Another beautiful, sunny day in Kansas City
T-Minus… oh, wait! The countdown is over. Today marks the official debut of “Mr. Gotham’s World.”
During the past 10 days I have started more than 15 different posts searching for the “right” one to inaugurate this site. Some were funny. Some were smart. And, some were both funny and smart. However, nothing I wrote captured the enormity of the excitement, fear and pride that I am currently experiencing, so I decided to just briefly “shoot from the hip.”
The excitement and fear reflect my feelings about beginning and continuing this new venture. It’s like the first day of school all over again: “Are people going to like me? What if they don’t? Aw man, these socks matched at home! Did I brush my teeth? I wonder what’s for lunch?” And, I’m proud that I am finally blogging, something I have unsuccessfully tried to do for years.
There are no expectations for this blog to be anything other than it is: a record of my journey to blog daily about my ideas, experiences and growth as a Realtor. And, while hubris was not the driving force behind the title; “Mr. Gotham’s World” conveys, more accurately than I first realized, a cohesive vision for my first foray into the blogosphere. It is a vehicle, enabling me to express my personal views on real estate, technology and an assortment of other topics. It is a forum, for those who happen to discover it, to discuss and debate with intensity, intelligence and respect. And, it is an organic medium; growing, evolving and consistently improving.
In its current form, “Mr. Gotham’s World” may seem remedial. There are no fancy graphics, no nifty buttons and no advertisements. However, as my knowledge of CSS, html and other tools expands, so will the features and capabilities of this site. Any criticism, insight or other help with this aspect of the blog is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for joining me for the official debut of “Mr. Gotham’s World”… albeit without fireworks, fanfare or fuss. Hopefully, at least once during the next 365 days, everyone will take the opportunity to return, read and comment.
As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp or @MrGotham.
Breaking news…! I am the latest official victim of the C1B1 Flu, aka ‘The Blog Flu.’ (See one, be one. See a blogger, be a blogger… get it?) Oh, never mind. that’s much to corny for sophisticated minds. 
It had only been a few hours since my last post when I started composing this one, but then I fell asleep. For some reason my mind was still writing even though my fingers had long ago ceased to type. And, if you haven’t read my last post, (T-Minus 10 Days and Counting…) you may want to, because unlike episodes of ‘24′ there is no recap of previous events at the beginning of each new post.
Okay, maybe just this once…
- In my past life, some folks thought I was a pretty good ‘writer,’ but aren’t we all? (We write new chapters in our lives every day).
- Yesterday I was terribly afraid of blogging, ranking it just above a root canal and just below an IRS audit. (Today, I’m petrified that my new blog won’t live up to my readers’ expectations).
- Starting June 1, 2009 aka Mid Year’s Day, I will begin my quest to become a professional blogger by writing a daily blog tentatively named, ‘Mr Gotham’s World’ (http://www.MrGotham.com). If you try to take a peek today, though, all you’ll see is a GoDaddy parked screen).
- My somewhat mild case of Procrastination-itis is frequently compounded by my CPS, Chronic Perfectionist Syndrome. (I ‘launch’ in nine short days and I haven’t even decided between the Squarespace and WordPress platforms. ARGH!)
- In my opinion Realtors should read at least one real estate blog each day; even if you’re writing daily as well. (Don’t musicians listen to various styles of music for inspiration?)
- Vlogging is the wave of the… PRESENT. (Ha! I bet you thought I was going to say ‘future’).
- Occasionally, my addiction to Michael Arrington’s Tech Crunch (http://www.techcrunch.com) interferes with prospecting. (I’m now in an outpatient treatment program. LOL).
Brevity is key, now that my midnight deadline is approaching more rapidly than a swarm of teenage girls rushing the stage at a Kris Allen concert.
While installing Xobni (a VERY helpful Outlook plug-in) a few days ago, I noticed an overabundance of e-flyers in my inbox. Even though I receive nearly a dozen e-flyers promoting ‘coming soon,’ ‘new,’ or ‘reduced price’ listings each day, I rarely open any of them. It would probably be more effective to just put the MLS number in the subject line and leave the body blank, because 9 out of 10 times I have to research the MLS for more information anyway.
An easy, cost-effective alternative is to send a Flickr photo slideshow, using a bit.ly url. I recently sold a listing in 5 days, at 101% of list price with multiple offers using this technique. According to the other agents; the detailed descriptions, high quality photos and easy navigation instantly impressed their clients. And, the ability to quickly forward the slideshow allowed me to reach the maximum number of potential buyers in the shortest amount of time. Here is an example: http://bit.ly/eBZdN
- Unlike other tools, they are easy to open and view immediately.
- The URL’s traffic, viewer location and other data can be tracked using a bit.ly account.
- The ‘Show Info’ option provides as much or as little information as deemed necessary
- The agent’s brand, not the marketing company’s, can be featured and promoted.
- Free Flickr accounts can be created for a brokerage, team or individual agent.
- The necessity for the $24.95 ‘Pro’ upgrade is eliminated by creating slide shows for each listing.
On June 1, 2009 I am going to re-invent myself. Ten days from now I’m going to do something that will change my life and career forever… I’m going to officially start blogging. It’s my ‘mid-year resolution.’
On the surface, that probably doesn’t seem like a big deal. Blogging is just typing a few simple words a couple of times a week, right? Unfortunately, when people tell me “you should really start blogging” it evokes the same response as the phrases “you need a root canal,” “you’re being audited by the IRS” or “Congratulations, you’re having sextuplets!” I PANIC! My heart starts to race, my breathing becomes erratic and my palms could be mistaken for Niagara Falls South.
That overly dramatic response makes absolutely no sense to me. When I was majoring in journalism at the University of Kansas… writing was easy. During my newspaper internships at the Kansas City Star… it was a breeze. However, as a real estate agent… writing literally scares me to death. Well, I guess not literally. Maybe it’s because there have been a few years since college and I’m afraid my writing is not up to par. Maybe I’m afraid that if I make a mistake, I will appear uninformed and damage my credibility as a Realtor. Whatever the reason, the excuses stop now.
At least 25 times in the past few years I have started to blog and then stopped shortly thereafter. This time I am publicly committing to it and and I know that with the support of my friends and fellow agents I will become a blogging machine. Sounds like a nicotine gum commercial, huh? I have a lot to say about real estate, technology, social networking, photography and so much more.
Not a day goes by that I don’t preach the value of using social media to expand ones audience and maximize marketing dollars. Until now, I was a total hypocrite. Blogging is an indispensable tool for many successful real estate agents and if you’re not writing one, you need to be reading or watching one. Yes, I said ‘watching.’ While I’m just dipping my toes into the shallow waters of ‘regular’ blogging, the tidal wave called video blogging or “vlogging” is barreling toward me. I think I’m gonna need a bigger surfboard…
Finally, for your reading and viewing pleasure, here are my personal top 5 favorite real estate blogs/ vlogs and a very special bonus. In no particular order:
- Ian Watt (http://www.ianwatt.ca)
- Joel Burslem (http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com)
- David Cowgill (http://www.realestateweblog.org)
- Daniel Rothamel (http://www.realestatezebra.com)
- Reggie, Nik and Chad (http://www.mytechopinion.com)
And, drumroll please… (you do NOT want to miss this guy, especially if you love the vino)
- Gary Vaynerchuk (http://www.garyvaynerchuk.com)
Last and most definitely least, starting on June 1, visit Mr. Gotham’s World to monitor my progress and see what I have to say as I begin this blogging journey. Follow me on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp
