman named Ben Hammersley first coined the term “Podcast” in 2004 as a synonym to audioblogging. He combined broadcasting with iPod and came up with the term as we know it today.
Since then, other organizations have added to the definition. I won’t get more into the history of podcasting; I’ll instead let you know the gist of the whole thing. Podcasting is a system that lets subscribers of podcast channels be delivered the most relevant, up to date, audio or video content. A podcast is a set of related media files that is tied to an RSS/Atom feed. When new content for the podcast is available, subscribers are notified via their podcast software and can then view or download the latest content. If you’re familiar with Google Reader, then it should be easy for your to understand the feed concept - just apply it to audio/video media instead of news. This content is available for use on a subscribers computer or may be in a portable format for use on certain portable devices. You can think of a podcast as your personal radio show on the Internet that can be downloaded, streamed, and is portable. A more elaborate definition can be found on wikipedia.
What can a podcast do for a business? Think of podcasting as another marketing channel. Like all social media tools, podcasts can extend a companies market reach. Podcasts can create loyal followers. Podcasts can help “sell” your business, your services, and your products. Podcasts CAN lead to conversions. Podcasting can be direct, relevant, targeted marketing for existing and potential clients.
There is a lot of data out there that shows just how many podcast listeners there are. Let’s just say the number is projected to be in the tens of millions in a few years. So you ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” Remember, these listeners will pull your messages, as they have to opt in to your shows. You can’t get any more relevant targeted marketing than that. If you learn to do it yourself, the ROI from podcasting can be enormous.
There are a couple of ways you can go about creating your own podcast. One way is to hire podcasting consultants. PodWorx is a consulting firm that created the Four P’s of Podcasting, and specializes in podcasting for business. You can also create your own podcast. Here is How to create your own podcast.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Podcasting No Comments »
links for 2007-05-11
May 10, 2007
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Sidebar Flickr Plugin
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Flickr Posts and Pages Plugin
Posted by Rick Garcia in del.icio.us links No Comments »
Loren Feldman on Guy Kawasaki
May 10, 2007
Pretty entertaining rant by Loren Feldman. Don’t know what this has to do with social media, except they both use it.
Posted by Rick Garcia in Personal, Fun No Comments »
YouTube User Partners
May 4, 2007
YouTube took a big step yesterday by announcing partnerships with several of it’s most popular members.
Up until now there’s been a distinction between the content you create and the content created by YouTube’s professional content partners. We want to start changing some of the perception here. Which is why we’re adding several of the most popular and prolific original content creators from the YouTube community to our partnership program. Now some of your favorite YouTube members, including LisaNova, renetto, HappySlip, smosh, and valsartdiary, will begin to participate in the same revenue sharing and promotional opportunities that are available to YouTube’s other partners.
The selected YouTube partners will be able to select which videos they want to monetize, and then YouTube will place appropriate advertisements next to the videos. It’s not really clear how the users will get paid - per click, per action, impressions, combination…I would assume that YouTube might employ different strategies to see which are the most beneficial for the user partners.
I personally think the move is excellent because it encourages user original content creation by setting examples of valued users. The message from YouTube is simple - Create great content that attracts a significant following and you too might get paid.
Btw, I’m extremely happy for HappySlip, as I’ve been a subscriber of her page for several months. You can see her in action on Rick Garcia homepage. Click on SplashCast player, Click on Channel Guide, Select YouTube Original Artists, 4th video is HappySlip singing “Your Love”.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Video Sharing Sites, Distribution, Viral Marketing, User Partnerships, Social Media Advertising No Comments »
Digg the Effectiveness of Social Media
May 3, 2007
The recent Digg controversy is an example of the effectiveness of social media as a viral tool. While many observers view the Digg issue in a negative light, I prefer to look at these latest events as a study in how a Web 2.0 company can use social media to gather user or viewer input in order to aid in the decision making process.
Truth be told, it seems that the apparent blunders of Digg staff have not only angered some of the regular Digg community memebers, but has created publicity for the site that many a company would greatly accept. The news aggregator has one of its’ biggest stories ever, and the story is about itself! Digg has learned a valuable lesson; the individual user voice can become the voice of many. Now hopefully they will be able to turn the negative publicity into a positive.
Sphere: Related Content Posted by Rick Garcia in Social Networks, Legal Issues, Viral Marketing, Digg, Social News Sites No Comments »
