Realtors use Twitter. Shocked? You shouldn’t be.  Real Estate Agents are voracious consumers of new communications technology. Proving that out, several agents turned out for Twitter training given by Karen Goodman (Arch City Homes blogger and premier realtor), and me. The class was offered by Keller Williams Realty.

Agents were aware of Twitter and it being a social network.  A few of the real estate agents were already members, as well as being Facebook members. Universally though, they were using only the basic web sites and none was using Twitter on a regular basis.

Training took Twitter from the ‘what is it’ level up to installing Tweetdeck on personal computers.  The questions focused primarily on privacy and distribution. People were worried about being spammed and spamming others.

Here’s a few of the questions and how Karen and I chose to answer them.

• If someone starts following me do I start seeing their posts?
  • No.  It does mean they’ll begin seeing of your Twitter messages
• Do my Twitter messages also post on Facebook and LinkedIn?
  • Not automatically. There are add-ons and tools that allow cross-posting; those are all optional and can be controlled.
• Someone I’m following starts spamming, talking about porn, etc. What can I do?
  • Unfollow them. Visit their Twitter profile page and unfollow them.
  • They don’t stop copying you? Visit their Twitter profile page and block them.
• How do I find people I know?
  • Using Find People on the Twitter home page.
  • Email or call that person. Most reliable choice. Avoid’s picking someone else with the same name.
  • Check that person’s web site for Twitter and other social network information.
• How do avoid being sucked into too much Twitter use?
  • Time control – only open Twitter at regularly scheduled times. Much like you’d handle email inbox review.
  • Browsing control – unless you have plenty of time, only check your replies and direct messages.

These may seem like basics to many of you, but these are questions anyone in business should be asking.  Approaching Twitter and other social networks with a plan, even if it’s a ‘don’t do this’ plan is better than winging it as a business user.

We also discussed what’s appropriate in terms of content.  Realtors online seem to line up on two sides; those that broadcast listings, and those that never talk shop.  Karen explained how becoming a local area expert is more valuable than spewing out listings.  Expertise shared equates to trust building and from there to clients.

Attendees were quite involved, asking good questions, and wanting to understand how Twitter connects, and how it could be used. A great follow up class would be on mixing up social networking to find what works best for each individual.

If you’d like to have a Twitter class at your work, please contact me – todd at toddrjordan.com, @tojosan on Twitter, or by phone (636) 486-4723.

Realtor shout out to attendees from Keller Williams Realty:

@patislay

@jbbutler03

@karenprinster

@Nancygkw

.

Tweetup at Pujols 5 West Port Plaza

Karen Goodman, aka @KarenStL, and I will be presenting a class on Twitter for Real Estate Agents. Introducing them first to what Twitter is followed by hands on.  Hands on will cover not only how to send a tweet, that’s a Twitter message, but also installing a client on their personal computer.

Key topics:

• What is Twitter?
• Signing Up
• Sending a tweet
• Replies and Direct Messages

Hands on will cover how to find and install a few of the popular Twitter clients. Tweetdeck will be the primary client used in the demonstrations, and will be the first client recommended and offered to install.

Training is open to all St. Louis area real estate agents.  If possible, please RSVP to Karen Goodman, 314-677-6538 office, or karen – at – archcityhomes.com. It is this Wed, October 28 from 1:30-3:00 pm at the Keller Williams office in Kirkwood. Agents from any brokerage are welcome to attend, but registration is required for non-KW agents.

Given this new type of information and its value to search, we are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results. We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you’ll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.

Google has finally ‘officially’ begun indexing Twitter. It’s about time.

As an avid Twitter user for years now, I’m glad to see this happen. Many things are now being shared only on Twitter. It’s a high speed, low bandwidth window on your world and the worlds of your neighbors. Everyday I see links and information shared on Twitter that will never make it to a blog or otherwise indexed page.

There is always a downside.  Now more than ever what you say anywhere will be attached to you. Thought you were lost in the crowd on Twitter? No more.  Google and other search engines will soon be making available that crude tweet you sent about your barber, ex, or that sleezy politician.

The upside? Those obscure links to your blog will now be counted. You’ll know be able to find tidbits about your favorite town or restaurant as well.  And for those addicted to p0rn, yes, it’ll get even easier.

Will this indexing ultimately change your life? Not likely. Just be aware that your stalker’s job just got easier.

@tojosan

Block – Dirty word in Twitter land

Chances are you don’t block many of your followers and you aren’t alone. Blocking is looked upon as a dirty word. Bringing it up results in confused looks up to outrage. Judgmental, big ego, and more labels may be assigned to you for admitting you block more than the occasional spammer. But let’s take a look at who folks block.

Blocking – Not just for Spammers

Spammers aren’t the only ones you might want to block. Spammers covers those users (or robots) sending out a steady stream of noise. There are a few other types to block:

• Multi-Level-Marketers aka MLM – enough said
• Get Rich Quick – preys on those looking for easy street
• Get Followers Quick – looking to find those that seek the fast path to many followers
• See my video/pictures/site – usually adult oriented. Fake profiles to snag in the easily tempted.

But how do you go about finding and stopping them?

Twitter Block Tools – Spammers Eat Dirt

Manually blocking followers is work. Consider one of these useful tools for blocking.

• Twittfilter – http://www.twittfilter.com/
• TwitBlock http://www.twitblock.org/

So still think those who block have big egos? Or it’s too much work?

Twitter Friends Block Spammers

My friends block spammers and the like as well. Here’s just a few:

• @gloriabell
• @creativereason – Yessiree. I block all that I see follow me.
• @PhilGerb – woot! Blocking in the USA (Channeling the spirit of John Cougar)!
• @levitanl – I block them all!
• @Allisoncds – Holla! Block & report here!
• @MilliGFunk
• @deborah91473
• and more…

What’s keeping you?!

Seth Godin introduces the concept of the third guy with the video above.

To quote from his blog:

My favorite part happens just before the first minute mark. That’s when guy #3 joins the group. Before him, it was just a crazy dancing guy and then maybe one other crazy guy. But it’s guy #3 who made it a movement.

Initiators are rare indeed, but it’s scary to be the leader. Guy #3 is rare too, but it’s a lot less scary and just as important. Guy #49 is irrelevant. No bravery points for being part of the mob.

We need more guy #3s.

I’m in total agreement about the folks beyond guy #3; they were just along for the ride. So the question is how to be guy #3.

I’m not sure I have a tried and true answer to that question, but I do have some tell tail behaviors.

The third guy is…

• the guy that after the two wiz kids in the class get their answers out, raises his hand and asks the dumb question.
• the guy that after the two tennis pros take up a game at the local court, grabs his Walmart racket and some random stranger and starts up game on the next court over.
• the guy that after the first two order fancy scotch and no on else can decide, jumps in and orders a light beer.

If I had to say there is one common characteristic, it’s that the third guy is not afraid to take part but also not afraid to not be the best/perfect/leader and just have fun with it.

Those types serve the purpose of bridging the gap between the early adopters or pack leaders and the rest of the crowd. It’s their initiative that really breaks the ice on an event or a new tool or technique. They aren’t afraid to be imperfect and laugh at themselves.

How can we take that and walk away with something useful? We can be that third guy (or gal) every day with the huge amount of web 2.0 tools coming out.

One guy that gets this is Robert Scoble. He took up blogging without worrying about getting it right; he just blogged what came out. When video tools go started, he didn’t wait for the book or the guide lines from the inventors or early adopters, he dove in and started recording low quality, fun and spontaneous videos.

His behaviors enabled us less than cutting edge folks to look at those tools with a wink and a nod instead of fear and frustration. We no longer cared so much if our blog posts didn’t follow the rules of grammar, talk about starlets, or ran way to short for a ‘real article’. It made me realize that recording 12 second snippets can not only be fun but rewarding, and that wearing a strange hat can be just as valuable as HD video.

So keep in mind, you aren’t always going to be the cutting edge person, the one who uses a tool first, but you can be the one that jumps in and makes it less scary, lowering the barrier for the rest of us.

Notes:
Read Seth Godin’s full post, #3.
Robert Scoble’s latest project

Mixero, a multi-platform Twitter client, just got another update. Thought it’s in closed beta, it’s already making waves.

The latest update makes it easier to manage contacts, set up active lists for viewing tweets, and provides universal filtering.

What’s universal filtering you ask? It’s an option to globally ignore tweets with a given word or words in them. Those tweets will disappear from ALL windows. This filter is in addition to filters already present on specific channels, active windows, or groups.

I’ve already put this feature to use to block spymaster assassination messages. Thank goodness.

You can read about this and the other updates on the Mixero blog. If you already have the client, simply shut it down and restart it to get the update.

Damon Cort brings us another fun and interesting Twitter tool – First Follower.  First follower shows you the first person you followed on Twitter that you are still following.

My answer?  @bootload.  Programmer and more. I met him via Flickr.

Damon is @dacort on Twitter. He’s also the founder of Tweetstats.

I recommend following both of these fine gentlemen, and of course, you can follow me.

     Just a quick shout out to an article I posted over at the St. Louis Bloggers Guild, Twitter Search for Bloggers « St. Louis Bloggers Guild.

As Lisa pointed out, Twitter is a powerful tool for communication. It can reach thousands of people in just minutes. Twitter though isn’t just about the instant communication. Twitter is useful even when you aren’t online chatting.

     The article talks about three of my favorite tools for finding cool things and news on Twitter.  Tweetscan, Hashtags and Quotably are highlighted for search and discovery.  There’s a short bit about each tool including examples.

     Please give it a quick look; you might find you like one of those tools.

     *follow me on Twitter.