The Business Blog VS. The Real Estate Website

As the parking lot of opportunity begins to fill, and more and more Realtors are grabbing their surfboard in an attempt to ride this wave of change called Web 2.0, one question rings most frequent: “What is the difference between a website and a blog.” Sounds innocent enough.. but most still don’t grasp the distinction. Wikipedia insufficiently defines the blog (or weblog) as “a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), [and] displayed in a reverse chronological order.” Although, in essence, that’s what happens on a blog, there is much more defining to do. If Realtors are going to recognize the value of blogging, they first need to recognize it’s distinction from their personal website.

An analogy to help understand the difference: Think of your personal website as a brochure. Think of a blog as the editorial section of a newspaper. The content within the website generally sits unchanged; static. The content on a business blog is (intended to be) ever changing and based on core categories or topics. The website uses tools like MLS searching and listing databases to entice visitors to return. The blog gains readers with compelling content, and frequent articles. The two can work together, such that the attraction of the blog allows it to be a ‘landing page’ for access to the lead generating tools of the website. By offering links to the website’s features from the blog, you can entice visitors to access those tools (MLS search for example). And vice-versa, the website can improve its traffic frequency and value by offering a link to the blog, in turn exposing visitors to the compelling and frequently updated content on the blog.

The brochure comparison reiterates that the website is seen as the fixed message and brand. Unchanging elements of the business are showcased in the website, whereas the blog is the platform for business’s voice, news, opinions, announcements and knowledge in the form of posts (or articles).

Because of this distinction, search engines actually treat them differently as well. The website, which sits static, depends on SEO for its search engine success. The blog, also enhanced with proper SEO, really catches tread in the search engines simply through its frequently added content. You will find that your blog starts to come up in the search engines, not strictly because of your keywords and metatags, but also because of the content you create in your articles.

The ability to ‘ping’ the search engines with notification of newly published content also ensures its exposure. This is unlike the website, where the site depends on being ‘spidered’ by search engine webcrawlers. The frequency of spidering, and the pages that will be spidered are not something that you can control, as much as influence.

Another dramatic difference between the blog and the website is the element of audience participation. Website content because it is static, locks out visitors from making participatory comment, positive or negative. Blogs on the other hand offer the element of participation by encouraging readers to post their comments, in turn enhancing the content and creating a multi-partied conversation.

The experience of the visitor (apart from the participation element above) is also completely different. The website anticipates that the visitor reads the fixed content, in order to make a decision about giving in to becoming a (potential) client (read: lead). For example, if the website is offering the ‘carrot’ of accessing the MLS, or determining the value of one’s home, the visitor will make the decision then and there to pass through the soft-barrier (email and name required) or leave the site for other avenues. On the other hand, the blog is designed to be read; to engage the visitor. This is the soft sell of trust. Having a voice that speaks (regularly) to your audience, all-the-while revealing your passion, commitment, and knowledge, will earn you your audience’s trust and in turn compel them to reveal their identity and implore your service.

**Warning** The content below may be hazardous to novices’ comprehension of standard blogging definitions.

Features such as RSS, PermaLinks, TrackBacks, Categories/Archives, Blogrolls and social bookmarking are unique to the blogging platform.

RSS is an internet tool that has grown in popularity in recent months. Its main function is to immediately notify subscribers of the addition of new content to a blog or other frequntly updated source. My RSS subscribership accounts for nearly half of my daily traffic. The use of this tool in blogs creates another element of separation from the website. Having your recently published (and updated) blog articles appear instantly on readers’ homepages (MyYahoo for example) alleviates the dependency on marketing efforts for daily traffic. RSS creates the ultimate mind share effect for your audience with the efficient placement of your ‘news’ on their desktop.

PermaLink is simply the web address (URL) for each individual blog post (article). When someone links back to your article, they will use this web address. This web address is also used in the broadcast of blog articles in RSS, social bookmark tagging, trackbacks, and category sorting.

TrackBack is the exposure of another blogger’s use of your article (PermaLink) in their blog. An excerpt from the article that is referencing your original article is posted at the bottom of your original article for readers to follow the conversation/topic that spans two or more blogs.

Categories and Archives are common ways that past posts are sorted. When composing a post, it is given categories that define the topics in the post. All posts that have the same category will appear when a visitor selects a category to read. Archives are sorted by either day, week, month, or year. A visitor can read past articles by selecting one of the former. “September 06” for example, will pull all articles written in the month of September, 2006.

BlogRoll is a running list on your blog of other blogs. Blogrolling is a counter intuitive linking strategy that is very common among bloggers. Most blogrolls are composed of lists of blogs that are similar in content or audience. The idea of linking to others (read: your readership competition) would seem unwise, given that your hard earned traffic may leave your blog to read other blogs. Although this is the effect, the result is such that you begin to share the cumulative audience of other’s blogs that link back to you in a form of reciprocal respect. So instead of keeping 50 readers a day on your blog, you could effectively be sharing 1000’s from all those that you have a reciprocal relationship with. This practice is seen as one of the most effective viral growth stategies in blogging.

Social Bookmarking allows readers of you blog to ‘vote’ for your compelling articles to be ‘bookmarked’ on a social platform. In English: If someone submits your article to a social bookmarking site such as del.icio.us then a link to the article (permalink) will be sent to the bookmarking account that they have set up on del.icio.us. The more people that recognize the value of the article, and ‘vote’ for it by saving it to their online bookmarking account, the more popular the article becomes on the bookmarking site itself. The more popular it becomes, the more prevalent the article becomes to the users of the bookmarking site (like del.icio.us) and the greater chance it has to be read, and voted on. If an article that you write makes it to the top of a list on a social bookmarking site like del.icio.us, you will have 10’s of 1000’s of readers in less than a day.

All this being said, I do want to make sure it is mentioned that there are websites that have built in blogging tools. And there are blogs that can act as full featured websites. The above distinction is meant as a guideline for understanding the difference between a standard real estate website and a standard business blog. Be aware, however, just because a website claims to have blogging options built into the site, it doesn’t mean that this integrated blog will be operating on a blogging platform as described above. Having a section in a website where you can add content to your heart’s delight, does not qualify as a blog and will not reward you with the benefits of consistent business blogging.

Jim Cronin is the creator and author of The Real Estate Tomato: www.realestatetomato.com Mission: To Provide Realtors With A Destination For The News, Knowledge, Technology and Service They Need To Be Successful. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Cronin

Cardiovascular Workouts: An Introduction to Jogging

Jogging is one of most well-known of cardiovascular workouts. It is also one of the most popular. Jogging, like walking, derives much appeal from its simplicity. Despite what you might hear from the popular media, you do not need to have specialized equipment to jog. As long as you have feet, a pair of shoes, and some ground, you can take advantage of this marvelous exercise.

You can jog anytime and anywhere, with other people or without. It is an exercise that you can enjoy by yourself or with the people you love. Either way, you will still derive all the health benefits that jogging has to offer. Like all cardiovascular workouts, jogging strengthens the heart, relieves stress, and reinforces the immune system. It also increases muscle strength, improves body tone, and releases endorphins.

The amount of calories that you burn while jogging will vary depending on the intensity and duration of your cardiovascular workout. For the average person, jogging can burn up to 750 calories, but this number will increase or decrease depending on your body type and weight, as well as the factors mentioned above. As a fat-burner, however, jogging is definitely superior to walking, though the former requires much more effort.

If you feel that you need to lose weight quickly, there are few cardiovascular exercises that can beat jogging. Not only is it straightforward and easy to learn, it’s also cost effective. You won’t need a large outlay of money to get started. In other words, the costs of starting are very small, but the rewards can be tremendous.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of cardio-workout-hq.com. Visit Jeanette’s site to learn more about cardiovascular workouts and jogging.

un viaggio in IFRANE(MAROCCO)

un viaggio in IFRANE(MAROCCO)

viaggio in marrakech

un viaggio en deserto

Duomo di Milano

voyager dans la nature c’est la façon …

voyager fans la n ature c’est decouvrir …

LA LIBERTEE’

Iva sulle auto, i rimborsi dal 2007

ROMA – Approvato dal Consiglio dei Ministri un decreto legge per adeguarsi alla sentenza della Corte di Giustizia europea che ha bocciato le norme italiane sulla indetraibilità dell’Iva per le auto aziendali. L’annuncio è stato dato dal viceministro dell’Economia, Vincenzo Visco, nel corso della conferenza stampa a Palazzo Chigi. Visco ha spiegato che con il decreto si dà tempo fino al 15 dicembre ai contribuenti di comunicare le domande. Secondo quanto annunciato, inoltre, i moduli per richiedere il rimborso saranno predisposti entro 30 giorni dal varo del decreto. I rimborsi scatteranno, chiaramente, dal 2007. «Temevamo il ricorso a meccanismi di compensazione disordinata», ha ammesso il vice-ministro per l’Economia, Vincenzo Visco, facendo riferimento al rischio di ‘buchi’ che si sarebbero potuti aprire sul gettito delle entrate fiscali già lunedì, con i prossimi versamenti Iva. Ma Visco punta anche il dito sulle responsabilità del precedente esecutivo. «Gestiremo anche questa ennesima pillola avvelanata che il governo precedente ci ha lasciato», ha aggiunto, precisando che «la sentenza costerà parecchi miliardi».

«PILLOLA AVVELENATA» – Visco ha spiegato che il provvedimento per superare l’indetraibilità dell’Iva si sarebbe dovuto approvare con il governo Berlusconi, perché il problema risale a molti anni fa e il governo Amato del 2000 aveva iniziato un processo di «rientro graduale concordato con la Commissione Ue per una prima riduzione della indetraibilità, dal 100% al 90%. Il progetto era quello di rientrare nel giro di alcuni anni entro i limiti di deroga normalmente ammessi dalla Ue, circa il 50%. Il governo Berlusconi, per imperizia, incompetenza, trascuratezza, irresponsabilita, ha ignorato la questione ed ha evitato di intervenire per avendone tutto il tempo, dal momento che il ricorso a Bruxelles risale al 2004». A rimandare le accuse al mittente è però Gianfranco Conte (Fi) secondo il quale «Visco deve pagare i debiti da lui creati» visto che «è lui che ha volutamente lasciato la pillola avvelenata della detraibilità Iva sull’auto. Se il ministro considerava urgente l’accoglimento delle indicazioni della Ue avrebbe potuto fare nel 2000 quello che il governo ha fatto oggi».

http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Economia/2006/09_Settembre/15/iva.shtml

voyager fans la n ature c’est decouvrir le monde entier,

voyager fans la n ature c’est decouvrir le monde entier,

etre en face de la nature avec une admiration et une vision nette c’est voir la realitee’ cachee’ ou perdue que le monde a besoin

Duomo di Milano

Costruito nel 1860, questo albergo è l’unico edificio italiano che è stato realizzato con il marmo inimitabile della cattedrale (a Carrara c’è una cava speciale, il cui marmo serve solo per fare le riparazioni del Duomo di Milano). All’inizio era un palazzo patrizio, che nel 1950 è diventato albergo e da allora appartiene alla stessa famiglia.

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